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Thursday 24 January, 2008
Gamelog 2
Gameplay:
The game continued to improve as I played the second segment. After spending 10-15 minutes wandering around trying to figure out what to do, I finally made it to the first dungeon- the cathedral. The puzzle in here was a simple, yet effective one- hit two switches to disable a spike barrier, then cross the barrier to activate a switch to open the door to the boss area. The monster battles remained entertaining, and my characters learned several new and fun abilities. It was here that I first was introduced to the dual attack techniques- attacks where two members of your party combined skills. This really helped to make battles more interesting and to see some nice animations.
After solving the puzzle I fought the first boss. The music was dramatic and intense, and, although the boss seemed pretty easy, it was nice to see some different attacks and skills. I tested out all of my new dual-skills, and found that a careful balance between Area of Effect damage skills, single high damage attacks and healing abilities would be the focus of many fights to come.
The first story quest drew to a close with the boss battle, and I stopped the change of history. The characters now are on a journey back home. The dialogue so far has been excellent and I'm really enjoying watching this story unfold.
Design:
For it's time, Chrono Trigger must have been a very innovative game. It is a game that remains fun to play today, and it has shown the timelessness of a well made video game. The music is inspired, the fights exciting, and the story engaging.
I must say, however, that without the music and story, this RPG would be just like any other. The graphics look nearly identical to other similar RPG titles, the fights are rather generic at times, and the story, though good, is competing with many other amazing titles.
The first dungeon had a simple level design, nothing amazing. However, I did really enjoy the atmosphere and placement of the areas on the world map. Also, because there were no random battles, the world map was a fun place to explore and never became tedious.
The game is mostly a solo game, so you can't really talk much to others while playing. However, the game has such a huge cult following that conversations can spring up about the game all the time. Games like this tend to have huge support- and many develop unique challenges to get more out of the game. Speed runs, low level challenges, no items, etc. are all common. Players can bond over completing difficult challenges like these.
Overall, I felt that the game held up to it's praise. I will probably continue to play it until I beat it, as I've been meaning to play it for a while anyway. On a design level, I feel that this is a good game to examine for it's story, music, and combat system, but not necessarily it's innovation.
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