Chrono Trigger really holds up. I played it on emulator in university, never being able to previously as it wasn’t released in my region at all until the Virtual Console and this DS port. It was a dumb move on Square’s part because the game is so good, they were throwing money away to not let PAL gamers play it. I was glad to be able to buy it legitimately, and so happy with the improvements they’ve made for the DS; it really is the definitive version.

To start with, it looks and sounds identical to the SNES original, but with the few extras from the PS1 port added (mainly a few animated cutscenes), minus the load times of that version and plus a few bonus dungeons and extra links to the sequel Chrono Cross. Although the new dungeons are fairly tedious, they’ve got great equipment as rewards and add to the story of the world somewhat. The DS port uses the extra screen to have maps for both overworld and sub-areas, which I appreciated, and also moves a lot of UI clutter down there too.

But what about the game itself? It has a few strengths that make it stand out among its contemporaries and even modern RPGs. For one, the unfolding time-travelling story tells a story of the entire history of this world, and the persistent threat across the ages. These different eras give a nice variety of environments and characters, from the simple and savage prehistoric times to the desperate Middle Ages, to the bleak future. There’s a sense of fun though as you travel around trying to right wrongs and solve the mystery of Lavos. It also doesn’t drag on like some RPGs; it tells the story it’s trying to tell succinctly, even with five different time periods to track and backtrack.

The companionship you feel within the playable cast is another strength. I felt so attached to the characters, and loved making different teams for different tasks based not just on their skills but their personalities. The updated translation has, I think, improved the characterisation by letting them say more than they did in the days of the SNES’s limitations (although even if it’s only item names that were significantly updated, that’s reason enough to cite the DS port as the clear superior). Banding together this team of misfits is so satisfying, and Toriyama’s designs help them feel even more familiar to this Dragonball fan.

The gameplay innovations are so clever, it makes you wonder why they weren’t more widely adopted. Despite having a traditional turn-based style (although with the 16-bit Final Fantasy’s ATB system) the battles all take place on the same map that you run around on, and mostly with discrete enemies that you can see before battling them. It’s a very immersive system. Battling leans on the Tech system, whereby each character has their own ability set, but can band together with whoever else you’ve chosen for specific team attacks. Enemies are also fairly strategic, with counters and weaknesses to learn, and bosses often being a bit puzzle-y. It was also one of the first games to feature a New Game Plus system, where you start again with your stats carrying over.

Of course, New Game Plus wouldn’t be much fun if they hadn’t implemented the multiple endings. You see, you can fight the final boss at pretty much any point of the game so depending on what part of the story you’ve done up to the point where you choose to take it on, you’ll get a different credits scene. The DS port keeps track of which ones you’ve seen, and I’m happy to say I got them all.

It can sometimes be hard to say why a game is so good. Chrono Trigger is just so polished and thoughtfully designed. The development “dream team”, a collaboration between Square and Enix employees along with some of the best musicians in the business, managed to get so many great ideas into the game and present it so well, that it’s clear why its reputation persists. The game is a masterpiece and I’d recommend the DS port to fans and noobs alike. I know it’s out on iOS too but apparently that version, like a lot of Square’s mobile ports, is a bit rubbish. This review was mostly just gushing but hey, I love the game. Now go listen to Robo’s theme and tell me it doesn’t sound like Rick Astley.