Easily one of the greatest RPGs of all time, even almost 13 years after it's release. Truly a masterpiece for the ages.
Either people say Chrono Trigger is (one of) the best RPG they've ever played, or they haven't played it at all. For those in the prior category, I need say no more about this game. For those that haven't, "WAKE UP PEOPLE AND GET WITH THE PROGRAM!". So pay attention.
The story is simple (relatively speaking). You play as Chrono for the majority of the game. You wake up one morning and next thing you know you are off to save the world from an evil being named Lavos. What makes the game interesting is your ability to teleport through time, allowing you to meet various characters like Ayla the Cavewoman, Frog... um... the frog, Robo.... um... again the robot and some not so obvious characters like Marle, Lucca and Magus.
To give away any more of the gist of the story would be blasphemy to anyone who hasn't played it, and for those of you who have, you know it already. The game on the first play through has one long ending. Actually two, depending on if you fulfill a certain goal during the game (which is entirely dependent on your exploratory spirit and/or using a strategy guide). Once you complete the game you have the option of New Game + where depending on what place in time, and what events you've accomplished. In all, there are approximately 15 endings. I don't think this feat has been rivaled to this day.
Anyways, let's break it down.
Gameplay : The game is pretty straight forward. It's an ATB style combat system but utilizes position in factoring how well you attack. Time goes by and your characters speed determines how fast and often they attack. Attacks are regular and specials (which consume MP). Special attacks can be use to hit a single target, a line, an area or the entire field. Enemies move around and can either be clustered or spread out, it's all a matter of when you choose to attack. That's pretty straight forward.
Additionally, elemental weakeness and strengths are present in the gameplay. Some enemies are weak, some are strong against certain attacks, and some outright absorb attacks (you get this ability later on with strong armors). Some attacks, like Lightning can stun dinosaurs, or fire burns wooden weapons against strong ogre types. Figuring this out is part of the game's strategy.
However one of the most important aspects of this game is the use of Dual and Triple Techniques. It is just as it sounds. 2 and 3 members can participate in one turn for a massively damaging attack (more so than merely adding up the damage each technique would do alone). However, do you use up your turn on all 3 characters when one could heal and do a dual technique or what? That's part of the strategy, and something you will have to choose from frequently.
Characters learn techniques from getting TEC points, think of AP from Final Fantasy Tactics or the like, except each character is unique in terms of attributes and special attacks, so there's no possibility of subsituting one character for another. That is, each character is valuable, something many RPGs today seem to forget by making everyone a generic blank slate.
You get weapons, armor, a helmet and accessory, each of which can dramatically boost your ability and stats (especially later on in the game). I had magic and physical shield, haste and absorb fire on one character at one time for instance.
Generally speaking, you travel through a small overworld in each time period and can head into little stores in towns or go into dungeons and caves. There is where you get attacked. However you can avoid attacks, as this game has no random encounters (outside of bosses). You can't always avoid an enemy, but you can see they are coming.
Each time period has a distinct feel, from the art work to the music to the enemies in it to your goal. Your actions in the past predicate what happens in the future. For instance, there are these sealed boxes that you can open. Do you open them now when you first see them, or wait until the end of the game when you can access that same site in the year 2300 AD instead of 1000 AD? The item in 2300 AD will be MUCH stronger. Instead of cutting the damage in half or nullifying it, the 2300 item will absorb it. That isn't to say you can't go back in time after getting the 2300 AD one and grab the others too. Feel free to go back in time and loot. But don't loot in a forward direction. Same thing goes for choices you make in sidequests in the past, they will affect the future.
Speaking of sidequests, they don't become prevalent until much later, however the ones at the end are very valuable in expounding on the story and giving "phat l3wtZ". There are plenty of minigames and puzzles through out, none of which is excruciatingly long or complicated.
With balanced yet challenging bosses (mostly figuring out their pattern and having the appropriate team members), a bunch of mini games, sidequests and realms to play in with unique characters, this game is a prime example of how current RPGs should still be. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
10 out of 10
Graphics : For a sprite based 16 bit game, the graphics have held up pretty well over the past 12 years. Immortalized in internet flash animations, Chrono Trigger's cast can still be seen in their pixelated glory in a retro manner.
But for back in the day, Chrono Trigger featured a lush pallette of vibrant and diverse colors in 5 time periods with unique artwork. The expansive environments were jaw dropping, especially when climbing a mountain and seeing the entire mountain range in the distance (Watch the ending part when Robo is sitting there, you'll know what I'm talking about).
Akira Toriyama does an excellent job with the character designs, and back when I was a lad of 14, I knew nothing of Dragon Ball Z, so my impressions weren't tainted. And to this day I still think they are some of his finest work. Clearly indicative of his work, but not overbearingly so.
Sprite based particle effects and explosions are also second to none (assuing 1995 technology of course), and animations are of a higher quality than most found in this time period.
For those who are concerned with the latest fare in RPGs (Lost Odyssey and Mass Effect for instance) there is NO LOADING TIME OR FRAME SKIPPING OR POPUPS! Good old cartridges.
Now granted it doesn't have any FMVs (the Playstation Rerelease has some anime cutscenes), but they definetely do the job and for the time they do it amazingly well. In fact, Chrono Trigger could easily pass as a quality DS title or perhaps even a PSP title with no problem, that's how well it stands the test of time.
10 out of 10
Sound : Short of Smash Bros Brawl (representative of the iconic Nintendo Theme Music), The Final Fantasy Series, Metal Gear Series and a few others, there is very little out there that I feel compares to Chrono Trigger's musical score.
From the 600 AD overworld music (A haunting track named "Wind Theme") to the upbeat techno dance music "Robo's Theme" you get emotionally inspiring tracks and melancholic mood setting fare. I normally don't go out of my way to buy video game music, but this is one that you would listen to when not playing. Other notable tracks include Magus's Theme, Frog's Theme, Burn! Bobonga! and more. I seriously have the entire score on my iTunes it's that good. Yasunori Mitsuda (with help from Nobuo Uematsu) composes one for the ages.
There is no voice overs in this game, it was before it's time, however the sound effects of lightning, fire, water, explosions, wind, trees, sword clashes, etc all come out so well. Ambient sound effects like rain and dripping water and whirring machinery can be heard also.
Even by today's standards (barring Voice acting), Chrono Trigger can hang sonically.
10 out of 10
Value : Personally I thought Chrono Trigger was longer when I first played it, maybe it was because I wasn't as good at video games then... I don't know. Maybe it's after the 5th or 6th time, I know my way around the game. The point is first timers will get through the game around 20 hours, maybe more. Plus another 5 or so for the new game + (you keep your weapons and levels). Multiply that by 5, you get 100+ hours of gaming goodness, and I'm now playing this game again by the way. You know those rare games you pop in years in the future, this is one of them.
10 out of 10
Tilt : What is there that I haven't said? The gameplay is superb, the music second to none, the graphics for the time are amazing, and it's something you want to play again and again.
Short of spoiling the story, this game is full of memorable characters and treated uniquely in a manner that many games don't do anymore. While technically "linear" the time jumping aspect makes it feel less so. Technically you can go between time periods whenever you want, so you aren't actually constrained.
I'll just say this game is on the scope of gameplay and story as Final Fantasy 7 (no comment on exactly how...) and rivals Mass Effect in terms of the sheer exploration you do, not through space, but through time (not to mention the whole saving the galaxy type deal too). To place Chrono Trigger with those two lofty colleagues is saying something.
I implore those who haven't to pick up this game on the SNES, the PS1 or if possible in the future the Virtual Console or the DS. You will not be sorry.
10 out of 10
Overall : 10 out of 10
Pros:
+ Amazing story and cast of characters that you will see travel through time to save the world
+ The gameplay is second to none. Innovative, fresh and very polished
+ Musical score is also tops. Your iPod will thank you if you have it.
Cons :
- Um... it's 12+ years old, so don't go comparing it to Lost Odyssey or Mass Effect graphically.