Chrono Trigger (DS) Review
Time is a funny thing. Sometimes it can alter our perception of games that we loved years ago, and sometimes it simply makes us realise that the games we all knew and loved are actually pretty damn bad. Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS is a game that not only uses time as a key motif in its narrative, but it is a game that stands up well to the test of time, as one of Square Enixs best non-Final Fantasy RPGs. So, just how well does the game shape up after all these years?
To tell you the truth, it shapes up pretty darn well. Back when Chrono Trigger was first released on the SNES, it was not as readily available in the West as many other games, so sadly many gamers have never had the chance to try it out. As such, it is good to see that Chrono Triggers story remains largely unchanged. The games main setting is the Kingdom of Guardia, which is celebrating its millennial with a huge festival. Chrono, the games protagonist, rushes to the celebration to witness his friend Luccas latest creation, a teleporter of sorts. On his way to Luccas showcase, Chrono runs into Marle, a very hyperactive girl who Chrono finds familiar.
Marle subsequently tags along to the demonstration, where Luccas device malfunctions and sends Marle into another realm, in a different time and space. Naturally concerned for his friend, Chrono jumps into the same rift in an attempt to save Marle, but while hes there he discovers something much more sinister. Chrono sees a terrible future and engages in a quest to prevent the events leading to the destruction of their world from unfolding. Its a pretty decent story, and it feels very epic (especially for a handheld RPG), but what makes it even better is that there are now new areas to explore and some extra endings (that add on to the 14 available in the original) that tie into the sequel, Chrono Cross (which is just as good, mind you!).
Whats perhaps the most surprising thing about Chrono Trigger is that the graphics still hold up after almost ten years. The main designer contracted to work on the game was Akira Toriyama, and the design is still contemporary, with most of the characters looking like they stepped straight out of Dragonball Z or Blue Dragon (whether or not this is a good thing is up to you). Sprites are brilliantly animated, environments are beautifully detailed and both of these elements come together to create a world which feels alive. There are also some nicely animated sequences included too, and these help enhance the storytelling. Overall, the games visuals are of an incredibly high quality, exceeding the quality of some titles made specifically for the DS (which should be quite embarrassing for many of today’s developers?). The gameplay is fairly typical for an RPG.
You get to move Chrono around the various environments, interact with NPCs and engage in battles with enemies. Where Chrono Trigger differs from most RPGs is that enemies appear on the screen rather than as random encounters. This is something that was quite rare back in the days of SNES RPGs and one of the main reasons that Chrono Trigger was so popular. The highly unorthodox battle system has been copied since, but there have been few titles that have managed to pull it off as well as Chrono Trigger does. Touching an on screen enemy will trigger a battle, during which, Chrono can attack or utilise the skills of up to two other party members to cause more damage. The battle system flows very smoothly and actively gets the player involved, which means unlike most turn based RPGs, fights don’t feel slow or boring. Players also do not appear lined up on one side of the screen, but instead appear scattered around the field, adding an element of strategy to battles. Should you go for the combo attack that does much more damage and risk the turns you may lose, or should you just play it safe and keep as many turns as you can just in case you need to heal? These are some of the questions youll need to think about when fighting in Chrono Trigger.
The new gameplay elements in Chrono Trigger are the addition of touch screen controls which take full advantage of the DS hardware. In addition, new areas are added, some of which allow you to train a monster to participate in WiFi Battles. Unfortunately, there is no worldwide online connection functionality available, but the ability to battle locally is still a very nice touch. The new side quests added also add much more flesh to the Chrono Trigger bone for players to chew on too (No, I cant believe I just used that analogy either >_>). Finally, as the game does use time as a narrative motif, youll find a lot of your decisions will have implications on another “time zone”, making some players wonder what will happen should they follow through with their decisions. Its a nice level of freedom you have and obviously affects which ending youll get, adding an immense amount of replay value to those of a completist nature. The audio is largely untouched for this remake, which some may find a bit disappointing considering how much was added in other departments, but whats on offer is already fantastic. The tracks that play during certain scenes are nothing short of amazing, stimulating all kinds of emotions during the story scenes.
The soundtrack’s ability to help you connect with the characters emotions and the storyline really add to the overall experience. Its extremely hard to explain how it manages to do this, but I am sure youll know what I mean if you play through the game As previously said, there are a grand total of approximately 14 endings available, and all kinds of “directions” that the story for Chrono Trigger can go. Combine that with a whole bunch of side quests, some multiplayer for those who are really dedicated, and a thrilling and extremely well done amalgamation of story, graphics, gameplay and sound, and you have a really decent overall package. Chrono Trigger was hailed as one of the best games of all time back when it was released on the SNES, and I am happy to confirm to fans that this version takes what made it brilliant and makes it even better. Definitely a must buy.
