|
jrboone2's Chrono Trigger (SNES)
|
| [September 7, 2009 06:50:15 PM]
|
SUMMARY
Chrono Trigger is a 2D “old school” RPG. The player controls the main character Chrono, who is the strong silent type. The player moves Chrono around the world and can interact with other characters and objects to move the story forward. There are two types of areas in the world: and over map where Chrono can move from location to location, and areas where Chrono can interact with objects. One of the main mechanics in the game is the usual RPG battle system, however Chrono Trigger’s seems to be more unique than the common turn based system, and the location of characters on the screen has an effect when it come the actions they perform in battle.
GAMEPLAY
Chrono Trigger is a single player game with no multiplayer elements. It begins with the character waking up on the day of a fair. After a few bits if monologue from his mother the player is given control of Chrono. He is moved around using the D-pad and can interact with object and characters throughout the world. After playing for a while the player is thrown right in to the main story line when Chrono is sent through time with another character that he has met at the fair. The story is pretty engaging and seems to be going in an interesting direction with the time travel concept.
Other than moving Chrono around, the player is occasionally thrown into battles with monsters in various places throughout the world, often known as dungeons. Unlike many of the RPG battle systems I’ve played, Chrono Trigger’s is I bit unique and quite fun. Rather than being turn based, where the player takes a turn then the monsters take a turn, a little time gauge fills up for each character and then they take their turn. The other interesting thing is that a characters location on the screen affects the effects of their actions. Some actions, like Chrono’s Cyclone, hit any enemies in a specific radius of a given point.
As the player plays battles, the characters that participate in the battles gain experience. Once they gain enough experience they gain a level. Gaining a level makes them stronger as well as gaining new abilities that can be used in battle. These new abilities keep battles interesting by evolving the strategies that the player can use. Experience isn’t the only way characters can become stronger. The player also has the option to equip their characters with various pieces of equipment that they acquire throughout the game.
GAMEPLAY
As the game progresses Chrono meets more characters that the player gains control of. Each of the characters has dialogue throughout the game, except for Chrono. This seems to be a common way to progress the story for RPGs. The new characters also bring new abilities for the player to use in battle, allowing for the development of new strategies. I find the game to be a very innovative RPG for its time and definitely enjoyable to play.
The story continues to develop and open up more options to the player with various plot twists, new time periods and locations, and numerous characters for the player to interact with. Each development continued to make the story more interesting. The game seems to have an excellent flow and very balanced difficulty, with some parts being tough to proceed through, but quite beatable.
DESIGN
Chrono Trigger is graphically a standard 2D top down RPG, and has many of the same elements of almost all RPGs of this style. These include characters which have stats that increase through gaining experience and level as the game progresses, and are able to be equipped with weapons, armor, and accessories to increase the stats. Increasing their character’s stats betters a player’s chance of surviving through the numerous battles that they will encounter while playing the game. The two most notable and presumably innovative aspects of the game for the time are what seems to be a deep story with decent graphics and the exciting battle system.
The story is supported by numerous scenes where characters have dialogue (except for the main character, Chrono), but there are no actual “cutscenes” in the game, where the player loses total control. There is one world with various times throughout the game. Each of these times can be considered its own “world.” I like that the game is confined to a small planet with a few locations (where many RPGs have large planets), but there is a log of variety in the design of the times.
Every battle that the player encounters throughout the game is completely unique (though most can be repeated), which provides for a game experience that is almost never boring. Boss battles are like longer versions of standard battles, however they sometime incorporate dialogue or unique situations. Along with battles there are other interactive minigames to break up the standard RPG elements. While playing and gaining levels, the reward of gaining skills for characters is nice, since it adds to the way the game can be played.
add a comment 
|
|
|
 |
jrboone2's Chrono Trigger (SNES)
|
|
Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Monday 7 September, 2009
|
|
