Late To The Party: Chrono Trigger
July 6th, 2010 Posted in Elsewhere, Feature, Late To The Party
My second Late To The Party feature, in which I play an old game for the first time to see how well it stands up to today’s standards. As seen on B4HD.
I’ve pretty much raised myself on Western RPGs. In an age where there are so many games coming out and so little time to actually play them, this vein of role-playing game has always seemed so much more accessible and immediate than its lengthy Japanese counterpart.
Oh sure, I’ve dabbled in the XP-centric delights of the East. Pokémon remains a fond favourite of mine and I truly enjoyed Tales of Symphonia, but every time I’ve tried to immerse myself in a Final Fantasy or something similar, I’ve found myself put off by one thing or another.
Chrono Trigger is to be congratulated then for holding my attention longer than any other JPRG that didn’t star Pikachu. While I’ve walked away from other such games without remorse, for some reason I feel compelled to finish Chrono Trigger.
I suspect that reason to be the narrative. I’m something of a time travel nut, easily distracted by talk of paradoxes and efforts to rewrite the past in order to preserve the future. It’s a mechanic that has given me great pleasure in Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask and Oracle of Ages.
But while the Zelda series seems to limit its temporal experiments to two defined time periods or a span of three days, Chrono Trigger seems to boast a far grander scale. Within the opening few hours I’ve been tasked with preventing a grandfather paradox to save a princess’ ancestor to prevent the young monarch of the present from being erased – and that’s enough to sell me on any RPG.
It helps that the game is so well written. Time travel is a notoriously complicated subject if you’re targeting a mainstream audience, but Chrono Trigger is able to explain its many twists and turns without needing to resort to info dumps or Spock-like ‘As you know, Captain…’ speeches.
It’s not just the grander tale, but the little things as well. In each time period, there are references to others – eras in this world’s history that aren’t even remotely to the immediate task before you, but there is such a great sense of foreshadowing that you just know you’ll be able to physically explore every folk tale and historical myth later on.
And the fact that there are so many time periods automatically elevates it above the usual ‘past, present, future’ concept, given the game that added depth and intelligence that time travel fans want (nay, demand) from their fiction.
The early stages of this tale are well paced. The storyline begins to drag a little when you reach the dark and dystopian future that you inevitably have to prevent, but the writing is so engaging that you can’t help but push on.
Perhaps it’s a combination of the gameplay and art style that makes the future section feel so slow. For the first few hours, even today’s gamers can’t help but appreciate the game’s colourful and surprisingly detailed sprites and artwork, but spending too long with the washed-out palette of the post-apocalyptic future can be something of a deterrent – as it was with any naysayers against Fallout 3 and those who struggled to get into Advance Wars: Days of Ruin.
It’s a stark contrast that is no doubt designed to make you care about this horrific vision of the future, but one that made me just want to escape it and return to the green pastures of the past – something made difficult to do by the combat.
The gameplay in general was nothing new to me. Journey from one area to another while engaging in random battles and solving the occasional environmental puzzle to open the path ahead. I was even relieved that the enemy encounters weren’t as random as they can be in other RPGs. I was not suddenly set upon by unseen foes like I would be in Pokémon or Final Fantasy – instead I could see most of the enemies in the dungeon and try to avoid them if I wanted.
More often than not, I’d have to fight them – which I wouldn’t find so objectionable if the combat hadn’t seemed so punishing to someone not accustomed to this combat system. At first glance, it appears to be turn-based, which it is to an extent. But while a player of Advance Wars or Pokémon would expect to be able to strategically plan out their move, the enemy’s ability to attack while you’re considering your options can prompt rash and ineffective decisions.
The sight of your party’s attack bar gradually counting down until they can make their next move just reminds you that the enemy is doing the same thing and will attack the second they are ready with one of their stronger attacks. It feels humanly impossible to attack with the same speed and efficiency, which makes even the simplest battles against the weakest foes feel a little one-sided.
The knowledge that an enemy blow is due any second also makes the use of items and special attacks more frustrating, as players frantically scroll through enemies to try and select multiple targets for a wider attack or tap buttons furiously as they try to heal their character before the coup de grace is delivered.
It’s apparent that the developers believed this would bring a level of tension to each battle, and it does, but it’s a jarring sense of tension rather than one that draws you into the heat of battle. It feels almost unsuited given that the combat system is a turn-based one at heart, going against the fundamental concept of taking turns. It would be like playing chess against an opponent that can move a piece if you spend too long making your own move – bordering on unfair.
Is the combat enough to put a newcomer off the game? It depends. For myself, the storyline is still gripping enough that I want to continue. Good writing is timeless. Any fan of BioWare’s modern epics would be wise to pick this title up for the story alone. For all the claims that game storylines have gained depth and sophistication, Chrono Trigger is proof that this has not been due to the advance of technology – narrative gems still lurk in our back catalogues.
Perhaps those more versed in Japanese RPGs will find Chrono Trigger’s combat less off-putting – it’s a mechanic I understand has been used in other, more recent JRPGs . For myself, I’m determined not to let a few frustrating encounters with a Djinn Bottle stand between me and what is quite clearly a very special trip through time.
