Chrono Trigger Review Super Nintendo

The following review featured in the November 1995 edition of Superplay published by Future Publishing in the UK.

The Review is writtin by Wil Overton.

Chrono Trigger is one of my all time favourite games. I will aim to include some screen shots soon

With the mighty Final Fantasy III the reining king of the RPG world, and still generating a huge amount of interest around the globe a year after its Western release, it's no wonder that Chrono Trigger has been one of the most eagerly awaited games on the American SNES calendar since we covered its Japanese launch back in issue 32.

Even Square USA's own project, Secret Of Evermore, seems to have been pushed back to make way for the time-travelling creations of Messrs. Toriyama (DragonBall), Horii (Dragon Quest) and Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy), the aptly entitled Dream Project responsible for this, Square's first 32Mbit title. It's a tad unfortunate for Chrono Trigger that it has got such an illustrious predecessor to live up to in FF III, when it's actually got more in common with Secret Of Mana than Square's flagship series. With a smaller cast of characters and a more action-led story, it doesn't set out to convey the same sort of epic drama that has endeared FF to its fans' hearts (surely it would just be Final Fantasy VII if it did?).

What it does try to be is a fast-moving adventure with always somewhere to go, some item or person to find, and less of all that wandering about without a clue where to go next. If you get stuck for what to do in Chrono Trigger, then you really haven't been paying enough attention. The game could have modelled itself on FF a little more in the character development department though. Whereas Locke and co. in FFIII all had histories and a story to tell which was essential to the game advancement, the only character in Chiono Trigger to have any sort of past is the noble frog prince as we learn how he came to have his amphibian form.

As for the rest of them - nothing, nix. Your hero is just as anonymous as the boy from Mana, and the rest only reveal anything about themselves when you first meet. It's surprising how much of a difference it makes when a character has some sort of motive for his actions - in the end I felt more for the frog than anyone else.

If it's emotional attachment to characters and an exciting story you're after, then the words you read on the screen are all important. Unfortunately Ted Woolsey's English translation is on a par with his previous efforts in that if you don't mind monsters talking hip, and horrendous puns such as eating Jurassic Pork soup in the prehistoric age then fine. Personally, I wish he'd think a little more about the atmosphere the game is trying to create. It's hard enough to lose yourself in a video game world without being constantly reminded of how clever the translator's trying to be. After all, you are meant to be 'role' playing. If the script doesn't quite hit the literary heights, the rest of the game works fine. The battle engine straddles FF and Mana nicely with a good mix of avoidable and non-avoidable encounters to keep you on your toes when wandering about.

There's a little strategy in that you can sometimes hit more than one enemy at a time and, of course, the nice addition of the combo attacks improves things no end. Square have given the magic in particular some lovely graphical effects that easily match those in FFIII and even if the graphics in general don't quite match Final Fantasy (although they do surpass it in some parts) they're definitely superior to Mana. If all the above sounds a little negative don't be too put off. This is a fine game and one Square fans will get a lot out of. The time travel premise is superbly implemented, and the way things are intermingled through the different periods means the main underlying story stays strong throughout all the individual quests. Definitely recommended... if you've got the time (ha!).