IGN reviews Chrono Trigger DS - 8.8

[Soma]

I liked the Another Take comments:

"Another Take
from Eduardo Vasconcellos
I’ve never played Chrono Trigger. Growing up as a Genesis kid, the Squaresoft (now Square Enix) epic was something I knew only by reputation. It’s widely regarded as one of the best RPGs from the 16 bit era, if not to date. Though it’s taken me well over a decade to get my hands on it, I see that the praise it sees is more than well deserved. After spending some time with the game, going through the different eras and being introduced to some truly memorable characters, I see that Chrono Trigger is absolutely stellar.

The game does so many different things that it’s tough to naysay, especially considering its competition when it was originally released. The story is rather engrossing and comes with a charm you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere, making Crono’s adventures in saving the world that much more exciting. The theme of causality and travelling through time to change the course of history, making sure certain destruction doesn’t come to pass is such a refreshing change of pace as it’s something that’s truly epic. The game shows you exactly what happens if you don’t succeed in your quest, adding a level of weight that you don’t find elsewhere too often.

The battle system is really one of the best elements of the game as it doesn’t follow the traditional turn based combat. The visuals are slightly tweaked – rather than having your team on one side of the screen, they’re scattered through the battlefield as are your enemies, and though it seems like a mere aesthetic decision, it really adds to the change that this game brought about. The actual battle mechanics are some of the best I’ve seen as you’ll constantly be faced with a cost/benefit decision that comes with the combo attacks, which require you figure out how best to use your limited supplies of energy allotted to your attacks.

The only downside to the game is that the port over to the DS really doesn’t bring anything new to the table. It uses some dated visuals which really stand out, and not in a positive way. Though it comes with a very basic Monster Rancher-esque multiplayer mode, I was hoping for more, especially considering the $40 cost of entry. However, it’s still an amazing experience, well worth your time and money. As many fans have told me over the years, Chrono Trigger is something that everyone should play and after getting my hands on it, I have to agree. It’s truly an exemplary title that deserves every bit of acclaim it gets. In short, it’s the real deal. "