Volume 3: Occupational Hazards
The whole schtick with this column is that I play a game for the first time, and I share my thoughts on it after I’ve finished. Chrono Trigger, therefore, is a special case in which I’ve had to play the game nearly twice to roll the credits just once. If I felt charitable, I could say I’ve been given the chance to properly digest the game and learn the ins and outs of the world presented to me, as well as immerse myself in the time travel theme.
If I wasn’t feeling so charitable, I’d say I was stung by an incredibly unfortunate bug that totally broke a save file after over ten hours of progress, that nearly made me put the whole game down.
It’s a bizarre situation to find myself in, and I don’t want to let it hang over me too much as I dig into my overall feelings about a game that means so much to so many people. Chrono Trigger exists in a group of games that cause an audible gasp when you say you’ve not played it. As a self-proclaimed “RPG guy”, the fact that I’ve not played it sounds borderline incomprehensible given just how much praise it’s been given across the years, and the fervent calls for a definitive modern release.
For the sake of clarity, I played the DS version. I’d spoken to a few people about what version was best, and there didn’t seem to be any kind of real consensus. A friend suggested the original SNES version, where another said to go for the Steam version, famously updated over time to be less of a mess. I opted for the DS one, thinking that portability would be a benefit given a pretty busy personal life and a lot of travelling over the last few weeks.
In and of itself, this makes Chrono Trigger an utterly bizarre game to dissect. It’s uncommon for there to not be a de facto modern release that most can easily access, especially a game that’s so apparently revered. So I went for the easy way out, and I’ve been left with an RPG that impresses me on almost every level. Outside of a pretty lukewarm battle theme. Sorry.
There’s a pace to Chrono Trigger that never takes its finger off the pulse. You will always be moving forward towards some kind of defined objective, and no time is wasted. Where I could see certain other RPGs languishing in exposition, Chrono Trigger cuts the proverbial middle man and shoots you off to the past as fast as it can. Even though some of my favourite RPGs and stories like to spend time establishing their worlds, I won’t lie when I say I was ecstatic with how quickly Chrono Trigger runs out of the gate.
There’s a monster called Lavos threatening the world, it is your job to kill it before the apocalypse. Bread and butter stuff, but with the confidence to carry it further. I’ve played “basic,” and then I’ve played intelligent twists on established work. Chrono Trigger proves that the secret isn’t to reinvent the wheel, but to tighten the spokes.
Following on from the Final Fantasy games that so-defined Square Enix during the SNES era, Chrono Trigger exists as a showcase of what was possible with the ingredients the studio was so familiar with, and how it could make something totally new with those component parts.
An adapted version of the Active Time Battle System bridges the gap between exploration and combat. You aren’t fighting in liminal spaces – you very much have the lay of the land in every battle you fight– which then feeds into how particular abilities work. Rather than firing off move after move, you’ll consider the placement of enemies and use what causes the most destruction. It’s simple stuff, but it works.
Maybe I’m just too used to the “job”’ system being the standard, but Chrono Trigger’s core systems are a refreshing change of pace. Each member of the party very much has their shoes to fill, and particular roles to play. You aren’t getting Marle to do physical damage like Frog or Robo. And you aren’t going to turn Ayla into the next healer of the party.
Most ‘customisation’ comes from working out which combination of party members will work best when coming up against particular fights. Was there room for expression? I’m left feeling unsure; there were more than a few battles that felt like stone walls unless I specifically knew to use particular magic. Certain enemies flat out refuse to take physical damage, and completely crumple to magic, and vice versa. On paper, not an issue, but there was never a clear logic to enemy resistances. Bosses counterattack with party-wide attacks without much warning because of an elemental resistance I couldn’t have possibly known. Magys in particular was a total drag that made me loathe the Active Time Battle system, changing resistances and essentially wrecking my party before I could do anything about it.
More than anything, I find myself, and I feel somewhat ashamed to say this, legitimately surprised at just how detailed and dynamic Chrono Trigger actually is. It manages to make its use of time travel feel woven into the narrative, rather than being a set-dressing for a linear story that is ‘about’ time-travel. I finished this game feeling like it was far more than the sum of its parts; I wouldn’t go as far to say spectacle over substance, but the spectacle very much makes up a lot of that substance for me. The novelty of going back in time to fundamentally change an unnamed family’s moral compass speaks to a game far more interested in broad ideas of time travel, rather than a character-focused narrative.
Among the few things that I knew about Chrono Trigger before I began was the “trial” section of the game. From the outside looking in, I wasn’t quite sure what the fuss was for. Of all the moments to come back to, I couldn’t understand why this ten minute moment was the one I’d seen time and time again. I’ve played plenty of games that track specific dialogue choices and throw them back at you, so imagine my surprise when most of what the game tracks isn’t actually dialogue, but instead what you actually did. I was put on blast for being more interested in the shiny item than the person that had fallen. I was being reprimanded for actively ignoring a child in need. Turns out that I’d stolen someone’s lunch, and I just forgot. It didn’t go well for me, unfortunately. It’s a short sequence, but it holds a magnifying glass to your actions only a few hours ago, and makes you confront them. Rather than just choosing the nice or mean dialogue choice, you actually do right or wrong.
It sounds redundant, but I was actually role-playing in a role-playing game. How about that?
Chrono Trigger felt like it was carried by its concepts rather than its characters. I won’t be singing the praises of the main party here, because frankly, they weren’t what I enjoyed. Frog is ‘cool’ in the same way that a big sword is ‘cool.’ Which is to say, cool, but without much more to it.
And for what it’s worth, it’s incredibly fortunate that I did appreciate the world that was presented to me, given that I fell to the curse of losing my save file partway through the game and needing to start again. Turns out that moving while saving is a one-way trip to getting yourself stuck out-of-bounds, and never being able to leave the area that you saved in. This is an issue that’s apparently been in every version of the game, but that doesn’t do much for the 15 hours I had already poured into it. I sent bewildered messages to friends who encouraged me to jump boat to Steam, but an overwhelming spite stopped me from biting the bullet.
It’s the cost that comes as a result of going out of my way to play a particular version, but it’s not something I can honestly hold against Chrono Trigger. If nothing else, I have double the appreciation for pacing that I would have otherwise. I haven’t dared to venture back for any of the bizarre alternative endings, but the one I got felt satisfying in its own right. You can choose to ostensibly ‘finish’ the game whenever you want:the option to fight Lavos is always open to you, but there is very much a defined point where it’s ‘correct’.
Chrono Trigger doesn’t feel the need to chase after what makes people love Final Fantasy. It takes its own concept, and runs wild with it. You aren’t really dealing with complex motivations or backstories, you’re averting the apocalypse by any means necessary, and you get to see the impact that Lavos has had on the world throughout the ages. It doesn’t need any more than that, and it makes smart use of what it does have.
While I might not quite understand the reverence for Chrono Trigger in the same way that others do (I mean, people don’t understand my reverence for Shadow the Hedgehog, we’re not all perfect), I would be lying if I said this wasn’t a fantastic RPG that feels like a definitive entry point for the genre as a whole. Chrono Trigger takes universally cool concepts, an engaging battle system, and approachable narrative to make for a game that genuinely ticks most of the boxes that games should tick. It won’t be making my top 10, but bloody hell, am I glad I played it.
If you’ve never played an RPG, it’s never too late!
