Chrono Trigger For iOS: Overdose of Nostalgia

[Phillip Swanson]

Chrono Trigger, arguably the best sprite-based Japanese RPG ever made, is finally available for iOS.

I downloaded it. Have started playing it. And the nostalgia is overwhelming.

For the unfamiliar, Chrono Trigger was released in 1995 and is a traditional sprite-based RPG in the vein of Final Fantasy titles before FF Vll. The iOS version is gorgeous and appears to be a high-res port of the Nintendo DS version, as it includes two additional areas included only for the DS.

The combat system differs from the FF games by not transporting characters to another battle screen once the combat is initiated. Battles aren’t random either, players can actually see enemies on the map and initiate combat by walking up to them (different for its time). The combat system is incredibly deep, complete with cooperative attacks called Techs allowing for nearly a limitless number of attacks.

The only noticeable gaffe is the on-screen text. It is a pain in the freaking corneal lens to read. Also, controls with the controller overlay tend to cover up a sizable, but not unbearable portion of the screen.

Chrono Trigger’s unique combat system, time travel infused story, and gorgeous sprite-based graphics are available for $9.99 in the App Store. Grab it now if you’ve never played, and even if you have, it’s a painless way to relive a little of the mid-90s gaming glory.

Source: TUAW

[-JailbreakeR-]

Now just waiting on chrono cross. I liked it better than trigger.

[JedixJarf]

Awesome, I don't have to play it in an emulator anymore

[akira8473]

I have been waiting for this game to officially come out for years so i wouldn't have to play in the emulator anymore. Unfortunately i only have an ipad now and it doesn't work for ipad.

[Havardr]

Now just waiting on chrono cross. I liked it better than trigger.

Hahaha, good one. Like that drawn out story was worth the time it took to play it. A six year old could have written a better story for what happened to Schala with much less superfluous language and pedantic details concerning quantum theory.

[TooSlo]

FFIV > CT. Know your JRPGs.

[gren]

Chrono Cross' only decent thing was the intro vid and especially its music. Other than that, the game was a huge dissapointment. No character progress, 100000 npcs to collect with no background... story was a mess as well. Trigger was way more original. Cross had a nice battle system imo though, but was not enough to keep a CT fan. I remember finishing cross in like 2 -3 months due to the large periods of inactivity in the game since i felt like i was forced to play it just to brag that i finished another game... Chrono Trigger FTW! ! !

FFIV > CT. Know your JRPGs.

and no FFIV was not > than CT. If you want to compare CT to a FF game it would only be ffvi, since it was the best 2D ff game, hands down. but even then, ff was "darker", while ct was more captivating. Having played almost all (if not all) major rpg series in their original consoles (yes, im 28 yo) i must say that ct was the best rpg in the snes followed closely by ffvi. Among my favorites were mario rpg (due to its unique graphics for a 2d console) and shadowrun for its story. And we should not forget the seiken densetsu aka secret of mana series as well, great action-rpgs! we want those as well! (i think there is already a SoM game in the app store)

[TheDirtyDiddler]

FFIV > CT. Know your JRPGs.

FFVI > CT > FFIV
Older doesn't always mean better.

So awesome to have this now on my 4S. I feel like I've been watching the party from the outside since I got it. Not even a tethered jB yet. This makes up for it.