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LTTP: Chrono Trigger - A blast from the past, and the future!

I just finished it a couple weeks ago. Played through it on the SNES using MSU1 mod so it has all the music replaced with CD-quality audio from the Chrono Trigger Symphony albums. Definitely my favorite SNES game, and definitely up there as one of my favorite games ever. It really is just about perfect through and through.
 
Only topped by Terranigma for me (absolutely personal opinion, not saying that it is better or not), might be because I played Terranigma first and the desolate World that you revive appealed to me more at the time. Still, when I first played CT I was blown away, from the visuals to the OST (best OST of any game) to the characters, it was perfect. Never played another game that could take that 2nd spot it holds in my list.

The short lenght of both might have something to do with it as well, they tell what they have to tell and don't overstay their welcome. Terranigma's ending did stay within my thoughts for longer though, my little heart was left broken.

Really makes me happy that people still discover this game today and enjoy it so much, it's a game that deserves all the praise it has and then I get sad that I never see these LTTP threads about Terranigma, I truly believe it to be very underrated.

Anyway, sucks for you OP, you won't play another JRPG that will top this, you made it, you reached the top.
 
Only topped by Terranigma for me (absolutely personal opinion, not saying that it is better or not), might be because I played Terranigma first and the desolate World that you revive appealed to me more at the time. Still, when I first played CT I was blown away, from the visuals to the OST (best OST of any game) to the characters, it was perfect. Never played another game that could take that 2nd spot it holds in my list.

The short lenght of both might have something to do with it as well, they tell what they have to tell and don't overstay their welcome. Terranigma's ending did stay within my thoughts for longer though, my little heart was left broken.

Really makes me happy that people still discover this game today and enjoy it so much, it's a game that deserves all the praise it has and then I get sad that I never see these LTTP threads about Terranigma, I truly believe it to be very underrated.

Anyway, sucks for you OP, you won't play another JRPG that will top this, you made it, you reached the top.

My man...Terranigma is my number 1 too. Yeah, Chrono Trigger is also SO amazing but the story of Terranigma is, how should I say, maybe more emotional. The twist in the story is unmatched...damn gives me goosebumps when I think about it. It's a shame it's never been released in the US back in the day and that may b the reason for very few LTTP of Terranigma.

Oh and please forgive me when I leave this here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqPrwAgZA8g
 
Really makes me happy that people still discover this game today and enjoy it so much, it's a game that deserves all the praise it has and then I get sad that I never see these LTTP threads about Terranigma, I truly believe it to be very underrated.

It doesn't help that it was never released in the US, and also it wasn't developed by "big names".
 
My man...Terranigma is my number 1 too. Yeah, Chrono Trigger is also SO amazing but the story of Terranigma is, how should I say, maybe more emotional. The twist in the story is unmatched...damn gives me goosebumps when I think about it. It's a shame it's never been released in the US back in the day and that may b the reason for very few LTTP of Terranigma.

Oh and please forgive me when I leave this here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqPrwAgZA8g

Arnold-Schwarzenegger-Predator-Handshake.jpg


Yea, felt more emotional, more personal maybe, and way, way sadder. I can't not feel something in my chest when I hear that song, just too many memories.

It doesn't help that it was never released in the US, and also it wasn't developed by "big names".

And yea, you're both right that it doesn't help not having been released in the US but it has been so long and in an enthusiastic forum such as this I expected a little more reactions to that game. Should have been released for the Virtual Console, it's a crime that is wasn't.
 

Celine

Member
My man...Terranigma is my number 1 too. Yeah, Chrono Trigger is also SO amazing but the story of Terranigma is, how should I say, maybe more emotional. The twist in the story is unmatched...damn gives me goosebumps when I think about it. It's a shame it's never been released in the US back in the day and that may b the reason for very few LTTP of Terranigma.

Oh and please forgive me when I leave this here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqPrwAgZA8g

Only topped by Terranigma for me (absolutely personal opinion, not saying that it is better or not), might be because I played Terranigma first and the desolate World that you revive appealed to me more at the time. Still, when I first played CT I was blown away, from the visuals to the OST (best OST of any game) to the characters, it was perfect. Never played another game that could take that 2nd spot it holds in my list.

The short lenght of both might have something to do with it as well, they tell what they have to tell and don't overstay their welcome. Terranigma's ending did stay within my thoughts for longer though, my little heart was left broken.

Really makes me happy that people still discover this game today and enjoy it so much, it's a game that deserves all the praise it has and then I get sad that I never see these LTTP threads about Terranigma, I truly believe it to be very underrated.

Anyway, sucks for you OP, you won't play another JRPG that will top this, you made it, you reached the top.
Wait two day, I'm going to put live the 20th anniversary thread ;-)

Same as you, Terranigma is the only RPG I would put above Chrono Trigger.
SNES has 5 JRPG I consider untouchable though: Terranigma, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest V, Final Fantasy VI, Earthbound.
Also there are many other very good JRPG, it's really crazy to think the quality and quantity.

And yea, you're both right that it doesn't help not having been released in the US but it has been so long and in an enthusiastic forum such as this I expected a little more reactions to that game. Should have been released for the Virtual Console, it's a crime that is wasn't.
For some strange reason, the only Quintet game SquareEnix ever cared to re-release was Actraiser.
Not sure why (for instance Illusion of Gaia sold more than Secret of Mana in the western markets and yet...).
 

Mato

Member
I just finished it a couple weeks ago. Played through it on the SNES using MSU1 mod so it has all the music replaced with CD-quality audio from the Chrono Trigger Symphony albums. Definitely my favorite SNES game, and definitely up there as one of my favorite games ever. It really is just about perfect through and through.


Ugh not this again. The orchestrated music plague strikes again. Japanese AAA game music has been pigeonholed into this loud, jarring, antiquated style and that must stop.
 
I just finished it a couple weeks ago. Played through it on the SNES using MSU1 mod so it has all the music replaced with CD-quality audio from the Chrono Trigger Symphony albums. Definitely my favorite SNES game, and definitely up there as one of my favorite games ever. It really is just about perfect through and through.

1 ending down...

14 more to go!


Really is a great game. Introduced new game+ which is fitting since you are starting the game over (going back in time) with the knowledge and experience gained.

Beating Lavos at different points in the game will get you alternate endings. What would happen if you beat Lavos without ever saving the princess? Or beating him before you defeated the reptite king ...or beating him before your adventure even started.
 

B.K.

Member
I've got my DS charging so I can play through the game again. It's been a few years since the last time I played it.

the extra content even manages to tie the game into Chrono Cross. It also touches on a plot point name dropped in Cross that's never expanded upon again,
The Fall of Guardia

I HATE that Square Enix has to keep changing Chrono Trigger to make it tie in better with Chrono Cross. When you have to keep changing the original so it will fit better with the sequel, you really fucked up somewhere. As much shit as George Lucas got for always changing the Star Wars Original Trilogy with each new release, Square Enix deserves the same hate for changing Chrono Trigger.
 

Square2015

Member
Yup.





I also recall an interview in which Mitsuda said that "To Far Away Times" has even more meaning to him than for players because he was thinking about a girl he personally knew when he wrote that track, but I can't find the link right now.
Thanks. It seems when the players are moved the developers were too, this truly is a game of magical moments not just for the players but the developers. Such magical games games like this and literal "dream projects" will probably never happen again.
 

Square2015

Member
I just finished it a couple weeks ago. Played through it on the SNES using MSU1 mod so it has all the music replaced with CD-quality audio from the Chrono Trigger Symphony albums. Definitely my favorite SNES game, and definitely up there as one of my favorite games ever. It really is just about perfect through and through.

Wow, if they could put the MSU1 on a repro cart I'd play thru this again on my SNES (the youtube video looks er, sounds amazing <https://youtu.be/1ryLNAhZxhs> ) it's worth it again, even though I've already got a custom red cart with the new restored/uncensored translation (doctor L), and I've played through it thrice already.

Edit : could the SNES HW play that album in game?
 

qcf x2

Member
psssst OP
ccjpbox.jpg

"try me"

Chrono Trigger
Chrono Cross
Terranigma
Shenmue
Skies of Arcadia
Shining Force 2 + 3

These are the only games that have ever engaged me to such extent that I feel connected to the characters and the story. Funny thing is CT is the one game for which I'd be a little concerned about a 3D/modern remake (unless it looked like that fan prototype!). It just looks perfect already.
 
Edit : could the SNES HW play that album in game?

Like, can you play that audio mod on real SNES hardware? Yes. That's what I did. You have to have an SD2SNES. The mods are kind of a pain to get going, especially this one. You have to buy the three CDs in FLAC, then run the program to convert them to PCM files. Also, download the mod and patch the Chrono Trigger rom.

There are Link to the Past and Mario World ones out there that are amazing as well.


EDIT: That video you linked to is on actual hardware using the SD2SNES.
 

jnWake

Member
I recently bought the DS port. I'm excited to play it. Hope it's a good port haha, didn't read that much on it before buying but reviews seemed good.
 

Scrooged

Totally wronger about Nintendo's business decisions.
Chrono Trigger is one of the few games I'd consider a true masterpiece. Chrono Cross? Not so much.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
"To Far Away Time" is so good that Mitsuda literally cried when he saw the ending for the first time, even though he composed it in the first place. The melody for that track came to him in a dream while he was sleeping.

it's a deeply emotional song. Makes me misty every time I hear it. Shit, I'm at work right now and it's making me misty. I should probably stop listening to it.
 

Figboy79

Aftershock LA
It's my favorite game of all time, sometimes tied with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

It's a beautiful game in all respects. A masterclass of game design, world building, characterization, and musical score.

I wish it was available on all systems, because every gamer should experience it. I played it when it first released after borrowing it from a friend, and my brother in laws SNES. I was very poor growing up, and only owned a Genesis at the time, so I was super envious of my friends that had both systems. I was blown away when I finally got to experience the game for myself. It was the talk of my high school gamer circle for months.

I keep it installed on my Vita as a permanent fixture, along with Chrono Cross and SOTN.
 
I HATE that Square Enix has to keep changing Chrono Trigger to make it tie in better with Chrono Cross. When you have to keep changing the original so it will fit better with the sequel, you really fucked up somewhere. As much shit as George Lucas got for always changing the Star Wars Original Trilogy with each new release, Square Enix deserves the same hate for changing Chrono Trigger.

Adding events set after the ending =/= what Lucas did to the OT

Thanks. It seems when the players are moved the developers were too, this truly is a game of magical moments not just for the players but the developers. Such magical games games like this and literal "dream projects" will probably never happen again.

Project Setsuna looks pretty good though. I think there is hope!
 

Subaru

Member
I don't know why Square-Enix doesn't look at Chrono Trigger and see what makes it so successful.

Why 40 hours+ if 20 is enough?
Why so much drama queen characters if you can make them round without melodrama?
Why no Mitsuda? =[
 

smudge

Member
I've just started playing this on DS. Liking it so far, the only other JRPG I have played is Golden Sun on the GBA. As much as I liked Golden Sun, this certainly feels like it has the better story.
 
I don't know why Square-Enix doesn't look at Chrono Trigger and see what makes it so successful.

Why 40 hours+ if 20 is enough?
Why so much drama queen characters if you can make them round without melodrama?
Why no Mitsuda? =[

I know, right?

With Square and Enix under the same banner now, they need to reunite the Dream Team.
 
Best RPG ever. Still remember back in '95 getting this for my birthday(on a friday) and playing it all weekend. The Aura Whirl sound effect is etched in my memory.
 

Peltz

Member
I don't know why Square-Enix doesn't look at Chrono Trigger and see what makes it so successful.

Why 40 hours+ if 20 is enough?
Why so much drama queen characters if you can make them round without melodrama?
Why no Mitsuda? =[

I'm totally with you on this. These are huge reasons why CT stands apart from so many others. It must be so difficult to make an RPG that feels both so simple and so deep at the same time.
 

Emarv

Member
It's essentially perfect. I wish it had a scaled New Game Plus mode but that's basically me just wanting more of a perfect game.
 

Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
Chrono Trigger is the best game.
 

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
One of the few games that made me feel I was going on a real adventure.

Yeah, it sure did. The only other RPG to ever even come close to that same sense of adventure was Skies of Arcadia, which I personally rank #2 right behind Chrono Trigger for the most enjoyable RPG that I've ever played. SoA has it's flaws though, while CT is a timeless masterpiece that is (for me) one of the finest games ever created, in every aspect.
 
Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest games ever made.

It makes me happy how joyful is to play this game, I think that the developers where having as much fun as I playing it :)

A masterpiece.
 

Maou

Member
Didn't Uematsu just cotribute 1 song to CT? IIRC Mitsuda did all of the work, may be wrong.
Anywho the soundtrack is amazing and the covers are just as amazing.
This is my favorite followed by this
Mitsuda is so damn great

Uematsu contributed a few, actually:
Silent Light (first plays in the hidden side of the cathedral)
People Who Threw Away the Will to Live (2300 AD town theme)
Bike Chase (against Johnnnnyyyy)
Underground Waterway (2300 AD sewer, various waterfall levels in present and past)
Burn! Bobonga! (65,000,000 BC dance theme)
Tyran Castle (65,000,000 BC dinosaur clan's castle)
Sealed Door (2300 AD sage's theme)

Matsueida Noriko contributed one track, but it's the world-class Uematsu-esque Boss Battle 1.
 

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
Uematsu contributed a few, actually:
Silent Light (first plays in the hidden side of the cathedral)
People Who Threw Away the Will to Live (2300 AD town theme)
Bike Chase (against Johnnnnyyyy)
Underground Waterway (2300 AD sewer, various waterfall levels in present and past)
Burn! Bobonga! (65,000,000 BC dance theme)
Tyran Castle (65,000,000 BC Tyran dinosaur clan's castle)
Sealed Door (2300 AD sage's theme)

Matsueida Noriko contributed one track, but it's the world-class Uematsu-esque Boss Battle 1.
Tyran Castle is so obviously Uematsu. It just oozes his style. You could put it in Final Fantasy VIII and it wouldn't be out of place at all.
 

Kirye

Member
I just saw Chrono Trigger for the DS at Gamestop, and thought "I should pick that up later". Reading this thread, I have now decided to pick it up again. Such an incredible game, in every aspect.
 

robot

Member
I decided to finally play this game after watching some of it during SGDQ. The worst part of this is I at one point owned the SNES cart (sold it), and the DS port (sold it). The game always came up in odd times for me - I think the SNES version was around the time I wasn't so much into RPG's and was hyped for PS1. So when I finally got off my ass and said let's start this now - my only option based on it being readily available was the PS1 version on the Vita.

I've read a lot of people complain about the load times, but when playing on the Vita w/ the disc speed set to "Fast" it makes a difference. I really liked the animated cut scenes even if they are a little out of place.

So anyways yea - this game is incredible. Just rock solid from top to bottom. I was never spoiled so when specific plot points occurred, I was legitimately shocked. The one mistake I made was check to see if I missed anything when I felt I was very close to finishing it, and now I'm on a long string of side missions and stuff to see everything through. Not really a mistake per se, but it did slow down my time playing it a bit. I should be finishing it soon though.

Easily ranks in as on one of my favorite RPGs of all time. I regret waiting this long to play it, but so glad I finally went through with it.
 

markwaters

Neo Member
If you want to be wowed by flashy cinematics, enjoy fantastic music, and be horribly dissapointed by a gigantic leap backwards in game design.

I think Chrono Cross is a fantastic game in its own right. It's not satisfying as a sequel, but it's got a lot of other great things going for it. It has one of my favorite battle systems that allows for tons of freedom through endless combinations of party members and elements/skills. The story is filled with longing and mystery; though it can feel sparse because of the massive number of characters that end up being interchangeable after their part in it ends doesn't help, but I think the atmosphere of the game makes up for it.

I get why people were dissatisfied with it as a sequel to Trigger, but I have played it recently and liked it just as much as I did when it was released. The only glaring flaw in this game is how most of the party members/characters are basically inconsequential. It's not perfect, but I really, really love this game for what it is. Plus the soundtrack is hot fire. It may be the only thing about it that's better than Trigger.

(Chrono Trigger is still better.)
 
Didn't Uematsu just cotribute 1 song to CT? IIRC Mitsuda did all of the work, may be wrong.
Anywho the soundtrack is amazing and the covers are just as amazing.
This is my favorite followed by this
Mitsuda is so damn great

Mitsuda was the only composer for CT at first, but he lost 40 tracks to a hard-drive crash and then worked himself to exhaustion and was hospitalized. Uematsu was then brought in to compose a few tracks, partly based on the notes Mitsuda left. Uematsu later stated that he doesn't even remember the music that he contributed to CT, since he doesn't consider it a project of his.

Front Mission: Gun Hazard, released in 1996, was the first project on which Mitsuda and Uematsu actually worked together (although Mitsuda was hospitalized again during that, lol).
 
Mitsuda was the only composer for CT at first, but he lost 40 tracks to a hard-drive crash and then worked himself to exhaustion and was hospitalized. Uematsu was then brought in to compose a few tracks, partly based on the notes Mitsuda left. Uematsu later stated that he doesn't even remember the music that he contributed to CT, since he doesn't consider it a project of his.

Front Mission: Gun Hazard, released in 1996, was the first project on which Mitsuda and Uematsu actually worked together (although Mitsuda was hospitalized again during that, lol).

Wow, I never knew about the data loss.
 

Ishida

Banned
I HATE that Square Enix has to keep changing Chrono Trigger to make it tie in better with Chrono Cross. When you have to keep changing the original so it will fit better with the sequel, you really fucked up somewhere. As much shit as George Lucas got for always changing the Star Wars Original Trilogy with each new release, Square Enix deserves the same hate for changing Chrono Trigger.

What exactly was changed? They added stuff, but they didn't retcon anything. You don't seem to know what you are talking about.
 
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