To defend the Luca flashback scene I will say this, when you see this scene for the first time you do not know you can change it. When I first played it, it came off as a clever and devastating way to show a flashback of Luca's most traumatic experience growing up. It was only on repeat playthroughs that I realized I could change her fate, and that had was really powerful for me and many others. That is why its genius that to fix the machine, it uses the controls of the crane machine, it doesn't pull up some menu where you can quickly put in the code, using the controller buttons instead and forcing the player(and Luca) to act with certainty. If the player fails this section though, they aren't allowed to go back and change things. Ultimately that's what so brilliant about the scene itself, it forces the player to truly role play Luca for a moment, and face a moment of trauma with certainty and precision, a moment that the player only gets one chance at. One that they have to make count. While I realize that this does not really refute any arguments brought up in the video, its not supposed to. I just wanted to give my reasons as to why this scene is loved by so many including myself.
When I played that scene for the first time, that was the one and only time I hit the reset button on my SNES. I felt like I made my own portal to the past to try again.
This game just did something to me as a child... the haunting music, the graphics, the gameplay, and the way that the story just skirted around intriguing ideas such as evolution, fate, time travel, and human progress. Not only did we get prehistoric and futuristic settings but multiple medieval-type settings that were all so unique. I think it was the combination of all elements of this game that made it a masterpiece.
Still remember walking my dog as a kid and I saw my best friends moms car go by with him in it. He held the chrono trigger box up to the window when he drove by and I sprinted two blocks to his house to make sure I didn't miss a thing. The world was such a different place back then and gaming was so magical compared to it being like reality television now for 90 percent of releases
I can't echo that enough ever since 1996 this game has been a part of me, the soundtrack and the game play with multiple endings. It's been unrivaled in my eyes
Okay, I have listened to many a person rate, praise, criticize and in some cases, loathe Chrono Trigger in the last 20-25 years. People can have their opinions but let’s look at why it is held in such high esteem among RPG fans: 1. You have a story about time travel, which the creators did their best to establish rules and consequences of using said medium as a plot device. 2. You have characters, though not too deep, do leave an impression upon the player. This is amplified by Akira Toriyama’s very memorable character design. Some character’s motivations and development are better than others but overall, they are a cast whom the player can grow attach to over this 20+ hour time-traveling drama. 3. You have a unique and creative combat system that emphasizes individual and collective techs that for some new players who never experienced combined techs was an absolutely wow moment. And it isn’t something that is glossed over but is a very thoughtful and thorough part of the combat system. 4. You have a game where the main protagonist dies and you DO NOT have to revive him. Yes he is a silent protagonist but a protagonist nonetheless. And the fact of not reviving him having an impact on the ending can really appeal to certain players who want a more dramatic ending to their playthrough. 5. The game has a brisk pace with chosen enemy encounters, which definitely would appeal to both traditional and modern player sensibilities. 6. You have a phenomenal soundtrack for the game, for which the composer literally became sick over that captures the many emotional and character-driven moments of the game, to the point where players often go back to the soundtrack as one of the best RPG soundtracks ever. 7. It had the dream team of RPG creators / developers behind it, which created a lot of buzz that is still referenced to this day. 8. It has created its own share of imitators to which the imitations are compared, usually falling short of their inspiration. 9. While nostalgia may play a role for many, for others, being able to play a game where you as the player are not only trying to save the world, but are also changing people’s futures for the better can be very appealing concepts for the player, especially if certain opportunities do not exist in real life. I am sure many a player has played around with the question, “If I could go back and change certain decisions/events in my life or other people’s lives, would I do it and how would I do it?” The game can create a bit of personal introspection for the player. 10. It is an RPG that most players, veteran and new alike can just pick up and play and have a good time with, completely turning their brain off and just escaping into a fun new world (or worlds) but the game is short enough not to wear out its welcome. And along with number 1, the time travel aspect and new game plus feature allows for fantastic replayability. I will stop there with 10 points. Most casual players will fall into a few if not multiple points I have listed above as to why they esteem Chrono Trigger the way they do. Whether justified or not, Chrono Trigger is one of those RPGs that if cannot be credited as being one of the best ever for its own in-game qualities, you would have to credit for being one of the most influential RPGs ever created, as it opened the door to so many possibilities for RPGs to come, including future Final Fantasy games and beyond. Also, people get hung up on the word “masterpiece.” What is a masterpiece? According to the dictionary, masterpiece means “a work of art such as a painting, film, book, (or in this case a video game) that is made with great skill.” Another definition is “a skillful or impressive example of something.” “Masterpiece” does not mean “perfection.” So with those definitions in mind, does Chrono Trigger meet the definition of the word masterpiece? From a RPG perspective, yes it does because it is very impressive and very skillful in what it aims to do, which is entertain the player, much less all the effort and skill it took to create it.
Chrono Trigger is my favorite game of all time. Hearing the amount of work that went in to it, especially Mitsuda nearly overworking himself to death in the process, gave me a brand new appreciation for a game I already consider a masterpiece.
@@paulsmith9192 I did play Sea of Stars, it was pretty good. I enjoyed myself a lot! My only real complaint is that the battles against the trash enemies making your way to the bosses take just long enough that it starts to get tedious.
I’m one of those people who played Chrono Trigger as an adult and was blown away by it. I played it to understand what the hype was about, and I remember thinking to myself after finishing it, I get it; this is truly one of the best games in history. I also count myself among the Chrono Trigger fans rather than the Final Fantasy VI fans. I’ve tried several times to get into Final Fantasy VI, but I just never could-so there’s that.
I don’t think you put quite enough stock in just how remarkably playable this game is. This is game with a runtime that’s just barely over 20 hours with effectively no downtime and no padding. With no random encounters, every single fight is deliberately designed and transition into and out of combat is smooth as butter. Combat itself is straightforward and streamlined, but with enough options that you’re still constantly making decisions and staying engaged, especially as the game constantly throws new enemy types at you requiring new strategies. Three party members with four gear slots each hits the sweetspot where you have to be mindful of your loadout but you’re never getting bogged down spending extra time staring at menus. The whole system works to constantly keep you moving, never giving you a moment to get bored and lose immersion. And the story works the same way - because it’s constantly catapulting you across time, there’s always some new and exciting event for the story to build towards. There’s no pointless fetch-quests or grinding, just consistent forward momentum. Add on to that Toriyama’s instantly eye-catching designs which make every character memorable even without a ton of actual development beyond their introductions, and you get a game where you’re always meeting somebody cool and doing something impactful. Every minute of those twenty hours feels well-spent, with more memorable setpieces than you can count. It just feels good to play, which is so rare in an RPG. And then when you tie that package up with some of the best soundtracks and visual design in the medium, bar none, and yeah, you get what I feel you can only call a masterpiece.
I have only finished 1 week ago. I'm absolutely in the camp that this game is a masterpiece. It has done such amazing things with it's gameplay that I still consider them utterly unique and mindblowing 30 years after it's release.
I was 13 when Chrono Trigger was released on the SNES. Crono dying hit me in the feels and gave me a sense of urgency to drive me on once you figured out he could be brought back.
Chrono Trigger is Earnest. It doesn't pad with random encounters, the quests are quick and to the point, the bosses can be solved like a puzzle rather than brute force, and it's just an uplifting story. FFVI barely edges it out in my mind due to stronger character arcs, but I found all the endings of CT and New Game+ enough times to max everyone's speed. The DS version is still my favorite. My 15 year old cousin visited me on vacation in 2012, I suggested CT to him, and he was hooked for the entire week. It wasn't nostalgia, he's not a huge JRPG fan (especially menu based) but I could see how content he was. It really is an anime you can play, and that accessibility gives it a wide appeal.
You should give Super Mario RPG: LEgend of the Seven Stars a play. Its....nothing like chrono trigger, but it stand right up there next to it as one of the best RPG's of all time. THeres no crazy deep emotional story. BUt the game evokes the same feelings chrono trigger does. The entire package is just a *chefs kiss*
I don't know if you tried this, but you can actually move around during the scene where he's being beaten up by the other R-series units, and if you try and interfere with their assault, Robo begs you to stop, asserting that they're his brothers despite what they're doing, and your attempts to alter how it plays out are ultimately fruitless. It really heightens the scene that you can do that, IMO.
And there’s a few seconds before the scene takes control away where you can just run into them and get tossed back repeatedly without the dialog. I do that every time I play through.
I've played this game since it came out and I have never seen the scenes at 58:24. Incredible that there's still something new to experience in this game after nearly 30 years
Chrono Trigger might just be my all-time favorite game of all time. It’s definitely the greatest RPG ever. Great retrospective. Thank you. Instant subscriber! ❤❤❤❤
I’m revisiting your video. Just wanted to relive the magic. Side note: my best friend’s name is Andrew and he looks and sounds a LOT like you. I know you aren’t the same person, but it’s damn eerie!
I think the problem with judging old games like this is the tendency to compare them with everything that came afterwards, anachronistically holding them to unfair standards and overlooking their contextual significance. Chrono Trigger was an extremely innovative RPG that was cutting edge on its release. There was really nothing like it at the time, and its influence can arguably still be felt in the entire gaming industry today.
I remember my mom called me in to school sick when she saw how excited I was to play this when it came out! She NEVER did stuff like that but my brother and I were rabidly excited due to Nintendo power so when it came out we were playing non stop lol I guess she saw how much enjoyment we got from final fantasy 3(6) and realized this was the world to us at the time. Miss you mom
@@jjcoola998 I remember there was some kind of SNES game advertisement display at Target that showed clips of this game before its release. Being a big fan of FF3(6) and Secret of Mana, I was so hyped for it and got it on day one. I don't think there was any SNES game I played more than this one. I used New Game+ to see all the endings, and I just loved playing through it again and again. Needless to say, my grades took a hit 😅
I remember renting this game from Blockbuster when it came out. Definitely my favorite video game ever. I remember it was the first game that I remember that had a New Game + feature.
so, we all agree this feels a bit disingenuous and nitpicky. I personally feel a certain sanctimoniousness to it all, especially when he talks about the story and the characters. "I felt nothing" and then he knows he fucked up and goes "i judge no one for liking these" as if diminishing those who happen to like easily digested stories over convoluted plots. You are not the authority on RPG's nor is this a good video because you use big words. If you don't like it just say so and stick to it.
Instantaneous subscribe. Most thorough examination I've ever seen. I went to high school with two "identical" twin brothers. They were polar opposites- one was warm, outgoing, friendly gentle and considerate, and highly athletic but couldn't care less about academics. The other was the opposite- cool, collected and confident- but not outgoing and an academic in pursuit of an engineering degree, but having no interest in athletics whatsoever. Their parents, their friends and eventually their wives loved them equally for very different reasons. Chrono Trigger and FF6 are like those twins. They are both masterpieces in very different ways.
It's genuinely refreshing to have a more critical review of this game while still praising the good bits, your work is genuinely some of the best, thank you for all your hard effort.
There was a certain optimism with Chrono Trigger that other games have not been able to quite emulate. It really exemplified the spirit of the 1990s. The Cold War was over and the world seemed to be at relative peace. “The End of History” if you will. Chrono Trigger showed a history of conflict, but also an uncertain future where catastrophe was underneath the surface. It might not have the deep character narrative of FF6, but it captured the feeling of the age.
My favorite video game of all time, the true GOAT. Love your breakdowns, was ecstatic to see this in the feed. Keep up the good work! (Also hearing Maj was a nice treat)
I think the reason why the game has such a lasting legacy is because...it's ironically a bit 'timeless'. Is it perfect? I think with age I can see some of the points you've brought up, but the flaws don't take away so much as to diminish the 'whole'. The fact that it can stand so strongly on it's own all these years later really is a testament to it's nature, it's strength, it's ability to keep going despite how much gaming has changed, and what people expect of it. Often times, in the art world, regardless of the medium, masterpieces and masters of their craft, are not people who are necessarily "the best" at it, but those who evolve a medium, who bring something completely new, and change the name of the game. I'm not saying people can't be excellent at their craft and be famous for it, plenty of people are. But the truly *legendary* ones are those who truly change things. Alfred Hitchcock is a great example of this. Movies before him, and movies after him, are two completely different worlds. But it is also worth noting that the 90s are often times called the 'golden age of RPGs', and for JRPGs specifically, Chrono Trigger is essentially the culmination of all of that on the SNES for it's life time. It's from a lot of creators who had already spent years of their life making JRPGs already, and then all of those people came together to make this, which altered how all JRPGs went going forward.
I rescinded my like by the time it was over...so much negativity. I will say the development stuff was fantastic, learned some things I hadn't heard before.
I think my love for the game comes down to how it feels to play. For me it feels like playing a fairytale, and I've never played a game that made me feel quite as enchanted as this one. And i think it's partially because of the vague, open-endedness that contributed to that feeling. Fairy tales are simple and communicate their stories in a simple way. It's like reading the Hobbit versus reading lord of the rings. They're fundinentally different, and liking one over the other is usually a difference of how much brevity some one prefers in their stories. Chrono trigger is tight, beautifully paced and snappy, and I would have it no other way
Awesome video as usual. Thanks for shouting out Chrono Compendium! Don't worry, you'll be spending a lot more time there after you play Chrono Cross, lol. We have had a lot of thought provoking discussions on Discord, some of the theories make it onto the site. Most of the stuff you'll find on the Compendium is from years ago, and some theories have been debunked (the Entity comes to mind, most people agreed on it being the planet but there are some who claimed it was the player, or the "spirit" of the Nu, or Schala's pendant, etc) but there is just so much left ambiguous between both games, we could probably theory craft forever.
Chrono Compendium was an invaluable repository of information that was well cited and translated. I had thought about perusing the theories section to expand on aspects of this video, but felt that it would be more intellectually honest if I interpreted as much as I could personally (with the occasional reference to other fans or development staff) than loading it all up with thoughts that other people have had. I'll definitely be digging further into the site whenever I get around to doing Chrono Cross, whenever that may be.
Technically speaking, as long ago as Ayla lived, the whole party would be her descendants. This is probably true for anyone from the Zeal period too. Even Queen Leene’s time period, a good amount of the party should be her descendants. When you go back enough generations there were fewer people alive than your number of ancestors. It’s called pedigree collapse.
While I certainly understand your critiscism to the game, I have to admit that nostalgia does play a huge part for me when it comes to Chrono Trigger. I first played it back when I was about 9 or 10 years old and can still clearly remember those days playing Chrono Trigger together with my brothers and remember how we all reacted to everything in the game: from the music and all of the soundtrack, the dialogs, the characters, when Crono dies and how shocked we were to see our main character die haha, I just have a ton of fond memories playing this game. The same happened with Final Fantasy II(IV) which I also played together with my brothers. All in all your retrospective videos are superb, great job again! I'm looking forward to your Chrono Cross retrospective, I never finished that game now that I remember haha. Greetings from Monterrey, México!
You might like this memory of mine reading your comment I remember being outside my parents house when my best (kid) friend's mom drive by in her car, and I vividly remember recognizing the car and then seeing him pushing the chrono trigger box against the passenger window. Being that I was a child who read every Nintendo power I was so excited and ran the two blocks to his house immediately! What a different world we grew up in
Chrono is a fun fairytale adventure while FF6 is more serious. There is your split. I’ve played every FF and CT at release and while FF 4&6 good a special place in my heart, CT just sparks joy just thinking about it. The characters, the music, the environments. It’s just plain fun.
I had to pause the video to type this comment. The line "Chono Trigger is a bulk standard 'Save the World Plot's but with a 4th dimensional twist" is SUCH as good line
I get it I play ff6 every year and think of my dead brother who I played with back in the 90's , but I also watched him play this one too all the time! Oh man the feelings
When I first played CT at the age of 17, I was just amazed at how solidly a video game could tell an effective, engrossing story while having its gameplay not feel like filler. To this day, it is my 3rd best game of all time (behind Suikoden 2 and Persona 3) and I am glad you decided to cover it after your FF analyses.
Haven’t even watched this for five seconds and already dropped a like- I already know this vid is gonna be phenomenal, as all your retrospective vids have been.
Yeah this guy is a one man army that takes most channels four or five people on salary it's insane I came when he released his FF6 video as that's my ultimate game as a millennial but this was such a treat too
I understand that a silent protagonist in a game can really be a matter of taste, but I still remember the shock I felt when I saw Crono got annihilated by Lavos for the first time.
Was editing my own hour-long review of this game when I saw the notification roll in. What a coincidence! I'll have to watch yours and see what different aspects of the game we focused on.
@@memersupremer9993 It's not really a self-promotion - the video isn't even out yet. It's just cool seeing another guy share his perspective on this game in the same format, but with a completely different take - we had very different opinions on Marle's side quest, for example.
@@octorokreviewsBut even if it is self promotion, who really cares? It’s still a comment that contributes to the algorithm, and has something of value to say. Don’t know why that person had to be weird about this.
@@octorokreviewsBOY IF YOU DONT GTFOH WITH THAT. People have been making chronic trigger retrospectives for at least ten years. How tf is that not self promotion to come on to another channel and talk about the same game and even try to tell us what you did differently. Mfer if you making a chrono trigger retrospective in 2024 it better be tf different. What you want a cookie for doing some shit somebody else beat you to?Post the damn vid link or stfu
Because of Pokemon, I can say that I have a life-long history with jrpg games, but it wasn't until I was about 14 or 15 that I ventured outside the series, renting FF13 after seeing how gorgeous the visuals looked. It actually took me until last year, at 28, to finally give Chrono Trigger a try. I was watching the "was it good?" retrospective videos from Josh Strife Plays and started up the Chrono Trigger video... I was aware of the game in name, but upon hearing him talk about the premise of the game, I stopped the video dead in its tracks, picked up the steam version of it, powered my way through every ending and steam achievement the game had to offer, and then finally got back to his thoughts on it. That said, I'm in the category of recent adult fans that still call it a masterpiece. I'm one game short of playing all the mainline (non mmo) final fantasy games (just need 12), and I put Chrono Trigger above them all, even 9, 6, and (yes, I'm serious) 13, which are among my favorites. That said, on Chrono Cross, which I played immediately after, my thoughts are this: why? Just why??
Ff13 is total poop. I bought it, sat and played it and never found myself having any sort of fun whatsoever. Beautifully looking game but, in my opinion purely style over substance.
For my money, this is the greatest game ever made for the SNES. When I first played it, I had rented it from Blockbuster, and I ended up getting so wrapped up in getting all the endings that I kept it for about two weeks past the rental period. With the late fees, well I couldn't have bought the game, it was a $70 one, but it was up over 20 bucks for sure, and I caught hell for it. Well worth it though, and I picked up a used copy as soon as I saw one for sale. I had never enjoyed an RPG of any kind more complex than Zelda until then, and I had rented Final Fantasy 3 (6). I just didn't get the appeal, the gameplay was so boring and static, and the random battles were annoying. Chrono Trigger changed my mind about the entire genre, and without it, I doubt I would have even picked up FF7 when that came out, nor any RPG since.
Since the localization of the names is being discussed, I think it is worth mentioning that contrary to the note at 45:38 Magus doesn't have a name in the original in the middle ages storyline - everyone just refers to him by his title of the Demon King (魔王「Maou」). Also, after his defeat the Demon King title is passed on to Vinegar, as we find out from the dialogs in the version of Medina village affected by that alteration of history.
Me scrolling RUclips today: Oh, the guy who did the 7 Hour Pokemon Omega Ruby game analysis did an 11 hour Pokemon Diamond analysis, that's my day sort--- WAIT! An hour and twenty minute Chrono Trigger Retrspective!? DETOUR!
Mitsuda was composing for Chrono Trigger around the time a Japanese pop group called TRF had a song making the rounds on the radio called EZ Do Dance. If you listen to it you will hear similarities to Robo's theme. It is more likely this might have been on the radio in the background at Squares offices.
Robo's Theme also sounds uncannily like "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. I remember hearing this when I was a kid and immediately thinking of that song.
@@Davethe3rd yes that's the rumor that is always going around. Hence my comment. Mitsuda claims to have never heard Rick Astely's song until people began comparing it to Robo's theme. It's far more likely that EZ Do Dance was playing on the radio in Japan in 1993/94
The issue is that the base melody is a fairly common one used in Japanese music called the royal road, which also happens to be used in a lot of Astley’s music.
I played Chrono Trigger well after release, and I'm generally not one for nostalgia, but I still hold the game in high regard. For me it's a pretty simple reason: Chrono Trigger respects the player's participation in the story by providing plenty of choice but without sacrificing any of its themes or messages. Chrono Trigger doesn't try to be a dungeon master that reacts to whatever the player is going to do, it instead restricts player choice to the things that will have the most impact. This is felt through every part of its design, from progression systems to side quests. As much as I may prefer the stories of various Final Fantasies, Chrono Trigger stands above them all in how I was able to explore its story. But I also live in a world where Xenogears exists, and Xenogears feels very much like a recasting of Chrono Trigger in which the setting and story is taken a lot more seriously. So I don't find myself longing for more story from Chrono Trigger. You also have Chrono Cross, and Final Fantasy VI and VII, which have overlapping thematic material.
this is one of the formative games of my childhood. I rented it on a whim while visiting my cousin (his choice at the store was a wrestling game) needless to say we didn't play much of that wrestling game that weekend. I changed his taste in games for life, and bonded deeply with him over the experience of the game over a weekend. I'm not very close with him anymore due to us drifting. but it was a major event in my life. I find the assertion that there are two types of people, CT fans and FF6 fans kind of unusual. I loved both games very much. they're pretty much my top two games on the SNES. (though I also love the MMX trilogy) I'm hard pressed to choose one over the other. they're both masterpiece games.
I guess I’m the rare exception that enjoys both FF6 and Chrono Trigger. However, if someone were to point a gun to my head and make me pick just one I’d say Chrono Trigger is my preferred choice as it has more meaning for me personally. I also think the simplicity of the game is its greatest asset. It doesn’t ask too much of the player to enjoy the work being presented. I also enjoy works that can challenge people’s perceptions on multiple aspects but I’d say it’s more impressive if a narrative can be easy to understand while having a lot of depth. I’m reminded of Shadow Of The Colossus a game with a similar level of minimalism especially in the story telling yet people can go for hours talking about its complex themes. Perhaps Chrono Trigger is like that for a lot of people.
Honestly, I do not think someone liking both FF6 and CT is rare at all, I know that I personally do. And yes, if I had to pick one, it would be Chrono Trigger.
Chrono trigger is a masterpiece, it cuts the fluff and keeps the story going. That is what i though when i first played it in my 20's on the ps1 version. I noticed the issues with it but the story, music and characters keep it from ruining the game for me. I did love ff6 and only beat that for the first time in 2023. I had played several times but something always stopped me from finishing it. FF6 and chrono trigger are two of the best RPGs of all time and for slightly different reasons as you eluded to in the video. Both are work playing even today. Both are 10/10 games.
Funnily enough I used to be a Chrono Trigger adorer who didn't care much for FF6, but now I'm skewed more the opposite way. I think the way I look at media simply changed as I grew older. One thing I do agree with my past self is that Tales of Phantasia is an excellent foil to Chrono Trigger, both games about a group of kids traveling through time to stop a sole entity from starting a cataclysmic event but they go in vastly different directions. I wouldn't say the characters have that much more depth than the ones in CT, but the world and politics of ToP are much more vast, complex and important to the title's story and themes while maintaining equally good graphical and musical fidelity. The one thing CT has it beat outright is it's pacing, it's a much longer game with some blatant padding, but makes up for it by having some unlinear parts and allows you to circumvent some of it with prior knowledge and preparation. I highly recommend you to give it a look if you hadn't already.
This game did a lot of first in video games that is still a big part of the industry The end game, game play was never been done before in video games that i can remember which us staple today The effects of what you do in the past affecting the future is just innovation of technology you have at the time. Taking out random battle into something you have more decisions is a huge way to change people found tedious in the genre. That is now being more implemented for RPGs. The combined attacks still haven't been duplicated today. The visuals for super Nintendo was also pushing the hardware. They also did the most memorable at the time of the trope in a story where you are introduced to a pseudo villain, with Magus and the actual main villain is revealed later in the game. They did a great way by making hints of it early in the game.
@@Chadius Same. And no disrespect to he other great creators out there but honestly no one has done any Mother video on the level that this guy makes his retrospectives.
I always appreciate a new perspective on the games I cherished in my childhood, and I feel a lot of your criticisms are valid, though I think they don't take into account the intended audience for the game as much as they should. Through the lens of the preteen/teenage boy, which served as the effigy of all gamers to the industry in the 90s (unfair as that may be), some of the moments you call out as emotional dead zones would resonate much stronger. I like your callout to Final Fantasy VI and the contrast between people who prefer one or the other. The best word I've found for each game is "Elegance" for Chrono Trigger and "Harmony' for FFVI. Chrono Trigger is elegant in that there's no element of it that is easily picked out as a flaw. It's art, music, characters, story and gameplay all cross the "good" threshold to some capacity or another, requiring careful digging to identity areas where it could be better. FFVI meanwhile is harmonious in that all its elements (characters, narrative, soundtrack, tone, etc) resonate with the game's central themes of loss and coping with loss. Which game you prefer might depend on how much you value a "beautiful" game vs a game with something interesting to say.
I never knew what I was in for when I started playing this on my cousin's list of old games (like this and FFV/FFVI), and to this day it still remains one of my favorites for its music, narrative, and how it blew my mind of how time affected both the major story content and the sidequests/world being changed
It's true. Those who prefer Final Fantasy VI tend to be big-brain critics (no offense) who really appreciate character depth and storytelling that touches on thought-provoking themes. Those who prefer Chrono Trigger tend to be people who gravitate towards simplicity, and I don't mean that in a bad way; it's just that Chrono has a specific charm that transports you back to when you were a child. It feels a bit like a classic shonen anime that might've aired on Cartoon Network back in the day, like Dragon Ball or Outlaw Star, whereas FF6 is a bit more like Evangelion or Cowboy Bebop. I like both games for very different reasons: I love Chrono for its simple yet fun battle system, its tight pacing, and how it's such a thrill ride from beginning to end. But I also love FF6 for how profound its storytelling and characters are, to the point where it rivals the works of Shakespeare. Going back to my comparison to anime, if you look at Dragon Ball's manga, you'll notice that the characters and storytelling aren't deep in the slightest. Yet its characters are still charming on a surface level, and the art is so clean, and the pacing is so tight, it makes you forget about how shallow its story really is. "Charm" is a concept many critics have trouble grasping because it's not something you can quantify on an objective level; once you start analyzing media in that way, it becomes really difficult if not impossible to understand "charm". Sometimes media just hits different and you're not really sure why. Also, the visuals and presentation do go a very long way: the reason the Lucca flashback scene affects so many people has little to do with Lucca as a character. It's the creepy music, the pressure with the time limit, and the haunting scream sound effect Lara makes if you fail, which I imagine most players doing this for the first time will (especially in Japan, where the confusing distinction between L and R made that section a lot more difficult). Even if it's your first time, there's this foreboding sensation where you really, REALLY don't want to see what happens if you fail. It feels like a nightmare, and while it doesn't add much to Lucca's depth as a character, it allows the player to relate to her on an emotional level. And it manages to do this despite it seeming so random and out-of-place.
"Charm" would be what I'd choose to best convey Chrono Trigger's greatest asset. And this is coming from a fan of those complex FF7-Xenogears-Evangelion narratives as well. CT has enough interesting story beats to keep you on your toes, but the characters, the settings, the music, the theming...it's all so easily likable.
I'm more of an FF6 person but I think CT is better put together. It's a tighter, more cohesive package than it's philosophically more girthy peers, and by demanding less of the player, the player is in turn given more room to invest in what's there. Ff6 draws you in with questions and character development, CT invites you with it's world and atmosphere. It's also a lot more digestible. Ff6 requires a lot of outside knowledge of philosophy and religion to extract the most value out of it, CT is 80% on the cart and the remaining 20% is "oh that's cool, a reference" that doesn't shift your outlook on the plot or story itself.
To me maybe it is all about what you expect to find in an rpg or in video games in general... Chrono trigger is a master piece (to me) and my favorite game of all time, not for its story but for its gameplay... which might be strange considering story is sterotypically the focal point of rpgs, sometimes to the point that in a certian rpg series the story might be the only thing that changes from game to game. The pacing, like you said, is practically unparalleled. And the combat is so meticulously planned that you can skip every skippable enemy and still finish the game. Not to mention that EVERY single combat encounter is individually programed and animated. Which is crazy if you think about it... the way rpgs have achieved their longer playtimes was precisely because they reused constantly assests and where economical with the design, like transporting the player into a separate combat screen and dropping enemies into it. Here they didn't take any shortcuts, they designed every encounter individually right there in the same screen. Which allows for the player to never loose immersion and for the developers to tailor made a gameplay experience for you, slowly introducing mechanics and strategies that will later be used in the boss fight of the section. You are quite right... my image of rpgs was ruined for a few years after playing chrono trigger, I couldn't believe how much more primitive every other rpg felt. Compare it to FF6, the story is a master piece and most of the characters have interesting arcs to explore, but the combat is kind of broken... some character gimmicks are kind of annoying, some mechanics simply do not work and you can completely cheese the game if you know what you are doing. Yeah the story and characters in chrono is quite simplistic and I get that is not for everyone... but I the tone of the game and the story cleary presents itself as a more light hearted adventure for younger audiences than something like a FF6. Simple stories and simple characters are not synonymous with weak stories or weak characters. This is more like an Ocarina of Time or some disney classic movie like beauty and the beast, than like a citizen kane or last of us. As much as I love the stories in FF6 or FF7, it is not something a child could easily understand and could beat the game feeling very confused about what happened or what the point of it was. While the main story of chrono trigger is crystal clear from very early on, stop lavos, save the world. As a child what I really got from the game is a theme of extreme selfishness and bravery, executed by me through crono. Sparing magus, Luca repearing Robo despite it potentially being dangerous, crono sacrificing himself and friends working hard to save crono in return, and overall the story of a group of people trying to stop an apocalypse that doesn't affect them in any shape of form. I found it to be really inspiring. Partially due to its simplicity, not inspite of it.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the shared motifs between Magus, Schala, and the Queen Zeal in the music section. Great review, man. Fair takes. Keep up the good work!
Bravo, Syr. Your work here is distinctly excellent. This is, has always been, and always will be my eternal favorite video game. For a single game, which is itself unambiguously representative of its own point in video game history, to simultaneously be about time travel whilst only proving more and more to be the definition of a timeless masterpiece... is to my reckoning nothing short of miraculous. And yet, there remain people who sincerely debate whether or not video games as a medium are even capable of qualifying as works of art. This has not been a legitimate question to my mind since the 1993 release of the equally timeless masterpiece that is MYST. I pity those unable to recognize the reality that there are a staggering amount of video games that exist almost solely as exquisite works of breathtaking artistry, perhaps none more so than Chrono Trigger, though I admit that may be nothing more than personal bias tlaking.
I love how they used the time travel aspect to their advantage and incorporated it into sidequests and items you can’t get until later which gives it a bit of a Metroidvania feel, and doing those sidequests affects certain time periods like having Robo stay in 600 A.D to create a whole forest for a Florist, and seeing the whole gang set up a campfire there and just all vibe with each other, reflecting back on their journey, eventually they all fall asleep but then Lucca wakes up and finds and hidden time gate and uses it to go back to the time before her mother got injured on a conveyor belt in their house, this is probably one of the few optional sidequests which you can fail and can’t try again unless you reload your save iirc, it’s pretty sad if you do end up failing, sort of like a Sonic CD Bad Future which 2300 A.D itself is.
i'm a ff6 person myself but chrono trigger's ost is by far the best as i often listen to it while i'm working or cleaning up my place i have fond memories of this game
This is a great retrospective. This game has a special to my heart, because my best Korean friend. Gave me his English copy for free. I never deleted his save file, so it means stuff to me. Hopefully when we get old I can show him
1:43:00 I mean, yeah I didn't play it fully till like 2020, definitely blows most other square enix content out of the water. Idk if it's my absolute favorite game, but it's objectively at least an 8/10.
With such a mixed personal thoughts section compared to the previous retrospectives one could almost think that the NES Final Fantasy games are more worth playing than Chrono Trigger.
As a Chrono Trigger fan, I have to disagree with the idea of a remake. The game is already a masterpiece; ever heard the saying, "Don't fix what is not broken."?
Back when i was a kid i ordered 2 import games from the US. Chronotrigger and Final Fantasy "3". My first 2 JRPGs ever and they came the same day. It set my bar of expectations quite high by accident. To this day they are my favourite SNES RPGs and when it comes to RPGs overall..maybe Suikoden comes close, but thats about it. Thank you for this nice retrospective. 🥰
I personally love this game it is among my favorite top five jrpg, I also have to disagree with your "lack of feelings" for certain scenes while I understand it just sounds to me like your under invested as a whole, which could be understandable since your looking at the game from critical lense, I just feel like games like chrono aren't meant to be seen through a critical lense like that if you do 90 percent of games, movies and books fall apart under minor criticism, but that's just my opinion, good video man!
imo, more of an FF6 person too, Chrono Trigger is more of a vibes game. It's actually really hard to explain a lot of the feelings that come about playing it. Definitely light and whimsical with an undercurrent of darkness. Kinda see Earthbound in the same way. Even if it's a very different game, it has a kind of undescribable feeling too it. It also has the generally light with dark undercurrents thing too but it's a bit more extreme. But the gameplay and the story aren't amazing. As is with Chrono Trigger. I mean I felt nothing "for" Crono when he died, or for Lucca's mom or Marle's scenes with her father. But those scenes made me feel things in general. Crono's death was a shock and I remember not really being sure how to progress. I ended up adjusting the same way you did. I didn't care about Lara herself but I still scrambled quickly for the password. There were the, certaintly unintended do to cultural gaps, disgust I had towards Marle's father. It's kinda weird really.
I first discovered this game in the days of the GameCube, when I started emulating the SNES for retro games. For me, Chrono Trigger is the perfect game. The charming visuals, the God-tier music and the fun, fast paced combat. It easily takes the 1st place for favourite RPG ever, with Tales of Symphonia and Undertale coming soon after. I just bought FFVI for the Switch since it's a lot like Chrono Trigger. So let's see how they compare.
One of my favorite games, and what I cite when asked "what's the best game." I play it every few years. It still draws me in like the first time. I was at my grandma's and managed to snag a used copy. I remember being called for dinner - but I had to save the princess! I'd played Dragon Quest I, II, and III, but this was something else. There was no natural stopping or pause point. Nor did I ever have to grind for XP. I couldn't stop, I wanted to see what happens next! I rarely play games for story. But the tragedy of Schala. Sometimes when I hear the Zeal theme, I wonder: is Schala out there?
I don't think this game is getting the proper due. You can make the argument that the characters are not as compelling as in other games, but I feel the more important aspect is the gameplay and pacing. How many games can match this? You even said it yourself that new RPG players would be searching in vain for anything like this. This is the best menu select style RPG combat there is. Nothing has been better in THIRTY YEARS. The number of combats is pretty close to perfect to keep you properly leveled for most of the game. This can only be done because there are no random combats, which is incredibly rare for RPGs. The time travel aspect was done very well, and allowed decisions. The trial of Crono was also a standout for gameplay. How many games throw your past actions in your face like that? It's simply brilliant. You're making a value judgement based on story being more important then gameplay, but that's wrong. While the Opera sequence in FF6 was beautiful, and you spent a great deal of time talking about how much it moved you, it was awful in terms of gameplay. It was simple memorization, that had you doing the entire thing over again if you clicked on the wrong line. NOBODY finds it fun to repeat what comes down to a long cutscene. It was poor game design, and there is nothing that could be considered to be equivilantly bad gameplay in Chrono Trigger, but you glossed over that aspect in your review of FF6, because you didn't care about gameplay, only the story. Well, that's great that you like a story, but games are meant to be played, not watched. The game play should always be more important then the story when considering what is a better GAME. Chrono Trigger needs to be recognised as a masterpiece because the gameplay was at a level that RPGs today STILL don't really match. There have been many great stories over the past years for RPGs, but how many can match the level of gameplay that this one does? I can't think of any. Therefore, yes, this is a masterpiece, and I say that as someone that actually likes FF6 more than Chrono Trigger, because I also really enjoy the characters and story. However, I simply cannot deny that the gameplay of Chrono is superior, and it's suprior to a level that games still fail to live up to, so I consider it to be objectively better.
Another awesome video! I've loved CT from the moment I bought it on release, one of my favorite games ever! I agree with a lot of your points on the characters and story, but I don't think it holds back any enjoyment of the game for me. It just plays so smooth and I love the combat system. Thanks for the video, I learned a bunch of stuff I never knew and gave me more to think about and added even more enjoyment to the game for me!
I appreciate you thoughtful, critical honesty about some parts you thought were weaker. Once you explained the idea of Chrono not being brought back but being recruited from before the beginning (creating a time loop, explaining the new game + mechanic, and creating a terrible sense of doom for Chrono) I really wish they'd done that. He saves the world, but then is destined not to save the world in his own future timeline but to die...
Presentation and scale is also the difference between buffet and gourmet. Chrono Trigger is the better game over FFVI under the philosophy that less is more. I like that you mentioned that the little details in every part of the presentation spark the imagination. Sparking the imagination is exactly the point! The theme of the game is dreaming, as the main character literally wakes up at two (or three) moments in the story, not to mention the Kingdom of Zeal. This is one of those games where I think the hidden value of nostalgia goggles is that those who played this back in the day played it over and over and over and got the vibes. It's not just looking back fondly on the things of your childhood. It's knowing those things well, grokking them. Playing Final Fantasy 6 after playing Chrono Trigger always feels like a step back to me. Final Fantasy 6 rewards grinding even if it doesn't need it, because otherwise you have empty menus when using Strego and Gau, because otherwise not every character has every spell, especially Ultima. Chrono Trigger rewards, not grinding, but experiencing the same story (dream?) again and again. The characters maintain their integrity because their tech development is on rails, but dual and triple techs encourage you to experiment with party combinations. The only rewards for grinding are the advanced weapons for Ayla, which at that point are a little more than trophies. Who wouldn't want to experience the story over and over? Like music and world map, the dialogue is not just expressive but suggestive. This is true for the characterizations as well. I'm surprised you were negative on the characters. I think it's enough to count the number of characters who don't use their true, original, given names. Everyone is displaced. The solution is, in part, connection, see Magus' story and the contrast between Lavos and what a Triple Tech is. I'll admit that's not the most original, but it also didn't feel the need to state itself. The game is existential without showing that off. It's elegant. The world map doesn't have random battles, and neither does any dungeon. You can have fun with just the expressive movement of flight in this game, whether it's the dactyls or the upgraded time machine. With the fun of movement and familiarity with layout, you can regularly avoid particular enemy encounters, and in about three or four locations all of them with quick, fluid movement. And if you get into an encounter? You enjoy probably the finest battle system not just of the era but one of the top three of the entire genre---alongside Grandia and the Mario RPGs. Crack that imp with Luminaire for getting in your way and never go to a battle screen. Another huge merit of the game is restraint. Chrono Trigger doesn't need body horror or bloody smears like Final Fantasy 7 and it doesn't need characters to do what Celes did, and it tells a story as deep. Soak in it and you'll see it. To sum up, Chono Trigger is easily proof that the "text" of video games can't be the script alone but is every aspect, presentation included. It is a masterpiece. That it nails the vibes and tells a story with them alone, with an economy of expression, with characters of strong personality, only reinforces its thematic tie to dreaming. The world is sharing itself with you, its dreams and nightmares. I think you'll want to return. I encourage you to revisit the game from time to time, especially after looking at Chrono Cross. There's a lot here that's evident only upon replaying a lot. It is as thematically rich, just not as word-dense. Make sure you use the same save file, though.
I would really push back on the idea that having more text means having more story or having more depth. I would also push back on the idea that having more lurid things happen is more mature. I would even go so far as to say that's an immature thing to say! An embrace is more profound than lurid nudity. A gentle kiss is more real than the throes of passion. To be blinked away, disintegrated, and eliminated from time and space is more profound than being the victim of inhuman scientific experimentation, whether that is the Magitek program or the SOLDIER program.
Nice video! It's funny that you mention being a CT or FF kind of person in the end because that's exactly how it is. I missed playing both of these games growing up and played them both within the past two years. I started with CT, I played about 15 hours of it before I just stopped, got bored with it. 6 months later I played FFVI, I put about 50 hours into it, searched the corners of the map, got all the espers, all the optional characters twice, and did just about everything you could in the game. FF was just so much more engaging to me, and it was very intuitive in its own right, even coming out a year before CT. Both soundtracks are phenomenal, as I've listened to both of them hundreds of times by now. I just don't see the appeal of CT. It's a good game and a very good RPG, I just can't put it up as goat status.
Although i played the PS1 port, ill never forget my first playthrough. I beat it, and then just 2 hours later Chuggaaconroy posted the first video of his lets play of the DS port. Great memories 😂
It might be bit offshoot from your current plans but that talk about existentialist themes made me think that it could be interesting to hear your take on Quintet trilogy and especially Terranigma. They might not be anything that deep nowadays but they had pretty theological undertones for the games of its time.
To defend the Luca flashback scene I will say this, when you see this scene for the first time you do not know you can change it. When I first played it, it came off as a clever and devastating way to show a flashback of Luca's most traumatic experience growing up. It was only on repeat playthroughs that I realized I could change her fate, and that had was really powerful for me and many others. That is why its genius that to fix the machine, it uses the controls of the crane machine, it doesn't pull up some menu where you can quickly put in the code, using the controller buttons instead and forcing the player(and Luca) to act with certainty. If the player fails this section though, they aren't allowed to go back and change things. Ultimately that's what so brilliant about the scene itself, it forces the player to truly role play Luca for a moment, and face a moment of trauma with certainty and precision, a moment that the player only gets one chance at. One that they have to make count.
While I realize that this does not really refute any arguments brought up in the video, its not supposed to. I just wanted to give my reasons as to why this scene is loved by so many including myself.
that flashback is soooooo dramatic and the despair feels so real.
When I played that scene for the first time, that was the one and only time I hit the reset button on my SNES. I felt like I made my own portal to the past to try again.
But there's no way I made this game, because it was made before I died
This game just did something to me as a child... the haunting music, the graphics, the gameplay, and the way that the story just skirted around intriguing ideas such as evolution, fate, time travel, and human progress. Not only did we get prehistoric and futuristic settings but multiple medieval-type settings that were all so unique. I think it was the combination of all elements of this game that made it a masterpiece.
>The Haunting Music
Don’t forget that dreaded Lavos Scream
Still remember walking my dog as a kid and I saw my best friends moms car go by with him in it. He held the chrono trigger box up to the window when he drove by and I sprinted two blocks to his house to make sure I didn't miss a thing.
The world was such a different place back then and gaming was so magical compared to it being like reality television now for 90 percent of releases
I can't echo that enough ever since 1996 this game has been a part of me, the soundtrack and the game play with multiple endings. It's been unrivaled in my eyes
Okay, I have listened to many a person rate, praise, criticize and in some cases, loathe Chrono Trigger in the last 20-25 years. People can have their opinions but let’s look at why it is held in such high esteem among RPG fans:
1. You have a story about time travel, which the creators did their best to establish rules and consequences of using said medium as a plot device.
2. You have characters, though not too deep, do leave an impression upon the player. This is amplified by Akira Toriyama’s very memorable character design. Some character’s motivations and development are better than others but overall, they are a cast whom the player can grow attach to over this 20+ hour time-traveling drama.
3. You have a unique and creative combat system that emphasizes individual and collective techs that for some new players who never experienced combined techs was an absolutely wow moment. And it isn’t something that is glossed over but is a very thoughtful and thorough part of the combat system.
4. You have a game where the main protagonist dies and you DO NOT have to revive him. Yes he is a silent protagonist but a protagonist nonetheless. And the fact of not reviving him having an impact on the ending can really appeal to certain players who want a more dramatic ending to their playthrough.
5. The game has a brisk pace with chosen enemy encounters, which definitely would appeal to both traditional and modern player sensibilities.
6. You have a phenomenal soundtrack for the game, for which the composer literally became sick over that captures the many emotional and character-driven moments of the game, to the point where players often go back to the soundtrack as one of the best RPG soundtracks ever.
7. It had the dream team of RPG creators / developers behind it, which created a lot of buzz that is still referenced to this day.
8. It has created its own share of imitators to which the imitations are compared, usually falling short of their inspiration.
9. While nostalgia may play a role for many, for others, being able to play a game where you as the player are not only trying to save the world, but are also changing people’s futures for the better can be very appealing concepts for the player, especially if certain opportunities do not exist in real life. I am sure many a player has played around with the question, “If I could go back and change certain decisions/events in my life or other people’s lives, would I do it and how would I do it?” The game can create a bit of personal introspection for the player.
10. It is an RPG that most players, veteran and new alike can just pick up and play and have a good time with, completely turning their brain off and just escaping into a fun new world (or worlds) but the game is short enough not to wear out its welcome. And along with number 1, the time travel aspect and new game plus feature allows for fantastic replayability.
I will stop there with 10 points. Most casual players will fall into a few if not multiple points I have listed above as to why they esteem Chrono Trigger the way they do. Whether justified or not, Chrono Trigger is one of those RPGs that if cannot be credited as being one of the best ever for its own in-game qualities, you would have to credit for being one of the most influential RPGs ever created, as it opened the door to so many possibilities for RPGs to come, including future Final Fantasy games and beyond.
Also, people get hung up on the word “masterpiece.” What is a masterpiece? According to the dictionary, masterpiece means “a work of art such as a painting, film, book, (or in this case a video game) that is made with great skill.” Another definition is “a skillful or impressive example of something.” “Masterpiece” does not mean “perfection.” So with those definitions in mind, does Chrono Trigger meet the definition of the word masterpiece? From a RPG perspective, yes it does because it is very impressive and very skillful in what it aims to do, which is entertain the player, much less all the effort and skill it took to create it.
Chrono Trigger is my favorite game of all time. Hearing the amount of work that went in to it, especially Mitsuda nearly overworking himself to death in the process, gave me a brand new appreciation for a game I already consider a masterpiece.
@Khalith did u play, sea of stars?similar to chrono. Keep hearing about a chrono 2dhd
@@paulsmith9192 I did play Sea of Stars, it was pretty good. I enjoyed myself a lot! My only real complaint is that the battles against the trash enemies making your way to the bosses take just long enough that it starts to get tedious.
Same!
I’m one of those people who played Chrono Trigger as an adult and was blown away by it. I played it to understand what the hype was about, and I remember thinking to myself after finishing it, I get it; this is truly one of the best games in history. I also count myself among the Chrono Trigger fans rather than the Final Fantasy VI fans. I’ve tried several times to get into Final Fantasy VI, but I just never could-so there’s that.
I don’t think you put quite enough stock in just how remarkably playable this game is. This is game with a runtime that’s just barely over 20 hours with effectively no downtime and no padding. With no random encounters, every single fight is deliberately designed and transition into and out of combat is smooth as butter. Combat itself is straightforward and streamlined, but with enough options that you’re still constantly making decisions and staying engaged, especially as the game constantly throws new enemy types at you requiring new strategies. Three party members with four gear slots each hits the sweetspot where you have to be mindful of your loadout but you’re never getting bogged down spending extra time staring at menus. The whole system works to constantly keep you moving, never giving you a moment to get bored and lose immersion.
And the story works the same way - because it’s constantly catapulting you across time, there’s always some new and exciting event for the story to build towards. There’s no pointless fetch-quests or grinding, just consistent forward momentum. Add on to that Toriyama’s instantly eye-catching designs which make every character memorable even without a ton of actual development beyond their introductions, and you get a game where you’re always meeting somebody cool and doing something impactful. Every minute of those twenty hours feels well-spent, with more memorable setpieces than you can count. It just feels good to play, which is so rare in an RPG.
And then when you tie that package up with some of the best soundtracks and visual design in the medium, bar none, and yeah, you get what I feel you can only call a masterpiece.
I have only finished 1 week ago. I'm absolutely in the camp that this game is a masterpiece. It has done such amazing things with it's gameplay that I still consider them utterly unique and mindblowing 30 years after it's release.
Heading Majuular’s voice was a pleasant surprise! One of your best videos
I am one of those that holds this game in high regards. However, I understand your critiques and appreciate your explanations. A solid retrospective.
Yup, the critiques are fair while understanding why we love the title
I was 13 when Chrono Trigger was released on the SNES. Crono dying hit me in the feels and gave me a sense of urgency to drive me on once you figured out he could be brought back.
Chrono Trigger is Earnest. It doesn't pad with random encounters, the quests are quick and to the point, the bosses can be solved like a puzzle rather than brute force, and it's just an uplifting story. FFVI barely edges it out in my mind due to stronger character arcs, but I found all the endings of CT and New Game+ enough times to max everyone's speed. The DS version is still my favorite.
My 15 year old cousin visited me on vacation in 2012, I suggested CT to him, and he was hooked for the entire week. It wasn't nostalgia, he's not a huge JRPG fan (especially menu based) but I could see how content he was. It really is an anime you can play, and that accessibility gives it a wide appeal.
You should give Super Mario RPG: LEgend of the Seven Stars a play. Its....nothing like chrono trigger, but it stand right up there next to it as one of the best RPG's of all time. THeres no crazy deep emotional story. BUt the game evokes the same feelings chrono trigger does. The entire package is just a *chefs kiss*
I don't know if you tried this, but you can actually move around during the scene where he's being beaten up by the other R-series units, and if you try and interfere with their assault, Robo begs you to stop, asserting that they're his brothers despite what they're doing, and your attempts to alter how it plays out are ultimately fruitless. It really heightens the scene that you can do that, IMO.
And there’s a few seconds before the scene takes control away where you can just run into them and get tossed back repeatedly without the dialog. I do that every time I play through.
I've played this game since it came out and I have never seen the scenes at 58:24. Incredible that there's still something new to experience in this game after nearly 30 years
The cholesterol thing, right? I've played this game a hundred times and never seen that scene,lol.
Same buddy, on a different note we got to grow up in the golden age of RPGS
Chrono Trigger might just be my all-time favorite game of all time. It’s definitely the greatest RPG ever. Great retrospective. Thank you. Instant subscriber! ❤❤❤❤
I’m revisiting your video. Just wanted to relive the magic.
Side note: my best friend’s name is Andrew and he looks and sounds a LOT like you. I know you aren’t the same person, but it’s damn eerie!
I think the problem with judging old games like this is the tendency to compare them with everything that came afterwards, anachronistically holding them to unfair standards and overlooking their contextual significance.
Chrono Trigger was an extremely innovative RPG that was cutting edge on its release. There was really nothing like it at the time, and its influence can arguably still be felt in the entire gaming industry today.
I remember my mom called me in to school sick when she saw how excited I was to play this when it came out! She NEVER did stuff like that but my brother and I were rabidly excited due to Nintendo power so when it came out we were playing non stop lol
I guess she saw how much enjoyment we got from final fantasy 3(6) and realized this was the world to us at the time.
Miss you mom
@@jjcoola998 I remember there was some kind of SNES game advertisement display at Target that showed clips of this game before its release. Being a big fan of FF3(6) and Secret of Mana, I was so hyped for it and got it on day one.
I don't think there was any SNES game I played more than this one. I used New Game+ to see all the endings, and I just loved playing through it again and again.
Needless to say, my grades took a hit 😅
@@jjcoola998Seems like you had an awesome mom :)
I remember renting this game from Blockbuster when it came out. Definitely my favorite video game ever. I remember it was the first game that I remember that had a New Game + feature.
so, we all agree this feels a bit disingenuous and nitpicky. I personally feel a certain sanctimoniousness to it all, especially when he talks about the story and the characters. "I felt nothing" and then he knows he fucked up and goes "i judge no one for liking these" as if diminishing those who happen to like easily digested stories over convoluted plots. You are not the authority on RPG's nor is this a good video because you use big words. If you don't like it just say so and stick to it.
Instantaneous subscribe. Most thorough examination I've ever seen.
I went to high school with two "identical" twin brothers. They were polar opposites- one was warm, outgoing, friendly gentle and considerate, and highly athletic but couldn't care less about academics. The other was the opposite- cool, collected and confident- but not outgoing and an academic in pursuit of an engineering degree, but having no interest in athletics whatsoever. Their parents, their friends and eventually their wives loved them equally for very different reasons.
Chrono Trigger and FF6 are like those twins. They are both masterpieces in very different ways.
It's genuinely refreshing to have a more critical review of this game while still praising the good bits, your work is genuinely some of the best, thank you for all your hard effort.
There was a certain optimism with Chrono Trigger that other games have not been able to quite emulate. It really exemplified the spirit of the 1990s. The Cold War was over and the world seemed to be at relative peace. “The End of History” if you will. Chrono Trigger showed a history of conflict, but also an uncertain future where catastrophe was underneath the surface. It might not have the deep character narrative of FF6, but it captured the feeling of the age.
My favorite video game of all time, the true GOAT. Love your breakdowns, was ecstatic to see this in the feed. Keep up the good work! (Also hearing Maj was a nice treat)
I think the reason why the game has such a lasting legacy is because...it's ironically a bit 'timeless'. Is it perfect? I think with age I can see some of the points you've brought up, but the flaws don't take away so much as to diminish the 'whole'. The fact that it can stand so strongly on it's own all these years later really is a testament to it's nature, it's strength, it's ability to keep going despite how much gaming has changed, and what people expect of it.
Often times, in the art world, regardless of the medium, masterpieces and masters of their craft, are not people who are necessarily "the best" at it, but those who evolve a medium, who bring something completely new, and change the name of the game. I'm not saying people can't be excellent at their craft and be famous for it, plenty of people are. But the truly *legendary* ones are those who truly change things. Alfred Hitchcock is a great example of this. Movies before him, and movies after him, are two completely different worlds.
But it is also worth noting that the 90s are often times called the 'golden age of RPGs', and for JRPGs specifically, Chrono Trigger is essentially the culmination of all of that on the SNES for it's life time. It's from a lot of creators who had already spent years of their life making JRPGs already, and then all of those people came together to make this, which altered how all JRPGs went going forward.
Your retrospectives are so comprehensive. Genuinely love these videos
Damn, this is probably the most critical review of Chrono Trigger I've ever watched.
Good. He kinda covers my feelings with the game.
And right on the money.
I rescinded my like by the time it was over...so much negativity. I will say the development stuff was fantastic, learned some things I hadn't heard before.
@@greensakana2673same for me. I didn’t dislike but I pulled my like after how hard he started coming down on it.
@@seanbrent4245I put a dislike for it. I just feel mixed about it
I think my love for the game comes down to how it feels to play. For me it feels like playing a fairytale, and I've never played a game that made me feel quite as enchanted as this one. And i think it's partially because of the vague, open-endedness that contributed to that feeling. Fairy tales are simple and communicate their stories in a simple way.
It's like reading the Hobbit versus reading lord of the rings. They're fundinentally different, and liking one over the other is usually a difference of how much brevity some one prefers in their stories. Chrono trigger is tight, beautifully paced and snappy, and I would have it no other way
Awesome video as usual. Thanks for shouting out Chrono Compendium! Don't worry, you'll be spending a lot more time there after you play Chrono Cross, lol. We have had a lot of thought provoking discussions on Discord, some of the theories make it onto the site. Most of the stuff you'll find on the Compendium is from years ago, and some theories have been debunked (the Entity comes to mind, most people agreed on it being the planet but there are some who claimed it was the player, or the "spirit" of the Nu, or Schala's pendant, etc) but there is just so much left ambiguous between both games, we could probably theory craft forever.
Chrono Compendium was an invaluable repository of information that was well cited and translated. I had thought about perusing the theories section to expand on aspects of this video, but felt that it would be more intellectually honest if I interpreted as much as I could personally (with the occasional reference to other fans or development staff) than loading it all up with thoughts that other people have had.
I'll definitely be digging further into the site whenever I get around to doing Chrono Cross, whenever that may be.
Technically speaking, as long ago as Ayla lived, the whole party would be her descendants. This is probably true for anyone from the Zeal period too. Even Queen Leene’s time period, a good amount of the party should be her descendants. When you go back enough generations there were fewer people alive than your number of ancestors. It’s called pedigree collapse.
While I certainly understand your critiscism to the game, I have to admit that nostalgia does play a huge part for me when it comes to Chrono Trigger. I first played it back when I was about 9 or 10 years old and can still clearly remember those days playing Chrono Trigger together with my brothers and remember how we all reacted to everything in the game: from the music and all of the soundtrack, the dialogs, the characters, when Crono dies and how shocked we were to see our main character die haha, I just have a ton of fond memories playing this game. The same happened with Final Fantasy II(IV) which I also played together with my brothers. All in all your retrospective videos are superb, great job again! I'm looking forward to your Chrono Cross retrospective, I never finished that game now that I remember haha. Greetings from Monterrey, México!
You might like this memory of mine reading your comment
I remember being outside my parents house when my best (kid) friend's mom drive by in her car, and I vividly remember recognizing the car and then seeing him pushing the chrono trigger box against the passenger window.
Being that I was a child who read every Nintendo power I was so excited and ran the two blocks to his house immediately!
What a different world we grew up in
Yaaaaay, a new upload! Thank you thank you! You're gonna keep me company at work once again!
Chrono is a fun fairytale adventure while FF6 is more serious. There is your split. I’ve played every FF and CT at release and while FF 4&6 good a special place in my heart, CT just sparks joy just thinking about it. The characters, the music, the environments. It’s just plain fun.
I love this game. It’s my childhood. The music just puts me back in my room playing all weekend on freezing cold winter days.
I had to pause the video to type this comment.
The line "Chono Trigger is a bulk standard 'Save the World Plot's but with a 4th dimensional twist" is SUCH as good line
A video on my all time favourite game Chrono Trigger, this is going to be a treat. I’m so in the mood to replay it again every year.
I get it I play ff6 every year and think of my dead brother who I played with back in the 90's , but I also watched him play this one too all the time!
Oh man the feelings
@@jjcoola998both games carry that magic
I’ve yet to replay FFVI again
@@jjcoola998but it’s great that your brother is happy that you are playing FFVI to this day.
damn dude, ur a machine. great videos! Square in the 90s was unstoppable.
When I first played CT at the age of 17, I was just amazed at how solidly a video game could tell an effective, engrossing story while having its gameplay not feel like filler. To this day, it is my 3rd best game of all time (behind Suikoden 2 and Persona 3) and I am glad you decided to cover it after your FF analyses.
As a 38 year old who never got into persona this makes me want to pick up 3
@@jjcoola998 play the remake that's coming out Feb 2nd
Haven’t even watched this for five seconds and already dropped a like- I already know this vid is gonna be phenomenal, as all your retrospective vids have been.
Yeah this guy is a one man army that takes most channels four or five people on salary it's insane
I came when he released his FF6 video as that's my ultimate game as a millennial but this was such a treat too
I understand that a silent protagonist in a game can really be a matter of taste, but I still remember the shock I felt when I saw Crono got annihilated by Lavos for the first time.
Was editing my own hour-long review of this game when I saw the notification roll in. What a coincidence! I'll have to watch yours and see what different aspects of the game we focused on.
What a weird self promote!
@@memersupremer9993 It's not really a self-promotion - the video isn't even out yet. It's just cool seeing another guy share his perspective on this game in the same format, but with a completely different take - we had very different opinions on Marle's side quest, for example.
@@octorokreviewsBut even if it is self promotion, who really cares? It’s still a comment that contributes to the algorithm, and has something of value to say. Don’t know why that person had to be weird about this.
@@octorokreviewsBOY IF YOU DONT GTFOH WITH THAT. People have been making chronic trigger retrospectives for at least ten years. How tf is that not self promotion to come on to another channel and talk about the same game and even try to tell us what you did differently. Mfer if you making a chrono trigger retrospective in 2024 it better be tf different. What you want a cookie for doing some shit somebody else beat you to?Post the damn vid link or stfu
I'm about to watch it after this one
Because of Pokemon, I can say that I have a life-long history with jrpg games, but it wasn't until I was about 14 or 15 that I ventured outside the series, renting FF13 after seeing how gorgeous the visuals looked. It actually took me until last year, at 28, to finally give Chrono Trigger a try. I was watching the "was it good?" retrospective videos from Josh Strife Plays and started up the Chrono Trigger video... I was aware of the game in name, but upon hearing him talk about the premise of the game, I stopped the video dead in its tracks, picked up the steam version of it, powered my way through every ending and steam achievement the game had to offer, and then finally got back to his thoughts on it.
That said, I'm in the category of recent adult fans that still call it a masterpiece. I'm one game short of playing all the mainline (non mmo) final fantasy games (just need 12), and I put Chrono Trigger above them all, even 9, 6, and (yes, I'm serious) 13, which are among my favorites.
That said, on Chrono Cross, which I played immediately after, my thoughts are this: why? Just why??
Ff13 is total poop. I bought it, sat and played it and never found myself having any sort of fun whatsoever. Beautifully looking game but, in my opinion purely style over substance.
For my money, this is the greatest game ever made for the SNES. When I first played it, I had rented it from Blockbuster, and I ended up getting so wrapped up in getting all the endings that I kept it for about two weeks past the rental period. With the late fees, well I couldn't have bought the game, it was a $70 one, but it was up over 20 bucks for sure, and I caught hell for it. Well worth it though, and I picked up a used copy as soon as I saw one for sale. I had never enjoyed an RPG of any kind more complex than Zelda until then, and I had rented Final Fantasy 3 (6). I just didn't get the appeal, the gameplay was so boring and static, and the random battles were annoying. Chrono Trigger changed my mind about the entire genre, and without it, I doubt I would have even picked up FF7 when that came out, nor any RPG since.
Facts for sure it is the Goat
Since the localization of the names is being discussed, I think it is worth mentioning that contrary to the note at 45:38 Magus doesn't have a name in the original in the middle ages storyline - everyone just refers to him by his title of the Demon King (魔王「Maou」). Also, after his defeat the Demon King title is passed on to Vinegar, as we find out from the dialogs in the version of Medina village affected by that alteration of history.
As always, an absolute pleasure to watch, and I always end up learning so many new things from your videos! Phenomenal job Andrew!
Me scrolling RUclips today: Oh, the guy who did the 7 Hour Pokemon Omega Ruby game analysis did an 11 hour Pokemon Diamond analysis, that's my day sort--- WAIT! An hour and twenty minute Chrono Trigger Retrspective!? DETOUR!
Great video man. Thoroughly enjoyed your take! Keep kicker ass man!
YOU CAN BRING THE KING JERKY?! Such a minor detail but I've played through this game so many times that it's exciting to learn anything new.
Mitsuda was composing for Chrono Trigger around the time a Japanese pop group called TRF had a song making the rounds on the radio called EZ Do Dance.
If you listen to it you will hear similarities to Robo's theme. It is more likely this might have been on the radio in the background at Squares offices.
Robo's Theme also sounds uncannily like "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley.
I remember hearing this when I was a kid and immediately thinking of that song.
@@Davethe3rd yes that's the rumor that is always going around. Hence my comment. Mitsuda claims to have never heard Rick Astely's song until people began comparing it to Robo's theme. It's far more likely that EZ Do Dance was playing on the radio in Japan in 1993/94
The issue is that the base melody is a fairly common one used in Japanese music called the royal road, which also happens to be used in a lot of Astley’s music.
Thank you for another upload! P.S. I love Majuular's work 😊🎉🎉
I played Chrono Trigger well after release, and I'm generally not one for nostalgia, but I still hold the game in high regard. For me it's a pretty simple reason: Chrono Trigger respects the player's participation in the story by providing plenty of choice but without sacrificing any of its themes or messages. Chrono Trigger doesn't try to be a dungeon master that reacts to whatever the player is going to do, it instead restricts player choice to the things that will have the most impact. This is felt through every part of its design, from progression systems to side quests. As much as I may prefer the stories of various Final Fantasies, Chrono Trigger stands above them all in how I was able to explore its story.
But I also live in a world where Xenogears exists, and Xenogears feels very much like a recasting of Chrono Trigger in which the setting and story is taken a lot more seriously. So I don't find myself longing for more story from Chrono Trigger. You also have Chrono Cross, and Final Fantasy VI and VII, which have overlapping thematic material.
Was shifting for retrospectives for games that I love..... You earn those subscriber brother.
This is a great video.
This channel is just constant bangers. I can't wait for the playstation 1 stuff!
not sure why you don't already have at least 100k subcribers, these retrospectives are amongst the best on youtube
this is one of the formative games of my childhood. I rented it on a whim while visiting my cousin (his choice at the store was a wrestling game) needless to say we didn't play much of that wrestling game that weekend. I changed his taste in games for life, and bonded deeply with him over the experience of the game over a weekend. I'm not very close with him anymore due to us drifting. but it was a major event in my life.
I find the assertion that there are two types of people, CT fans and FF6 fans kind of unusual. I loved both games very much. they're pretty much my top two games on the SNES. (though I also love the MMX trilogy) I'm hard pressed to choose one over the other. they're both masterpiece games.
been really enjoying your retrospective videos thank you for all of your effort and story telling.
So glad to see this up! I can't eait to watch it!
I guess I’m the rare exception that enjoys both FF6 and Chrono Trigger. However, if someone were to point a gun to my head and make me pick just one I’d say Chrono Trigger is my preferred choice as it has more meaning for me personally. I also think the simplicity of the game is its greatest asset. It doesn’t ask too much of the player to enjoy the work being presented. I also enjoy works that can challenge people’s perceptions on multiple aspects but I’d say it’s more impressive if a narrative can be easy to understand while having a lot of depth. I’m reminded of Shadow Of The Colossus a game with a similar level of minimalism especially in the story telling yet people can go for hours talking about its complex themes. Perhaps Chrono Trigger is like that for a lot of people.
Honestly, I do not think someone liking both FF6 and CT is rare at all, I know that I personally do. And yes, if I had to pick one, it would be Chrono Trigger.
Chrono trigger is a masterpiece, it cuts the fluff and keeps the story going. That is what i though when i first played it in my 20's on the ps1 version. I noticed the issues with it but the story, music and characters keep it from ruining the game for me. I did love ff6 and only beat that for the first time in 2023. I had played several times but something always stopped me from finishing it. FF6 and chrono trigger are two of the best RPGs of all time and for slightly different reasons as you eluded to in the video. Both are work playing even today. Both are 10/10 games.
Discover this video and your channel just now, in the videos first hour? Hell yea. Nice work
Funnily enough I used to be a Chrono Trigger adorer who didn't care much for FF6, but now I'm skewed more the opposite way. I think the way I look at media simply changed as I grew older. One thing I do agree with my past self is that Tales of Phantasia is an excellent foil to Chrono Trigger, both games about a group of kids traveling through time to stop a sole entity from starting a cataclysmic event but they go in vastly different directions. I wouldn't say the characters have that much more depth than the ones in CT, but the world and politics of ToP are much more vast, complex and important to the title's story and themes while maintaining equally good graphical and musical fidelity. The one thing CT has it beat outright is it's pacing, it's a much longer game with some blatant padding, but makes up for it by having some unlinear parts and allows you to circumvent some of it with prior knowledge and preparation. I highly recommend you to give it a look if you hadn't already.
What a great video. Bit slow to start, but part 3 onward was just a joy to watch! Thank you!
This game did a lot of first in video games that is still a big part of the industry
The end game, game play was never been done before in video games that i can remember which us staple today
The effects of what you do in the past affecting the future is just innovation of technology you have at the time.
Taking out random battle into something you have more decisions is a huge way to change people found tedious in the genre. That is now being more implemented for RPGs.
The combined attacks still haven't been duplicated today.
The visuals for super Nintendo was also pushing the hardware.
They also did the most memorable at the time of the trope in a story where you are introduced to a pseudo villain, with Magus and the actual main villain is revealed later in the game. They did a great way by making hints of it early in the game.
Just saw this posted on the CT subreddit, but it was already at the top of my recommendations by the time I got to RUclips. The algo knows my soul
So excited to watch this. All your videos are so well done. I'd love a Mother retrospective most, I bet you'd have loads to say about those games
With his critical eye I'm really interested in an Earthbound perspective.
@@Chadius Same. And no disrespect to he other great creators out there but honestly no one has done any Mother video on the level that this guy makes his retrospectives.
Mother 3 is probably one of the few RPGs that can compare to Chrono Trigger.
Chrono trigger helped me survive middle school
Right now you have 12.1k subs. It will be fun to come back in a year and see how many more you'll have. I'm pretty sure your channel will blow up :D
I always appreciate a new perspective on the games I cherished in my childhood, and I feel a lot of your criticisms are valid, though I think they don't take into account the intended audience for the game as much as they should. Through the lens of the preteen/teenage boy, which served as the effigy of all gamers to the industry in the 90s (unfair as that may be), some of the moments you call out as emotional dead zones would resonate much stronger.
I like your callout to Final Fantasy VI and the contrast between people who prefer one or the other. The best word I've found for each game is "Elegance" for Chrono Trigger and "Harmony' for FFVI. Chrono Trigger is elegant in that there's no element of it that is easily picked out as a flaw. It's art, music, characters, story and gameplay all cross the "good" threshold to some capacity or another, requiring careful digging to identity areas where it could be better. FFVI meanwhile is harmonious in that all its elements (characters, narrative, soundtrack, tone, etc) resonate with the game's central themes of loss and coping with loss. Which game you prefer might depend on how much you value a "beautiful" game vs a game with something interesting to say.
I never knew what I was in for when I started playing this on my cousin's list of old games (like this and FFV/FFVI), and to this day it still remains one of my favorites for its music, narrative, and how it blew my mind of how time affected both the major story content and the sidequests/world being changed
It's true. Those who prefer Final Fantasy VI tend to be big-brain critics (no offense) who really appreciate character depth and storytelling that touches on thought-provoking themes. Those who prefer Chrono Trigger tend to be people who gravitate towards simplicity, and I don't mean that in a bad way; it's just that Chrono has a specific charm that transports you back to when you were a child. It feels a bit like a classic shonen anime that might've aired on Cartoon Network back in the day, like Dragon Ball or Outlaw Star, whereas FF6 is a bit more like Evangelion or Cowboy Bebop. I like both games for very different reasons: I love Chrono for its simple yet fun battle system, its tight pacing, and how it's such a thrill ride from beginning to end. But I also love FF6 for how profound its storytelling and characters are, to the point where it rivals the works of Shakespeare.
Going back to my comparison to anime, if you look at Dragon Ball's manga, you'll notice that the characters and storytelling aren't deep in the slightest. Yet its characters are still charming on a surface level, and the art is so clean, and the pacing is so tight, it makes you forget about how shallow its story really is. "Charm" is a concept many critics have trouble grasping because it's not something you can quantify on an objective level; once you start analyzing media in that way, it becomes really difficult if not impossible to understand "charm". Sometimes media just hits different and you're not really sure why.
Also, the visuals and presentation do go a very long way: the reason the Lucca flashback scene affects so many people has little to do with Lucca as a character. It's the creepy music, the pressure with the time limit, and the haunting scream sound effect Lara makes if you fail, which I imagine most players doing this for the first time will (especially in Japan, where the confusing distinction between L and R made that section a lot more difficult). Even if it's your first time, there's this foreboding sensation where you really, REALLY don't want to see what happens if you fail. It feels like a nightmare, and while it doesn't add much to Lucca's depth as a character, it allows the player to relate to her on an emotional level. And it manages to do this despite it seeming so random and out-of-place.
"Charm" would be what I'd choose to best convey Chrono Trigger's greatest asset. And this is coming from a fan of those complex FF7-Xenogears-Evangelion narratives as well. CT has enough interesting story beats to keep you on your toes, but the characters, the settings, the music, the theming...it's all so easily likable.
I'm more of an FF6 person but I think CT is better put together. It's a tighter, more cohesive package than it's philosophically more girthy peers, and by demanding less of the player, the player is in turn given more room to invest in what's there. Ff6 draws you in with questions and character development, CT invites you with it's world and atmosphere. It's also a lot more digestible. Ff6 requires a lot of outside knowledge of philosophy and religion to extract the most value out of it, CT is 80% on the cart and the remaining 20% is "oh that's cool, a reference" that doesn't shift your outlook on the plot or story itself.
To me maybe it is all about what you expect to find in an rpg or in video games in general... Chrono trigger is a master piece (to me) and my favorite game of all time, not for its story but for its gameplay... which might be strange considering story is sterotypically the focal point of rpgs, sometimes to the point that in a certian rpg series the story might be the only thing that changes from game to game.
The pacing, like you said, is practically unparalleled. And the combat is so meticulously planned that you can skip every skippable enemy and still finish the game. Not to mention that EVERY single combat encounter is individually programed and animated. Which is crazy if you think about it... the way rpgs have achieved their longer playtimes was precisely because they reused constantly assests and where economical with the design, like transporting the player into a separate combat screen and dropping enemies into it. Here they didn't take any shortcuts, they designed every encounter individually right there in the same screen. Which allows for the player to never loose immersion and for the developers to tailor made a gameplay experience for you, slowly introducing mechanics and strategies that will later be used in the boss fight of the section. You are quite right... my image of rpgs was ruined for a few years after playing chrono trigger, I couldn't believe how much more primitive every other rpg felt.
Compare it to FF6, the story is a master piece and most of the characters have interesting arcs to explore, but the combat is kind of broken... some character gimmicks are kind of annoying, some mechanics simply do not work and you can completely cheese the game if you know what you are doing.
Yeah the story and characters in chrono is quite simplistic and I get that is not for everyone... but I the tone of the game and the story cleary presents itself as a more light hearted adventure for younger audiences than something like a FF6. Simple stories and simple characters are not synonymous with weak stories or weak characters. This is more like an Ocarina of Time or some disney classic movie like beauty and the beast, than like a citizen kane or last of us.
As much as I love the stories in FF6 or FF7, it is not something a child could easily understand and could beat the game feeling very confused about what happened or what the point of it was. While the main story of chrono trigger is crystal clear from very early on, stop lavos, save the world.
As a child what I really got from the game is a theme of extreme selfishness and bravery, executed by me through crono. Sparing magus, Luca repearing Robo despite it potentially being dangerous, crono sacrificing himself and friends working hard to save crono in return, and overall the story of a group of people trying to stop an apocalypse that doesn't affect them in any shape of form. I found it to be really inspiring. Partially due to its simplicity, not inspite of it.
Thank you
Oh man sooooo hyped for this.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the shared motifs between Magus, Schala, and the Queen Zeal in the music section.
Great review, man. Fair takes. Keep up the good work!
I honestly didn't notice.
This came out really good! Great work
I wouldn’t say it’s perfect but darn close. This is still my favorite video game to this day. FF6 is a close second. Followed by FF7
Bravo, Syr. Your work here is distinctly excellent.
This is, has always been, and always will be my eternal favorite video game.
For a single game, which is itself unambiguously representative of its own point in video game history, to simultaneously be about time travel whilst only proving more and more to be the definition of a timeless masterpiece... is to my reckoning nothing short of miraculous.
And yet, there remain people who sincerely debate whether or not video games as a medium are even capable of qualifying as works of art. This has not been a legitimate question to my mind since the 1993 release of the equally timeless masterpiece that is MYST.
I pity those unable to recognize the reality that there are a staggering amount of video games that exist almost solely as exquisite works of breathtaking artistry, perhaps none more so than Chrono Trigger, though I admit that may be nothing more than personal bias tlaking.
Oh my god yes, I've loved all your videos so far and am I really happy to see this game covered. Hyped for FFVII as well!
I love how they used the time travel aspect to their advantage and incorporated it into sidequests and items you can’t get until later which gives it a bit of a Metroidvania feel, and doing those sidequests affects certain time periods like having Robo stay in 600 A.D to create a whole forest for a Florist, and seeing the whole gang set up a campfire there and just all vibe with each other, reflecting back on their journey, eventually they all fall asleep but then Lucca wakes up and finds and hidden time gate and uses it to go back to the time before her mother got injured on a conveyor belt in their house, this is probably one of the few optional sidequests which you can fail and can’t try again unless you reload your save iirc, it’s pretty sad if you do end up failing, sort of like a Sonic CD Bad Future which 2300 A.D itself is.
RIP Toriyama, Great Sensei.
i'm a ff6 person myself but chrono trigger's ost is by far the best as i often listen to it while i'm working or cleaning up my place
i have fond memories of this game
This is a great retrospective. This game has a special to my heart, because my best Korean friend. Gave me his English copy for free. I never deleted his save file, so it means stuff to me. Hopefully when we get old I can show him
1:43:00
I mean, yeah I didn't play it fully till like 2020, definitely blows most other square enix content out of the water. Idk if it's my absolute favorite game, but it's objectively at least an 8/10.
With such a mixed personal thoughts section compared to the previous retrospectives one could almost think that the NES Final Fantasy games are more worth playing than Chrono Trigger.
I love this game, would love a HD 2D remake or at least a HD remaster.
I'd toss all my money at them if they did. I've only ever pirated this game on emulation software. I'd be happy to pay for a Switch remaster.
As a Chrono Trigger fan, I have to disagree with the idea of a remake. The game is already a masterpiece; ever heard the saying, "Don't fix what is not broken."?
@@Loner098 it's fine, just don't buy it. If it's bad, then too bad, no harm done I guess
Back when i was a kid i ordered 2 import games from the US. Chronotrigger and Final Fantasy "3".
My first 2 JRPGs ever and they came the same day. It set my bar of expectations quite high by accident. To this day they are my favourite SNES RPGs and when it comes to RPGs overall..maybe Suikoden comes close, but thats about it.
Thank you for this nice retrospective. 🥰
I personally love this game it is among my favorite top five jrpg, I also have to disagree with your "lack of feelings" for certain scenes while I understand it just sounds to me like your under invested as a whole, which could be understandable since your looking at the game from critical lense, I just feel like games like chrono aren't meant to be seen through a critical lense like that if you do 90 percent of games, movies and books fall apart under minor criticism, but that's just my opinion, good video man!
imo, more of an FF6 person too, Chrono Trigger is more of a vibes game. It's actually really hard to explain a lot of the feelings that come about playing it. Definitely light and whimsical with an undercurrent of darkness.
Kinda see Earthbound in the same way. Even if it's a very different game, it has a kind of undescribable feeling too it. It also has the generally light with dark undercurrents thing too but it's a bit more extreme. But the gameplay and the story aren't amazing. As is with Chrono Trigger.
I mean I felt nothing "for" Crono when he died, or for Lucca's mom or Marle's scenes with her father. But those scenes made me feel things in general. Crono's death was a shock and I remember not really being sure how to progress. I ended up adjusting the same way you did. I didn't care about Lara herself but I still scrambled quickly for the password. There were the, certaintly unintended do to cultural gaps, disgust I had towards Marle's father. It's kinda weird really.
I also suck at communicating so don't feel bad if I rambled and lost you lol.
I like FF6, but the annoying random encounters singlehandedly put it below Chrono Trigger for me.
Agreed. Well said.
I love how Crono Trigger will always have people talking about it. Hope for a remake one day.
I first discovered this game in the days of the GameCube, when I started emulating the SNES for retro games. For me, Chrono Trigger is the perfect game. The charming visuals, the God-tier music and the fun, fast paced combat. It easily takes the 1st place for favourite RPG ever, with Tales of Symphonia and Undertale coming soon after.
I just bought FFVI for the Switch since it's a lot like Chrono Trigger. So let's see how they compare.
One of my favorite games, and what I cite when asked "what's the best game."
I play it every few years. It still draws me in like the first time. I was at my grandma's and managed to snag a used copy. I remember being called for dinner - but I had to save the princess!
I'd played Dragon Quest I, II, and III, but this was something else. There was no natural stopping or pause point. Nor did I ever have to grind for XP. I couldn't stop, I wanted to see what happens next!
I rarely play games for story. But the tragedy of Schala. Sometimes when I hear the Zeal theme, I wonder: is Schala out there?
It's happening, ITS HAPPENING!
The best game ever made
I don't think this game is getting the proper due. You can make the argument that the characters are not as compelling as in other games, but I feel the more important aspect is the gameplay and pacing. How many games can match this? You even said it yourself that new RPG players would be searching in vain for anything like this. This is the best menu select style RPG combat there is. Nothing has been better in THIRTY YEARS. The number of combats is pretty close to perfect to keep you properly leveled for most of the game. This can only be done because there are no random combats, which is incredibly rare for RPGs. The time travel aspect was done very well, and allowed decisions. The trial of Crono was also a standout for gameplay. How many games throw your past actions in your face like that? It's simply brilliant.
You're making a value judgement based on story being more important then gameplay, but that's wrong. While the Opera sequence in FF6 was beautiful, and you spent a great deal of time talking about how much it moved you, it was awful in terms of gameplay. It was simple memorization, that had you doing the entire thing over again if you clicked on the wrong line. NOBODY finds it fun to repeat what comes down to a long cutscene. It was poor game design, and there is nothing that could be considered to be equivilantly bad gameplay in Chrono Trigger, but you glossed over that aspect in your review of FF6, because you didn't care about gameplay, only the story. Well, that's great that you like a story, but games are meant to be played, not watched. The game play should always be more important then the story when considering what is a better GAME.
Chrono Trigger needs to be recognised as a masterpiece because the gameplay was at a level that RPGs today STILL don't really match. There have been many great stories over the past years for RPGs, but how many can match the level of gameplay that this one does? I can't think of any. Therefore, yes, this is a masterpiece, and I say that as someone that actually likes FF6 more than Chrono Trigger, because I also really enjoy the characters and story. However, I simply cannot deny that the gameplay of Chrono is superior, and it's suprior to a level that games still fail to live up to, so I consider it to be objectively better.
Great video, thanks
Another awesome video! I've loved CT from the moment I bought it on release, one of my favorite games ever! I agree with a lot of your points on the characters and story, but I don't think it holds back any enjoyment of the game for me. It just plays so smooth and I love the combat system. Thanks for the video, I learned a bunch of stuff I never knew and gave me more to think about and added even more enjoyment to the game for me!
I appreciate you thoughtful, critical honesty about some parts you thought were weaker. Once you explained the idea of Chrono not being brought back but being recruited from before the beginning (creating a time loop, explaining the new game + mechanic, and creating a terrible sense of doom for Chrono) I really wish they'd done that. He saves the world, but then is destined not to save the world in his own future timeline but to die...
Presentation and scale is also the difference between buffet and gourmet. Chrono Trigger is the better game over FFVI under the philosophy that less is more.
I like that you mentioned that the little details in every part of the presentation spark the imagination. Sparking the imagination is exactly the point! The theme of the game is dreaming, as the main character literally wakes up at two (or three) moments in the story, not to mention the Kingdom of Zeal.
This is one of those games where I think the hidden value of nostalgia goggles is that those who played this back in the day played it over and over and over and got the vibes. It's not just looking back fondly on the things of your childhood. It's knowing those things well, grokking them.
Playing Final Fantasy 6 after playing Chrono Trigger always feels like a step back to me. Final Fantasy 6 rewards grinding even if it doesn't need it, because otherwise you have empty menus when using Strego and Gau, because otherwise not every character has every spell, especially Ultima. Chrono Trigger rewards, not grinding, but experiencing the same story (dream?) again and again. The characters maintain their integrity because their tech development is on rails, but dual and triple techs encourage you to experiment with party combinations. The only rewards for grinding are the advanced weapons for Ayla, which at that point are a little more than trophies. Who wouldn't want to experience the story over and over? Like music and world map, the dialogue is not just expressive but suggestive. This is true for the characterizations as well.
I'm surprised you were negative on the characters. I think it's enough to count the number of characters who don't use their true, original, given names. Everyone is displaced. The solution is, in part, connection, see Magus' story and the contrast between Lavos and what a Triple Tech is. I'll admit that's not the most original, but it also didn't feel the need to state itself. The game is existential without showing that off. It's elegant.
The world map doesn't have random battles, and neither does any dungeon. You can have fun with just the expressive movement of flight in this game, whether it's the dactyls or the upgraded time machine. With the fun of movement and familiarity with layout, you can regularly avoid particular enemy encounters, and in about three or four locations all of them with quick, fluid movement. And if you get into an encounter? You enjoy probably the finest battle system not just of the era but one of the top three of the entire genre---alongside Grandia and the Mario RPGs. Crack that imp with Luminaire for getting in your way and never go to a battle screen.
Another huge merit of the game is restraint. Chrono Trigger doesn't need body horror or bloody smears like Final Fantasy 7 and it doesn't need characters to do what Celes did, and it tells a story as deep. Soak in it and you'll see it.
To sum up, Chono Trigger is easily proof that the "text" of video games can't be the script alone but is every aspect, presentation included. It is a masterpiece. That it nails the vibes and tells a story with them alone, with an economy of expression, with characters of strong personality, only reinforces its thematic tie to dreaming. The world is sharing itself with you, its dreams and nightmares. I think you'll want to return.
I encourage you to revisit the game from time to time, especially after looking at Chrono Cross. There's a lot here that's evident only upon replaying a lot. It is as thematically rich, just not as word-dense. Make sure you use the same save file, though.
BTW. The ending scene at the Millennial Fair is changed if you save Lara. (She insists on dancing.)
I would really push back on the idea that having more text means having more story or having more depth. I would also push back on the idea that having more lurid things happen is more mature. I would even go so far as to say that's an immature thing to say! An embrace is more profound than lurid nudity. A gentle kiss is more real than the throes of passion. To be blinked away, disintegrated, and eliminated from time and space is more profound than being the victim of inhuman scientific experimentation, whether that is the Magitek program or the SOLDIER program.
Nice video! It's funny that you mention being a CT or FF kind of person in the end because that's exactly how it is. I missed playing both of these games growing up and played them both within the past two years. I started with CT, I played about 15 hours of it before I just stopped, got bored with it. 6 months later I played FFVI, I put about 50 hours into it, searched the corners of the map, got all the espers, all the optional characters twice, and did just about everything you could in the game. FF was just so much more engaging to me, and it was very intuitive in its own right, even coming out a year before CT. Both soundtracks are phenomenal, as I've listened to both of them hundreds of times by now. I just don't see the appeal of CT. It's a good game and a very good RPG, I just can't put it up as goat status.
there are two types of rpg fans, chrono trigger fans, final fantasy 6 fans, and those who can appreciate and enjoy both
Although i played the PS1 port, ill never forget my first playthrough. I beat it, and then just 2 hours later Chuggaaconroy posted the first video of his lets play of the DS port. Great memories 😂
10 ten favorite games of all time. Can’t get enough of it!
Excellent!
It might be bit offshoot from your current plans but that talk about existentialist themes made me think that it could be interesting to hear your take on Quintet trilogy and especially Terranigma. They might not be anything that deep nowadays but they had pretty theological undertones for the games of its time.