I'm in love with Chrono Trigger. I'm nearing the end of the game. I'm not sure if I'm flying through it because it's actually that good and holds up so many years later or if it's because the nostalgia is that powerful. Honestly the combat is a little frustrating. These old RPGs always feel so tiresome and drawn out. I'm not all that attached to the characters. I love them for who they are, but they're pretty stereotypical as far as video game characters.So what is it about this game that I love so much. What is it that stood up so well over time? Exactly that. Time. I've never played a game that has used the concept of time so well. Your actions in the past effect events in the future. Not only do you have to worry about what you're currently doing, but you also have to consider you actions on a different plane. The thing is, in Chrono Trigger, it's a scharade. You're not actually messing with things and having them change the future. It only looks that way. It's just a mission based RPG. Complete this mission to open up this next one. The fact that they uses different time periods instead of just different locals. That's what makes it fresh and interesting. When you really strip it down, it's just a standard RPG.
Now what do I want. I want a game that actually has time travel. Whether or not this will actually work out, I don't know. It's a very hard mechanic to design seeing as how there are so many unknowns and game breaking opportunities. I'm very surprised that someone hasn't tried to just use the Chrono Trigger formula since then. Maybe it's such a unique difference that any attempt to recreate it would be considered copying.
Now how would you make an actual Time Travel game?
David
3 comments:
The first thing that came to my mind when I read this post was the Nintendo DS game "Time Hollow". I haven't played it myself, so I can't say much about it. I just know it involves time travel, somehow.
Turns out one of the same people who wrote Time Hollow also did one of my favorite games for the PS2, Shadow of Destiny.
Shadow of Destiny is one of those underrated games that just kinda got lost in a sea of other games that were released around the same time that year. It deals with a protagonist who is being stalked by an assassin, and after each death he's forced to return to a time period and find a way to avert his own death, then return to the present. Other than that, there's some cool existential ideas that the game deals with, time lines, parallel worlds, etc. It's really a fun game (excluding some wonky running), and probably dirt cheap if you can find it.
Good luck with time!
-Elizabeth
Skyliner12
Well there is always Day of the Tentacle. :)
In short about three friends that go back in time to prevent the evil tentacle Purple from taking over the world. But something goes wrong and one of them is sent back 200 years in the past, one is sent 200 years into the future and the third one is stuck in present time.
I love that game. Probably my favorite of all time. Point-and-click games aren't for everyone though.
/Teus
If Chrono Trigger DS sells well, maybe Square-Enix will consider working on another in the series?
...But... I honestly wouldn't mind them leaving well enough alone. Chrono Cross, while having incredible music, wasn't exactly what I was expecting for a sequel to Chrono Trigger. El Nido triangle? C'mon now...
Should they do make a 3rd installment, I'm hoping they'll get the 'dream team' back together (Omitting Akira 'whats-his-face', of course.) and really put effort into it.
But if they don't, we'll always have Chrono Trigger, and that's fine with me.
Post a Comment