Chrono Trigger In-Depth Review

Moving around in dungeons and in towns could also use some work in updates. The iOS port temporarily plants a joystick wherever the player’s left thumb lands, and naturally, it falls victim to the roving joystick’s great nemesis: the edge of the touchscreen. As in all too many iOS games that use this method, the player has to be very careful where his or her thumb lands lest range of movement be frustratingly restricted. Running and walking are built into the virtual joystick according to how far the player drags from the center, and while this is appreciated, it might be worth devoting a little more radius to walking so the player doesn’t zip right past NPCs, treasure chests, and other objects he or she can interact with. New players will also want to take note that the temp save and permanent save options are nested far down in the character management menu. You have to drag down to even see them, so don’t turn off the game thinking it’s magically auto-saved your progress!

In this era of ports and retro-inspired games, it’s pretty amazing to see just how well Chrono Trigger’s graphics have stood the test of time. Now, if only they could stand the test of increasing resolution size! It absolutely pains me to see the sprites passed through resize filters on the Retina display, and then suffer the indignity of having high-res text and menus plastered all around them. On the other hand, I very much appreciate the new sprites made for Chrono Trigger’s overworld maps — tracking the original version’s teeny tiny characters on the overworlds would have been murder on the eyes here. Like the game’s graphics, sound effects have a washed-out feel to them that’s sure to leave the longtime genre fan disappointed. As Chrono Trigger gets revived time and again, it becomes ever more apparent that it needs the same makeover Square Enix has lavished on the early Final Fantasies — not to mention the new franchise entry Chrono so immensely deserves!

All that said, it’s important to recognize the aesthetic ground Chrono Trigger still manages to win on iOS. The amount of work pumped into character animations was extraordinary in its time, and still resonates today: the story is acted out by Chrono Trigger’s cast just as much as it’s told through dialogue. It’s also impossible to deny the hum-worthiness of the melodies that put Yasunori Mitsuda on the map. Longtime fans should note that Chrono Trigger iOS inherits the new script and additional dungeons introduced in the DS port a few years back. Newcomers can rest assured Chrono Trigger will last twelve to fifteen hours at least, and a first-timer bent on turning out all the game’s secrets can spend twenty to twenty-five hours on an initial playthrough.

iFanzine Verdict: In so many ways, Chrono Trigger serves as a wake-up call and a benchmark for the quality iOS RPG developers need to strive for from now on. Sadly it falls flat on its face in the interface department, which will leave frustrated new players wondering what all the fuss was about in the first place. However, it’s also easy to see where updates can make this a port worthy of its awesome content.