When Square-Enix announced that the classic SNES RPG Chrono Trigger would be getting a re-release on the Nintendo DS, gamers assumed the spiky-haired boy named Crono would be re-imagined in 3D like his Square-Enix brethren from Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV had been.
However, the DS version of Chrono Trigger is the same game that showed up on the SNES in 1995, barring a few small tweaks. Given how well the adventure has held up since its first release, a port is a better choice than a remake.
However, the DS version of Chrono Trigger is the same game that showed up on the SNES in 1995, barring a few small tweaks. Given how well the adventure has held up since its first release, a port is a better choice than a remake.
A Timeless Story
Chrono Trigger is a fantasy role-playing game based around time travel. The main character, Crono, has a series of misadventures that throw him and his two lady friends into a grim, dark future. There, they learn about a parasitic alien life form named “Lavos” that has been hibernating in the Earth's core for thousands of years. Lavos' maturation and eruption to the surface sent the world into ruin, and Crono's small party decides to employ some fancy time traveling to stop Lavos before Doomsday occurred.
Chrono Trigger's characters are an interesting bunch, pretty much what you'd expect out of a recruitment program that spans history (if you skipped your history lessons in school, that is). There's a cave woman named Ayla (ten points if you can identify her namesake), a cursed frog-knight, a robot, and even a powerful magician. Each member of the party wields a weapon exclusive them, and carries a roster of “skills” that further cements their unique personalities.
Chrono Trigger's characters are an interesting bunch, pretty much what you'd expect out of a recruitment program that spans history (if you skipped your history lessons in school, that is). There's a cave woman named Ayla (ten points if you can identify her namesake), a cursed frog-knight, a robot, and even a powerful magician. Each member of the party wields a weapon exclusive them, and carries a roster of “skills” that further cements their unique personalities.
Forever Fighting
Those “skills” are vital for enemy-stomping, which you'll do a lot of in Chrono Trigger. Chrono Trigger mercifully does away with random battles, instead scattering enemies around the environment and letting the player choose between fight or flight. Not every battle can be avoided, but characters can pair up their skills and execute devastating “Tech” combos capable of ending a battle in a turn.
Not that every battle is a pushover, of course. There are some particularly rough boss battles that will challenge you through the eons. Besides, not every enemy deserves to be immediately stomped into the ground: some characters can pilfer items from them (and then they can be stomped into the ground).
Not that every battle is a pushover, of course. There are some particularly rough boss battles that will challenge you through the eons. Besides, not every enemy deserves to be immediately stomped into the ground: some characters can pilfer items from them (and then they can be stomped into the ground).
Classic Sprite Graphics
The Nintendo DS isn't hurting for games that feature characters built out of polygonal blocks. Square-Enix opted not to change Chrono Trigger's beautiful sprite work, and it was a good call. Even though the game dates back to the SNES, the graphics are still well worth fawning over. The character sprites are detailed and colorful, the enemies (designed by famous manga-ka Akira Toriyama) are original and offer a breather from the typical RPG parade of dragons and wraiths, and the environments are carefully constructed: the smoke and fog of the wrecked future gives the era a much different feel than the sunny, rock-strewn prehistoric landscape.
Chrono Trigger's soundtrack has likewise remained impressive in an age where it's not unheard of for orchestras to compose a game's tunes. Each character—and some of the secondary characters—carries his or her own theme. Each time period has its own distinct tune, providing a tense background for the war-torn Middle Ages, and an airy, somewhat lonely tune for Crono's time period.
Chrono Trigger's soundtrack has likewise remained impressive in an age where it's not unheard of for orchestras to compose a game's tunes. Each character—and some of the secondary characters—carries his or her own theme. Each time period has its own distinct tune, providing a tense background for the war-torn Middle Ages, and an airy, somewhat lonely tune for Crono's time period.
Dungeons and Drag-Ons
Though nothing is perfect, Chrono Trigger offers a role-playing experience that's darn close to it. So where does it trip up? Mostly in the details. The bonus dungeons added to the Nintendo DS port are tedious and brimming with unavoidable enemy battles. The anime cutscenes are nice, but the new animated intro replaces the old intro that many of us still value as a childhood memory, crude as it may be. The entire game has also been re-translated, which means some story potholes left in the SNES version due to censorship and space limitations are finally patched up—but the new translation lacks the charm of the old one. The option to switch would be nice.
Those are minor quibbles: the new translation is still worth appreciating, and the new dungeons, though disappointing, aren't mandatory. Despite its age, Chrono Trigger is well-worth playing if you've never experienced it before...and if you still cherish the SNES game, give it another go. What's the point of having a time machine if you can't relive the nice bits of the past?
Those are minor quibbles: the new translation is still worth appreciating, and the new dungeons, though disappointing, aren't mandatory. Despite its age, Chrono Trigger is well-worth playing if you've never experienced it before...and if you still cherish the SNES game, give it another go. What's the point of having a time machine if you can't relive the nice bits of the past?
