The Ultimate Reference Guide To Chrono Trigger

By BlackNES Guy and TBD

Think you know Chrono Trigger? Think again!!

This is the ultimate reference guide to Chrono Trigger on the SNES; part of The Ultimate Guide series from bestselling author The BlackNES Guy!!

This book has over 100 full-color pages which allows you to cover the quest on your own while giving

• Language: English
• Publisher: BlackNES Guy Books
• Release date: Apr 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781989120514

Book preview

History

Chrono Trigger was a joint idea created by Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator and producer of Final Fantasy), Yuji Horii (creator and director of Dragon Quest), and Akira Toriyama (creator and artist for Dragon Ball). All three individuals brought the best aspects of the previous projects to create a unique and successful game. Many gameplay aspects reflect Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana, both games that were under production with Square around the same time.

The idea of time travel was initially rejected by Horii, but would ultimately become the concept of Chrono Trigger. The game went through many changes during production and boasted a large staff. Horii provided settings and scenarios, but the staff would create the specifics. Masato Kato is credited with having written much of the plot.

Original video game testers believed the game was too difficult. The production team was surprised, believing players should have solved certain puzzles much more easily. End of Time was added to help players with hints.

Yasunori Mitsuda was the primary composer of Chrono Trigger. Before working on the video game, he was dissatisfied with his salary. By writing the score for Chrono Trigger, he hoped to gain notoriety and a raise. He spent many nights sleeping in the studio and credits many of his musical ideas from dreams he had while there. After Mitsude left the project due to contracting stomach ulcers, Nobuo Uematsu stepped in to complete 10 tracks and finish the score.

Although the game was planned to release in 1994, the date was pushed back to March of 1995. In just two months following its release, it sold over two million copies in Japan alone. It received favorable reviews and continues to rank among tog game lists. Critics praised it for its comparably simplistic battle system, replay value due to the multiple endings, unique graphics, and exciting soundtrack.

Basic Gameplay

Chrono Trigger’s gameplay is very similar to other roleplaying games released around the same time. You form and control a team of characters, each with their own specialties. Which characters (and in which order) will be the most advantageous will be dependent on the various situations.

Characters have specific Stats that show their proficiency in things such as attack power, Magic, and health. Each playable character will also have advanced techniques. Chrono Trigger is unique in that stronger techniques can be accomplished by combining the power of two or more characters.

Each enemy of character has a certain number of Hit Points that must be depleted to defeat them. Hit Points can be restored with Items or spells. When a character is defeated, they faint and can no longer be used in battle. If your entire party is defeated, the game ends.

As you progress through the game, your characters will gain experience. When they accumulate enough, they will gain levels. This will boost their Stats. Tabs can be found that will add a 1point Stat boost. However, each Tab can only be used on a specific Stat. Equipment and Items will also increase the character’s Stats.

Like Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger uses an Active Time Battle system. This timer determines when your characters can act. The ATB is directly based on a character’s Speed. The higher a character’s Speed, the sooner they will be able to take action.

Navigation primarily occurs from a top down overworld map. Action mostly occurs in smaller area maps. However, touching an enemy on the Field Screen will initiate a battle that will take place on the Field Screen, not the Battle Screen.

The most distinctive game feature in Chrono Trigger is its use of time travel. There are seven distinct eras that can be visited. Time travel is accomplished using Gates or the Epoch (a time machine). Actions in the past can affect the future. Because of the impact of previous actions, there are 14 different endings (some with several variations) to the game. To see all 14 endings, you will have to battle Lavos at different times after accomplishing different