Chrono Trigger Review

Many regard 1995’s Chrono Trigger as one of the best JRPGs of all time. Many, also, consider it one of the best SNES games ever created. Chrono Trigger does not stop there; it frequently tops “Best Games of All Time” lists. I do not like JRPGs, but I had to determine if Chrono Trigger can find a high spot on my personal list of games.

I am no stranger to JRPGs. I tried playing the first Final Fantasy, as well as Final Fantasy VII. I have completed Final Fantasy VIII. I played a bit of Earthbound, but I ended up watching someone else finish it. My experiences with these games have not enticed me to branch out to other behemoths, like Kingdom Hearts, Persona, or Dragon Quest. I usually do not like them.

Before digging into Chrono Trigger, I need to explain why I do not like JRPGs. In many JRPGs, the stories and characters can be too bizarre for me to get into. I think the turn-based combat can get too complex and cumbersome. The genre frequently relies on too much RNG; this can range from combat encounters to the damage.

I am capable of liking turned-based combat. I play D&D. I like the simple combat of Paper Mario and Costume Quest. In most JRPGs, I do not like scrolling through pages of options while in the middle of a fight.

From the very beginning, I saw that Chrono Trigger is special. I played on the PC, which is a perfectly acceptable way to play this game. I did encounter a weird glitch where the cutscenes are completely black when playing on my Steam Link; I am guessing it is an issue with Big Picture Mode, so avoid playing that way if you are able. However, I would say this is the best way to obtain and play the game.

Chrono Trigger sucked me in with its story. The game takes place on an alternate version of Earth. Crono and his friends get tossed around time, while trying to stop an impending apocalypse. The story is the perfect rollercoaster. It is able to hit fast paced action, but is more than capable of slowing down to allow the story to breathe. Crono is joined by six other people, who have their own personalities. I grew attached to each one.

I have two gripes which prevents the story from being perfect. On PC, skip the Lost Sanctum quests. These are additional side quests from the DS version of the game. With its constant backtracking, it throws the whole pacing off for the story. The quests do have a few good dungeon crawls, and some good items and experience, but the good is outweighed by the slog.

My other gripe is the final boss. It is a standard, multi-phase boss fight. However, it took me over an hour to defeat the boss on my first go around. I actually ended up pausing the game and left it running, because I had to run some errands. I could not save and quit. The boss fight felt like a grind, and I did not like it.

Overall, Chrono Trigger did a great job of easing me into the combat. I started out with only controlling one or two characters, and I had basic attacks with limited magical/tech abilities. It let me wade into the system, without drowning me. It has a cool dual/triple tech system, which allowed me to combine tech abilities across characters. I did not dig too much into it, but I did appreciate what it was trying to do.

I slowly gained new characters and abilities. About two-thirds into the game, I did start to feel overwhelmed. I got better gear for each character at a steady paced, which helped compensate when I felt like I was floundering. Eventually, I did figure out all of the combat options and when to use them; it took longer than I would have liked.

I really like how Chrono Trigger addresses RNG. There are no random encounters on the overworld map! In the regular maps, I was able to see the enemies. Seeing the enemies helped me prepare before a fight. Sometimes, I was able to walk around them and avoid combat. Damage is still random, but I appreciate that they decided to forgo random encounters.

Chrono Trigger should be homework for anyone who aspires to be a game designer. The story and gameplay is perfectly paced. Excluding the Lost Sanctum quests, I never felt like I was grinding for anything. I never felt the need to grind experience, money, or equipment. I fell in love with the game, the world, and its characters. After beating the game, I still wanted to immerse myself into this lovely world. I started a New Game+, and tackled all of the Steam Achievements.

The second playthrough was definitely grindy; it’s the exact same game, but I was able to keep my levels, items, and abilities. I only recommend it if you felt the same way I did, but it is completely optional.

Is Chrono Trigger my personal best game of all time? It did not change my mind about JRPGs; I am not going to power through the Dragon Quest games anytime soon. However, it got me to play a game in a genre I do not usually enjoy, and proved that I could enjoy a JRPG. It defintely is one of the best games I have ever played. Although it does not take the top spot on the list, it secures a high ranking.