I've never played a JRPG, and will never plan to.
See, I don't know if you know the stigma that surrounds JRPG fans, but I felt like they were horny weebs with superiority complexes who constantly criticize and bash others for playing the same 60-hour JRPG with oversexualized women who are 200 years old but look about 12. And despite the fact that you should never judge a book by its cover, I bet you I avoided anything of the sort for years, out of fear that I would become a snobbish narcisistic prick. However one day I was lurking the Avg. Rating, looking at the game descriptions and comments when one particular title caught my eye. There, sitting at a nice 4.4, was Chrono Trigger.
However, one specific review caught my eye (and I hope they dont mind me quoting them:
"Chrono trigger has simple characters, a pretty simple plot, simple themes, and a simple combat system."
After reading that review I did the next obvious thing and downloaded Chrono Trigger. I loaded up RetroArch, and hit play. And after nearly 23 hours on my savefile, and completing the game and getting The Main Ending, I can sagely say that a JRPG is one of my favourite games of all time. So let's talk about it. Why is Crono Trigger such a great game?
The answer is simple. Literally. The main reason that I probably enjoy this game so much as it's so easy to understand and get into that most people can really like its game, especially with shorter lengths compared to other titles in the genre. The SNES pixel art will always age like wine, and there's a reason why people talk about this soundtrack being the best there ever is in gaming. The plot is very straightforward however flows together and the pacing. Is. AMAZING. The characters arent that complex in retrospect however are very loveable and relatable in their motives and challenges they overcome. The theme in of itself is many that people overlook or dont seem to pick up on, and I find that unfair.
You don't have to accept the world as how it is, and the dreams of your own those around you matter and have the power to change the world.
This theme continues to prove itself as for most of the game you don't even change much. You don't change anything that happens throughout history, and without spoiling you tend to not get the results you wanted. However it is with the perseverance and dreams of those around us that push us to achieve something greater. Despite seeing what the world was before and what it will become, Chrono and our heroes refuse to accept this fate and continue to grow and become stronger as people.
Combat is easy to get a hang on as well. Look, I get why people complain about this game being too easy and how the magic system is sort of bland. But it's so simple that it just clicks with you, and it feels so satisfying finding a weakness or using a Triple move. People dont need these complex systems if the gameplay flows very well. If I ever come around to playing another JRPG I'll probably go back on what I said however I argue nontheless.
There is also so much to do during New Game+. I havent exactly dabbled myself into it yet however if youre into 13+ endings that are all intresting (and like, extremely funny?? Yeah, the game's like very funny and nobody talks about that) then definitely try out the tons and tons of post game content for you to explore.
I hope one day, as I try another JRPG, I enjoy it as much as this one, and unfortunately tranform into a weeaboo goblin before arguing about the golden era and FFVI. But for now, I reminisce about the amazing time that I had with Chrono Trigger, and I hope that sone of you out there who haven't tried this genre yet play this game too. Only this one, and afterwards break every console you know and never game ever again.
See, I don't know if you know the stigma that surrounds JRPG fans, but I felt like they were horny weebs with superiority complexes who constantly criticize and bash others for playing the same 60-hour JRPG with oversexualized women who are 200 years old but look about 12. And despite the fact that you should never judge a book by its cover, I bet you I avoided anything of the sort for years, out of fear that I would become a snobbish narcisistic prick. However one day I was lurking the Avg. Rating, looking at the game descriptions and comments when one particular title caught my eye. There, sitting at a nice 4.4, was Chrono Trigger.
However, one specific review caught my eye (and I hope they dont mind me quoting them:
"Chrono trigger has simple characters, a pretty simple plot, simple themes, and a simple combat system."
After reading that review I did the next obvious thing and downloaded Chrono Trigger. I loaded up RetroArch, and hit play. And after nearly 23 hours on my savefile, and completing the game and getting The Main Ending, I can sagely say that a JRPG is one of my favourite games of all time. So let's talk about it. Why is Crono Trigger such a great game?
The answer is simple. Literally. The main reason that I probably enjoy this game so much as it's so easy to understand and get into that most people can really like its game, especially with shorter lengths compared to other titles in the genre. The SNES pixel art will always age like wine, and there's a reason why people talk about this soundtrack being the best there ever is in gaming. The plot is very straightforward however flows together and the pacing. Is. AMAZING. The characters arent that complex in retrospect however are very loveable and relatable in their motives and challenges they overcome. The theme in of itself is many that people overlook or dont seem to pick up on, and I find that unfair.
You don't have to accept the world as how it is, and the dreams of your own those around you matter and have the power to change the world.
This theme continues to prove itself as for most of the game you don't even change much. You don't change anything that happens throughout history, and without spoiling you tend to not get the results you wanted. However it is with the perseverance and dreams of those around us that push us to achieve something greater. Despite seeing what the world was before and what it will become, Chrono and our heroes refuse to accept this fate and continue to grow and become stronger as people.
Combat is easy to get a hang on as well. Look, I get why people complain about this game being too easy and how the magic system is sort of bland. But it's so simple that it just clicks with you, and it feels so satisfying finding a weakness or using a Triple move. People dont need these complex systems if the gameplay flows very well. If I ever come around to playing another JRPG I'll probably go back on what I said however I argue nontheless.
There is also so much to do during New Game+. I havent exactly dabbled myself into it yet however if youre into 13+ endings that are all intresting (and like, extremely funny?? Yeah, the game's like very funny and nobody talks about that) then definitely try out the tons and tons of post game content for you to explore.
I hope one day, as I try another JRPG, I enjoy it as much as this one, and unfortunately tranform into a weeaboo goblin before arguing about the golden era and FFVI. But for now, I reminisce about the amazing time that I had with Chrono Trigger, and I hope that sone of you out there who haven't tried this genre yet play this game too. Only this one, and afterwards break every console you know and never game ever again.
C_F
1 year ago