Chrono Trigger

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Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger's North American cover art shows the party casting a triple tech.
Developer(s) Square
TOSE (PS1)
Publisher(s) Super Nintendo Entertainment System
JP Square
NA Square Soft, Inc.
PlayStation
JP Square
NA Square Electronic Arts
Nintendo DS
Square Enix
Designer(s) Takashi Tokita
Yoshinori Kitase
Akihiko Matsui
Yuuji Horii
Hironobu Sakaguchi
Writer(s) Masato Kato
Artist(s) Akira Toriyama
Composer(s) Yasunori Mitsuda
Nobuo Uematsu
Series Chrono
Platform(s) Super Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation, Nintendo DS
Release date(s) Super Nintendo Entertainment System
JP March 11, 1995
NA August 22, 1995
PlayStation
JP November 2, 1999
NA June 29, 2001
Nintendo DS
JP November 27, 2008
NA November 25, 2008
PAL Early 2009
Genre(s) Console role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s) Super Nintendo Entertainment System
ESRB: K-A
PlayStation
CERO: A
ESRB: T
Nintendo DS
CERO: A[1]
ESRB: E10+[2]
Media 32-megabit cartridge (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), 1 CD-ROM (PlayStation)
Input methods Gamepad

Chrono Trigger (クロノ・トリガー Kurono Torigā?) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It was released on March 11, 1995 in Japan, and August 22, 1995 in North America. The game's story follows a group of young adventurers who travel through time to prevent a global catastrophe.

Chrono Trigger was developed by a group that Square called the "Dream Team", consisting of Hironobu Sakaguchi, Kazuhiko Aoki, and composer Nobuo Uematsu—known for their works on the Final Fantasy series—and Yuuji Horii and artist Akira Toriyama, freelance designers for Enix's Dragon Quest series.[3] Masato Kato wrote most of the plot, while composer Yasunori Mitsuda scored most of the game before falling ill and deferring his duties to Uematsu.[4][5]

Nintendo Power magazine described certain aspects of Chrono Trigger as revolutionary, including its multiple endings, plot-related sidequests focusing on character development, unique battle system, and detailed graphics.[6] Square re-released a ported version by TOSE in Japan for the Sony PlayStation in 1999, later repackaged with a Final Fantasy IV port as Final Fantasy Chronicles in 2001. It has never been released in PAL territories on the SNES or the PS1. On July 2, 2008, Square Enix announced that the title will be revamped for the Nintendo DS and released in North America during the 2008 holiday season.[7] This was followed by the opening of the official Japanese site on July 6, 2008, where it announced a Winter 2008 date for the title.[1] Then it was announced on August 6, 2008 that the DS version will be the first time a version of this game will see release in PAL territories, in early 2009.[8] The Nintendo DS version of the game will be released on November 25, 2008 in North America[2], and November 27, 2008 in Japan.[9]

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

Chrono Trigger features standard console role-playing game (RPG) gameplay with several innovations. The player controls the protagonist and his companions in the game's two-dimensional fictional world, consisting of various forests, cities, and dungeons. Navigation occurs via an overworld map, depicting the landscape from a scaled down overhead view. Areas such as forests, cities, and similar places are depicted as more realistic scaled down maps, in which players can converse with locals to procure items and services, solve puzzles and challenges, or encounter enemies. Chrono Trigger's gameplay deviates from that of traditional RPGs in that, rather than appearing in random encounters, many enemies are openly visible on field maps or lie in wait to ambush the party. Contact with enemies on a field map initiates a battle that occurs directly on the map rather than on a separate battle screen.[10] This concept had previously been featured in such titles as Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy Adventure, but was uncommon at the time for RPGs outside the action RPG genre.

Example of a basic battle
Example of a basic battle

Players and enemies may use physical or magical attacks to wound targets during battle, and players may use items to heal or protect themselves. Each character and enemy has a certain number of hit points, and successful attacks reduce that character's hit points, while hit points can be restored with potions and spells. When a playable character loses all hit points, he or she faints; if all the player's characters fall in battle, the game ends and must be restored from a previously saved chapter, except in specific storyline-related battles that allow or force the player to lose. Between battles, the player can equip his/her characters with weapons, armor, helmets, and accessories that provide special effects (such as increased attack power or defense against magic), and various consumable items can be used both in and out of battles. Items and equipment can be purchased in shops or found on field maps, often in treasure chests. By exploring new areas and fighting enemies, players progress through Chrono Trigger's story.

Chrono Trigger uses an Active Time Battle system—a staple of Square's Final Fantasy game series designed by Hiroyuki Itō for Final Fantasy IV—named "Active Time Battle 2.0".[11] Each character can take action in battle once a personal timer dependent on the character's speed statistic counts to zero. Magic and special physical techniques are handled through a system called "Techs". Techs deplete a character's magic points (a numerical meter like hit points), and often have special areas of effect; some spells damage huddled monsters, while others can harm enemies spread in a line. Enemies often change positions during battle, creating opportunities for tactical Tech use. A unique feature of Chrono Trigger's Tech system is that numerous cooperative techniques exist.[10] Each character receives eight personal Techs which can be used in conjunction with others' to create Double and Triple Techs for greater effect. For instance, Crono's sword-spinning Cyclone Tech can be combined with Lucca's Flame Toss to create Fire Whirl. When characters with compatible Techs have enough magic points available to perform their techniques, the game automatically displays the combo as an option.

Chrono Trigger features several other unique gameplay traits, including time travel. Players have access to seven eras of the game world's history, and past actions affect future events. Throughout history, players find new allies, complete side quests, and search for keynote villains. Time travel is accomplished via portals and pillars of light called "time gates", as well as a time machine named Epoch. The game contains thirteen unique endings; the ending the player receives depends on when and how he or she reaches and completes the game's final battle.[12][13] Chrono Trigger also introduces a New Game+ option—after completing the game, the player may begin a new game with the same character levels, techniques, and equipment (but not money) that he or she ended the previous game with. Certain items central to the storyline are removed and must be found again, such as the sword Masamune. Square has since employed the New Game+ concept in later titles, including Vagrant Story, Chrono Cross, Parasite Eve and Final Fantasy X-2.

[edit] Plot

[edit] Characters

Main article: Characters of Chrono Trigger
Promotional art illustrating Crono, Lucca, and Frog battling Magus
Promotional art illustrating Crono, Lucca, and Frog battling Magus

Chrono Trigger's seven playable characters come from different eras in the game world's history. Trigger begins in 1000 A.D. with Crono, Marle, and Lucca. Crono is a silent protagonist, characterized as a brave, fearless young man skilled with a katana. Marle is Princess Nadia of the Guardia kingdom—an active, spirited tomboy with a crossbow. Often at odds with her father, Marle hides her royal lineage to slip out of the castle. Lucca is a friend of Crono and a mechanical genius who wields a gun; her home is filled with laboratory equipment and machinery. From the era of 2300 A.D. comes Robo, a robot with a bright and curious personality created to assist humans and outfitted with a powerful arm. Found dormant in the future, Robo is repaired by Lucca and joins the group in gratitude.[14]

The fiercely confident Ayla dwells in 65,000,000 B.C. Unmatched in raw strength, Ayla is the chief of Ioka Village, and leads her people in war against a species of humanoid reptiles known as Reptites. The last two characters—Frog, and the character Magus—originate in 600 A.D. Frog is a former squire once named Glenn; Magus the wizard turned Glenn into an anthropomorphic frog and slew his Brother Cyrus. Chivalrous but mired in regret, Frog dedicates his life to protecting Leene, the queen of Guardia, and avenging Cyrus by killing Magus. Magus is a powerful sorcerer and the leader of the Mystics, a race of demons and intelligent animals who war against humanity. Magus was once known as Janus, the young prince of the Kingdom of Zeal, which was destroyed by Lavos in 12,000 B.C. The incident sent him forward through time, and as he ages, he plots revenge against Lavos and broods over the fate of his sister, Schala.[14] Lavos, which destroys human civilization and ravages the world in 1999 A.D., is an extraterrestrial parasitic creature that harvests DNA and the earth's energy for its own evolution.

[edit] Story

Chrono Trigger begins with the 1000 A.D. Millennial Fair, where Crono and Marle sample Lucca's new teleportation device. Marle volunteers, but disappears through a strange portal when the machine reacts with her pendant.[15] Crono asks to be sent through the machine to find her, and discovers he's traveled back 400 years. He meets Marle at Guardia Castle, and learns that a search party looking for the missing queen of that era found her instead.[16] Marle then vanishes; Lucca arrives and claims that Marle's actually the princess of Guardia in 1000 A.D., and that since her ancestor was not rescued, Marle ceased to exist. With the help of a talking amphibian called Frog, Crono and Lucca rescue the real Queen, kidnapped by "Mystics" who worship the wizard Magus. Marle reappears and the group returns to 1000 A.D., where Crono is placed on trial for allegedly kidnapping Marle. He's sentenced to death, but breaks free from the prison. With Marle and Lucca, he flees the king, to nearby Guardia Forest, where they stumble into a time gate.

Lavos
Lavos

They're shocked to find a devastated world filled with futuristic ruins, and uncover a video of the "Day of Lavos". The video shows a creature called Lavos erupting from the planet's surface in 1999 A.D and causing fire to rain from the sky, decimating the entire planet.[17] The group resolves to prevent this catastrophe and recruit a robot named Robo before entering a new gate to arrive at the ethereal End of Time (year \infty)—where an enigmatic old man offers advice, magical powers, and the use of several time gates. Crono and his friends hear that Magus created Lavos during the Middle Ages of 600 A.D., and that only a sword wielded by the "Hero" called the Masamune can defeat him.[18] They find the sword's broken blade, deducing that the Hero is Frog and that the sword was somehow made by Melchior, who lives in 1000 A.D. Melchior notes that he needs Dreamstone, a rock found only in antiquity, to repair the Masamune. The group travel to 65,000,000 B.C. and meet the cavewoman Ayla, who gives Crono her Dreamstone after a friendly drinking contest. Ayla's boyfriend gets jealous of Crono, thinking that Ayla likes him better and steals the Gate Key, but other than that the group is able to get back without a problem.[19]

Confrontation with Magus
Confrontation with Magus

Melchior repairs the sword, and Frog accompanies Crono as they set out to Magus's lair. They battle his three generals and confront the warlock in the process of casting a spell. Magus claims he did not create Lavos, who dwells within the planet to siphon its energy—but merely intended to summon it.[20] The spell's interruption causes a massive time gate that swallows Magus's castle and everyone within. Crono and his friends awaken in 65,000,000 B.C.; after helping Ayla defeat the Reptites, they witness Lavos crash deep into the earth from above. Agreeing that Lavos is an extraterrestrial lifeform, the group travels to the ancient, enlightened Kingdom of Zeal in 12,000 B.C. Zeal recently discovered Lavos and seeks to drain its power to achieve immortality through the Mammon Machine. A mysterious prophet warns the kingdom's queen about Crono, forcing their return to prehistory with no way back, by sealing the time gate they used to get there. In 2,300 A.D. they find a ship-like time machine called the Wings of Time (or Epoch), which can access any time period without using a time gate.

They travel back to Zeal, where the Ocean Palace will soon be activated. Lavos awakens, disturbed by the Mammon Machine, and the prophet reveals himself to be Magus before attempting to kill the creature.[21] Crono stands up to Lavos but is vaporized by a powerful blast. Schala, Zeal's princess, selflessly saves Magus and Crono's friends by transporting them to safety, though she is left behind. Lavos destroys the kingdom of Zeal, causing tidal waves that reshape the planet. Soon after, Dalton from Zeal declares himself ruler of the world via the Blackbird airplane. He detains the group and impounds the Epoch, which his henchmen modify to fly. Crono's friends defeat Dalton atop the redesigned Epoch and meet on the surface with Magus, who admits that he's the young prince Janus, and plotted to summon and kill Lavos in 600 A.D.[22] Magus offers to join the group and claims that a sage named Gaspar can revive Crono; he joins the party unless they challenge and defeat him.[23][24] Crono's friends find the old man at the End of Time to be Gaspar; he gives them an egg-shaped device called the "Chrono Trigger", and following his instructions, Crono's friends visit the frozen moment of Crono's death and extract him from danger.

Gaspar relates various issues affecting the world across the eras to Crono and his friends, encouraging them to participate in sidequests to prepare for Lavos.[25] Their journeys involve defeating the remnants of the Mystics,[26] stopping Robo's maniacal AI creator,[27] addressing Frog's feelings towards Cyrus and reconciling with his spirit,[28] locating and charging up the mythical Sun Stone, retrieving the Rainbow Shell, and helping restore a forest destroyed by a desert monster. After the desert monster is vanquished, Robo volunteers to cultivate land damaged by a desert monster in 600 A.D. The group holds a campfire reunion for him in 1000 A.D., where he speculates that the time gates were created by an entity other than Lavos.[29] A mysterious red time gate appears later that night, which Lucca uses to save her mother from a mechanical accident in 990 A.D. Crono and his friends after tracking down the Rainbow Shell in 600 A.D., find that Marle's father is being prosecuted by the chancellor for allegedly selling the shell in 1000 A.D.[30] Crono and his companions expose the chancellor to be a Mystic impostor, and Marle makes peace with her father. In another side quest, Crono and his friends defeat Queen Zeal in her risen Ocean Palace fortress (now called the Black Omen) and destroy the Mammon Machine at its heart.

For their final battle against Lavos, the team penetrate the creature's shell either through fierce fighting or by crashing the Epoch into it. They learn that Lavos has been harvesting DNA to control its own evolution.[31] Lavos uses the amassed genetics to assume a final combative form, which the group vanquishes. At the final night of the fair, Crono and his friends say their goodbyes and adjourn to their own eras in time through the diminishing gates. If Magus joined the party, he departs to search for his missing sister, Schala. Crono's mother accidentally enters the time gate at the fair before it closes, prompting Crono, Marle and Lucca to set out in the Epoch to find her while fireworks light up the night sky.[32] Alternatively, if the party used the Epoch to break Lavos's outer shell, Marle will help her father hang Nadia's bell at the festival and accidentally get carried away by several balloons. Crono jumps on to help her, but cannot bring them down to earth. Hanging on in each others arms, the pair travel through the cloudy, moonlit sky.

[edit] Development and releases

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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008)

Chrono Trigger was produced by Kazuhiko Aoki while director credits were attributed to Akihiko Matsui, Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita. Supervisors included Hironobu Sakaguchi, producer and creator of the Final Fantasy series, and Yuuji Horii, director and creator of the Dragon Quest series. The game was originally developed without involvement from Tokita and Kitase, the latter being busy directing Final Fantasy VII, which at the time was being developed for the Super NES.[citation needed] When Chrono Trigger became a larger project than planned, Kitase halted development of Final Fantasy VII and joined the Chrono Trigger staff along with his team and Tokita.[citation needed] Due to this, some ideas initially planned for Final Fantasy VII were implemented in Chrono Trigger instead.[citation needed]

A fan of time travel fiction (such as the TV series Time Tunnel), Horii fostered a theme of time travel in his general outline of Chrono Trigger with input from Akira Toriyama.[33][34] Masato Kato subsequently edited and completed the outline by writing the majority of the game's story, including all the events of the 12,000 B.C. era.[4] Kato devised the system of multiple endings because he could not branch the story out to different paths.[35] Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita then wrote various subplots.[4] The characters of Chrono Trigger were designed by Akira Toriyama, creator of the manga Dragon Ball and a longtime contributor to the Dragon Quest series. Other notable designers include Tetsuya Takahashi, the graphic director, and Yasuyuki Honne, Tetsuya Nomura, and Yusuke Naora, who worked as field graphic artists.[36]

Early alpha versions of Chrono Trigger were demonstrated at the 1994 and 1995 V-Jump festivals in Japan.[37] A few months prior to the game's release, Square shipped a beta version to magazine reviewers and game stores for review. An unfinished build of the game, it contains unused music tracks, locations, and other features changed or removed from the final release—such as a dungeon named Singing Mountain, and its eponymous song.[38][39] The ROM image was uploaded to the internet, prompting fans to explore and document the game's differences, including two unused world map character sprites and presumed additional sprites for certain non-player characters.[40] Rumors of a planned eighth character exist, but are wholly unsubstantiated.[41]

Chrono Trigger used a 32-megabit cartridge with battery-backed RAM for saved games, lacking special on-cartridge coprocessors. The Japanese release of Chrono Trigger included art for the game's ending and running counts of items in the player's status menu.[42] Developers created the North American version before adding these features to the original build, inadvertently leaving in vestiges of Chrono Trigger's early development (such as the song Singing Mountain).[42] Hironobu Sakaguchi asked translator Ted Woolsey to localize Chrono Trigger for English audiences and gave him roughly thirty days to work.[43] Lacking the help of a modern translation team, he memorized scenarios and looked at drafts of commercial player's guides to put dialogue in context.[43] Woolsey later reflected that he would have preferred two-and-a-half months, and blames his rushed schedule on the prevailing attitude in Japan that games were children's toys rather than serious works.[43] Some of his work was cut due to space constraints, though he still considered Trigger "one of the most satisfying games I ever worked on or played."[44][43] Nintendo of America censored certain dialogue, including references to breastfeeding, consumption of alcohol, and religion.[42] ROM hackers released a literal fan translation patch and annotated script in 2007 to clarify key differences.[45][42] Square shipped Trigger with two world maps, and Japanese buyers who preordered received holographic foil cards.

Ayla, as shown in an animated cut scene in the PlayStation release
Ayla, as shown in an animated cut scene in the PlayStation release

Square released an enhanced port of Chrono Trigger developed by TOSE in Japan for the Sony PlayStation in 1999. Square timed its release before that of Chrono Cross, the 1999 sequel to Trigger, to give new players familiarity with the story of its predecessor.[34] This version included anime cut scenes created by original character designer Akira Toriyama's Bird Studio and animated by Toei Animation, as well as several bonus features, accessible after achieving various endings in the game. Scenarist Masato Kato attended planning meetings at Bird Studio to discuss how the ending cut scenes would illustrate subtle ties to Chrono Cross.[34] The port was later released in North America in 2001—along with a remastered version of Final Fantasy IV—under the package title Final Fantasy Chronicles. Reviewers criticized Chronicles for lengthy load times and an absence of new in-game features.[46][47]

Whether Chrono Trigger will appear on the Wii's Virtual Console service depends on the settlement of certain copyright issues.[48] A Nintendo Power reader poll conducted in April 2008 identified Trigger as the third-most wanted game for the Virtual Console.[49] There have been two notable attempts by Chrono Trigger fans to unofficially remake parts of the game for PC with a 3D graphics engine. Chrono Resurrection, an attempt at remaking ten small interactive cut scenes from Trigger, and Chrono Trigger Remake Project, which sought to remake the entire game,[50][51] were forcibly terminated by Square Enix by way of a cease and desist order.[52][53][54][55] Since then, fans have created a few ROM hacks.[56][57]

On July 2, 2008, Square Enix announced that they were officially planning to bring Chrono Trigger to the Nintendo DS handheld platform.[7] The updated rerelease is set to take advantage of the Nintendo DS hardware with a new dual-screen presentation, support for the touch screen, and a wireless play mode (2-4 players).[7] The game will also add a brand new dungeon.[7] Composer Yasunori Mitsuda was pleased with the project, exclaiming "finally!" after receiving the news from Square and maintaining, "it's still a very deep, very high-quality game even when you play it today. I'm very interested in seeing what kids today think about it when they play it."[58] Square Enix Representatives revealed to Gamespot employees at E3 2008 that the Nintendo DS version will, indeed, feature the cutscenes created for the PlayStation version.[59] The DS version will also feature a new translation, but still remain close to the original,[60] similar to the re-translations of the earlier Final Fantasy games.

[edit] Music

Main article: Music of the Chrono series
Music Samples:
  • "Chrono Trigger"
    A 30 second sample of the theme of Chrono Trigger, illustrating the game's aural style and aesthetic.
    "Zeal Palace"
    A 30 second sample of Zeal Palace from The Brink of Time, demonstrating the acid-jazz style of the arranged album.
  • Problems playing the files? See media help.

Chrono Trigger was scored by Yasunori Mitsuda and veteran Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu. A sound programmer at the time, Mitsuda was unhappy with his pay and threatened to leave Square if he could not compose music.[5] Hironobu Sakaguchi suggested he score Chrono Trigger, remarking, "maybe your salary will go up."[61] Mitsuda reflected, "I wanted to create music that wouldn't fit into any established genre...music of an imaginary world. The game's director, Masato Kato, was my close friend, and so I'd always talk with him about the setting and the scene before going into writing."[5] Mitsuda slept in his studio several nights, and attributed certain songs—such as To Far Away Times—to inspiring dreams.[61] He also suffered a hard drive crash that lost around forty in-progress tracks.[58] After Mitsuda contracted stomach ulcers, Uematsu joined the project to compose ten songs and finish the score.[5] Mitsuda returned to watch the ending with the staff before the game's release, crying upon seeing the finished scene.[58] Mitsuda considers Chrono Trigger a landmark title which helped mature his talent.[62]

At the time of the game's release, the number of tracks and sound effects was unprecedented—the soundtrack spanned three discs in its 1995 commercial pressing.[6] Square also released a one-disc acid jazz arrangement called "The Brink of Time" by Guido that year. In 1999, Square produced another one-disc soundtrack to complement the PlayStation release of Trigger, featuring orchestral tracks used in cut scenes. Yasunori Mitsuda also composed four new pieces for the game's bonus features which weren't included on the soundtrack. Recently, Mitsuda arranged versions of music from the Chrono series for Play! video game music concerts, presenting the main theme, Frog's Theme, and To Far Away Times.[63] He worked with Square to ensure that the Nintendo DS Chrono Trigger port's music would sound close to the Super Nintendo version's.[58]

Fans have heavily remixed the soundtrack, producing over 600 tributes and several cover performance albums released over the internet or sold at retail.[64] These include Time & Space - A Tribute to Yasunori Mitsuda and Chrono Symphonic, the latter released by the remix website OverClocked ReMix.[65] Hip hop production team Compromised also created a bastard pop album known as The Chrono Trigger Mixtape, Vol. 1, produced by mixing the a cappella from rap songs with the instrumental remixed versions of Chrono Trigger tracks.[66] Japanese fans often sell their remix work in compilation albums popularly called "Dōjin" by Western fans.[64] The soundtrack continues to appear in the set lists of video game concert groups such as the Eminence Orchestra and Video Games Live.[67]

[edit] Reception

Chrono Trigger shipped more than 2.36 million copies in Japan and 290,000 abroad.[68] The first two million copies sold in Japan were delivered in only two months.[69] The game was met with substantial success upon release in North America, and its rerelease on the PlayStation as part of the Final Fantasy Chronicles package topped the NPD TRSTS PlayStation sales charts for over six weeks.[70][71][72] This version was later re-released again in 2003 as part of Sony's Greatest Hits line. Chrono Trigger has recently placed highly on all five of multimedia website IGN's "top 100 games of all time" lists—4th in 2002, 6th in early 2005, 13th in late 2005, 2nd in 2006, and 18th in 2007.[73][74] GameSpot included Chrono Trigger in "The Greatest Games of All Time" list released in April 2006, and it also appeared as 28th on an "All Time Top 100" list in a poll conducted by Japanese magazine Famitsu.[75][76] In 2004, Chrono Trigger finished runner up to Final Fantasy VII in the inaugural GameFAQs video game battle. In 2008, readers of Dengeki Online voted it the eighth best game ever made.[77] Nintendo Power's twentieth anniversary issue named it the fifth best Super Nintendo game.[78]

Chrono Trigger garnered much critical praise in addition to its brisk sales. Nintendo Power called it Square's "biggest game ever", citing improved graphics, sound, and gameplay over past RPG titles. Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine described Trigger as "original and extremely captivating", singling out its graphics, sound and story as particularly impressive.[6][46] IGN commented that "it may be filled with every imaginable console RPG cliché, but Chrono Trigger manages to stand out among the pack" with "a [captivating] story that doesn't take itself too serious (sic)" and "one of the best videogame soundtracks ever produced".[71] Other reviewers (such as the staff of RPGFan and RPGamer) have criticized the game's short length and relative ease compared to its peers.[79][80][72] Overall, critics lauded Chrono Trigger for its "fantastic yet not overly complex" story, simple but innovative gameplay, and high replay value afforded by multiple endings.

[edit] Sequels

Chrono Trigger inspired several sequels and spin-offs; the first were three titles released for the Satellaview in 1995. They included Chrono Trigger: Jet Bike Special, a racing game based on a minigame from the original; Chrono Trigger: Character Library, featuring profiles on characters and monsters from the game; and Chrono Trigger: Music Library, a collection of music from the game's soundtrack. The contents of Character Library and Music Library were later included as extras in the PlayStation rerelease of Chrono Trigger. Production I.G created a 16-minute OVA entitled "Nuumamonja: Time and Space Adventures" broadcasted at the Japanese V-Jump Festival of July 31, 1996.[81][82]

Square released a fourth Satellaview game in 1996, named Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Hōseki. Feeling that Trigger ended with "unfinished business", scenarist Masato Kato wrote and directed the game.[34] Dreamers functioned as a side story to Chrono Trigger, resolving a loose subplot from its predecessor.[35] A short, text-based game relying on minimal graphics and atmospheric music, the game never received an official release outside Japan—though it was translated by fans to English in April 2003.[83] Square planned to release Radical Dreamers as an easter egg in the PlayStation edition of Chrono Trigger, but Kato was unhappy with his work and halted its inclusion.[34]

Square released Chrono Cross for the Sony PlayStation in 1999. Cross is a sequel to Chrono Trigger featuring a new setting and cast of characters.[84] Presenting a theme of parallel worlds, the story followed the protagonist Serge—a teenage boy thrust into an alternate reality in which he died years earlier. With the help of a thief named Kid, Serge endeavors to discover the truth behind his apparent death and obtain the Frozen Flame, a mythical artifact.[84] Regarded by writer and director Masato Kato as an effort to "redo Radical Dreamers properly", Chrono Cross borrowed certain themes, scenarios, characters, and settings from Dreamers.[35] Yasunori Mitsuda also adapted certain songs from Radical Dreamers while scoring Cross.[85] Radical Dreamers was consequently removed from the series' main continuity, considered an alternate dimension.[86] Chrono Cross shipped 1.5 million copies and was universally praised by critics.[68][87][88]

There are no plans for a new title, despite a statement from Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2001 that the developers of Chrono Cross wanted to make a new Chrono game.[89] The same year, Square applied for a trademark for the names Chrono Break in the United States and Chrono Brake in Japan. However, the United States trademark was dropped in 2003.[90] Director Takashi Tokita mentioned "Chrono Trigger 2" in a 2003 interview which has not been translated to English.[91] Yuji Horii expressed no interest in returning to the Chrono franchise in 2005, while Hironobu Sakaguchi remarked in April 2007 that his creation Blue Dragon was an "extension of [Chrono Trigger]."[92][93] During a Cubed³ interview on February 1, 2007, Square Enix’s Senior Vice President Hiromichi Tanaka said that although no sequel is currently planned, some sort of sequel is still possible if the Chrono Cross developers can be reunited.[94][48] Yasunori Mitsuda has expressed interest in scoring a new game, but warned that "there are a lot of politics involved" with the series. He stressed that Masato Kato should participate in development.[61] The February 2008 issue of Game Informer ranked the Chrono series eighth among the "Top Ten Sequels in Demand", naming the games "steadfast legacies in the Square Enix catalogue" and asking, "what's the damn holdup?!"[95] In Electronic Gaming Monthly's June 2008 "Retro Issue", writer Jeremy Parish cited Chrono as the franchise video game fans would be most thrilled to see a sequel to.[96]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Official Japanese Chrono Trigger for Nintendo DS site
  2. ^ a b Square Enix (2008-08-18). "CHRONO TRIGGER COMES TO NINTENDO DS ON NOVEMBER 25, 2008". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-08-18.
  3. ^ Square Co.. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22) “Keizo Kokubo: Well then, open the Gates to the Dream Team! ... / Developer's Ending: Cheers! You made it to one of the endings! You're now a member of the Dream Team!”
  4. ^ a b c "Procyon Studio: Interview with Masato Kato". Cocoebiz.com (November 1999). Retrieved on 3 June 2007.
  5. ^ a b c d Chris Kohler (2004). Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life (in English). DK Publishing. ISBN 0-7440-0424-1. 
  6. ^ a b c Alan Averill (July 1995). Nintendo Power (in English). Nintendo, 52. 
  7. ^ a b c d Square Enix (2008-07-02). "CHRONO TRIGGER Returns! The Timeless Classic Teleports to Nintendo DS This Holiday Season". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-07-02.
  8. ^ Square Enix (2008-08-06). "SQUARE ENIX ANNOUNCE CHRONO TRIGGER THE CLASSIC ADVENTURE AVAILABLE IN EUROPE AND PAL TERRITORIES FOR THE FIRST TIME". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-08-06.
  9. ^ Antoine Morcos (2008-08-28). "Chrono Trigger DS gets a release date in Japan". http://www.gamekyo.com/ Gamekyo. Retrieved on 2008-08-28.
  10. ^ a b Averill, Alan (1995). Nintendo Power July, 1995 (in English). Nintendo, 53. 
  11. ^ Robert Johnson (2003-04-28). "Final Fantasy IV Review". http://www.gamesarefun.com/ GamesAreFun. Retrieved on 2006-09-10.
  12. ^ Alan Averill (June 1995). Nintendo Power (in English). Nintendo, 37. 
  13. ^ Pringle, Bill (2005). "Chrono Trigger Endings". Penn State Personal Web Server. Archived from the original on 2007-07-05. Retrieved on May 7, 2006.
  14. ^ a b (2001) in Square Enix: Final Fantasy Chronicles instruction manual (in English). Square Enix, 32–33. SLUS-01363. 
  15. ^ Taban: What's going on Lucca? WHERE IS SHE? / Lucca: The way she disappeared... It couldn't have been the Telepod! The warp field seemed to be affected by her pendant... Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  16. ^ Queen: Fooled you, didn't I, Crono? / Marle: It's me! But everyone calls me, Leene! Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  17. ^ Marle: Say, what does this button do? / Lucca: 1999 A.D.? Visual record of The Day of Lavos... / 'Marle: Wh, what...IS that? / Lucca: Lavos?... Is that what's destroying our world?! / Marle: We must truly be in the future... Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  18. ^ Heckran: If only the great Magus who brought forth Lavos 400 years ago, had destroyed the human race! Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  19. ^ Frog: This sword... 'Tis the Masamune? I must ponder this turn of events. Remain'eth here the night. ... / Frog: Awaketh, Crono. Though we may fail... ...let us go to Magus's lair. Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  20. ^ Magus: You fools! I only «summoned» him! He lives in the inner earth, absorbing the land's power and growing ever stronger! Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  21. ^ Magus: I've waited for this... I've been waiting for you, Lavos. I swore long ago... that I'd destroy you! No matter what the price! It is time to fulfill that vow. Feel my wrath, Lavos!! ... / Magus: Aaah!! My powers are being drained! Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  22. ^ Magus: Behold. Everything's at the bottom of the sea. Gone is the magical kingdom of Zeal, and all the dreams and ambitions of its people. I once lived there... But I was another person then. ... / Marle: You're... ...Janus, aren't you? ... / Magus: Ever since Lavos's time portal stranded me in the Middle Ages... I have waited to even the score. Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  23. ^ Magus: You know, there just might be a way to bring him back. ... / Magus: Gaspar, the Guru of Time, knows how to restore lost or misplaced time streams... Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  24. ^ Magus: You wish to fight me? / Player's choice: No. / Frog: Vanquishing thee will neither return Crono nor Cyrus. / Magus: Wait. I'll come with you. Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  25. ^ Gaspar: Just as you touch the lives of every life form you meet, so, too, will their energy strengthen you. Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  26. ^ Ozzie: Magus! You lied when you said you wanted to create a world of evil! You used me! / Magus: Oh, how dreadful. Say, can you hear that? It's the sound of the Reaper... Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  27. ^ Mother Brain: Listen well humans. ... / Mother Brain: We robots will create a new order... A nation of steel, and pure logic. A true paradise! Our «Species» will replace you... So stop your foolish struggle, and succumb to the sleep of eternity... ... / Marle: What IS this?! We have to do something! / Magus: Hmm... A human processing plant? / Frog: What be this?! We must rescue them! Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  28. ^ Frog: Dear Cyrus... Thou must...think ill of me. / Cyrus: On the contrary! You have come far, my friend. When Magus defeated me, I thought of all those whom I had left behind. King Guardia, Queen Leene, and of course, you... Your skill and dedication is superior! I can rest now, knowing that everyone is in good hands. Good bye, my friend! Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  29. ^ Robo: After 400 years of experience, I have come to think that Lavos may not be responsible for the Gates. / Marle: What do you mean? / Robo: I have come to think that someone, or something wanted us to see all this. Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  30. ^ Chancellor: It's an ancestral will. It says, «Unveil the Rainbow Shell to the people at the Millienal Fair.» / King: What are you talking about?! We have no family heirlooms here! Chancellor: So this is a forgery? Why does the defendant deny the people a glimpse of the «Rainbow Shell?» / Chancellor: Because he no longer HAS it!! He sold the heirloom for cash! Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  31. ^ Lucca: It lives on a planet for as long as possible, stealing away the most vital resources... It combined the DNA it found here with its own, and gave birth to those creatures up on Death Peak. Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
  32. ^ Mom: Look, Crono! Your cat's running away because you haven't been feeding it! Hey, come back here! / Marle: Oh, great! Crono, that Gate will never open again! / Lucca: Well it looks like we have no choice but to go after them! / Marle: Go after them?! But the Gate's... Lucca, don't turn off your brain, yet! / Lucca: I forgot! We have a Time Machine! Square Co. Chrono Trigger. Square Soft. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. (in English). (1995-08-22)
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