It may not have the best story in RPG history but it definitely has the best plot structure and pacing...

It may not have the best story in RPG history but it definitely has the best plot structure and pacing. Every plot point emerges naturally from the previous ones and each individual story arc has a proper three act structure.

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Largely yes but it drags a little at parts e.g. 12,000 B.C.

There's just one glaring flaw in the game.

>OMG A MONSTER WILL DESTROY OUR PLANET IN 900 YEARS AFTER WE DIE
>...
>Whatever, let's go back to our timeline.

Marle even cried in disbelief, wtf was that? Nobody can care that much.

What, you would say "Screw the whole thing" if you saw people suffering like that?

It destroyed the FUCKING WORLD!
We are a swordsman a princess and an inventor, wtf can we do?

In final fantasy vi for example every character had a solid (and personal) reason to go after Kefka, in CT.... well...

>Let's go save the future guys! YAY!

But that's the only thing I have against it, I love CT.

And yet if there's a will, there's a way. They were able to create super weapons out of the Rainbow Shell, revive themselves with stuff from a revived forest, and other stuff.

They never intended to fight lavos directly, but to change the future. That's why they first travel to learn about lavos and think know what to do.
They thought he was summoned due to overhearing something about magus, so they went there. They learn lavos actually came from the skies and they didnt know what to do, but they learn more during the dark ages.
Eventually they become so strong that they just thought, "hey, why not?"

This actually makes MORE sense in Chrono Trigger, not less. In most RPGs you're just some teenage schmuck in a podunk village that goes up against some god who probably runs an empire. In Chrono Trigger they actually have something to leverage against Lavos, time travel. They know exactly when Lavos is going to attack and they have all the time in the world to figure out how to stop it.

Lucca does seem reluctant about trying when Marle says they should do something. I thought that was a nice thing about the game, the MCs were essentially joe schmoes that just gave it their all and managed to pull it off. Crono especially is just a random kid that for all we know has never actually swung a sword at an enemy before the start of the game.

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Such a cool game.

I get lost a lot and have to read a 15+year old guide.
I really want to finish it but get tired of consulting guide.

Any games out there that replicate the comfy dead future with bro motorbike mutants?

>needing a guide for Chrono Trigger
What? Well at least you're not lying with your pic there.

What makes CT's story so great is that it follows the structure of an A and B plot of a serialized TV show or 26 episode anime series.

The story breaks down into three acts. The First Act you don't even have a goal other than not be in trouble anymore. You had a wacky trip to the past and then you get arrested because of it. The Second Act starts when you're getting chased out of the castle and decide to take a random time gate out of desperation and wind up in a ruined future and find out about Lavos.

The Second Act ends with what's known as the Second Act setback. You finally face Lavos in the Undersea Palace and get your shit pushed in. The Third Act starts with everything looking hopeless and slows down with you regrouping and figuring out what to do next. Then you get a mobile Epoch and new resolve. It's then in the Third Act that all the different character arcs get their resolution. Each and every side quest is directly tied to a particular character getting closure. No random fetch quests or pointless dungeons.

And if you break this down further into the different arcs, each one has their own three act structure. You start off with a goal (probably because of something that happened in the previous arc), there's a complication, and then a resolution. And the resolution causes another complication which starts the next arc. That constant cause and effect makes the game's story feel organic.

That's really fuckin' edgy, user.

I mean it doesnt do a good job of telling you where to go.
Not like needing an arrow but its the same with all old games where you might miss the slightest thing and wander for hours.
>going BACK to the church and then talking to the women that turn into nagas
>then underneath there theres a switch but you dont really notice it

For comparison, compare it to Final Fantasy IV where half the story just happens because the game says it does. The only reason you ever meet the dwarves underground is because you just happen to wind up down there. Compare that to how you meet Ayla in Chrono Trigger; Melchior tells you that he can't fix the Masamune without Dreamstone which existed a long time ago.

It's also host to the greatest soundtrack in gaming, every single track manages to hit the perfect mark.

that stuff is just how they made games back then, Chrono Trigger is hardly the worst offender. They either didn't know better, were purposely trying to extend the playtime, or they were trying to sell strategy guides. CT is still great, you don't shit on the Model T for not having air conditioner.

CT is hardly the most word heavy JRPG, I don't think it'll do you any good to try to speedread through its dialogue

>It's then in the Third Act that all the different character arcs get their resolution.
This is huge. The only other game I can think of that did this was Mass Effect 2. If you think of even great RPGs like Final Fantasy VII, most of the characters get closure waaaay before the end of the game. Barret's story was over pretty much on the first disc.

Flog is cute

If the game has one flaw it's that if you kill Magus Frog doesn't turn human until the ending. If he transformed right then and there and got assigned different skills then fighting Magus or not would become a legitimate choice with actual consequences.

Currently replaying the game and that Magus fight intro is so good.

>kill magus
>frog turns back into a regular human knight, losing the one thing that sets him apart from the rest of the party
Don't want. It would still be inferior to having Magus. He at least gets to turn back in one of the endings.

This is pretty much why I love CT. Everything flows together. Theres very little happening that doesn't correspond with prior events.

I actually agree. But it would have given some reason to sacrifice a party member other than just wanting a different ending. Though a human Glenn using "slurp" and dropping a giant human as his last tech would be amazing.

The game has a few flaws, but I do agree with this. The Magus/Frog relationship shoulda had a little more going on, but for the game at the time, it was fantastic.

I wish that the team would be brought back together and allowed to make something new, just to see what they'd put out.

>a human Glenn using "slurp" and dropping a giant human as his last tech would be amazing.
I mean, obviously if you put it that way, it's a no-brainer. It's if he had a new skillset with a niche that was already filled by Crono that it would be pointless.

They did have to leave a lot of stuff on the cutting room floor. Some of the stuff, like Singing Mountain, they probably cut for good reason. (Based on the song placement in the soundtrack it probably would have happened right after Magus's castle and right before Tyranno Lair, which would have destroyed the pacing). But other stuff is just kinda weird. Like the Northern Palace looks a lot more significant than it turns out to be. That was very obviously meant to be a dungeon. And Dalton just kinda fucks off without much of a resolution.

I can't remember a god damn aspect of Cronos character other than him dying. He's easily the weakest SNES JRPG protagonist.

He gets a free pass for being iconic, arguably the most famous silent protagonist of all time. Even then, he's still a much more likable character than Randi from Secret of Mana, or the MC from Soul Blazer. His death actually lets you feel the gameplay consequences of his absence, it's a great way of allowing the player to connect with him without trying to force a connection, even giving you the freedom to just leave him dead forever.

Yeah schala was kinda like that too. Which I always found a little weird that they didn't do more with her considering that the portals only seemed to drop people off at very specific time periods.

>I can't remember a god damn aspect of Cronos character
Then Square did a good job.

I have a long standing suspicion, not based on anything concrete, that she was originally intended to join the party. I know that sounds like bad fanfiction but the way the game is structured around that time and her total absence, along with some known cut material, makes me think that she was supposed to teleport out with the party and replace Crono. And with her there that would have given Dalton an actual reason to give a shit about arresting the party instead of just a petty grudge. My guess is that the reason Dalton just disappears is because he would have been tied to Schala's optional quest, which I suspect was the Northern Palace. Beta versions indicate that it was supposed to be a full dungeon, not just a choice between two chests. If those elements were all tied together it makes sense that cutting one led to all of them looking weirdly incomplete.

Corridors of Time is probably my favourite vidya music ever, and has been for over 20 years. There's just something so exotic and tragic about it, and it never gets old for me.

I think you're right, if only because you get an MC from every time period except the Zeal one. They probably just cut it for lack of time/resources. Imagine how cool the Queen Zeal battle would have been if you had Schala in your party though!

Yeah, I always liked that playing CT reminded me a lot of reading a Graphic Novel or watching a TV series. Very clear story beats in each chapter that move the action forward and expand the lore a bit more each time.

It's not one of those RPG plots that leaves you mostly in the dark for half the game, has you go after filler bosses for several hours, and then suddenly throws massive plot dumps in your face in the second half just to explain the relevancy of the final boss, who you never knew anything about until then.

>arguably the most famous silent protagonist of all time
No, that's Link

Humanity as a whole had better attention span back then.

Maybe 95% silent. Link still grunts and yells. But fine.

What I find amazing is that Chrono Trigger is a 20 hour game max but doesn't feel like it has any less of anything compared to 50+ hour RPGs.

He didn't back then. But Chrono emoted a lot more than Link. He didn't talk but he still "said" stuff in his own Chaplin-esque way.

Which is part of what makes him more charming than other silent protagonists like him. You get the impression that being silent is part of his character, rather than just a consequence of being an obvious player self-insert.

only 2 characters are joe shmoes and it's fucking crono and lucca. Lucca invents a literal fucking time machine portal thing. And crono is the player insert.

Robot be damned, Robo is a Joe Schmoe too.

Cross was better

There's always one in every thread.

A man with taste, indeed

it's more that back then less games were available so you'd typically get chrono trigger and have no other games but it so you'd figure out everything to extend the game's time
it's like with a lot of nes games (see zelda) and their secret stuff

How long is Trigger? I'm playing it now and I'm up to the bit just after the Robot Factory where you return to the present in the monster village.

Not that that long, compared to other JRPGs, but you still have a long way to go.

like 40hours if you're slow.
32 if you are a normal human.
if i remember right.

There is a new game+ mode to help unlock other endings though.

People always think it's way longer than it really was.
32 hours is like all side quests if you are slow. No idea about those leisure times. Must have fallen asleep.
Chrono Trigger is super short for an JRPG.

Should I be grinding at any point? So far it has been relatively easy with no deaths.

Chrono is pretty good about it but the main issue with rpgs as a kid is missing something and getting stuck for hours.

If it's your first time and you like to talk to all NPCs, upgrade all chests, do all quests and so on, and you're having fun, it could go up to 50 hours. Otherwise 30-40.

>Chrono Trigger is super short for an JRPG.
Pretty much all SNES JRPGs were like 15-30 hours long, 40 tops.
PSX/PS1 on the other hand... They started to last for 40-80 hours.

No, there never should be a need to grind. At least if you're not rushing through the game. If you do optional stuff, you should be good.

>grinding in chrono trigger
Please never, ever do this. Except when you get to the Black Omen and can charm Speed Tabs off of the wall sentries.

Not really, Chrono Trigger is pretty easy overall. That said, you'll soon come across a dungeon with easy mooks, but the bosses can kill you if you're not careful. Remember to use protection spells.

The Magus/Schala cliffhanger is the only drawback to an otherwise awesome game.

Probably the best SNES RPG. It's aged very well, considering.

I love it when games are thorough about giving closure to various people in the world. Link to the Past has one of my favorite endings of any game just because it goes through every single npc in the game and shows how your actions benefitted them. It's the most satisfying fucking thing.

I don't really like the track for flying in the epoch, but other than that yeah, it's one of the best OSTs in games.

Singing mountain and Dalton get more attention on the DS but it's all in service of tying things into CC. And honestly, regardless whether you like CC, the way they added that cutscene at the end of CT to ruin the feel good ending is infuriating. CC has neat ideas but they should have left CT alone, they could still do the fall of Guardia, just do it in the game where it's actually relevant and appropriate.

I guess it's because of the introduction of lavos.

If they didn't have the means of time travel I would agree with you.

Would you still want Chrono Break Sup Forums? Could the ip be resurrected successfully? Could we finally get a satisfying conclusion for Schala, Magus, Serge, Marle and Crono?

Didn't you recruit Magus in the Zeal Time period? And he did originate from there.

That said, I do agree that Dalton and Schala prolly did play a more significant role initially. Not sure if she'd have joined, since again Magus fits that role, but I do kinda doubt that the story would have played out similarly with her getting flung through time or whatever.

Eh I think its far too late for that. It's like asking a sequel to ff9, there is no need to add more since it stands on its own just fine.

Pretty much all of the stuff they added in the DS version of the game was complete garbage. Even if you ignore the CS tie in crap, all of the optional dungeons and crap they added just reeked of them being completely unaware of how the game was designed.

What, you mean you DIDN'T enjoy doing about 20 individual fetch quests that each require you to travel up the same mountain and back where literally every encounter is mandatory?

At least the Monster Arena was good fun. At least.

Please don't bully me Chrono Trigger fans. But why is the game CHRONO trigger and the main character is CRONO??

Is it actually the character limit? That seems like an odd explanation.

it might be because you travel through time perhaps but im not really sure

Sorry, but no.

>Is it actually the character limit? That seems like an odd explanation.
yes
japanese games have very short character limits because of the way asian characters work
thats why everything is abbreviated in JRPGs like ATK and DEF

Character limit of five letters on the SNES, dut to limitations. Sure, the other versions could've changed it, but Crono stuck.

I think it's for the best, Crono comes off like more of an actual name. If it was "Chrono" it would really make the game feel more stupid.

Well you know, none of the characters' Japanese names are more than 3 characters. Despite that, the JP version's character limit is 5 characters, so presumably Woolsey couldn't be bothered to increase it and just shortened his name to "Crono." Which I guess is just slightly less on-the-nose. If I remember correctly the DS version expands it to 6 characters just so you can name him Chrono instead, but it also does a lot of really stupid shit, so it's rather inconsequential.

Call him whatever you want and just rationalize it as a typo if someone has a fit over it, it doesn't make any difference really.

>Easy Casualized Fantasy VII
>good
My sides. Nice one, man.

>Call him whatever you want and just rationalize it as a typo if someone has a fit over it, it doesn't make any difference really.

Crono's mom was illiterate, and considered correct spelling and punctuation an afterthought.

>but the main issue with rpgs as a kid is missing something and getting stuck for hours
Well, yes. That And playing RPGs in a language you don't even speak fluent.
But since you have to be 18+ to post here I assume no one who posted here is a kid. You are an adult, right? You wouldn't lie on the internet.

god you people are such paranoid faggots. I'm about as oldfag as they come and get called out like 5 times a week.

Weird how Lavos was known as Lavos everywhere for over 65 million years.

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Lucca is such a cutie. Probably built herself a dildo out of Robo's pneumatic arm.

Apparently she's two years older than Crono, but you'd never realize with the Toriyama sameface.

Too bad she absolutely the worst as a party memeber

Didn't realize Ayla is supposed to be 24. Kino looks like he's in his teens, so Ayla sure likes them young.

I always found the Nu to be interesting, even if you never find out what they really are.

>HALATION
>DARK MATTER
>LUMINAIRE
I don't think Nus are very interesting anymore.

That would have been cool, maybe have human frog being an upgrade so you would need to choose between a very powerful mage or a better swordsman.
Just give him different skills and you are good to go, Frog was already pretty good in the game.

>arguably the most famous silent protagonist of all time
That would be Gordon Freeman.

Yellow, red, green, blue, black, white.

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I like to run away from most battles. Would this game requiring grinding in that case

Post more Lucca. Lucca is Lucca, Lucca is Lucca.

>Lucca is Lucca, Lucca is Lucca.
I can't argue with either of those statements.

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