Gaming - Chrono Trigger HD?

Random screenshot!

A week or two ago, I started playing through Chrono Trigger in order to get footage for a video I planned on making. Despite only needing footage from the first dungeon in the game, I continued playing the game.

And it was totally worth it.

Chrono Trigger (CT) is a JRPG, but with enough of a difference from the rest to make it unique. Most battles take place in the actual environment, rather than on a separate battle screen. Additionally, characters can combine powers to create super powerful attacks. I'm sure I'm not the only one that spammed Crono and Ayla's "Falcon Hit" attack on the last boss fight. The fact that CT is about time travel only sweetened the deal for me.

Another thing that I like is the influence that the player can have on the world map. Unlike certain Final Fantasy titles, it's not static. For instance, if a player encourages a certain NPC to plant a seed, an area in the future will be affected, and again in another era. By completing a side quest, a desert in 1000 AD can be made into an extensive forest with a new building to enter.

Plus, the characters were fun and silly - quite fitting from the artist, Akira Toriyama, well known for his work in the Dragon Ball series.

Chrono Trigger is something that merits a remake - even more than Final Fantasy VII, or its predecessor (both of which have been ported several times). It is the opinion of this author and gamer that CT simply doesn't need a remake, HD or otherwise. The art style is engaging and interesting, despite the limitations of the native hardware (SNES). Plus, the New Game + feature preempts the drive for duration and/or replayability that so many people demand of games now. There's multiple endings, and even an optional super boss to try.

While I wouldn't complain about a HD Chrono Trigger, I do not believe that it is necessary. Having only played it this year, I have relatively little nostalgia for the game itself. (I mean, there's some for the SNES itself, but still...) Plus, CT has been ported to PlayStation, DS, iOS and Virtual Console.

In the recent blossoming of indie games, the 16-bit classic look of Chrono Trigger fits in amongst the likes of Shovel Knight and 1001 Spikes. Adding the fact that CT is already a solid JRPG, further alterations are unneeded.

Now, Final Fantasy VII on the other hand... :P

YouTube - 16ths: Manoria Cathedral Organ

Gaming Chronicles - Earthbound... Finally.

It only took several years of having various emulators, and one of my favorite LP channels doing a play through of its sequel, but I've finally gotten to play Mr. Itoi's magnum opus, Earthbound.

Apparently, this RPG doesn't push the envelope for what RPGs could do. However, having grown up with limited RPG experience (Paper Mario 2, then Final Fantasy in college) that point doesn't mean much to me. Similar to my interest in Final Fantasy, I was playing Earthbound mainly for the music and story. And the dialogue wasn't that bad either!

So instead of reviewing the game, or writing a typical "Gaming Chronicles" about my progress in it (I'm almost to the final "dungeon.") I'll just share some weird/funny bits I found while playing!

One of the best parts of the game are the many zany enemies you'll encounter. For instance, upon arriving in the sunny city of Summers, you might be assaulted by a Mad Taxi! Even previously stationary objects, like lamps or even street-signs:

Not their "real" names - these guys are Ness, Paula and Jeff.

Giygas' power isn't just limited to just stray animals or random people, apparently!

I also appreciated the self-awareness present in the game. That is, the game will acknowledge that it is a game, and play it up for either humor or plot purposes. That trick can get a bit annoying, if it is used too much. There does come a point where there's too much "Hey hey, this is a game," but Earthbound keeps its fourth-wall-breaking to a tasteful level. For example, this sign outside of a building in the city of Fourside:

Soooo meta.

 I don't know if this is a bit of humor from the developers or the translators, but a sequel to Earthbound eventually came to be. (Unfortunately, this game, known as Mother 3 in Japan, was never  *officially* translated to English.) Also, Earthbound did multi-layer dreams decades before Inception:

*cue loud fog-horn sound*

The dream-within-a-dream situation reminds me of the general trippy-ness (pun intended) of the game. All the battles feature undulating, colorful backgrounds. The picture above (with the attacking Crazed Sign) does not accurately illustrate this point. Some enemies, like Sanctuary bosses, feature their own unique battle screens. Eventually, I'll have to face the nightmare-inducing battle screen of Giygas. But not for a while!

I sure don't!

Earthbound has been an entirely enjoyable experience. I did have to grind once or twice, but various circumstances in-game made it enjoyable, like PSI Teleport and the lack of random encounters. In a genre where most main characters wield swords and wear chain armor, Earthbound is a different take on the conventions of said genre. Ness is just a kid (who happens to have a terrible, terrible neighbor - more on that in Mother 3!) who is thrown into his adventure by a meteor and the arrival of his terrible neighbor, the total Jerk with a capital J, Porky.

It's an experience I would recommend to anyone with an SNES or Wii U. I'm not sure that I can endorse emulators, but I'll just say that Google will lead you to some solid ones which can be made to support joysticks.

Anyway! It was pretty easy to write about Earthbound, as it is a very good game. Its predecessor, Earthbound Zero, or simply Mother, is a different story entirely. And an article for another day!

See you later, for now.


[Disclaimer: I'm never good at these, but here goes: piracy is bad, games are good. Emulators are fun, as some games are too rare/over-priced for me to get the actual cartridge. But, if you have a Wii U and want to try a fun game, please consider buying Earthbound. That's all!]