Chrono Trigger

I'm a big fan of role-playing video games. Especially 2D, 3/4-view ones. Chrono Trigger, originally released in 1995, is one of my favorites. Definitely top 3. So when I heard news that it was being re-re-released for the Nintendo DS, I was quite excited.

I've been playing it for a while now, and I've noticed some things that I really like, and some things that I'm not too keen about.

The good:
The art and gameplay are as good as ever. The animated cutscenes created for the PSX re-release have been included. The menu system doesn't take 5 seconds to load (this happened in the PSX version - not sure if it was just my copy but it was annoying). The use of the dual screens and touch screen is good. The battle menus are displayed below and can be operated by touch, but are still easier to use with the buttons.

The new content is neat. The first addition is a sort of minigame where you raise a monster and use it to fight in an arena. Your monster grows stronger through training, with more available areas being unlocked as you visit them in the main game. The battle system is fairly simple, with attacks going off automatically. Special attacks are triggered by giving your monster an item between rounds, which it may or may not use based on a "Trust" score. You can battle against the game or with a friend through DS wireless connection. Winning a bout versus the game will net you a prize - some of which are actually quite powerful.

There are also two new dungeons full of side quests. It's basically the same area in two different ages, so most of the quests involve travelling back or forth in time, acquiring an item, and taking it back to the right person. Semi-repetitive, but there's a decent storyline involved and some excellent rewards to be had.

The bad:
Really not too much to say here. As I mentioned above, the arena can hand out some extremely powerful prizes - I got a Prism Helm and Dress well before the Ocean Palace. I opted not to use them so as not to upset the balance of the game. The extra levels and equipment from the two new dungeons made the game play like I had powerleveled, which I really tried to avoid this time around.

The really big thing that irked me though - the retranslation. I didn't have any problems or complaints with the original translation, so I have no idea why they decided to change it. Names of techs and combos are almost all different. Personally, I think Triple Raid sounds a lot cooler than the updated "Triple Attack." A lot of the dialogue is changed as well, some of it to the point that the original feeling is lost. I remember when adding Magus to the party from the end of time, he'd say "Now we've got a winning team!" Now he spouts off something about not hesitating to kill everyone if they get in his way. I'm not sure which version took the creative liberties, but I really would have preferred it wasn't changed. It just feels like a betrayal to the spirit of the game to me.

All in all, I have no regrets in re-re-purchasing the game. Chrono Trigger truly is one of those timeless titles. I have no doubt that every generation of RPG players starting from the original release onward have been and will be captivated by the deep storyline, rich characters, amazing gameplay, and beautiful artwork and music.

And hey, maybe if SE gets enough good feedback from CT they'll finally make Chrono Break! One can hope...

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Now playing: Chrono Trigger - Battle With Magus
via FoxyTunes