I remember playing many RPGs for the Super Nintendo in my youth. I would
get together with a group of friends, and we would spend hours grinding
our characters, advancing the storyline, and passing the controller off
to each other while exchanging our ideas about how to make progress and
discussing the storyline. Alas, as time went on, I moved to another
state, and I haven't spoke to these friends since. That was over ten
years ago. We played many Final Fantasy games, and some obscure RPGs
also. The one that evaded me this entire time was Chrono Trigger. I
remember in it's early release way back in the Mid-Nineties it was hard
to find, and being kids money wasn't easily accessible. I ignored the
game, and I have been playing RPGs on almost every console in every
generation since. I found the PSone version of this game for cheap on
the internet, so wondering what all of the fuss was about, I picked it
up. That was two monthes ago. I have completed the game, and in
reflection, I believe that I missed out on this game during its initial
release, but it impressed me well enough that I am certain that it has
aged well with time.
Graphics- It is difficult to make a judgment
on the graphics for this game due to the fact that it is over thirteen
years old. Thankfully, I have a accurate knowledge of what games looked
like at this time, so my perception of how to intepret the quality of
this game should be precise. The characters are distinguishable, and the
sprites have various animations that are easily interpreted. You can
tell what emotion they are conveying (although some animations are
recycled). The main character sprites are larger than the Final Fantasy
games. It is easy to navigate the overworld, and in game dungeons are
also fun to explore. The only problem is sometimes the dungeons can be
confusing, such as the maze in the 120000 BC era. The path takes focus
to travel through and can be slightly frustrating. The enemies are all
interesting and the bosses are all different. The attacks and animations
interact with eachother, so the combat will keep your attention. The
load times are somewhat long, but not as much as some would say. You
might notice the difference if you have played the original on the SNES
cartridge. I do think you can get used to them though. It would be nice
if they were shorter, but they are not extremely long. The PSone has
additional animated cutscenes and they feature particular scenes in the
game. They are very similar to the Dragon Ball style (due to Akira
Toriyama). They are interesting extras that enhance the game
experience.
Sound- The music in this game
is great. Each era you visit has a different tune, and is very
enjoyable. The score was brilliantly composed by Final Fantasy legend
Nobuo Uematsu. There are some melodies in this game that might be found
in Final Fantasy VI, I am not sure, but I feel like I have heard some of
them before. The combat sound effects are great and match what you are
seeing in action. Every sword slash, gunblast, and destructive spell are
present and they all sound great. There really is nothing I could find
wrong about the music and sound effects in this game.
Gameplay-
This game is very fun to play, but for RPG veterans, it might seem
somewhat limited. Each character has their own techniques which are
learned through leveling up and acquiring tech points. The progression
of learning new techs goes well with progression with the overall game,
which is good, but there is not much customization for the characters.
The meat of the combat is using double techs, which are learned when you
use two characters together. They can vary from physical attacks,
Physical/magical combo attacks, and healing combos. The more you learn
create more options, and that means using different combinations of
characters throughout the game give more variety. Later on, you will
learn Triple Techs, which involve your entire combat party. They are
flashy and neat to watch, but they are usually not worth the MP, and do
not give you a edge in combat. There is an element system implemented in
the game, which does come into effect many times. There are situations
when you are combating enemies and bosses where you must figure out
which elements to defend or use to gain an advantage in combat.
Occasionaly you are forced to abide by this element system or you will
die. The story is very good, although brief. You will finish the main
story in about 12-15 hours, which is short for an RPG. This is what I
would consider the first half of the game. The second are optional sub
missions involving story plots of individual characters, and it does not
take much time to accomplish them. Your first run through of the game
will require you to do a least some of them so you can get the XP and
equipment necessary to survive the last final boss battles. You will
play this game multiple times. The game has many endings (i think a
total of twelve). You can find these different endings by beating the
game at certain points. After your reach a certain point in the game,
you are allowed to make the decision to fight the final boss. This make
the game very interesting, because you can progress the game as much as
you want, and then end it. If you do or don't accomplish certain things,
it will effect what ending you get. This is a very cool gameplay
device. Whenever you start a New Game+, you keep your XP level and items
rollover to your new game, thus making it easier to obtain the endings.
This game has high re playability, given your patience of playing the
first couple of hours over and over again.
Extras-
The PSone version of this game has nice extras. The System Data saved
from beaten games unlocks a theater for all of your endings, music, and
cutscenes. It is a nice extra to have. That is about all though, it
would be nice if the Playstation team added a new ending or an extra
character for those who have already played this game on the Super
Nintendo.
Value- I purchased this game online
for a mere ten dollars. It is also packed with the excellent Final
Fantasy IV. If you haven't played either of these games, I suggest you
get it immediately and add it to your collection.
Overall-
This
is a great RPG. It has many classic elements and adds a twist to how
you progress a story in a RPG. The gameplay and customization is limited
but fun, so if you are used to Grid Spheres, Job Class System, Licence
Boards, or Materia Slots, this game may seem a bit simple. Combat is fun
and it can be strategic, although the damage rate you inflict on
enemies can seem inconsistent at times. The music is great, the story is
interesting and straight forward, although it may seem a little
underwhelming by todays standard. All in all, it has aged well and can
stand next to most RPGs of today. If you have not experienced this game
yet, I suggest you do, it is a great way to kill a couple of weeks, and
if your a completist, it may take you months.
