Chrono Trigger is considered by many to be the greatest RPG of all time. Square Soft originally released the game on the Super Nintendo in 1995 and it just blew gamers minds all over the world. Over a decade later TOSE would bring an enhanced port of Chrono Trigger to the Nintendo DS.
Story & Presentation
The story is the reason that so many people around the world fell in love with this game. At the time it’s fair to say that there had been no console game that had as complex story as Chrono Trigger. And all these years later the story still holds up on the Nintendo DS. The story really does centre around the character of Crono who somehow wanders into the greatest adventure of all time! Without spoiling this time travelling epic let me just tell you that the story in Chrono Trigger is one that will make you laugh, cry and in general be emotionally invested in these characters in a way that many other games simply cannot do. The story also has many different paths. The things you do in the game can alter the ending that you get which is really cool.
Chrono Trigger still to this day is a gorgeous game. The character designs and the various locations that you will visit all look amazing. The look of the game added with the amazing story really does capture your attention and it will not let go until the game is over. Chrono Trigger is also famous for its amazing soundtrack. The soundtrack is able to get you pumped up for battle and also emotionally connect you to the events that are happening.
Gameplay
This is just a classic RPG. Let me say right now that I cannot think of a single bad thing to say about the game play of Chrono Trigger. Let me explain something about Chrono Trigger first of all. The game was first released on the Super Nintendo, but a few years later it would get an enhanced port of the Sony Playstation. The Nintendo DS version manages to keep the spirit of the Super Nintendo game, but it takes many of the better enhancements that the Playstation made as well. The game really is the best of both worlds and it even adds a few Nintendo DS exclusive features that make this the best version to play.
The game is your typical RPG in many ways, but one thing it does very well is the battles. These are not random battles like you would find in say a Final Fantasy game for example. Where every two steps you are worried about getting sucked into a random battle. In Chrono Trigger you can actually see all the enemies on screen so you can if you want to try and avoid them instead of fighting them. The game makes great use of the Nintendo DS’s dual screens. You can use the top screen as a map and to see your items and make changes in that regard. Also TOSE added an option where you can control the game similar to the Super Nintendo version or you can control it with the touch screen. The touch screen controls are a nice idea, but the control pad is the only way to go for me.
Final Thoughts
Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest video games of all time. The story is just phenomenal and is one that every gamer owes it to themselves to try at least once. The game is just insanely huge and the 13 different endings that the game has make this a game that has hundreds and hundreds of hours of game play. While it was released for the DS if you have a Nintendo 3DS this is a game that has to be in your collection. While it would be nice to have a boxed Super Nintendo version of Chrono Trigger on your shelf as far as a game play experience goes this DS version is the best way to go.
