(RPG-ween) [Review] Chrono Trigger · 4:33pm Oct 31st, 2015
Well, if you're going to recover from a bad game, might as well do a good game instead!
Hello once again everyone and welcome back to another review I have up my sleeve. Well, here we are: the final review of RPG-ween. This unfortunately means I won't be doing everything I promised. This is partly my fault, since I believed I basically bit off more than I could chew. However, next special month will be a lot different, as I'll plan ahead and make sure I have everything in place so this won't happen again. Sorry for the unfortunate inconvenience, but you know how things happen.
However, I think this is a great way to end off the month because I swear to god, this game is amazing. I know that the 90s were the golden age of amazing RPGs like Final Fantasy VI, Secret of Mana, Super Mario RPG, and of course Chrono Trigger, and I know I've talked to death about Chrono Trigger, but I couldn't help but talk about it again because it really is one of my favorite games of all time! So, get your robot and anthropomorphic frog because we're going into SPOILERS AGAIN!!! This is Chrono Trigger.
Beginning again with the story, it's actually pretty simple. But that's the charm in it, truly! You're Crono, and you're about to go to the Millennial fair to celebrate the millennia in the year 1000. Of course! You meet a girl named Marle, and with her you can spend your time in the fair for as long as you want, and do whatever you want! However, whatever you do will affect a very important event later on in the game, but we'll get to that a little later. Anyway, you and Marle eventually meet up with Lucca who, with her teleportation machine, accidentally sends Marle into the past. Crono runs after her, and the adventure begins!
A lot of weird stuff happens, including meeting doppelgangers, awkward translations issues that are hilarious but don't take away from the game's immersion, and an anthropomorphic frog knight. But our heroes prevail, and eventually find themselves in the future of 2300, where everything had been completely destroyed by a great beast simply known as Lavos. It is now up to Crono, Marle, and Lucca, as well as their friends Robo, Frog, Ayla and Magus, to travel through time, defeat Lavos and save the planet.
And that's the story.
The simplicity allows anyone to follow the plot easily, but don't think this game doesn't have its high points. There are some genuinely amazing scenes scattered about, and each of them was more amazing than the last. Most RPGs have some sort of overarching plot that strays from the main one, but not Chrono Trigger. There is one goal though the entire game: Defeat Lavos. You'll see what I mean later on when you play the game, but it's actually pretty cool.
The story does have a few nitpicks and cliches about, but nothing all too bad like Marle is a tomboy princess, the fair of whatever the plot needs, the chosen one, legendary swords, the whole lot. But these are so small and insignificant, they're not even worth talking about.
Story: Defeat this prick!
Every character in this game feels believable, like they could be actual people in this world. Crono is courageous like any hero should, but since you control him you are responsible for his actions, making him a reflection of you. Lucca is brainy but has a good heart as well, and Frog is... Frog. That's a plus in itself. But the best thing about these characters is how none of them suck in battle! More on that later.
The villains are also really good as well! Magus is a badass mage who uses dark magic (his HP is literally 6666), Queen Zeal is a bitch who wants to use Lavos's power to rule the world, and Lavos... Dear god, Lavos. Certainly a fantastic antagonist! Perhaps not a villain, but definitely one of the highlights of the game. Lavos is basically a giant space rock parasite thing that crashes on the planet in hopes of draining away the life of the core of the planet. It then makes baby Lavos before flying off and repeating the cycle and destroying more planets. A mindless cycle of killing, and I love it! Or... is Lavos intelligent? Who knows?
The humor and romance are in JUST the right places when we need it and where it needs to be. When they are around, it's actually really good and never feels forced. The romance between Crono and Marle is special because of all the time they spent together. And it WASN'T love at first sight. They started out as friends and gradually started to become lovers, eventually marrying at the end of the game.
If you wanted them to, of course.
You see, the game is based around time travel. Anything you do in the past WILL affect the future to a scary degree. For example, if you choose not save someone in a castle, their ancestor won't leave a hint in the sewers to help you progress through the future. Or more dramatically, if you manage to do a bit of gardening for someone in the past, the present will have a beautiful new forest for you to explore. But the game also has a morality system... sorta. Remember when I said you should be careful of what you do in the fair? Well, everything you do will be reflected when you're put on trial for kidnapping the princess. Witnesses will come up and tell you what you did and didn't do, and all will be decided by your actions. It's a great moment, and it slaps you across the face if you're not prepared for it.
This all adds up to the multiple endings of the game. Everyone's playthrough is different, but this just shows you how many possibilities there are. It's better when you discover this game is actually 15 hours long, 17 if you do all the extra stuff. This short time means you can replay the game and do all the stuff you failed to do. You can also use the brand new (at the time) New Game +, which lets you play the game with all your achieved levels, as well as fight Lavos right off the bat!
"I want you to behave yourself today..."
The gameplay is, of course, perfection. It's your standard turn-based stuff with a charge meter telling you when you can attack again (as any good RPG should have...). However, two major things are different.
One, the battle field. Battles don't fade into a battle scene, but rather take place right then and there. This allows enemies to move around and makes you plan out when and where to use your attacks so you can deal extra damage to your enemy. Two, the combo attacks. As far as I'm concerned, this was the first game, at least RPG, to use combo attacks. By sacrificing two characters' timer bars, you can both combine your normal attacks to create a more powerful new one. This combined with the first point allows for so many possibilities to battle monsters.
It also should be noted that no character is bad. You know that one character you get in an RPG that you just want to get rid of as quick as possible (Gau, Mallow, etc.)? Well, I think you'll be happy to know there is not a single character you want to remove from your team, as each and everyone is amazing in their own right. Want some power? Have Ayla or Robo on your team. Want some magic but also some support? Lucca is your best bet. The greatest thing is that you need these characters on your team, making it hard to remove some characters from your team. It works great, and really makes you think.
Each character can combo with every character, BTW. That's yet another little charm of the game is that everyone has powers they can use effectively with each other. Yet again another amazing feature. But you might be wondering if there's anything actually bad with Chrono Trigger, since I've been praising it so much, and truth be told; yeah, there is. The final battle is kinda lame.
Lavos was built-up big time, and when the time came to fight him, you kill him! And then go inside him and find another human-looking Lavos? Okay, so this is the real Lavos? Sure, fine, whatever. But then he turns into a weird core thing that looks like a cross between humans and Darth Vader. OH NO WAIT! He's actually that littler core to the side there! Oh, well isn't that just DANDY?! This final battle was a huge let-down especially since Lavos's shell form looks so cool. But this is just a nitpick, and I think that speaks volumes about the quality of the game.
This video pretty much sums up my feelings about the final battle:
Chrono Trigger is timeless.
No pun intended, I swear. But it truly is. From the vast locations you can visit to the colorful cast of characters to the gameplay and even the music, Chrono Trigger has it all. All nitpicks are few and far between, and they're in so small size that it's not even worth talking about them. The story is captivating and the characters feel alive, and with the short adventure time, it allows you to replay the game as many times as you want to get all the endings should you so wish.
I love this game.
I love it with all my heart. Very few games can make me absolutely love them, but this one did. Chrono Trigger isn't just another RPG you should ignore because of the recent fail in Final Fantasy content! It's a game you HAVE to experience for yourself. If you are an RPG fan of any kind, I implore you to play this game. You will not regret it.
Try to act surprised for this... Chrono Trigger, earns:
10/10
This has been SuperKamek saying thank you, have a great night, and one day I hope you'll join me in a pleasant coversation where we write angry letters to Square asking them why they haven't come out with a new Chrono Trigger game in fifteen years!! AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!
Chrono Trigger is a great game. I have really great memories of playing it, even to this day.
3510007
It will always be in our hearts as one of the best, that's for sure!
.... honest to god this looks boring.
3510009 Good games always are.
3510010
Well, try it for yourself and see. Never judge a book by its cover!
3510017 Believe it or not I actually did.... and I still felt bored. Good story or not the combat felt lack luster to me. It's one of those things that reminds me why I DON'T like these things. There's no intuition or feeling behind them. Just select an attack and hope for the best.
3510027
Chrono Trigger will continue being one of the finest games I've ever played. 
I know RPGs aren't your favorite, but that's fine.
3510035 It's not just.... okay take the Mario and Luigi RPG series. They have the right idea when it comes to attacking during a JRPG. You select an attack but if it screws up it's actually YOUR fault instead of the computer's and you don't have it just be luck based which in my opinion is one of the STUPIDEST attack ideas that was ever born.
I always liked this one. My fav characters switch between Magus and Robo, but I lean towards Magus, mostly because he starts as a villain.
The multiple possible endings and the whole Lavos issue makes it a bit unique story wise.
As far as what Lavos is: Lavos is an organism who's motives are mirrored by the reapers in the Mass Effect series; Genetic perfection. Lavos goes from world to world, living off of the core energy of the planet while sampling and assimilating all of the DNA on the planet.
Oddly enough, Lavos' motives (and I do believe he is ridiculously intelligent) do not revolve around anything other than these things. The destruction he causes is incidental to his mission, like how a wildlife biologist going into the wilderness in their jeep doesn't consider all of the anthills, mouse nests, and plantlife that they run over on their way to their target.
Lavos fires his spines when he lands, I think this is either the equivalent of him spraying for pests, or that the spines are the method by which he collects all the DNA on the planet. (Fire spines, they plow through everything, then burrow to the center of the planet, where they deliver the DNA back to Lavos. When he takes off, the very act of bursting through the planet's crust is what destroys everything.
So I think this puts Lavos squarely in the Lovecraftian horror category. The life on the planet is so insignificant as to be beneath notice.
Good review.
3510129
A very in-depth analysis of Lavos... I think he might actually be smart, he's just either incapable of human speech, or believes the life on the world is so beneath him that they wouldn't comprehend speech.
I have to ask, but A: did you recruit Magus? B: if so, what is your opinion on them in the party?
3510204
Actually, he does speak. And we are incapable of comprehending the message.
[youtube=Dfb_n7wjb5k]
FYI, he's saying "More ants? Now I have to spray again!"
3510211
Yes I did, because Magus is a badass, and although he isn't really the party's friend, he does still sorta care about them (except for Frog). With his magic power, he was a good addition to my team. Besides, he was the one who wanted to kill Lavos the most because he wanted to find his sister who was trapped by it. That's brotherly love if I ever saw it!
3510230
lol
3510239 Yeah tru dat. What was the first trio that you used to defeat lavos? Mine was Crono, Magus and Frog.
3510474
Chrono, Robo and Lucca. I didn't use Magus for certain reasons. I did use him the second time I fought Lavos though!