In most JRPGs, there is a transition from the overworld to an isolated area where the battles are then carried out. By the end of this game, you get the sense that this is a tightly-knit group – all without the narrative needing to say a single word on the matter.Īnother, more subtle, touch I enjoy about Chrono Trigger’s fighting system is that every battle takes place in the areas in which they are initiated.
It lends itself to create a sense of comradery and teamwork amongst the cast of this game. Furthermore, not only is it an innovative game mechanic, it also complements the story. Because you’re only allowed to have three characters in your party at once, it’s an organic way to encourage the player to use all of them. This is one of the most praised aspects of Chrono Trigger. Different characters naturally have different abilities, so experimenting with various lineups unveil many new possible combinations. As is suggested by their names, double and triple techniques combine abilities of each character into a new one.
When the gauges of two or three characters are filled up at the same time, you can have them execute double and triple techniques. The system makes for some interesting encounters and gives battles a bit more of a realistic edge to them.Ĭhrono Trigger goes a step further with the ATB system. This was meant to teach the player through example that time passes even when an action isn’t taken. It was common for early bosses in Final Fantasy games starting with the fourth installment to switch into a “defense mode,” or a brief moment when fighting them would result in your characters getting hit with a very damaging counterattack. This is known as the Active Time Battle (ATB) system.īefore Final Fantasy IV, JRPGs almost exclusively featured turn-based, round-by-round combat, so this new system added a whole new strategic element to the formula. How fast the gauge fills up between actions for each character depends on their speed. When it is completely full, you can input a single action for that character. Each character has a gauge to the right of their current HP and MP. The combat system borrows heavily from the SNES Final Fantasy games in that it features something of a real-time element. Horii would give the final product its identity.Ĭhrono Trigger is a JRPG. Kato, he would end up accepting the idea and the collaboration between him and Mr. During a brainstorming session, one of the developers suggested making a game about time travel. They intended to release it in CD format on Nintendo’s then-planned Super Famicom Disk Drive before development of the peripheral was canceled. It was initially licensed under the Mana franchise with the title, Maru Island. Along with scenario writer Masato Kato and a team of nearly sixty developers, they set out to create a game that no one had ever done before.
The third was Akira Toriyama, a famous freelance manga artist best known as the author of Dragon Ball. The second was Yuji Horii, creator of the Dragon Quest series. The first was Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy series. Originally released for the Super Nintendo in 1995, Chrono Trigger is one of Squaresoft’s most well-known RPGs. The game was conceived in 1992 by a dream team of three giants in the Japanese entertainment industry.