Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is a video game that consists of 8 releases
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Overview
Chrono Trigger is a traditional console role playing game, released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on August 22, 1995 in North America and on March 11, 1995 in Japan. The game is well-known for its multiple endings, unique battle system, and various other innovations. Chrono Trigger was an anticipated collaboration from Square and Enix, and was published by Square on the Super Nintendo. The game follows a young boy named Crono and his small group of friends as they set out on an adventure to prevent the end of the world. The game has sold around 2.36 million copies worldwide.
Chrono Trigger was received with great critical and fan reception at the time of its release. Reasons cited were the multiple endings, deep story, incredible music, unique battle system, and detailed sprites. From the time of its release, Chrono Trigger has gathered more fans, with many calling it their favorite game of all time. The game was so popular, in fact, that it sold two million copies within the first two months of release. Chrono Trigger has since been hailed as an incredible game in numerous "best games of all time" lists on various popular gaming websites and magazines (placing in the top 100 of IGN, GameSpot, and Famitsu's best games of all time features). Game Rankings (a reviews aggregate) says that Chrono Trigger has an average rating of 95%. Chrono Trigger's legacy earned it a reference in the television show Heroes, in the episode Once Upon a Time in Texas, the character Hiro references the love between Crono and Marle when he compares it to his own love, Charlie.
Chrono Trigger's development team has constantly been referred to as a "dream team." Many of the people behind the game had already gained fame from other series, while a few gained fame from their participation on Chrono Trigger. A few of the well-known names involved were Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator of the Final Fantasy series), Nobuo Uematsu (composer behind the Final Fantasy series), Yasunori Mitsuda (composer for the game), and Akira Toriyama (creator of the Dragon Ball series and longtime contributor to the Dragon Quest franchise).
Chrono Trigger was produced by Kazuhiko Aoki and directed by Akihiko Matsui, Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita. Yuji Horii assisted Hironobu Sakaguchi in the supervision of the game. Yuji Horii, being a large fan of time travel, decided to center the game's plot around time travel. Masato Kato then edited and revised the storyline, and in the process created the idea of multiple endings. Masato Kato also wrote the majority of the events in 12,000 B.C. Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita also assisted in the writing of the script. Other designers working on the game include Tetsuya Takahashi, Yasuyuki Honne, Tetsuya Nomura, and Yusuke Naora (all of whom were involved in the graphic production of the game). Chrono Trigger, like many other Super Nintendo games at the time, also utilized the Super Nintendo's unique Mode 7 abilities.
Hironobu Sakaguchi talked about the development process in Chrono Trigger in a positive way. He cited humorous scenes in the game that he said would not be possible in a Final Fantasy game. He also compared the development of Chrono Trigger to "playing in Toriyama's universe." Toriyama had a large influence on the game development; for example, when Square wanted a playable animal character in the game, the team based Frog off of one of Toriyama's sketches.
When game testers complained about the difficulty and non-linearity of the game, the team added the End of Time so that players could get hints in relation to the next goal. Sakaguchi also required the beta testers to play through the game twice, to confirm that the New Game Plus feature worked.
Chrono Trigger utilized a 32 megabit cartridge that had RAM for saving games (battery backup). As the Japanese and North American versions of the game were developed on different schedules, they do contain some oddities. For example, the Japanese version contains art for the ending of the game and a running count of the amount of items in the player's inventory, while the North American version still contained the song for the unfinished Singing Mountain dungeon (although the song is unused in the game).
Localization
Ted Woolsey (a well-known Final Fantasy translator) was asked to localize the game for North America in only thirty days. He didn't have a modern translation team, so to get the context of the game he had to memorize certain scenarios and read drafts of player's guides to get a feel for the game. Despite the fact that he said he would have preferred two and a half months and an actual localization team, Ted Woolsey still said that this was one of his favorite games to translate. In 2007, a fan-translation of the game was released that is much more literal than the original game's translation.
Localization for the North American market changed many things, mostly due to Nintendo of America's stricter standards at the time. References to breastfeeding, alcohol (changed to soda in the North American version), religion, and homosexuality (in the case of Flea, a character who looks physically like a woman but is in reality a man) were all removed, or made much vaguer. Localization also changed many of the main characters' names. This was done for a variety of reasons, possibly because the Japanese name did not sound exotic enough. In the case of a few names, there was not enough space to fit the name. Despite the reason, many of the names were changed.
Gameplay
Chrono Trigger's gameplay has often been referred to as revolutionary and innovative. Many concepts that appeared in late Final Fantasy games (and various other role playing games) were introduced in Chrono Trigger. All of the other elements present in Chrono Trigger, however, are that of a traditional console role playing game.
Chrono Trigger created the name of New Game Plus, however the concept had appeared in games dating back to the original Legend of Zelda. In New Game Plus, after completing a game, the player can create a New Game by choosing the option, and then they will retain all of the equipment, levels, and Techs. Lavos (the boss of the game) was also accessible at many points in the game, and depending on the time that the player chooses to fight Lavos, the player will get a different ending (which ranged from humorous to serious).
One of the most unique aspects of the gameplay was its time travel. Different periods of time became accessible during certain parts of the game. These times could then be accessed through time portals, or (later in the game) a time traveling device that the party dubs " Epoch." Epoch can travel to any time period instantaneously, while the time portals can only lead the player to certain areas in a time period. What the party does in the past directly affects what happens in the future; even if that something is a side quest. Not everything directly affects the future, however. It must be pre-determined, as either a side-quest, a story related action, or various other actions (for example, by leaving Robo to work on restoring a large forest in the year A.D. 600 there will be a forest in A.D. 1000).
Towns and various other locations of the sort are accessed through a map. Once in these areas, the party can do various things in the area. If it is a town, the party can purchase items, weapons, and armor (using the money amassed by battling). Enemies are displayed on the screen, as opposed to random battles, which makes some battles avoidable. It also helps create a smoother battle transition, as the characters just run into a formation instead of it going from an overworld screen to a battle screen.
Combat
Chrono Trigger utilized the Active Time Battle system, a well-known battle system popularized by the Final Fantasy series (first appearing in Final Fantasy IV). Each character has a bar which scrolls across based on the character's speed. Once the bar is filled, it is that character's turn. The player has a variety of options and commands at their disposal in combat, from Techs (short for Technique) or just regular attacks. Each character with the exception of Robo and Ayla (Robo is a robot, so he can't learn magic, and Ayla was born before the creation of magic) has a special magic ability, with abilities such as Water, Lightning, or Shadow.
The battle screen is separated with two rectangles; one showing the combat and the other for displaying the options of the battle. The rectangle used for choosing options in combat can be moved from top or bottom by pressing Y. Battles are not shown from the side, as in most traditional Final Fantasy games, but rather from a more top-down view. The enemies and characters aren't locked to a single grid either; they move around the area fluidly. Depending on location on the battle field, some attacks have more effectiveness than others (for example, attacks that hit nearby enemies).
In combat, there are three options: Attack, Item, and Tech. Each of these is similar to traditional role playing game commands, but they have their own innovations. If Attack is selected, the character attacking preforms a normal attack based on what item he or she is holding. If Item is used, then the character can choose which item to use, and then which character to use it on. Techs are special abilities that the character can use. There are three types of Techs: Single, Double, and Triple. They all take a corresponding amount of characters to trigger (and only certain characters can use certain double and triple Techs). When compatible characters are together on the battlefield, the triple Tech takes magic power from each character involved.
After more exploration, the new invention is ready, and Crono and the girl (named Marle), go to attend the demonstration. Lucca, the bespectacled inventor, and her father have unveiled teleportation platforms that no one at the fair is too eager to try out. Crono bravely steps up, being teleported from one panel to the next. Next, Marle insists on trying, but her pendant reacts strangely and she vanishes, leaving the pendant behind. Crono courageously takes up the pendant and volunteers to step into the platform. He goes through the rift, tumbles through a swirling blue and black mass, and comes out in a heavily forested area.
Immediately attacked by a small group of monsters, Crono defends himself and sets out to find where he is. It becomes clear that he's in the kingdom of Guardia, but no one recognizes him, the technology is far behind, landmarks are different, and, most importantly, people are talking about a war against the dark wizard Magus. It seems he's gone 400 years into the past. Seeking answers, Crono makes the short trek to Guardia Castle, only to be set upon by armed guards, who are instantly called off by Leene, the queen of the kingdom. She insists Crono go to meet her in her chambers, and when he does reveals that it is, in fact, Marle and that she was found by a search party in the mountains.
After this revelation, she begins to glow and vanishes. Lucca enters with the revelation that Marle is the princess of the Guardia kingdom in their time and that she's ceased to exist because she's a descendant of the missing queen, for whom the search was called off after Marle was found. A journey to a suspicious cathedral reveals a small collection of monsters and another hero, Frog, joining the party. A group of monsters that worships Magus is uncovered as the party responsible for the queen's disappearance. After they're subdued and the queen is returned, Marle comes back into being. The party is able to return to A.D. 1000.
Lucca goes off to make notes about the portals while Crono is left to escort Marle home. This proves a misstep, as Crono is immediately arrested for kidnapping the princess. A trial begins immediately in which all of Crono's deeds, or misdeeds, at the fair are recalled. Regardless of whether or not he's found guilty, he is thrown in jail (if the verdict is "not guilty," the reason given is that he still "made off" with her). Here, he either breaks out under his own power and skill, or awaits execution, when Lucca comes to save him at the last moment. The duo battle their way through the prison, eventually meeting up with Marle, who decides she's grown disgusted with the royal life and agrees to leave with them. They flee into the woods and come upon a dead end with a time portal in it. Since its an unstable portal, Lucca admits to having no idea where they'll be sent, but the alternative is substantially worse, so they take the plunge.
The portal ejects them into a blasted wasteland of a world, in the grip of a constant snowstorm with feral mutants and sociopath robots wandering the wasteland, as well as a series of large domed cities. The cities offer sanctuary from the beasts of the wasteland, but the inhabitants are starving, jaded and completely devoid of hope or ambition. Crono and company, with no real path, decide to descend into one of the domes and stumble upon a large archive. The archive contains video footage of "A.D. 1999: The Day of Lavos." At exactly 1:24, a massive beast erupts from the ground and showers destruction on the entire world, reducing it to the state it currently exists in. Crono, Lucca and Marle have found the future.
Refusing to accept that time is unchangeable, the party journeys to another dome and finds a broken robot, which Lucca fixes in short order and revives. The robot gives its designation, but Marle finds it too dry and re-classifies him Robo. After a run-in with some of Robo's old friends, who do not take kindly to their former ally siding with humans and learning of emotion, they proceed through yet another time portal. This one, however, shorts out and sends them into a strange, single room floating in an ocean of darkness.
The room's single accessible inhabitant, Gaspar, informs them that they are at the End of Time, and that only three people may use a time portal at any one time, or they'll simply wind up there. After a brief interaction with the other inhabitant Spekkio, a strange creature in another room who is a Master of War, the party departs having learned the lost art of Magic (except Robo, whose laser attacks approximate Shadow type attacks). The first appearance of Lavos is traced to the middle-ages when Magus attempted to summon it, but was stopped by a legendary hero. Crono and company assume the hero must be Frog, but the legend says that he wielded a blade that they find broken. The only smith who could fix such a blade would be Melchior, an eccentric old man who lives outside a village of Mystics, the followers of Magus, in the year A.D. 1000. After contacting him with the sword, he tells them that only Dreamstone could repair it, and that such a rare stone only comes from millions of years in the past.
The group travels to 65,000,000 B.C., and there they meet Ayla, who saves the group from humanoid reptiles called Reptites. When they all get back to a primitive village, Ayla agrees to give Crono a Dreamstone if he can beat her in a soup drinking contest. Crono wins the contest, and they all pass out. When they wake up, their gate key is gone, because Ayla's jealous friend took it. They get it back and go to fix the Masamune.
They travel back to A.D. 1000 to Melchior, who repairs Masamune. Crono and company then go back to A.D. 600 to find Frog, who believes he is unworthy to wield the legendary blade. After some convincing, he agrees, even traveling to the End of time to learn magic. The party enters Magus' lair, and encounter his three generals, Ozzie the Trickster General, Flea, the transgendered magic master, and Slash, inhumanly quick swordsman extraordinaire, all of whom the party handily defeats. Magus recognizes Frog but shows no fear in the face of the Masamune. The party defeats the sorcerer, but he was in the midst of casting a massively powerful spell, which goes awry and causes a massive time gate that sucks the party in to 65,000,000 B.C.
They meet up with Ayla again, and they go to the Reptite base to destroy the Reptites and end the war between them and the humans. When they get there, they battle their way to Azala. After reaching the top of the fortress, it turns out Azala is waiting for an omen that will supposedly bring victory to the Reptite horde. The party is forced to battle Azala and his pet, a massive black T-Rex. After they achieve victory, the omen turns out to be Lavos falling to the earth from space. Only Azala recognizes it for what it is: the end of the future.
Crono and friends then travel to a huge kingdom of magic in 12,000 B.C. The Kingdom of Zeal is a huge floating continent where the people are practicing magic. The people of Zeal are getting all their power through the Mammon Machine, a machine that extracts Lavos' energy for their own good. While exploring Zeal, the party meets a mysterious prophet, who warns the queen about Crono's plans. A young boy also tells the party "One among you will shortly perish." The queen exiles the party to the ground of the world, which is experiencing an Ice Age. The time gate that the party used here was then sealed off, so they have to find another one. When they finally get back to the End of Time, the old man tells them of a machine called the Wings of Time which is found in A.D. 2300. They journey back to the future and find the device, a large flying machine they christen Epoch.
The party travels back to Zeal with intentions to destroy the Mammon Machine in the Ocean Palace. They arrive too late, however, and Lavos then awakens because of the Mammon Machine. The prophet is revealed to be Magus who attempts to destroy Lavos but is batted aside effortlessly. Lavos stuns everyone, but Crono pulls himself to his feet. He hurls himself at Lavos, but Lavos vaporizes Crono, and he dies. The rest of the party wakes up in a hut on the ground of the world, and a man named Dalton has stolen the Wings of Time and declared himself ruler of the world. He has added wings to it, rechristening it the "Aero Dalton Imperial," and is using it as an air-transport.
When Frog wakes up, he goes outside and confronts Magus, who cursed him in the first place. Magus, for his part, is cocky, even insulting Crono and calling him weak for trying to stop Lavos. The player is given a choice: let Magus live or kill him and break the curse on Frog. If you let him live, he joins your party. The party goes to defeat Dalton, who imprisons them and requires a daring break-out, before being easily beaten. At the end of time, it is revealed that Magus was the mysterious prophet, and he only wanted to summon Lavos to kill it. It is revealed that the old man is a Guru named Gaspar. He informs the party of an egg called the Chrono Trigger, which they can use to resurrect Crono.
At this point in the game, it is up to the player what he or she wants to do. The main story is technically over, and a series of optional side quests open up, and resurrecting Crono is optional. The player can choose to encounter Lavos in a variety of ways at this point. Many of these ways can result in different endings.
After Crono dies, the player has the option to either continue in the game (completing side quests or finishing off the main story), or embark on a side quest to revive Crono. If the player decides to revive Crono, Gaspar suggests that they visit Belthasar in 2300 A.D. He knows the secret to bringing someone back from the dead. Belthasar tells them that Death Peak (located in 2300 A.D.) is the key to reviving their downed comrade; however, there are two requirements. The need for Crono needs to be incredibly great and they will need an exact replica of him (which can be obtained from Norstein Bekkler, a magician in 1000 A.D). After getting these requirements, and visiting the top of Death Peak, Crono can be revived.
Naturally, only one ending is considered canon. In this ending, the party reaches Lavos and manages to destroy its outer protective shell (either through fighting or crashing Epoch into it). Here, it is revealed that Lavos has been using the planet by harvesting DNA to control its evolution. It then proceeds to take on a final form, which is quickly destroyed by the team.
The game then goes to a celebratory traditional ending at the end of the Millennial Fair. Crono and his friends all say goodbye and return to their respective eras via the time gates. If the player has Magus at this point, he leaves to search for his long-lost sister Schala. Depending on what the player did to penetrate Lavos' outer shell, Crono's mom either jumps into the time gate by accident (prompting the remaining party to go search for her) or Marle to assist her father in hanging up Nadia's bell and accidentally getting carried away by some balloons (although she is saved by Crono).
The Dream Team
To receive this ending, which is most often regarded as the hardest, the game being played must be a New Game Plus. Lavos must be defeated when the party makes it to Lucca's teleportation panel. The team ends up at the End of Time. Here, the player meets many of the developers from the game (who say things in relation to the development of the game).
To receive this ending, Lavos must be defeated after rescuing Marle from 600 A.D. The party ends up in the Millennial Fair. After wandering around for a while, the party notices that everyone is reacting strangely to Marle's clothing, saying things such as the fact that she is dressing "normally" again. After reaching the castle, it is revealed that Frog married Queen Leene in A.D. 600 (this is revealed through an old film style).
Nu, Ribbit, and Kilwala
To get this ending, Lavos must be defeated after the first trip to the End of Time, but before the fight on Zenan Bridge. The ending is a Nu, a Ribbit, and a Kilwala engaging in slapstick comedy.
To unlock the fourth ending, Lavos must be defeated anytime after the battle at Zenan Bridge, but before getting the Hero Medal from Tata. The ending shows Tata walking into the chamber in which the party faces Magus for the first time, fires lighting all around him, only to realize that Magus has already been defeated by the party.
Closing Scenes
To get the fifth ending, Lavos must be defeated after repairing the Masamune, but before being stuck in 65,000,000 B.C. The ending shows various scenes from the game. Essentially, it is a movie featuring comedic clips from different places in the game.
To get this ending, Lavos must be defeated before the battle with Azala, but before Frog joins the party permanently. The ending is similar to the "closing scenes" ending, except that it is still scenes instead of clips. Many of the screenshots have scenes that aren't actually from the game.
To get this ending, Lavos must be defeated after Frog joins the party permanently, but before Magus is defeated in his castle. Frog travels into Magus' Castle to unleash his revenge upon Magus. As Frog unsheathes his sword, the scene cuts to a cloaked figure. This figure could either be Frog or Magus, as they are the two main characters in the game who wear cloaks.
To unlock this ending, Lavos must be defeated after defeating Magus, but before defeating Azala in Tyran Castle. The ending starts off just as the game does, with the bell ringing and Crono's mom waking him up. The major difference, however, is the fact that all of the character sprites are Reptites. Since the party never defeated Azala from his reign of terror, the intelligent Reptite race gains dominance over humans.
Magus' Revenge
There are two possible ways to receive this ending. The first is to defeat Lavos after defeating Azala in Tyran Castle, but before watching Schala use her magic pendant to open the sealed door in Zeal Palace. The second way is to defeat Lavos after being thrown out of the Zeal Kingdom, but before making it through the Ocean Palace. The ending shows Magus walking alone in scenes that the party has been through in the game, on his own personal quest of revenge: defeat Lavos once and for all.
This ending is considered to be by far the most challenging to get. To receive it, Lavos must be defeated after seeing Schala use her magic pendant to open the sealed door in Zeal, but before getting Marle's pendant charged. The ending features Marle and Lucca talking about all of the male characters in Chrono Trigger and rating them. This ending is notable for being the only time in the entire game where Crono speaks. This ending is one of the most difficult to attain because of the little amount of time between the two events, making it so that the player could accidentally trigger Marle's pendant before fighting Lavos.
There are two versions of this ending. In order to get this particular ending, the party cannot crash Epoch into Lavos. After Crono's death (and also Magus' death), everybody goes to their respective time period through the time gates. The remaining party members ends up at the Millennial Fair, with Frog being a human again. The remaining members set out to search for Crono. If Magus is still alive, then this ending is essentially the same, except Frog is still a frog.
In another version of this ending, Lavos must be defeated after Crono's death, except the party must crash Epoch into Lavos. This ending is essentially the same as the other version of this ending except for the fact that all of the characters stay behind to go on a search through time for Crono. This ending is slightly different if the player has the Chrono Trigger and if the player saved Lara. If Magus is killed, Frog will still be a frog (unlike in the other version of this ending).
This ending was added in the DS version of Chrono Trigger. To get this ending, Lavos must be defeated after completing the Dimensional Vortex. Then, a new bucket will appear at the End of Time, called the Time's Eclipse. By going here, the party will meet Magus (regardless of whether he is in the party or not). He will offer to fight and flee, but will transform into the Dream's Devourer, who is controlling Schala. Upon defeating the Dream's Devourer, the party is blown away and Magus and Schala talk. Then, Magus is warped to a forest and apparently loses his memory. He leaves to try and regain it. This is when the PlayStation cutscene plays about the loss of the Masamune. By doing this ending, Crono also gets a new sword, the Dreamseeker, which has a 90% critical hit rate.
Not technically a good ending to get, but in this ending, the only necessity is to be defeated by Lavos. This ending shows the destruction of the world by Lavos.
PlayStation Ending
The extra PlayStation ending begins with the marriage of Crono and Marle. All of Guardia Kingdom's citizens are excited and cheering. The scene shifts to 65,000,000 B.C., where Ayla marries her friend, Kino, who is one of Marle's direct descendants. The scene shifts again, this time to Guardia Castle, where Glenn (Frog's human form) is knighted. He walks through all of the other knights, although his face is never seen. The scene shifts back to Crono and Marle's wedding, and Melchior stumbles out of the crowd to congratulate them. They come out of the building to be greeted by a huge, cheering crowd. Marle throws her bouquet into the crowd, and the scene shifts again. Lucca is seen walking through a forest with a small green robot similar to Robo. She and the robot discover a baby lying on the ground next to a tree, wearing a strange necklace. She picks the baby up, smiles, and the scene fades to a "fin" screen.
Crono (Chrono in Japan) is the main protagonist of the game. He lives with his mother (she is unnamed in the North American version, however her name is Gina in the Japanese version) in the town of Truce. After bumping into Marle at the Millennial Fair, he and his friends begin a quest to save the world (after witnessing the "Day of Lavos"). At one point in the game, Crono sacrifices himself in an attempt to destroy Lavos, but it fails and he dies in the process. It is optional, but he can be revived through use of the Chrono Trigger. In one ending cutscene in the PlayStation remake, Crono is seen marrying Marle. He also makes an appearance in the game Chrono Cross, as an apparition.
Crono is a silent protagonist. Most of his emotions and actions are shown through gestures (occasionally comedic). Crono only speaks once in the entire game, in one of the game's multiple endings. In it, he only speaks a few lines.
Crono's attacks are all offensive based, with only a few being healing (many of these are cooperative moves). After meeting Spekkio, Crono gains the ability of Lightning. Then his Techs and other abilities become more Lightning based. Even his appearance gives off the impression of electricity--his hair always sticks up.
Marle (Marl in Japan) is the princess of Guardia, although she does not enjoy being a princess. Marle's weapon of choice is the crossbow. She is a very outgoing type and seems almost tomboyish. She is very embarrassed by her ancestry and at first did not tell Crono or Lucca that she is actually princess Nadia. Marle's element is Ice. Her Techs mainly consist of ice magic, healing magic, and party buffs like Haste.
Marle meets up with Crono at the fair. After getting Crono to give her a tour around the fair they meet up with Lucca. Marle's pendant causes problems with the teleportation panel, and sends her back in time to A.D. 600 . She gets mistaken for the missing Queen, her ancestor, and therefore ceases to exist, since the actual queen was never found. When the queen is returned, so is Marle, who decides to stay with Crono after she sees how much he risked just to save her.
Lucca
Lucca (Rukka in Japan) is Crono's best friend. She is extremely smart, lending to the fact that she spends most of her time building technological devices with her father. Lucca uses different types of projectile based attacks in battle. Lucca will also take out a hammer at times to hit close enemies. Lucca's elemental alignment is Fire, making it so that she learns fire based Techs. After witnessing the Day of Lavos in A.D. 2300, she decides to help alter the course of history. She immediately becomes good friends with Robo after repairing him.
Lucca appears in Chrono Cross as Dr. Lucca Ashtear. In the game, she has opened an orphanage.
Frog
Frog (Kaeru in Japan) is a knight from A.D. 600. He is the first ally the party meets who is not from their time. His real name is Glenn, but because of a curse cast upon him by Magus he has since taken the form of an anthropomorphic frog (hence his name). Frog made a promise to himself that day to avenge his fallen comrade Cyrus. To do this he would have to kill Magus, effectively breaking the curse on his body. Frog is incredibly close to Queen Leene, vowing to protect her as opposed to the more traditional protection of the king. He is portrayed as a more chivalrous character; a true knight. He is also the wielder of the legendary sword, Masamune.
Frog has the special ability of Water (once he meets Spekkio). Several of his Techs have reptilian references (some more outright than others). For example, one Tech summons a large, multicolored frog to come and bounce on the enemies.
Robo
Robo is a robot from the future, whose real name is Prometheus and serial number is R66-Y. He is found by the party in A.D. 2300. Soon after being repaired by Lucca he decides to join the party and help destroy Lavos. He has a strong friendship with Lucca throughout the story and the two bond the most out of any two characters. Robo uses his fists to attack the enemies. When Robo meets Spekkio he is told that robots cannot learn magic so he uses normal Techs throughout the game. Many of his Techs, however, can inflict the same status as Shadow type magic.
Being a robot, Robo can last for an incredibly long time. Due to this, one of his side quests is focused around restoring a long lost forest, by leaving Robo back in time for 400 years (although the party merely teleports to the present). During this time, he contemplates the existence of an "Entity" that is guiding the party's actions.
Ayla (Eira in Japan) is a cavewoman from 65,000,000 B.C. She speaks in stereotypical caveman speech (leaving out words and referring to herself in third-person). Ayla was, according to Spekkio, born before the invention of magic, making her unable to learn any magic. As reconciliation for this disability, Ayla has incredibly strong physical attacks and Techs. Ayla uses only her body in battle, she uses no weapon despite her art showing her wielding a club.
Ayla agrees to help Crono and his party after they defeat the Reptites, an evolved and intelligent dinosaur-like species that is intent on conquering the world. Lavos first lands in Ayla's time, and causes the complete annihilation of the Reptites, prompting Ayla to resign from her position of chief in her village.
Magus
The dark wizard who is fighting the war against Guardia Kingdom in A.D. 600. Magus (Maou in Japan) was originally a young boy known as Janus from 12,000 B.C., but after an encounter with Lavos, he got sent forward in time to 600 B.C., where he encountered Ozzie and founded the Mystics with his magic prowess. Magus became obsessed with finding his sister Schala and killing Lavos. This became his all-consuming goal and he even constructed a massive army for the task.
At one point in the game, the player has the option to either fight Magus, or have him join the party. The choice will effect the ending, also depending on other choices in the game. Magus uses a scythe in combat. His element of magic is called Shadow. Magus starts off with many of his Techs, mainly because of his entrance late in the game, but also because of his strong standing as a magician and sorcerer. He also starts off with the number two spell from the four other elements: Lightning 2, Fire 2, Water 2, and Ice 2.
Schala
Schala (Sara in Japan) is the daughter of Queen Zeal, raised in the Kingdom of Zeal in 12000 B.C. She is one of the Enlightened Ones (those who are able to use magic), and unlike many of the other Enlightened Ones, she is kind towards the Earthbound Ones (those who cannot use magic). Her mother forced her to try and use her magic to control Lavos.
She also plays a part in both Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross. She is merged with Lavos (creating the Time Devourer), and then must subsequently be rescued in the events of Chrono Cross. She creates a clone of herself, Kid, who plays a role in the game.
Queen Zeal (Queen Jeen in Japan) is the ruler of the Kingdom of Zeal, a magical kingdom from 12,000 B.C. She eventually becomes obsessed with power and harnessing the energy from Lavos. An insane quality takes place of the regal quality that she had before. Although she is rather evil in the eyes of many, the Gurus see Queen Zeal as more of a victim than an actual antagonist. The great power of Lavos likely drove her insane.
At one point in the game, she turns the Zeal Palace into the Black Omen, a large ship that the party must invade, and eventually defeat Queen Zeal who has been overtaken by Lavos' pure energy.
The Gurus are the Guru of Life ( Melchior, Bosh in Japan), the Guru of Reason ( Belthasar, Gash in Japan), and the Guru of Time ( Gaspar, Hash in Japan). They are advisers to Queen Zeal during the period before Lavos' coming. When Queen Zeal becomes obsessed with harnessing Lavos' power, the Gurus attempt to stop her. Angered by their actions, Queen Zeal banishes them to different time periods; Melchior to 1000 A.D., Belthasar to 2300 A.D., and Gaspar to the End of Time.
Lavos (Ravos in Japan) is the main antagonist of Chrono Trigger, and the cause of the end of the world. Lavos is an alien parasite who came to earth in 65,000,000 B.C., and was named by Ayla (La means fires and Vos means big in Ayla's language). For most of the game Lavos true goal and origin are unknown. It is originally believed that Magus was the one who created Lavos, but it is revealed that Magus was merely summoning Lavos to get revenge on him for destroying his home in 12000 B.C. The party, however, foils his summoning.
Lavos lay dormant for millions of years, draining the planet's life energy, and creating Lavos Spawn to move onto other planets. It is hinted at the Lavos directly influenced everything that had happened on the earth in order to gain more power, however the line is absent in the Japanese version of the game. When the group sees a recording of Lavos emerging and destroying the world in 1999 A.D., they decide to somehow prevent the end of the world.
Lavos has multiple forms. The first is an outer core, the second is a large humanoid figure, and the last is a small humanoid and two "bits."
An intelligent entity is referred and hinted at throughout the game that is supposedly creating the time portals and somehow leading the party around the various locations in the game. At first, Lavos is believed to be making the time portals, because all of the time portals relate to Lavos. However, since Lavos lay dormant so long, it isn't possible. The most probable theory is that the entity is the planet, and that the planet is reliving its memories in relation to Lavos. It is possible to leave Robo in the field, although he still appears in the ending.
During one of Robo's side quests in which he helps rebuild a forest, he contemplates the existence of an entity for the 400 years that he is assisting in rebuilding the forest.
Azala
Azala is the ruler of the Reptite race from 65,000,000 B.C. As ruler of the Reptites, he has many advantages over his human counterparts. Crono and his friends assist Ayla (the leader of the human tribe in 65,000,000 B.C.) in defeating Azala and the Reptites.
Azala is capable of telekinesis; he can use his mind to lift up characters, and then toss them. He also is in control of the Black Tyrano, a large, powerful dinosaur that also is one of the bosses in the game.
Dalton is an officer and adviser of Queen Zeal. He is encountered several times during the game and plays a role in the game's story during several pivotal sections. When the player first arrives in the Kingdom of Zeal, Dalton is at the unfinished building site of the Blackbird (a large airship). When the party comes to the throne room, Dalton is ordered to deal with them. Dalton doesn't do this personally, instead summoning a Golem, which is an incredibly powerful monster. Despite this, however, it does not matter whether or not the players wins in the battle with Golem.
Later, Dalton himself is fought. After this defeat at the hands of Crono, Dalton leaves to the Ocean Palace, along with the rest of the of the Kingdom of Zeal. When he is encountered again, the summons multiple Golems (which must be defeated this time). In the events that follow, Crono dies at the hands of Lavos. As the party makes their way back to the Kingdom of Zeal, they are captured by Dalton. After managing to escape his grasp, the player is forced with another Golem, but this time, the GolemBoss (which Dalton had spoken of with high regard). Despite this, it is afraid of heights, and doesn't put up a fight at all. Dalton is not seen again after the escape from his ship.
Cyrus
Cyrus is not directly seen in the game, but is often referred to in the game. He was a knight of the Kingdom of Guardia, and a close friend of Frog (when he was Glenn). Glenn was often bullied by other children, but Cyrus (as an older friend) caused this to stop. This was the beginning of Glenn and Cyrus' relationship; as Cyrus became Glenn's mentor. They both later joined the Knights of Guardia, although due to Cyrus' superior talents, he became the kingdom's first Knight Captain.
Cyrus met his end when he decided to try and find the Hero's Badge and the sword called Masamune. Glenn and Cyrus set out to do just that, despite the objections of the king. The two manage to defeat the Toad King and gain the Hero's Badge. In the second part of this mission, the two friends went to the Denadoro Mountains to find the sword. They defeated Masa & Mune (two young boys guarding the swords who are actually powerful spirits), and gained the sword. When they left the cave, though, they met with Magus. Magus was temporarily defeated, but the Masamune was broken. Cyrus desperately told Glenn to run, but Glenn couldn't, as his friend was being murdered before his very eyes. Glenn was then transformed into a Frog.
Cyrus' grave can be found in an optional side quest later in the game.
Masa & Mune are two shape shifting life forms. Their origins and actual species is unknown. They are the guardians of the legendary sword, the Masamune. When they are first encountered in the Denadoro Mountains, they are in the form of two children. They transform into a strange demon-like form after attempting to take the Masamune. Only one of these two has to be defeated, and upon its defeat, the two merge into one. The two also appear in Chrono Cross.
Ozzie
Ozzie (known in Japan as Vinegar) is an obese Fiend of Magus'. He is second-in-command to Magus. His name in English is a reference to Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzie raised Janus (a younger version of Magus) and honed his magical abilities. He soon became more powerful, though, and Magus became the leader. Ozzie stayed loyal, though, even as a war began on the Kingdom of Guardia. The party constantly fights Ozzie at many points during the game. An item can be obtained from him known as Ozzie's Pants, which is one of the best items in the game. Along with Flea and Slash, the three form an ultimate team against the party.
Slash is another high-ranking official of the Mystic army. In Japanese, he is known as Soysau, which is a shortening of soy sauce. His name in English is a tribute to the guitarist of Guns N' Roses. He is obsessed with swords, hence his name. He is an excellent swordsman, however, which makes him excited at the opportunity to defeat Crono and his team upon their arrival to Magus' Castle. If he is defeated, the weapon he drops is one of the most powerful in the game--the Slasher 2. He joins forces with Ozzie and Flea and fights against the party as an ultimate trio later on.
Flea
Flea is another general in the army of the Mystics. Flea is known in Japan as Mayonnai, which is a shortening of mayonnaise. Flea is one of the strangest characters in the game, as he appears to be female physically, but he reveals that he is a male later on in the game. This is much more heavily implied in the Japanese version of the game than the English (probably due to Nintendo of America's stricter standards). Flea is named after Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the English version. One of Flea's special abilities is that of turning into a bat (he follows the party around in this form quite a lot). Upon his defeat, he grants the party with the Flea Vest. He later joins Ozzie and Slash to form an ultimate trio against the party.
Other Versions and Sequels
Chrono Trigger was released on Final Fantasy Chronicles for the PlayStation, a PlayStation remake (also named Chrono Trigger), and a Nintendo DS re-release (also named Chrono Trigger). Chrono Trigger had three Satellaview games: BS Chrono Trigger: Character Library, BS Chrono Trigger: Music Library, and BS Chrono Trigger: Jet Bike Special. The first two are just that; a character library and a music library. The third, however, is the jet bike racing minigame from the actual game, in which the player races against Johnny on a Mode 7 post-apocalyptic racetrack.
Chrono Trigger on the PlayStation is not quite as rare as the Super Nintendo version. The PlayStation release was developed by TOSE, and released on November 2, 1999 in Japan (as a standalone re-release) and on June 29, 2001 in North America as Final Fantasy Chronicles (the compilation merely contained an English version of the Japanese re-release). It is known for adding animated cutscenes, including an extra ending. The PlayStation version is also known for having longer load times and the ability to have more than the three files of the Super Nintendo version.
Chrono Resurrection was an unreleased fan remake of several scenes from the game. Many high-profile game critics complimented the ambition of the project, and noted the professionalism of the project. However, the project was halted when a cease and desist letter arrived from Square Enix, requesting that production be stopped. Another similar project that was halted in mid-development was more ambitious; it sought to remake the entire game. The project was known as Chrono Trigger Remake Project until its shutdown due to a cease and desist letter from Square Enix.
Several other fan projects were recently shut down by Square Enix, many of which originated on Chrono fan-site Chrono Compendium. On May 8, 2009, Square Enix sent a cease and desist to the website for their Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes project, as well as requesting that the website remove information on other fan projects: Chrono Trigger: Prophet's Guile, Chrono Trigger Retranslation, Chrono Trigger Re-amped, Chrono Trigger Rebirth, and Chrono Trigger Azala Style.
Chrono Trigger has since had two sequels: Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Hoseki and Chrono Cross. Radical Dreamers was only released in Japan, but Chrono Cross garnered the great reception of its Super Nintendo predecessor. Square Enix applied for the trademark Chrono Break in 2001, which has caused many fans to speculate about the possibility of the series continuing.
There are two known prerelease versions (an alpha and a beta). The beta version has been leaked onto the internet and even translated into English. The alpha version was shown in preview videos and screenshots. There are many differences from the full game. Differences include an extra door in 600 A.D. Guardia Castle, paler guard sprites, no spikes in Crono's hair, five levels of elemental power (opposed to just one), large overworld differences, rough musical tracks, a slightly altered Epoch sprite, altered dialogue, changed door seal design, and a slightly different Arris Dome.
The beta version, being released onto the internet in ROM format, has much more information surrounding it. Known as the prerelease version (rather than beta), it is dated November 17, 1994, and was sent to reviewers and retailers to give a sample of what Chrono Trigger was before it was released. The prerelease is not a complete game; rather, there are barriers blocking the way in Guardia Castle, Lab 32, and Magic Cave. By using location offsets, however, the player can access much more of the game. Location offsets are two digit hexadecimal codes that can be used with the code 7E0100XX (XX being the location offset). There are two other ways to access other areas in the game. The first is to use saved games in an emulator. The last way is to use the Epoch, which despite having a different sprite is completely functional in the prerelease. There are areas where the player can't access, but these are all places that aren't usually accessible via the Epoch. The Epoch sprite is likely one of the most different sprite in the prerelease (as other sprites have minor changes and palette swaps as opposed to large differences).
It has been long-rumored that Schala is a playable character in the prerelease version of Chrono Trigger. By examining the data in the ROM, it has been decided that this rumor is false. Not only are there no extra sprites for Schala (most importantly, no overworld sprites), there is not an eighth character slot and Schala's graphics are compressed (like all other non-playable characters, and unlike the decompressed graphics of the playable characters). If a playable character did have compressed graphics, it would give the game huge slowdown because the CPU would have to decompress the graphics during gameplay. There is a guard overworld sprite in the overworld sprite data. At first, it was rumored to be an eighth character, but after analyzing non-playable character data, it has been found that the overworld sprite was likely a barrier to prevent the player from progressing, but was removed as the developers found a way to use the environment as a barrier instead. There are many other minor differences, mostly related to minor graphical, dialogue, and sound changes.
The Nintendo DS version of Chrono Trigger was released on November 25, 2008 in North America, November 20, 2008 in Japan, and February 6, 2009 in Europe. The version adds many new features, but retains the gameplay and graphical style. The game features an all-new translation, but according to some critics, doesn't make much of an impact. The game also features the anime cutscenes of the PlayStation remake. The game can be played in either one of two modes: DS Mode and Classic Mode. DS Mode features touch-screen controls, while Classic Mode is the original game. New dungeons have been added as well, including Dimensional Vortex and Lost Sanctum. The Lost Sanctum is an area where the player can go for various side quests that can be done for items and money. These dungeons also contain new bosses, and in the case of Dimensional Vortex, a new final boss and a new ending. The graphics have been slightly altered, adding new sprites and animations in some cases. Currently, Chrono Trigger holds a 92% rating on Game Rankings and a 93% rating on Metacritic.
A feature that is rather new to the game is the Arena, which is unlocked upon saving. It uses the theme from 2300 A.D. Upon entering, a men greets the player and explains that this is the Arena of the Ages. In this area, the player can raise creatures and align them to one of the four elemental types (Light, Fire, Water, and Shadow). Then, the player is granted with the choice of one of four Smidges, each aligned with a corresponding element. Then, the player can send the creature into an area that has already been visited for training. Items for these creatures can be bought from a Nu merchant in the arena. Other non-playable characters' creatures can be fought using a trained creature, as well.
An Extras section has been added with various items, and a few hidden ones. This section is unlocked upon saving the game. There are two extra sections that can be unlocked as well, one being a Treasure Atlas and the other being the Endings, but both have certain requirements regarding position in the game.
For several years, rumors circulated about the possibility of a Chrono Trigger anime. The rumors were partially true. An anime based on Chrono Trigger did exist, but it was a one episode special. The special was made in 1996 for a V-Jump convention. Titled Time and Space Adventures - Nuumamonjaa, the episode was sixteen minutes long. It followed a Nu and a Poyozo doll as they attempted to sell wares at a monster version of the Millennial Fair.
A short manga was in the Japanese Chrono Trigger player's guide. Only ten pages long, it was a brief and comedic story following Crono. In the manga, he meets Marle and samples Lucca's teleportation device. The story ended quickly, although it was merely meant to be an introduction to the game. Another short manga was created that was essentially a manga version of the Chrono Trigger original animation video. It ran for several issues in the V-Jump magazine around and after Chrono Trigger's release. In addition, the magazine featured other specials relating to Chrono Trigger, most notably a large 3D model of Robo.
Chrono Trigger, considering its popularity, had many guides released covering the game. Naturally, there was the Official Player's Guide from Nintendo Power (that was also used as a subscription bonus to Nintendo Power). Two other guides were published in Japan. Chrono Trigger: The Perfect is very notable in that it contained much information beyond that of a regular guide (that has since been translated on various Chrono Trigger fansites). The guide contained interviews from Yuji Horii and Hironobu Sakaguchi, two well-known developers who worked on the game. The second Japanese guide was Chrono Trigger Super Famicom Player's Guide, which contained the short manga based on Chrono Trigger (detailed above). Other than that, it was a traditional guide.
Much more official merchandise was created for promotion of Chrono Trigger. Prior to the release of Chrono Trigger, many "prism cards" were released that showed scenes and characters from the game. These cards are especially notable for their depictions of scenes that differ from the actual game (showing insight on the game's development and prerelease versions). In addition, many of the cards had "mockups," which are scenes that the developers created for promotional purposes, and do not actually appear in the game. The cards were holographic, making them difficult to spread on the internet (as noted by Chrono Compendium, which has images of all of the cards). Other merchandise for Chrono Trigger includes bookmarks (released to promote the PlayStation rerelease) and keychains (also released of Chrono Cross, possibly sold at arcades prior to the games' releases).
Chrono Trigger's music has been released in many soundtracks. The Original Sound Version was released in North America on January 21, 1995. The Original Sound Version contained three discs of 64 different songs, totaling at two hours, thirty-nine minutes, and fifty-two seconds. An arranged version of the soundtrack called Chrono Trigger Arranged Version: The Brink of Time was released on June 25, 1995. Unlike the Original Sound Version, it only contained one disc of ten songs totaling at fifty-two minutes and fourty-seven seconds. Two other soundtracks (Chrono Trigger Orchestra Extra Soundtrack, and orchestral arrangement soundtrack, and Chrono Trigger Original Soundtrack, a compilation of the "greatest hits" from the game) were also released. In addition, fans from OverClocked Remix, a site well-known for their work on Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, released an album known as Chrono Symphonic.
Original Sound Version
1. A Premonition (0:34)
2. Chrono Trigger (2:01)
3. Waking Up in the Morning (0:58)
4. Peaceful Days (2:48)
5. Memories of Green (3:51)
6. Guardia Kingdom Millennial Fair (3:17)
7. Gato's Song (0:42)
8. A Peculiar Happening (1:43)
9. The Wind's Yearning (3:22)
10. Goodnight (0:08)
11. Secret of the Dense Woods (4:46)
12. Battle (2:29)
13. Guardia Castle ~Courage and Pride~ (3:28)
14. Huh!? (0:05)
15. Manoria Cathedral (1:13)
16. A Prayer to the Travelers (0:11)
17. Silent Light (2:23)
18. Boss Battle 1 (1:58)
19. Frog's Theme (1:49)
20. Fanfare 1 (1:16)
21. The Kingdom Trial (3:44)
22. Hidden Truth (0:59)
23. A Tight Squeeze (2:39)
24. World in Ruins (3:24)
25. Mystery of the Past (0:07)
26. Dome-16's Ruins (1:34)
27. People Who've Abandoned the Will to Live (3:07)
28. Lavos' Theme (5:10)
29. World's Final Day (1:25)
30. Johnny of the Robot Hotrod Squad (2:21)
31. Bike Chase (1:35)
32. Robo's Theme (1:32)
33. Remains of the Factory (3:09)
34. Battle 2* (2:10)
35. Fanfare 2 (0:07)
36. The Brink of Time (2:31)
37. Delightful Spekkio (2:48)
38. Fanfare 3 (0:05)
39. Underground Sewer (2:24)
40. Boss Battle 2 (2:41)
41. Primitive Mountain (3:07)
42. Ayla's Theme (1:24)
43. Rhythm of the Wind, Sky, and Earth (1:51)
44. Burn! Bobonga! (2:12)
45. Magus' Castle (0:29)
46. Insane Melody (1:40)
47. Battle With Magus (3:30)
48. Singing Mountain* (3:05)
49. Tyran Castle (3:49)
50. At the Bottom of Night (2:31)
51. Corridor of Time (3:01)
52. Zeal Palace (3:57)
53. Schala's Theme (2:48)
54. Sealed Gate (2:47)
55. Undersea Temple (3:23)
56. Crono and Marle ~Distant Promise~ (1:56)
57. Epoch ~Wings Tearing Through Time~ (3:23)
58. Dream of Black (3:04)
59. Determination (0:56)
60. Time of World Revolution (3:48)
61. Last Battle (4:07)
62. Festival of the Stars (2:44)
63. Epilogue ~To Close Friends~ (2:34)
64. To the Outskirts of Time (5:46)
*denotes an unreleased track
The anticipated collaboration between Square and Enix offered an adventure spanning many time periods and a diverse cast of endearing original characters.
Overview
The title screen
Chrono Trigger is a traditional console role playing game, released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on August 22, 1995 in North America and on March 11, 1995 in Japan. The game is well-known for its multiple endings, unique battle system, and various other innovations. Chrono Trigger was an anticipated collaboration from Square and Enix, and was published by Square on the Super Nintendo. The game follows a young boy named Crono and his small group of friends as they set out on an adventure to prevent the end of the world. The game has sold around 2.36 million copies worldwide. 
The title screen
Chrono Trigger was received with great critical and fan reception at the time of its release. Reasons cited were the multiple endings, deep story, incredible music, unique battle system, and detailed sprites. From the time of its release, Chrono Trigger has gathered more fans, with many calling it their favorite game of all time. The game was so popular, in fact, that it sold two million copies within the first two months of release. Chrono Trigger has since been hailed as an incredible game in numerous "best games of all time" lists on various popular gaming websites and magazines (placing in the top 100 of IGN, GameSpot, and Famitsu's best games of all time features). Game Rankings (a reviews aggregate) says that Chrono Trigger has an average rating of 95%. Chrono Trigger's legacy earned it a reference in the television show Heroes, in the episode Once Upon a Time in Texas, the character Hiro references the love between Crono and Marle when he compares it to his own love, Charlie.
One of the few Mode 7 areas in the game
One of the few Mode 7 areas in the game
Development
Chrono Trigger's development team has constantly been referred to as a "dream team." Many of the people behind the game had already gained fame from other series, while a few gained fame from their participation on Chrono Trigger. A few of the well-known names involved were Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator of the Final Fantasy series), Nobuo Uematsu (composer behind the Final Fantasy series), Yasunori Mitsuda (composer for the game), and Akira Toriyama (creator of the Dragon Ball series and longtime contributor to the Dragon Quest franchise).
Chrono Trigger was produced by Kazuhiko Aoki and directed by Akihiko Matsui, Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita. Yuji Horii assisted Hironobu Sakaguchi in the supervision of the game. Yuji Horii, being a large fan of time travel, decided to center the game's plot around time travel. Masato Kato then edited and revised the storyline, and in the process created the idea of multiple endings. Masato Kato also wrote the majority of the events in 12,000 B.C. Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita also assisted in the writing of the script. Other designers working on the game include Tetsuya Takahashi, Yasuyuki Honne, Tetsuya Nomura, and Yusuke Naora (all of whom were involved in the graphic production of the game). Chrono Trigger, like many other Super Nintendo games at the time, also utilized the Super Nintendo's unique Mode 7 abilities.
Hironobu Sakaguchi talked about the development process in Chrono Trigger in a positive way. He cited humorous scenes in the game that he said would not be possible in a Final Fantasy game. He also compared the development of Chrono Trigger to "playing in Toriyama's universe." Toriyama had a large influence on the game development; for example, when Square wanted a playable animal character in the game, the team based Frog off of one of Toriyama's sketches.
When game testers complained about the difficulty and non-linearity of the game, the team added the End of Time so that players could get hints in relation to the next goal. Sakaguchi also required the beta testers to play through the game twice, to confirm that the New Game Plus feature worked.
Chrono Trigger utilized a 32 megabit cartridge that had RAM for saving games (battery backup). As the Japanese and North American versions of the game were developed on different schedules, they do contain some oddities. For example, the Japanese version contains art for the ending of the game and a running count of the amount of items in the player's inventory, while the North American version still contained the song for the unfinished Singing Mountain dungeon (although the song is unused in the game).
Localization
Chrono Trigger received a fan retranslation many years after the game's initial release.
Chrono Trigger received a fan retranslation many years after the game's initial release.
Ted Woolsey (a well-known Final Fantasy translator) was asked to localize the game for North America in only thirty days. He didn't have a modern translation team, so to get the context of the game he had to memorize certain scenarios and read drafts of player's guides to get a feel for the game. Despite the fact that he said he would have preferred two and a half months and an actual localization team, Ted Woolsey still said that this was one of his favorite games to translate. In 2007, a fan-translation of the game was released that is much more literal than the original game's translation.
Localization for the North American market changed many things, mostly due to Nintendo of America's stricter standards at the time. References to breastfeeding, alcohol (changed to soda in the North American version), religion, and homosexuality (in the case of Flea, a character who looks physically like a woman but is in reality a man) were all removed, or made much vaguer. Localization also changed many of the main characters' names. This was done for a variety of reasons, possibly because the Japanese name did not sound exotic enough. In the case of a few names, there was not enough space to fit the name. Despite the reason, many of the names were changed.
Gameplay
The overworld screen
Chrono Trigger's gameplay has often been referred to as revolutionary and innovative. Many concepts that appeared in late Final Fantasy games (and various other role playing games) were introduced in Chrono Trigger. All of the other elements present in Chrono Trigger, however, are that of a traditional console role playing game.
The overworld screen
Chrono Trigger created the name of New Game Plus, however the concept had appeared in games dating back to the original Legend of Zelda. In New Game Plus, after completing a game, the player can create a New Game by choosing the option, and then they will retain all of the equipment, levels, and Techs. Lavos (the boss of the game) was also accessible at many points in the game, and depending on the time that the player chooses to fight Lavos, the player will get a different ending (which ranged from humorous to serious).
One of the most unique aspects of the gameplay was its time travel. Different periods of time became accessible during certain parts of the game. These times could then be accessed through time portals, or (later in the game) a time traveling device that the party dubs " Epoch." Epoch can travel to any time period instantaneously, while the time portals can only lead the player to certain areas in a time period. What the party does in the past directly affects what happens in the future; even if that something is a side quest. Not everything directly affects the future, however. It must be pre-determined, as either a side-quest, a story related action, or various other actions (for example, by leaving Robo to work on restoring a large forest in the year A.D. 600 there will be a forest in A.D. 1000).
Towns and various other locations of the sort are accessed through a map. Once in these areas, the party can do various things in the area. If it is a town, the party can purchase items, weapons, and armor (using the money amassed by battling). Enemies are displayed on the screen, as opposed to random battles, which makes some battles avoidable. It also helps create a smoother battle transition, as the characters just run into a formation instead of it going from an overworld screen to a battle screen.
Combat
Crono, Robo, and Lucca battling the mythical creature Heckron
Crono, Robo, and Lucca battling the mythical creature Heckron
Chrono Trigger utilized the Active Time Battle system, a well-known battle system popularized by the Final Fantasy series (first appearing in Final Fantasy IV). Each character has a bar which scrolls across based on the character's speed. Once the bar is filled, it is that character's turn. The player has a variety of options and commands at their disposal in combat, from Techs (short for Technique) or just regular attacks. Each character with the exception of Robo and Ayla (Robo is a robot, so he can't learn magic, and Ayla was born before the creation of magic) has a special magic ability, with abilities such as Water, Lightning, or Shadow.
The battle screen is separated with two rectangles; one showing the combat and the other for displaying the options of the battle. The rectangle used for choosing options in combat can be moved from top or bottom by pressing Y. Battles are not shown from the side, as in most traditional Final Fantasy games, but rather from a more top-down view. The enemies and characters aren't locked to a single grid either; they move around the area fluidly. Depending on location on the battle field, some attacks have more effectiveness than others (for example, attacks that hit nearby enemies).
In combat, there are three options: Attack, Item, and Tech. Each of these is similar to traditional role playing game commands, but they have their own innovations. If Attack is selected, the character attacking preforms a normal attack based on what item he or she is holding. If Item is used, then the character can choose which item to use, and then which character to use it on. Techs are special abilities that the character can use. There are three types of Techs: Single, Double, and Triple. They all take a corresponding amount of characters to trigger (and only certain characters can use certain double and triple Techs). When compatible characters are together on the battlefield, the triple Tech takes magic power from each character involved.
The Millennial Fair, and Crono's first encounter with Marle
Plot
It is the year A.D. 1000 in the kingdom Guardia, and in celebration of the recent milestone, the Millennial Fair has begun. The story begins with Crono, the main protagonist, awaking from a deep sleep. Lucca, his best friend, will be displaying a new invention at the fair. Crono attends the fair, eagerly taking in the sights and sounds, until a chance encounter with a young girl leaves him dazed. After returning her pendant to her, which was knocked off during the incident, Crono agrees to escort her around the fair.After more exploration, the new invention is ready, and Crono and the girl (named Marle), go to attend the demonstration. Lucca, the bespectacled inventor, and her father have unveiled teleportation platforms that no one at the fair is too eager to try out. Crono bravely steps up, being teleported from one panel to the next. Next, Marle insists on trying, but her pendant reacts strangely and she vanishes, leaving the pendant behind. Crono courageously takes up the pendant and volunteers to step into the platform. He goes through the rift, tumbles through a swirling blue and black mass, and comes out in a heavily forested area.
Crono and Marle making their way to Guardia Castle
After this revelation, she begins to glow and vanishes. Lucca enters with the revelation that Marle is the princess of the Guardia kingdom in their time and that she's ceased to exist because she's a descendant of the missing queen, for whom the search was called off after Marle was found. A journey to a suspicious cathedral reveals a small collection of monsters and another hero, Frog, joining the party. A group of monsters that worships Magus is uncovered as the party responsible for the queen's disappearance. After they're subdued and the queen is returned, Marle comes back into being. The party is able to return to A.D. 1000.
The trial for Crono
Johnny is disappointed after his defeat at Crono's hands
Refusing to accept that time is unchangeable, the party journeys to another dome and finds a broken robot, which Lucca fixes in short order and revives. The robot gives its designation, but Marle finds it too dry and re-classifies him Robo. After a run-in with some of Robo's old friends, who do not take kindly to their former ally siding with humans and learning of emotion, they proceed through yet another time portal. This one, however, shorts out and sends them into a strange, single room floating in an ocean of darkness.
The End of Time
Some of Ayla's loyal subjects
They travel back to A.D. 1000 to Melchior, who repairs Masamune. Crono and company then go back to A.D. 600 to find Frog, who believes he is unworthy to wield the legendary blade. After some convincing, he agrees, even traveling to the End of time to learn magic. The party enters Magus' lair, and encounter his three generals, Ozzie the Trickster General, Flea, the transgendered magic master, and Slash, inhumanly quick swordsman extraordinaire, all of whom the party handily defeats. Magus recognizes Frog but shows no fear in the face of the Masamune. The party defeats the sorcerer, but he was in the midst of casting a massively powerful spell, which goes awry and causes a massive time gate that sucks the party in to 65,000,000 B.C.
Crono and his friends battling the leader of the Reptites, Azala
Crono and friends then travel to a huge kingdom of magic in 12,000 B.C. The Kingdom of Zeal is a huge floating continent where the people are practicing magic. The people of Zeal are getting all their power through the Mammon Machine, a machine that extracts Lavos' energy for their own good. While exploring Zeal, the party meets a mysterious prophet, who warns the queen about Crono's plans. A young boy also tells the party "One among you will shortly perish." The queen exiles the party to the ground of the world, which is experiencing an Ice Age. The time gate that the party used here was then sealed off, so they have to find another one. When they finally get back to the End of Time, the old man tells them of a machine called the Wings of Time which is found in A.D. 2300. They journey back to the future and find the device, a large flying machine they christen Epoch.
The party travels back to Zeal with intentions to destroy the Mammon Machine in the Ocean Palace. They arrive too late, however, and Lavos then awakens because of the Mammon Machine. The prophet is revealed to be Magus who attempts to destroy Lavos but is batted aside effortlessly. Lavos stuns everyone, but Crono pulls himself to his feet. He hurls himself at Lavos, but Lavos vaporizes Crono, and he dies. The rest of the party wakes up in a hut on the ground of the world, and a man named Dalton has stolen the Wings of Time and declared himself ruler of the world. He has added wings to it, rechristening it the "Aero Dalton Imperial," and is using it as an air-transport.
Our intrepid adventurers hurtle toward Lavos in Epoch
At this point in the game, it is up to the player what he or she wants to do. The main story is technically over, and a series of optional side quests open up, and resurrecting Crono is optional. The player can choose to encounter Lavos in a variety of ways at this point. Many of these ways can result in different endings.
After Crono dies, the player has the option to either continue in the game (completing side quests or finishing off the main story), or embark on a side quest to revive Crono. If the player decides to revive Crono, Gaspar suggests that they visit Belthasar in 2300 A.D. He knows the secret to bringing someone back from the dead. Belthasar tells them that Death Peak (located in 2300 A.D.) is the key to reviving their downed comrade; however, there are two requirements. The need for Crono needs to be incredibly great and they will need an exact replica of him (which can be obtained from Norstein Bekkler, a magician in 1000 A.D). After getting these requirements, and visiting the top of Death Peak, Crono can be revived.
Naturally, only one ending is considered canon. In this ending, the party reaches Lavos and manages to destroy its outer protective shell (either through fighting or crashing Epoch into it). Here, it is revealed that Lavos has been using the planet by harvesting DNA to control its evolution. It then proceeds to take on a final form, which is quickly destroyed by the team.
Crono and Marle float off through the credits
Endings
There are a total of twelve endings in the original release of Chrono Trigger, with an extra variant for the last two endings, making a total of fourteen. The PlayStation re-release added an extra two animated endings, bringing the total to sixteen. The DS re-release added another ending, bringing the new total to seventeen endings.The Dream Team
One developer is offering Chrono Trigger 2
One developer is offering Chrono Trigger 2
To receive this ending, which is most often regarded as the hardest, the game being played must be a New Game Plus. Lavos must be defeated when the party makes it to Lucca's teleportation panel. The team ends up at the End of Time. Here, the player meets many of the developers from the game (who say things in relation to the development of the game).
Frog and Leene, about to be wed.
Frog and Leene, about to be wed.
The Wedding
To receive this ending, Lavos must be defeated after rescuing Marle from 600 A.D. The party ends up in the Millennial Fair. After wandering around for a while, the party notices that everyone is reacting strangely to Marle's clothing, saying things such as the fact that she is dressing "normally" again. After reaching the castle, it is revealed that Frog married Queen Leene in A.D. 600 (this is revealed through an old film style).
Nu, Ribbit, and Kilwala
A Nu and a Ribbit
A Nu and a Ribbit
To get this ending, Lavos must be defeated after the first trip to the End of Time, but before the fight on Zenan Bridge. The ending is a Nu, a Ribbit, and a Kilwala engaging in slapstick comedy.
Tata attempting to infiltrate Magus' Castle
Tata attempting to infiltrate Magus' Castle
Tata the Hero
To unlock the fourth ending, Lavos must be defeated anytime after the battle at Zenan Bridge, but before getting the Hero Medal from Tata. The ending shows Tata walking into the chamber in which the party faces Magus for the first time, fires lighting all around him, only to realize that Magus has already been defeated by the party.
Closing Scenes
Closing Scenes
Closing Scenes
To get the fifth ending, Lavos must be defeated after repairing the Masamune, but before being stuck in 65,000,000 B.C. The ending shows various scenes from the game. Essentially, it is a movie featuring comedic clips from different places in the game.
Still Scenes
Still Scenes
Still Scenes
To get this ending, Lavos must be defeated before the battle with Azala, but before Frog joins the party permanently. The ending is similar to the "closing scenes" ending, except that it is still scenes instead of clips. Many of the screenshots have scenes that aren't actually from the game.
The mysterious cloaked figure
The mysterious cloaked figure
Frog and Magus
To get this ending, Lavos must be defeated after Frog joins the party permanently, but before Magus is defeated in his castle. Frog travels into Magus' Castle to unleash his revenge upon Magus. As Frog unsheathes his sword, the scene cuts to a cloaked figure. This figure could either be Frog or Magus, as they are the two main characters in the game who wear cloaks.
Crono is being awakened by his mom, with one key difference...
Crono is being awakened by his mom, with one key difference...
Reptites
To unlock this ending, Lavos must be defeated after defeating Magus, but before defeating Azala in Tyran Castle. The ending starts off just as the game does, with the bell ringing and Crono's mom waking him up. The major difference, however, is the fact that all of the character sprites are Reptites. Since the party never defeated Azala from his reign of terror, the intelligent Reptite race gains dominance over humans.
Magus' Revenge
Magus vows his revenge
Magus vows his revenge
There are two possible ways to receive this ending. The first is to defeat Lavos after defeating Azala in Tyran Castle, but before watching Schala use her magic pendant to open the sealed door in Zeal Palace. The second way is to defeat Lavos after being thrown out of the Zeal Kingdom, but before making it through the Ocean Palace. The ending shows Magus walking alone in scenes that the party has been through in the game, on his own personal quest of revenge: defeat Lavos once and for all.
One of the few lines of dialogue that Crono utters
One of the few lines of dialogue that Crono utters
Girl Chat
This ending is considered to be by far the most challenging to get. To receive it, Lavos must be defeated after seeing Schala use her magic pendant to open the sealed door in Zeal, but before getting Marle's pendant charged. The ending features Marle and Lucca talking about all of the male characters in Chrono Trigger and rating them. This ending is notable for being the only time in the entire game where Crono speaks. This ending is one of the most difficult to attain because of the little amount of time between the two events, making it so that the player could accidentally trigger Marle's pendant before fighting Lavos.
The party, ready to search through time for Crono
The party, ready to search through time for Crono
Crono's Death
There are two versions of this ending. In order to get this particular ending, the party cannot crash Epoch into Lavos. After Crono's death (and also Magus' death), everybody goes to their respective time period through the time gates. The remaining party members ends up at the Millennial Fair, with Frog being a human again. The remaining members set out to search for Crono. If Magus is still alive, then this ending is essentially the same, except Frog is still a frog.
In another version of this ending, Lavos must be defeated after Crono's death, except the party must crash Epoch into Lavos. This ending is essentially the same as the other version of this ending except for the fact that all of the characters stay behind to go on a search through time for Crono. This ending is slightly different if the player has the Chrono Trigger and if the player saved Lara. If Magus is killed, Frog will still be a frog (unlike in the other version of this ending).
The Dream's Devourer
Dream's Epilogue
This ending was added in the DS version of Chrono Trigger. To get this ending, Lavos must be defeated after completing the Dimensional Vortex. Then, a new bucket will appear at the End of Time, called the Time's Eclipse. By going here, the party will meet Magus (regardless of whether he is in the party or not). He will offer to fight and flee, but will transform into the Dream's Devourer, who is controlling Schala. Upon defeating the Dream's Devourer, the party is blown away and Magus and Schala talk. Then, Magus is warped to a forest and apparently loses his memory. He leaves to try and regain it. This is when the PlayStation cutscene plays about the loss of the Masamune. By doing this ending, Crono also gets a new sword, the Dreamseeker, which has a 90% critical hit rate.
The Game Over ending, in which Lavos defeats the party
The Game Over ending, in which Lavos defeats the party
Game Over
Not technically a good ending to get, but in this ending, the only necessity is to be defeated by Lavos. This ending shows the destruction of the world by Lavos.
PlayStation Ending
Crono and Marle at their wedding
Crono and Marle at their wedding
The extra PlayStation ending begins with the marriage of Crono and Marle. All of Guardia Kingdom's citizens are excited and cheering. The scene shifts to 65,000,000 B.C., where Ayla marries her friend, Kino, who is one of Marle's direct descendants. The scene shifts again, this time to Guardia Castle, where Glenn (Frog's human form) is knighted. He walks through all of the other knights, although his face is never seen. The scene shifts back to Crono and Marle's wedding, and Melchior stumbles out of the crowd to congratulate them. They come out of the building to be greeted by a huge, cheering crowd. Marle throws her bouquet into the crowd, and the scene shifts again. Lucca is seen walking through a forest with a small green robot similar to Robo. She and the robot discover a baby lying on the ground next to a tree, wearing a strange necklace. She picks the baby up, smiles, and the scene fades to a "fin" screen.
Playable Characters
Throughout the events of Chrono Trigger, a variety of playable characters are introduced and made available to the player. In all, there are five playable characters, with one of the five being an optional character. 
Crono
Crono (Chrono in Japan) is the main protagonist of the game. He lives with his mother (she is unnamed in the North American version, however her name is Gina in the Japanese version) in the town of Truce. After bumping into Marle at the Millennial Fair, he and his friends begin a quest to save the world (after witnessing the "Day of Lavos"). At one point in the game, Crono sacrifices himself in an attempt to destroy Lavos, but it fails and he dies in the process. It is optional, but he can be revived through use of the Chrono Trigger. In one ending cutscene in the PlayStation remake, Crono is seen marrying Marle. He also makes an appearance in the game Chrono Cross, as an apparition.
Crono is a silent protagonist. Most of his emotions and actions are shown through gestures (occasionally comedic). Crono only speaks once in the entire game, in one of the game's multiple endings. In it, he only speaks a few lines.
Crono's attacks are all offensive based, with only a few being healing (many of these are cooperative moves). After meeting Spekkio, Crono gains the ability of Lightning. Then his Techs and other abilities become more Lightning based. Even his appearance gives off the impression of electricity--his hair always sticks up.
Marle
Marle
Marle meets up with Crono at the fair. After getting Crono to give her a tour around the fair they meet up with Lucca. Marle's pendant causes problems with the teleportation panel, and sends her back in time to A.D. 600 . She gets mistaken for the missing Queen, her ancestor, and therefore ceases to exist, since the actual queen was never found. When the queen is returned, so is Marle, who decides to stay with Crono after she sees how much he risked just to save her.
Lucca
Lucca
Lucca (Rukka in Japan) is Crono's best friend. She is extremely smart, lending to the fact that she spends most of her time building technological devices with her father. Lucca uses different types of projectile based attacks in battle. Lucca will also take out a hammer at times to hit close enemies. Lucca's elemental alignment is Fire, making it so that she learns fire based Techs. After witnessing the Day of Lavos in A.D. 2300, she decides to help alter the course of history. She immediately becomes good friends with Robo after repairing him. Lucca appears in Chrono Cross as Dr. Lucca Ashtear. In the game, she has opened an orphanage.
Frog
Frog
Frog has the special ability of Water (once he meets Spekkio). Several of his Techs have reptilian references (some more outright than others). For example, one Tech summons a large, multicolored frog to come and bounce on the enemies.
Robo
Robo
Robo is a robot from the future, whose real name is Prometheus and serial number is R66-Y. He is found by the party in A.D. 2300. Soon after being repaired by Lucca he decides to join the party and help destroy Lavos. He has a strong friendship with Lucca throughout the story and the two bond the most out of any two characters. Robo uses his fists to attack the enemies. When Robo meets Spekkio he is told that robots cannot learn magic so he uses normal Techs throughout the game. Many of his Techs, however, can inflict the same status as Shadow type magic.Being a robot, Robo can last for an incredibly long time. Due to this, one of his side quests is focused around restoring a long lost forest, by leaving Robo back in time for 400 years (although the party merely teleports to the present). During this time, he contemplates the existence of an "Entity" that is guiding the party's actions.
Ayla
Ayla
Ayla (Eira in Japan) is a cavewoman from 65,000,000 B.C. She speaks in stereotypical caveman speech (leaving out words and referring to herself in third-person). Ayla was, according to Spekkio, born before the invention of magic, making her unable to learn any magic. As reconciliation for this disability, Ayla has incredibly strong physical attacks and Techs. Ayla uses only her body in battle, she uses no weapon despite her art showing her wielding a club.
Ayla agrees to help Crono and his party after they defeat the Reptites, an evolved and intelligent dinosaur-like species that is intent on conquering the world. Lavos first lands in Ayla's time, and causes the complete annihilation of the Reptites, prompting Ayla to resign from her position of chief in her village.
Magus
Magus
The dark wizard who is fighting the war against Guardia Kingdom in A.D. 600. Magus (Maou in Japan) was originally a young boy known as Janus from 12,000 B.C., but after an encounter with Lavos, he got sent forward in time to 600 B.C., where he encountered Ozzie and founded the Mystics with his magic prowess. Magus became obsessed with finding his sister Schala and killing Lavos. This became his all-consuming goal and he even constructed a massive army for the task.At one point in the game, the player has the option to either fight Magus, or have him join the party. The choice will effect the ending, also depending on other choices in the game. Magus uses a scythe in combat. His element of magic is called Shadow. Magus starts off with many of his Techs, mainly because of his entrance late in the game, but also because of his strong standing as a magician and sorcerer. He also starts off with the number two spell from the four other elements: Lightning 2, Fire 2, Water 2, and Ice 2.
Other Characters
Schala
Princess Schala
Princess Schala
Schala (Sara in Japan) is the daughter of Queen Zeal, raised in the Kingdom of Zeal in 12000 B.C. She is one of the Enlightened Ones (those who are able to use magic), and unlike many of the other Enlightened Ones, she is kind towards the Earthbound Ones (those who cannot use magic). Her mother forced her to try and use her magic to control Lavos.
She also plays a part in both Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross. She is merged with Lavos (creating the Time Devourer), and then must subsequently be rescued in the events of Chrono Cross. She creates a clone of herself, Kid, who plays a role in the game.
Queen Zeal
Queen Zeal
Queen Zeal (Queen Jeen in Japan) is the ruler of the Kingdom of Zeal, a magical kingdom from 12,000 B.C. She eventually becomes obsessed with power and harnessing the energy from Lavos. An insane quality takes place of the regal quality that she had before. Although she is rather evil in the eyes of many, the Gurus see Queen Zeal as more of a victim than an actual antagonist. The great power of Lavos likely drove her insane.
At one point in the game, she turns the Zeal Palace into the Black Omen, a large ship that the party must invade, and eventually defeat Queen Zeal who has been overtaken by Lavos' pure energy.
The Guru of Time, Gaspar
The Guru of Time, Gaspar
Gurus
The Gurus are the Guru of Life ( Melchior, Bosh in Japan), the Guru of Reason ( Belthasar, Gash in Japan), and the Guru of Time ( Gaspar, Hash in Japan). They are advisers to Queen Zeal during the period before Lavos' coming. When Queen Zeal becomes obsessed with harnessing Lavos' power, the Gurus attempt to stop her. Angered by their actions, Queen Zeal banishes them to different time periods; Melchior to 1000 A.D., Belthasar to 2300 A.D., and Gaspar to the End of Time.
Lavos
Lavos
Lavos
Lavos (Ravos in Japan) is the main antagonist of Chrono Trigger, and the cause of the end of the world. Lavos is an alien parasite who came to earth in 65,000,000 B.C., and was named by Ayla (La means fires and Vos means big in Ayla's language). For most of the game Lavos true goal and origin are unknown. It is originally believed that Magus was the one who created Lavos, but it is revealed that Magus was merely summoning Lavos to get revenge on him for destroying his home in 12000 B.C. The party, however, foils his summoning.
Lavos lay dormant for millions of years, draining the planet's life energy, and creating Lavos Spawn to move onto other planets. It is hinted at the Lavos directly influenced everything that had happened on the earth in order to gain more power, however the line is absent in the Japanese version of the game. When the group sees a recording of Lavos emerging and destroying the world in 1999 A.D., they decide to somehow prevent the end of the world.
Lavos has multiple forms. The first is an outer core, the second is a large humanoid figure, and the last is a small humanoid and two "bits."
Entity
An intelligent entity is referred and hinted at throughout the game that is supposedly creating the time portals and somehow leading the party around the various locations in the game. At first, Lavos is believed to be making the time portals, because all of the time portals relate to Lavos. However, since Lavos lay dormant so long, it isn't possible. The most probable theory is that the entity is the planet, and that the planet is reliving its memories in relation to Lavos. It is possible to leave Robo in the field, although he still appears in the ending.
During one of Robo's side quests in which he helps rebuild a forest, he contemplates the existence of an entity for the 400 years that he is assisting in rebuilding the forest.
Azala
Azala
Azala
Azala is the ruler of the Reptite race from 65,000,000 B.C. As ruler of the Reptites, he has many advantages over his human counterparts. Crono and his friends assist Ayla (the leader of the human tribe in 65,000,000 B.C.) in defeating Azala and the Reptites.
Azala is capable of telekinesis; he can use his mind to lift up characters, and then toss them. He also is in control of the Black Tyrano, a large, powerful dinosaur that also is one of the bosses in the game.
Dalton
Dalton
Dalton
Dalton is an officer and adviser of Queen Zeal. He is encountered several times during the game and plays a role in the game's story during several pivotal sections. When the player first arrives in the Kingdom of Zeal, Dalton is at the unfinished building site of the Blackbird (a large airship). When the party comes to the throne room, Dalton is ordered to deal with them. Dalton doesn't do this personally, instead summoning a Golem, which is an incredibly powerful monster. Despite this, however, it does not matter whether or not the players wins in the battle with Golem.
Later, Dalton himself is fought. After this defeat at the hands of Crono, Dalton leaves to the Ocean Palace, along with the rest of the of the Kingdom of Zeal. When he is encountered again, the summons multiple Golems (which must be defeated this time). In the events that follow, Crono dies at the hands of Lavos. As the party makes their way back to the Kingdom of Zeal, they are captured by Dalton. After managing to escape his grasp, the player is forced with another Golem, but this time, the GolemBoss (which Dalton had spoken of with high regard). Despite this, it is afraid of heights, and doesn't put up a fight at all. Dalton is not seen again after the escape from his ship.
Cyrus
Cyrus
Cyrus
Cyrus is not directly seen in the game, but is often referred to in the game. He was a knight of the Kingdom of Guardia, and a close friend of Frog (when he was Glenn). Glenn was often bullied by other children, but Cyrus (as an older friend) caused this to stop. This was the beginning of Glenn and Cyrus' relationship; as Cyrus became Glenn's mentor. They both later joined the Knights of Guardia, although due to Cyrus' superior talents, he became the kingdom's first Knight Captain.
Cyrus met his end when he decided to try and find the Hero's Badge and the sword called Masamune. Glenn and Cyrus set out to do just that, despite the objections of the king. The two manage to defeat the Toad King and gain the Hero's Badge. In the second part of this mission, the two friends went to the Denadoro Mountains to find the sword. They defeated Masa & Mune (two young boys guarding the swords who are actually powerful spirits), and gained the sword. When they left the cave, though, they met with Magus. Magus was temporarily defeated, but the Masamune was broken. Cyrus desperately told Glenn to run, but Glenn couldn't, as his friend was being murdered before his very eyes. Glenn was then transformed into a Frog.
Cyrus' grave can be found in an optional side quest later in the game.
Masa & Mune
Masa & Mune
Masa & Mune
Masa & Mune are two shape shifting life forms. Their origins and actual species is unknown. They are the guardians of the legendary sword, the Masamune. When they are first encountered in the Denadoro Mountains, they are in the form of two children. They transform into a strange demon-like form after attempting to take the Masamune. Only one of these two has to be defeated, and upon its defeat, the two merge into one. The two also appear in Chrono Cross.
Ozzie
Ozzie
Ozzie
Ozzie (known in Japan as Vinegar) is an obese Fiend of Magus'. He is second-in-command to Magus. His name in English is a reference to Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzie raised Janus (a younger version of Magus) and honed his magical abilities. He soon became more powerful, though, and Magus became the leader. Ozzie stayed loyal, though, even as a war began on the Kingdom of Guardia. The party constantly fights Ozzie at many points during the game. An item can be obtained from him known as Ozzie's Pants, which is one of the best items in the game. Along with Flea and Slash, the three form an ultimate team against the party.
Slash
Slash
Slash
Slash is another high-ranking official of the Mystic army. In Japanese, he is known as Soysau, which is a shortening of soy sauce. His name in English is a tribute to the guitarist of Guns N' Roses. He is obsessed with swords, hence his name. He is an excellent swordsman, however, which makes him excited at the opportunity to defeat Crono and his team upon their arrival to Magus' Castle. If he is defeated, the weapon he drops is one of the most powerful in the game--the Slasher 2. He joins forces with Ozzie and Flea and fights against the party as an ultimate trio later on.
Flea
Flea
Flea
Flea is another general in the army of the Mystics. Flea is known in Japan as Mayonnai, which is a shortening of mayonnaise. Flea is one of the strangest characters in the game, as he appears to be female physically, but he reveals that he is a male later on in the game. This is much more heavily implied in the Japanese version of the game than the English (probably due to Nintendo of America's stricter standards). Flea is named after Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the English version. One of Flea's special abilities is that of turning into a bat (he follows the party around in this form quite a lot). Upon his defeat, he grants the party with the Flea Vest. He later joins Ozzie and Slash to form an ultimate trio against the party.
Chrono Resurrection logo
Chrono Resurrection logo
Other Versions and Sequels
Chrono Trigger was released on Final Fantasy Chronicles for the PlayStation, a PlayStation remake (also named Chrono Trigger), and a Nintendo DS re-release (also named Chrono Trigger). Chrono Trigger had three Satellaview games: BS Chrono Trigger: Character Library, BS Chrono Trigger: Music Library, and BS Chrono Trigger: Jet Bike Special. The first two are just that; a character library and a music library. The third, however, is the jet bike racing minigame from the actual game, in which the player races against Johnny on a Mode 7 post-apocalyptic racetrack. Chrono Trigger on the PlayStation is not quite as rare as the Super Nintendo version. The PlayStation release was developed by TOSE, and released on November 2, 1999 in Japan (as a standalone re-release) and on June 29, 2001 in North America as Final Fantasy Chronicles (the compilation merely contained an English version of the Japanese re-release). It is known for adding animated cutscenes, including an extra ending. The PlayStation version is also known for having longer load times and the ability to have more than the three files of the Super Nintendo version.
Title screen for Radical Dreamers
Several other fan projects were recently shut down by Square Enix, many of which originated on Chrono fan-site Chrono Compendium. On May 8, 2009, Square Enix sent a cease and desist to the website for their Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes project, as well as requesting that the website remove information on other fan projects: Chrono Trigger: Prophet's Guile, Chrono Trigger Retranslation, Chrono Trigger Re-amped, Chrono Trigger Rebirth, and Chrono Trigger Azala Style.
Chrono Trigger has since had two sequels: Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Hoseki and Chrono Cross. Radical Dreamers was only released in Japan, but Chrono Cross garnered the great reception of its Super Nintendo predecessor. Square Enix applied for the trademark Chrono Break in 2001, which has caused many fans to speculate about the possibility of the series continuing.
Prerelease Versions
There are two known prerelease versions (an alpha and a beta). The beta version has been leaked onto the internet and even translated into English. The alpha version was shown in preview videos and screenshots. There are many differences from the full game. Differences include an extra door in 600 A.D. Guardia Castle, paler guard sprites, no spikes in Crono's hair, five levels of elemental power (opposed to just one), large overworld differences, rough musical tracks, a slightly altered Epoch sprite, altered dialogue, changed door seal design, and a slightly different Arris Dome.
The prerelease Epoch sprites.
The guard overworld sprite is located at the bottom; it is believed to have been a barrier.
The unveiling of Chrono Trigger on the DS
The unveiling of Chrono Trigger on the DS
DS Version
The Nintendo DS version of Chrono Trigger was released on November 25, 2008 in North America, November 20, 2008 in Japan, and February 6, 2009 in Europe. The version adds many new features, but retains the gameplay and graphical style. The game features an all-new translation, but according to some critics, doesn't make much of an impact. The game also features the anime cutscenes of the PlayStation remake. The game can be played in either one of two modes: DS Mode and Classic Mode. DS Mode features touch-screen controls, while Classic Mode is the original game. New dungeons have been added as well, including Dimensional Vortex and Lost Sanctum. The Lost Sanctum is an area where the player can go for various side quests that can be done for items and money. These dungeons also contain new bosses, and in the case of Dimensional Vortex, a new final boss and a new ending. The graphics have been slightly altered, adding new sprites and animations in some cases. Currently, Chrono Trigger holds a 92% rating on Game Rankings and a 93% rating on Metacritic.
Choosing between one of four Smidges
An Extras section has been added with various items, and a few hidden ones. This section is unlocked upon saving the game. There are two extra sections that can be unlocked as well, one being a Treasure Atlas and the other being the Endings, but both have certain requirements regarding position in the game.
- Theater - The theater has all of the cutscenes that the player has seen. Here, they can be viewed again.
- Art Gallery - The art gallery contains concept art for most of the characters from the game (as well as objects and creatures).
- Music Box - The music box is essentially the soundtrack for the game, containing all of the songs encountered in the game (and even the two unused tracks).
- Dojo - The dojo lists all of the attacks from the game (be it a single, double, or triple tech). The tech must be unlocked in the game for it to show up in the dojo.
- Bestiary - The bestiary lists all of the enemies encountered during the game. Information about each enemy can be viewed, from stats to techs.
- Item Encyclopedia - The item encyclopedia is almost exactly the same as the bestiary, except it lists all of the items that have been obtained rather than enemies seen.
One of the two main characters of the Chrono Trigger anime
One of the two main characters of the Chrono Trigger anime
Other Materials
For several years, rumors circulated about the possibility of a Chrono Trigger anime. The rumors were partially true. An anime based on Chrono Trigger did exist, but it was a one episode special. The special was made in 1996 for a V-Jump convention. Titled Time and Space Adventures - Nuumamonjaa, the episode was sixteen minutes long. It followed a Nu and a Poyozo doll as they attempted to sell wares at a monster version of the Millennial Fair.
The first page from the manga
The first page from the manga
A short manga was in the Japanese Chrono Trigger player's guide. Only ten pages long, it was a brief and comedic story following Crono. In the manga, he meets Marle and samples Lucca's teleportation device. The story ended quickly, although it was merely meant to be an introduction to the game. Another short manga was created that was essentially a manga version of the Chrono Trigger original animation video. It ran for several issues in the V-Jump magazine around and after Chrono Trigger's release. In addition, the magazine featured other specials relating to Chrono Trigger, most notably a large 3D model of Robo.
Chrono Trigger, considering its popularity, had many guides released covering the game. Naturally, there was the Official Player's Guide from Nintendo Power (that was also used as a subscription bonus to Nintendo Power). Two other guides were published in Japan. Chrono Trigger: The Perfect is very notable in that it contained much information beyond that of a regular guide (that has since been translated on various Chrono Trigger fansites). The guide contained interviews from Yuji Horii and Hironobu Sakaguchi, two well-known developers who worked on the game. The second Japanese guide was Chrono Trigger Super Famicom Player's Guide, which contained the short manga based on Chrono Trigger (detailed above). Other than that, it was a traditional guide.
A card depicting Magus (note that the holographic properties don't scan well).
Music
Chrono Trigger's music was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu. Chrono Trigger was the first game that Yasunori Mitsuda composed for (later becoming well-known for his work not only in Chrono Trigger, but other popular role playing games such as Xenogears and Chrono Cross), but by then Nobuo Uematsu was a longtime Final Fantasy composer. One track in Chrono Trigger was also composed by Noriko Matsueda. Mitsuda was asked to work on Chrono Trigger when he became unhappy with the pay of being a sound programmer. Mitsuda took the job and set out on a goal to create music unlike any before. Many of his tracks were inspired by dreams, such as To Far Away Times. Later, Mitsuda had to leave development because of a hard drive crash (losing several in-progress songs) and stomach ulcers. At that time, Nobuo Uematsu came in to compose the remaining tracks.Chrono Trigger's music has been released in many soundtracks. The Original Sound Version was released in North America on January 21, 1995. The Original Sound Version contained three discs of 64 different songs, totaling at two hours, thirty-nine minutes, and fifty-two seconds. An arranged version of the soundtrack called Chrono Trigger Arranged Version: The Brink of Time was released on June 25, 1995. Unlike the Original Sound Version, it only contained one disc of ten songs totaling at fifty-two minutes and fourty-seven seconds. Two other soundtracks (Chrono Trigger Orchestra Extra Soundtrack, and orchestral arrangement soundtrack, and Chrono Trigger Original Soundtrack, a compilation of the "greatest hits" from the game) were also released. In addition, fans from OverClocked Remix, a site well-known for their work on Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, released an album known as Chrono Symphonic.
Original Sound Version
Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version
2. Chrono Trigger (2:01)
3. Waking Up in the Morning (0:58)
4. Peaceful Days (2:48)
5. Memories of Green (3:51)
6. Guardia Kingdom Millennial Fair (3:17)
7. Gato's Song (0:42)
8. A Peculiar Happening (1:43)
9. The Wind's Yearning (3:22)
10. Goodnight (0:08)
Chrono Trigger Arranged Version: The Brink of Time
12. Battle (2:29)
13. Guardia Castle ~Courage and Pride~ (3:28)
14. Huh!? (0:05)
15. Manoria Cathedral (1:13)
16. A Prayer to the Travelers (0:11)
17. Silent Light (2:23)
18. Boss Battle 1 (1:58)
19. Frog's Theme (1:49)
20. Fanfare 1 (1:16)
21. The Kingdom Trial (3:44)
22. Hidden Truth (0:59)
Chrono Trigger Orchestra Extra Soundtrack
24. World in Ruins (3:24)
25. Mystery of the Past (0:07)
26. Dome-16's Ruins (1:34)
27. People Who've Abandoned the Will to Live (3:07)
28. Lavos' Theme (5:10)
29. World's Final Day (1:25)
30. Johnny of the Robot Hotrod Squad (2:21)
31. Bike Chase (1:35)
32. Robo's Theme (1:32)
33. Remains of the Factory (3:09)
34. Battle 2* (2:10)
Chrono Trigger Original Soundtrack
36. The Brink of Time (2:31)
37. Delightful Spekkio (2:48)
38. Fanfare 3 (0:05)
39. Underground Sewer (2:24)
40. Boss Battle 2 (2:41)
41. Primitive Mountain (3:07)
42. Ayla's Theme (1:24)
43. Rhythm of the Wind, Sky, and Earth (1:51)
44. Burn! Bobonga! (2:12)
45. Magus' Castle (0:29)
46. Insane Melody (1:40)
47. Battle With Magus (3:30)
48. Singing Mountain* (3:05)
49. Tyran Castle (3:49)
50. At the Bottom of Night (2:31)
51. Corridor of Time (3:01)
52. Zeal Palace (3:57)
53. Schala's Theme (2:48)
54. Sealed Gate (2:47)
55. Undersea Temple (3:23)
56. Crono and Marle ~Distant Promise~ (1:56)
57. Epoch ~Wings Tearing Through Time~ (3:23)
58. Dream of Black (3:04)
59. Determination (0:56)
60. Time of World Revolution (3:48)
61. Last Battle (4:07)
62. Festival of the Stars (2:44)
63. Epilogue ~To Close Friends~ (2:34)
64. To the Outskirts of Time (5:46)
*denotes an unreleased track
| Game Name | Chrono Trigger |
| Platform(s) | |
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| Original US Release |
Aug. 22, 1995
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| Original US Release |
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| Aliases | CT |
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