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Friday 25 January, 2008
Gamelog entry #2:
GAMEPLAY
I explored the world and the storyline some more, and everything still flows from one event to another. Even the dungeons, for the most part, are linear-based. The paths are pretty much straight, with the exception of some very minor puzzles put in place.
I don't particularly enjoy a game experience where one simply go from one place to another without too much challenges in the way. Puzzles might be frustrating at times, but solving a rather complicated one gives myself a great sense of accomplishment on top of a satisfactory feeling. Puzzles also prolong a game's life and adds another layer of difficulty on it. I have played and beaten other RPGs out there that possesses very little puzzle, and for the most part, I manage to beat most of them extremely quickly. At the end of the game, I am often left with a void, an unhappy and unsatisfactory feeling, as if I did not get my money's worth on the game.
Overall, I did not particularly enjoy the gameplay. The graphics are extremely out-dated, and every RPG nowadays possesses Chrono Trigger's concepts, and more. On top of that, there are almost no hints given to player regarding where to go. Most of the time, NPCs simply suggest or tell you to do something, and it is up to you to find out exactly what to do, and where to go. I spent a lot of time before I managed to figure out how to activate the first major event of the game, where Princess Nadia was sucked into a warp hole. Apparently you are supposed to talk to a particular random NPC in a town of more than 30 NPCs. After a great deal of exploration, I finally managed to get the second major event started after basically talking to everyone possible in the beginning state of the game.
Design:
The world itself looks pretty big. There are mountains, forests, numerous towns, and even oceans and such in the game world. However, the player's movement is extremely limited. You are only able to enter only specific particular areas, and bodies of water serve as simply obstacles. The game itself even prevents players from going to certain places that seem accessible until a particular point in the game's progression. In essence, the player does not have too much in regards to freedom in the game. Almost everything is linear; progression or even entry to certain places are only possible at a certain threshold of the game.
One particular innovative concept that this game has is how the game advances the player's character. Instead of learning new skills at a certain level, characters gain "techs" by defeating enemies. Once a player has accumulated enough tech, one of the player's characters will learn a new skill.
The combat system in this game is also slightly different than most RPGs out there. Players and enemy NPCs still engage in classical turn-based combat. However, instead of simply "trading" off attacks between the two sides, players, and even enemies, have a "bar" in combat that ticks down from a certain amount to zero. Once the bar reaches zero, that character, and only the character with his or her bar set at zero, is able to attack or use items. On top of that, certain abilities have area of affect properties, where it can hit multiple targets, and other abilities can attack enemies in a straight line. This creates a rather dynamic combat situation where strategy, timing, and positioning are vital. It is a rather impressive feat, especially considering how old Chrono Trigger is.
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