My favorite Games of All-Time #14: Chrono Trigger - Originally published on 1UP - May 19, 2006

Chrono Trigger (CT) is the final RPG on my list. I actually debated putting Mother, Secret of Mana or Final Fantasy Tactics in this place. There simply was no swaying me from the final decision though. I would be lying if I defined myself by a series of RPG games, they just aren't my favorite genre. I still have tremendous respect for them and that is why CT holds this spot. Although CT does not break my top-10 that is not to say it is not a great game and not worthy of admiration. Chrono Trigger is considered one of the best RPG's ever made and possibly the greatest game ever made. It is easy to defend either argument.

Chrono Trigger was loved by gamers and applauded by critics. CT represents the pinnacle of Squaresoft's RPG efforts. CT was produced by Final Fantasy's Hironobu Sakaguchi and directed by Dragon Quest's Yuji Horii. The character designs, which many believe to be the best styled in any RPG were done by "Dr. Slump" himself Akira Toriyama, better known as the creator of Dragon Ball Z. It has been a long time since anything so noteworthy had come out of Square. A collaboration of this magnitude may never be reached again.

Like all great games the story begins very simply. The main characters Crono, Lucca and Marle are your typical young adventurers from the kingdom of Guardia. What was not typical was the use of strong female characters and personable supporting adventurers. Characters did not exist in this game to fill out a token slot. They all had back sotry, they were designed to be atypical, charismatic plot-driven devices. People that played the game can often say who and why their favorite characters were in CT.

Sometimes the greatest direction of the game is the one that isn't even noticed. All great forms of entertainment move the viewer to new places. These are done so subtly that we never notice the inner-workings of the genius behind the scenes. Chrono Trigger is possibly the best example of a game where all of the components were perfectly crafted. The pairing of the main three character was no accident. As an errant message was delivered to a young man named Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars movie. Crono, Lucca and Marle show up at the Millennia Fair at the same time at the beginning of the game. The plot quickly takes off when Marle accidentally gets teleported to the past and changes history. It is then up to Crono and Lucca to travel back and forward in time defeating enemies, adventuring with new friends and figuring out the mystery of Lavos, the alien parasite and would-be destroyer of the world.

Chrono Trigger excels in the use of time travel as a plot device. I dare say that this game was better executed than the films Back to the Future or Bill and Ted's excellent adventure. No Delorean or telephone booth could rival the Epoch, a fantastic flying ship that allowed the characters to travel between time. Every choice the main character made in the past and every mission they took on effected the plot and even look of future levels.

The combat system was possibly the most unique element to the game. Characters could raise their levels of physical and magical attacks as in traditional RPG's. However players were encouraged to learn team attacks using their party. Characters like Robo the robot, Ayla the cavewoman and Frog the prince helped diversity the types, range and damage of the team moves. Different combinations of characters resulted in diverse and often incredible special effects (for the time) during combat. Robo for example had a special attack that was nothing short of a one-person rave complete with laser show and dance routine. Questing and exploration were key to unlocking paths and characters.

This open type questing and ability to travel through time was so well done that players used to traditional RPG games weren't braced for the ending. Rather for the possible endings that could be accomplished. Square is credited with inventing my favorite game device in recent years. The use of Game + data. Once a player had beaten the game, they could start a new adventure while keeping all of the stats from the previous game. Thus allowing them to explore the game further, unlock new paths and team members or just beat the tar our of Lavos as soon as the game started. The variables allowed for the player to get many different endings, some subtle and some major.

Critics argue that getting a player to connect emotionally with a character is the holy grail of game design. Supposedly it can only be done with next-generation graphics. I can say that fancy graphics have only cheapened the Square games. The more time wasted on pretty cinemas the less connected the gamer becomes with the character. I already said that the opera scene in Final Fantasy VI was one of the most powerful game moments ever. It was proof that the emotive experience is not limited by simple graphics. Think of Chrono Trigger as carrying the opera scene through the entire game. CT uses the same type of pacing, writing, detail and development but through a multiple path adventure. In essence Chrono Trigger becomes far more than the sum of its parts. This why it connected with me as a gamer more than any other RPG.

I hope that you are one of the lucky people that actually played this game. For those that didn't I wish that Square-Enix did not halt the progress on Chrono Resurrection. But there is always hope that one day we can all experience the adventure one more time...

Have a great weekend people!

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