How to Get into Chrono Trigger?

[Scowling Dragon]

So I finally did it. I ordered and it arrived. Chrono Trigger for the DS.

I have heard so much about this game, so much so its the only one I have actively ever avoided spoilers and the like for.

Now I generally do hate Turn-based combat because there is only rote understanding, not really any skill involved. But I heard that Chrono trigger did it differently.

I played it for half an hour, got to the second forest and promptly died to the green goblins....Am I doing something wrong? Do I have to just grind a bunch more in Forest 1 against the blue Goblins until Im level 5 or something?
I expected maybe needing grinding but its barely the second forest!

[Kitten Champion]

Did you buy the Lode Sword from the Fair? I believe you can get it straight away with the gs your Mother gives you before you go, there's also 100g and a tonic in chests within the Mayor's house if I'm wrong on that.

Though, if you level up twice or so you should get the Cyclone ability which does aoe damage and can easily wipe out the early mobs in the medieval era. It's there to introduce the idea of positioning, so the game tends to bunch them up for you to figure these things out.

Chrono Trigger in general doesn't have much of a grinding element to it, you should be appropriate level simply by following the story's path.

[Scowling Dragon]

Did you buy the Lode Sword from the Fair? I believe you can get it straight away with the gs your Mother gives you before you go, there's also 100g and a tonic in chests within the Mayor's house if I'm wrong on that.

Though, if you level up twice or so you should get the Cyclone ability which does aoe damage and can easily wipe out the early mobs in the medieval era. It's there to introduce the idea of positioning, so the game tends to bunch them up for you to figure these things out.

Chrono Trigger in general doesn't have much of a grinding element to it, you should be appropriate level simply by following the story's path.

Huh. Kinda Oldschool style. I assumed since there was no need for war tools it would be a waste to buy any. Gotta get my mind into JRPG mindset. Its not about playing the role.

[Kitten Champion]

Huh. Kinda Oldschool style. I assumed since there was no need for war tools it would be a waste to buy any. Gotta get my mind into JRPG mindset. Its not about playing the role.

I suggest doing the tutorial at the Mayor's house then. The combat system is a bit different here and it's not immediately obvious until you play it a bit. For instance, if you're too close to certain mobs when you initiate your attack you'll allow for an immediate counter-attack, but if you wait a few seconds they'll continue their animation cycle and move out of range. You can take significantly less damage by simply waiting a few seconds in certain fights. There are other particulars, especially with regards to skills and their effects which doesn't follow the standard JRPG format.

Also, yeah, it's best to buy the best-level gear you can get when the opportunity is given to you as you won't get them through random drops and money isn't too hard to come by.

[Olinser]

Huh. Kinda Oldschool style. I assumed since there was no need for war tools it would be a waste to buy any. Gotta get my mind into JRPG mindset. Its not about playing the role.

Character levels in Chrono Trigger are significantly less impactful than upgrading equipment and unlocking spells. As long as you're not actively avoiding a lot of enemies your levels should be fine and the only grinding you should need to do is to get AP for a specific magic unlock or to get money for a specific piece of equipment.

For instance, if I recall correctly the formula for calculating damage that Chrono trigger used for the melee characters was (Pwr*1.3 + Weapon Attack * .55)*2 + RNG.

Since most weapons past the first couple tend to be about a 10-20 attack power increase and most characters generally only get 1 PWR a level (with 2 at some levels for some characters), a single weapon upgrade generally increases your damage by more than 3 character level ups, and even more when you're talking about upgrades that increase critical hit%.

So since Chrono generally alternates gaining 1 Pwr/2 Pwr per level, upgrading from Iron Blade to Steel Saber (an increase of 8, which is one of the LOW increases when upgrading weapons), increases his damage by a bit more than 2 full level ups. This is pretty significant in a game where most people will finish their first play through in the level 50-60's usually.

[Calemyr]

I wouldn't call "buy new gear when it's available" to be "old school". Gear dependency has not gone away in new games. That said, it is definitely an "old school" game, just a really good one that took the best of the old school and updated the rest.

Things that are useful to know about Chrono Trigger:

1) Don't "perma-bench" anyone. Nobody you can recruit in this game is useless. Sticking with Crono and your two favorites will get you through, but everyone brings something useful to the table.

2) Change it up. Combination attacks are a thing, and they are quite effective. But they can only learn combination attacks when they're in the party together. As characters learn new abilities, bring them back into the party to let them learn their combinations. Also, since there are sections where one character or another is mandatory, you don't want to be caught there with them under-leveled and under-geared.

3) Don't open sealed chests in the present first! Eventually, you'll be able to use a magical pendant to open "sealed chests", black squares with a yellow symbol on them. Inside each is a valuable bit of gear. But there's a useful trick to them. Find them in the past first and break the seal, but don't open the chest. Then find them in the future and open them. The time unsealed will power them up immensely. For example, a Fire Vest cuts fire damage by 50%. Simple. But do this to the sealed chest that has that vest and you'll get the Fire Mail, which negates fire damage. After obtaining the powered version from the present, you can then go back to past and get the basic version from the chest there. Abusing temporal anomalies is just part of the fun of the game. This is probably the most useful trick I can offer.

4) There are a total of 5 characters that join you in the game, giving you a party of 6 with Crono. There is a 7th hidden character, however. About halfway through the game, you can find a character who challenges one of your party to a duel. If you fight them and win, you get an extra scene in the credits. If you refuse to fight them, they'll join your party. This character is very powerful (meaning you get a lot of cool skills/spells), but not a team player (meaning no natural combination attacks). You can find accessories called stones that, when worn, will unlock powerful combination attacks that use this character, but they are often tricky to find.

5) Winning the game is not the end of Chrono Trigger, not by a long shot. That's just the first of many potential endings. New Game+ mode will be unlocked, and you can have all your levels and gear with you from the start of the game. There will also be a trigger unlocked (it's been a while, but I think it was a glowing dot in a bucket in Crono's house) that will put you face to face with the final boss immediately. Doing so during different parts of the story will result in different endings related to the the events at hand. Doing so right away results in the developers' ending, where you walk around a map talking to everyone and get messages left by everyone who made the game. All told, it's a pretty cool feature.

6) The DS version has some bonus features as well. One is an arena game that lets you raise monsters to serve as gladiators. The rewards vary from okay to great, but it isn't part of the game itself, just a new side quest you can take advantage of. It also has a really long end-game dungeon that ultimately serves to connect it to its "sequel", Chrono Cross. I use sequel in weak terms, since it's extremely disconnected from Chrono Trigger in every way with only a few passing references that really don't benefit anyone. There's a lot of brand new gear in the dungeon, though, so it's worth it for completionists.

Chrono Trigger is one of the greats of the SNES era. Excellent characters, a solid battle system, a complex story with a lot of heart and just the right level of humor, sprite-based graphics that somehow manage to still look pretty good today, and a sound-track that really draws the most out of nearly every instant of it. I've never played a "perfect" game, but this is one of the few I'd say comes close.

[GloatingSwine]

I wouldn't call "buy new gear when it's available" to be "old school". Gear dependency has not gone away in new games. That said, it is definitely an "old school" game, just a really good one that took the best of the old school and updated the rest.

Eh, most modern RPGs have far less variance in power from gear than SNES era JRPGs did.

That said, in Chrono Trigger as long as you don't skip any fights and always buy the new weapons and armour from each new town you reach (except the one where they cost stupid money), and keep your HP topped up by resting at inns when you find them, you'll breeze through most of the game.

Some of the bosses you'll want to get fancy on, many of them have multiple parts, and the order you kill them in often matters (the second proper boss will teach you this), and sometimes there are bosses where you specifically don't want to hit a certain part.

Spells and special attacks often have a shape (like hits enemies in a ring around the target, or everything between you and a target, etc), and picking which one to use based on what it's going to hit is often useful.

[Scowling Dragon]

Hmmm, whats the expectation in the game s I don't gimp the challenge for myself?

When playing story based Pokemon for instance I never used potions and generally avoided grinding for tougher more skilled fights.

However in Chrono trigger am I expected to always be chugging down potions?

And I don't mean that in a bad way. Im a new-school player. My RPG-Like games have other mechanics based on them so I don't resort to ones that take away from the skill.

However if the management IS the skill in this game Il stick too it.

[Velaryon]

Hmmm, whats the expectation in the game s I don't gimp the challenge for myself?

When playing story based Pokemon for instance I never used potions and generally avoided grinding for tougher more skilled fights.

However in Chrono trigger am I expected to always be chugging down potions?

And I don't mean that in a bad way. Im a new-school player. My RPG-Like games have other mechanics based on them so I don't resort to ones that take away from the skill.

However if the management IS the skill in this game Il stick too it.

I wouldn't say always chugging down potions is the expectation, but you get a healthy amount of consumables and will need to use them during difficult fights. Some characters will also get buff effects, which are often worth using (especially Haste).

Also, one of your characters will eventually learn an ability called Charm, which has a chance to steal items from enemies. This is extremely useful, particularly against bosses, because you can get some rare and particularly powerful stuff this way, especially in late game.

[GloatingSwine]

You'll use items in the early game, but pretty soon you'll get characters with powerful and practical healing abilities and won't need to use them nearly so much.


Incoming damage is pretty constant though, you will be expected to tank hits and heal out of them.


Edit: Also, doesn't matter until you reach the endgame, but don't do the new DS content on your first playthrough. (It's some green portals on the map). It's a horrible momentum sapping slog that's nowhere near as well designed as the original game content.

[danzibr]

I didn't really feel Chrono Trigger's third or fourth, uhh, "place." Don't want to spoil anything. The second one in particular was a bit of a turn-off for me.

EDIT: Oh yeah, GloatingSwine, what's your avatar from?

[Kitten Champion]

Edit: Also, doesn't matter until you reach the endgame, but don't do the new DS content on your first playthrough. (It's some green portals on the map). It's a horrible momentum sapping slog that's nowhere near as well designed as the original game content.

Out of curiosity, what does the DS content entail? Like, are they new dungeons?

[Olinser]

Out of curiosity, what does the DS content entail? Like, are they new dungeons?

There's some small dialog differences in certain places, a lot of equipment and enemies had names altered (stats remain the same), there's an added mini-game that is a monster training/battling mini game that offers some rewards, there is a new sidequest dungeon accessible at the end of the game (Lost Sanctum), another new dungeon you can access after beating the game once (Dimensional Vortex), and a new final boss you can fight after you have beaten all bonus dungeons.

[Scowling Dragon]

I didn't really feel Chrono Trigger's third or fourth, uhh, "place." Don't want to spoil anything. The second one in particular was a bit of a turn-off for me.

This is the worst kind of spoiler. An anticipation of something bad especially when I don't get the context is awful.

Its like saying

"Just out for the twist with the final villain at the end"

[GloatingSwine]

EDIT: Oh yeah, GloatingSwine, what's your avatar from?

This one is Admiral Okita from Space Battleship Yamato 2199.

Out of curiosity, what does the DS content entail? Like, are they new dungeons?

A few new dungeons. Trouble is Lost Sanctum is a repetitive slog through the same half dozen screens over and over again. Most of the time in Chrono Trigger areas are one and done and you don't return to them, so it stays fresh throughout. Lost Sanctum has you traipsing back and forth over and over again through the exact same few screens.

[danzibr]

This is the worst kind of spoiler. An anticipation of something bad especially when I don't get the context is awful.

Its like saying

"Just out for the twist with the final villain at the end"

Sorry :(

How far are you now? You might be past it. I recall it being early.

[tensai_oni]

Chrono Trigger is great. The first time I played it I was stuck on a boss as I was a dumb kid who didn't figure out how to equip weapons. I still knew to use potions when you're low on HP though.

It's also generally a pretty easy game (doesn't make it any less fun though) so if you struggle then you either do something very wrong or are in an optional area you are meant to return to later. No grinding required.

Now I generally do hate Turn-based combat because there is only rote understanding, not really any skill involved.

Wow. That's a pretty ignorant and condescending statement, isn't it.

[danzibr]

Wow. That's a pretty ignorant and condescending statement, isn't it.

Ya know, I kinda glossed over that the first time, but you’re totally right.

Unless skill is restricted to active action-type games.

[Velaryon]

I didn't really feel Chrono Trigger's third or fourth, uhh, "place." Don't want to spoil anything. The second one in particular was a bit of a turn-off for me.

EDIT: Oh yeah, GloatingSwine, what's your avatar from?

I don't suppose you could elaborate inside a spoiler tag? As someone who's played through the game a couple dozen times, I'm curious what you're referring to.

[Winthur]

Now I generally do hate Turn-based combat because there is only rote understanding, not really any skill involved. But I heard that Chrono trigger did it differently.

I played it for half an hour, got to the second forest and promptly died to the green goblins....Am I doing something wrong? Do I have to just grind a bunch more in Forest 1 against the blue Goblins until Im level 5 or something?
I expected maybe needing grinding but its barely the second forest!

These two statements tell me that you aren't actually particularly skilled with RPGs in general, where "grinding" most commonly is a secondary means to achieve a goal which is instead better achieved by proper resource allocation and learning the combat system. There are some exceptions, but even 1987's premier Final Fantasy didn't expect you to grind.

Go look for items and try different routes instead of bruteforcing if you're dying. I recommend following the General Imperative To Gradually Unlocking Deftness.

[GloatingSwine]

I don't suppose you could elaborate inside a spoiler tag? As someone who's played through the game a couple dozen times, I'm curious what you're referring to.

Spoiler

Show

I'm guessing it's the future, which is supposed to be harsh and depressing. I mean it can't be prehistory because Ayla is there and Ayla is the best.

"Skill" is one of those not-inherently-meaningful words that really should get a bit of definition if you want to use them. I mean turn based games don't take any "skill" to correctly execute the things you want to do (beyond "can you select the right word in a menu/icon in a box", but they tend to take a good bit more "skill" to decide what you should do.

But those are different completely non-overlapping types of skill.



(To be fair, I don't really think Chrono Trigger takes a great deal of either, it's not a difficult game at all and most of the tricks of combat are really just "remember this specific fact about enemy" like "use X element on Y enemy to lower its defence" or "Enemy A will counter if you do B so don't").

[danzibr]

I don't suppose you could elaborate inside a spoiler tag? As someone who's played through the game a couple dozen times, I'm curious what you're referring to.

Sure thing!

Spoiler

Show

I like present and medieval times just fine, but not 2300. I like Robo though, just not the gloom (I mean, I see it's there for a reason, how Lavos ruined the world and all... just sayin').

[Scowling Dragon]

Ya know, I kinda glossed over that the first time, but you’re totally right.

Unless skill is restricted to active action-type games.

That was pretty rude of me wasn't it. I mean to say I play RPG games with reaction testing elements because in Turn based non-grid based games I find the stragegies of the enemies too simple and predictable.

[Velaryon]

Sure thing!

Spoiler

Show

I like present and medieval times just fine, but not 2300. I like Robo though, just not the gloom (I mean, I see it's there for a reason, how Lavos ruined the world and all... just sayin').

Thanks! I thought that might be what you meant, but wasn't sure.

Spoiler

Show

My own least favorite time period is 65,000,000 BC. The stereotypical caveman talk in the English translation gets annoying very quickly, the characters are infantile (seriously, Kino steals your Gate Key just because he's jealous Ayla pays attention to you), and even Ayla is by far the least interesting to me of all the characters you get in your party. There's also just not much going on in that time period in general.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

That was pretty rude of me wasn't it. I mean to say I play RPG games with reaction testing elements because in Turn based non-grid based games I find the stragegies of the enemies too simple and predictable.

Then you will probably like this one.

Most of your area-effect abilities have a defined area to work in, and enemies will move around on their turn, meaning the formation of enemies might ruin your initial idea of using move X with a circular area of effect because they just split up and you'd only catch a single one anyway. Going the other way, you were planning on just attacking an enemy, but then you notice three of them clustered up and decide to put damage on all of them. Or, some enemies either have a different attack pattern or a different set of attacks at a certain health level, so damaging without killing them is disadvantageous to you.

And that's just one character. Once you start getting into combos, you have probably one of the most in-depth 'technically turn-based' combat systems ever used.