• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Chrono Trigger was released 30 years ago today.

Fbh

Member
The other day I found the letters my teachers had my classmates write to me when we moved to another city and I had to change schools in fourth grade. Several of them had drawings of Chrono Trigger characters because my friends knew I was obsessed with it as a kid lol.

It's still one of my favorites, love the world, music, characters, gameplay and pacing. It did many things that felt a ahead of its time like no random encounters, NG+, multiple endings, etc which has allowed it easily stand the test of time.

With how influential it has been, the one thing I wish more modern games would try to imitate is the great pacing. At under 30 hours including the sidequests it keeps moving at a nice pace and never feels like it's wasting your time, it does incentivize you to give NG+ a try and seek out the other endings instead of being completely burned out by the end of your first playthrough.
 
Last edited:

ReyBrujo

Member
For anyone who imported the game and wasn't fluent in japanese, it was a terrible roadblock...

Talking about that, I remember when people playing in emulator couldn't figure out which buttons to press in certain scenes like the computer in 2300AD or when Lucca's mother had that happening. Or guys complaining about the race at 2300AD never knowing that they could rotate the scene with L/R because they were playing with a keyboard.
 

cortadew

Member
In my mind,absolutely.

But I played CT when I was like 12 years old…one of the best games ever made at the best age for video games. It mainlined into my brain.

One could say, the reason I still pick up a controller at all is to try and get that feeling of playing CT at 12 years old.

It was magic

In my mind,absolutely.

But I played CT when I was like 12 years old…one of the best games ever made at the best age for video games. It mainlined into my brain.

One could say, the reason I still pick up a controller at all is to try and get that feeling of playing CT at 12 years old.

It was magic
Nice, what would make it better than Disco Elysium or Planescape: Torment?

Because these 2 games are also considered the pinnacle of rpgs and nearly flawless games
 
Last edited:

A.Romero

Member
For anyone who imported the game and wasn't fluent in japanese, it was a terrible roadblock...
But that was also part of the fun :messenger_grinning_sweat:
I played the American version but didn't speak English that well. It took me a while.


Amazing game. I finished it a couple of years back on 3DS and it did hit that nostalgia spot.

Love the story, the characters, the mechanics and the ost of course.
 

Chuck Berry

Gold Member
This game released when I was 14, one of the most important times in life growing up because just about every piece of media you ingest has some sort of impact on you. It introduced me to JRPGs and basically showed me that games can be so much more than collecting rings or defeating Dr. Wily for the 5th time.

It really felt like I was watching a movie or reading one of the most well written, imaginative books ever. I never thought a videogame would actually bring out other emotions besides anger and frustration. Here I was actually giving a shit about characters, thinking about the story during school and having the most moving musical themes I had ever heard stuck in my head for days. I'll never forget seeing certain scenes that first time (the trial and the game remembering stuff you did was seriously fucking mindblowing), Crono's death and return, the Undersea Palace and of course that initial arrival in Zeal.

The game changed everything for me. It changed the way I looked at games. It changed the way I absorbed them.

Coincidentally, I was introduced to Tool's third album "Aenima" around the exact same time and just like Chrono, that album and that band had essentially the exact same impact on me that Chrono Trigger did.

'95-'96. What a time to be alive. And 14 years old.
 

Raven117

Member
Nice, what would make it better than Disco Elysium or Planescape: Torment?

Because these 2 games are also considered the pinnacle of rpgs and nearly flawless games
Honestly, they really aren’t comparable. Also, I didn’t go off on my 12-year old self tangent for nothing. Playing that as a kid during that era was magic that can never be recreated.

CT is an incredibly cozy game, with a great story, pacing, and characters. There is not bloat or mindless busy work. It moves with a brisk pace that is neither too fast or too slow at any point.

Don’t go in there expecting Disco-style writing or choice. It’s not that kind of game.

Give it a go! If you don’t like it, stop playing. Come back and tell us what you think!
 

DelireMan7

Member
Nice, what would make it better than Disco Elysium or Planescape: Torment?

Because these 2 games are also considered the pinnacle of rpgs and nearly flawless games
Different kind of RPGs. JRPG are completely different games than WRPG.

There is, in general, much less (for not saying "not at all") choice let to the player when in comes to the story.
You don't approach this 2 genre with the same expectation.
 

cortadew

Member
Honestly, they really aren’t comparable. Also, I didn’t go off on my 12-year old self tangent for nothing. Playing that as a kid during that era was magic that can never be recreated.

CT is an incredibly cozy game, with a great story, pacing, and characters. There is not bloat or mindless busy work. It moves with a brisk pace that is neither too fast or too slow at any point.

Don’t go in there expecting Disco-style writing or choice. It’s not that kind of game.

Give it a go! If you don’t like it, stop playing. Come back and tell us what you think!
Nice, I have actually already started playing Chrono Trigger but got only at the first time travel because I have too many games that I started I hadn't finished lol (like Baldur's Gate 3)

But until that point the game has nearly flawless pacing so I can definitely say it's a classic.
 
Top Bottom