The Gaming Group - Play. Discuss. Learn.
- Thread starter Keeper of Night
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A few questions, then, for those of you joining in:
1) Have you played Chrono Trigger before or is this your first time?
2) If it's your first time, are you going in relatively blind, or do you know a lot about the game and/or plan on looking things up as you play along?
For me, I've played Chrono Trigger a good number of times throughout the years. So much fun. I'll be interested in seeing what teams people decide to use once you all get that far.
I'll probably start up a new save file later today if I have the time, Monday at the latest.
1) Have you played Chrono Trigger before or is this your first time?
2) If it's your first time, are you going in relatively blind, or do you know a lot about the game and/or plan on looking things up as you play along?
For me, I've played Chrono Trigger a good number of times throughout the years. So much fun. I'll be interested in seeing what teams people decide to use once you all get that far.
I'll probably start up a new save file later today if I have the time, Monday at the latest.
I guess we start now. I do plan on working on Reborn for a bit still, but no reason to wait.
This will be my first time playing Chrono Trigger, and I plan on going in totally blind. I love being able to do that because I simply can't all the time. I think it'll be fun.
This will be my first time playing Chrono Trigger, and I plan on going in totally blind. I love being able to do that because I simply can't all the time. I think it'll be fun.
1) I've played some of it on the SNES in the past, but unfortunately my save data ate itself twice IN THE SAME AREA!
2) I only know about an hour into the game.
I'll be playing the DS version this time around since I've heard it ties into Chrono Cross better and plays smoother.I'll also probably start on Monday, I have a busy weekend ahead of me with work and packing stuff because moving. >.<
Chrono Trigger is an amazing RPG with an immense story line. If I remember right it has multiple endings as well. I still have the game somewhere back at home so I'll probably go pick it up and start playing it.
It does have multiple endings, yes, but... without going into spoilers, you can basically only access them in New Game+. However, they're definitely worth seeing if anyone feels like playing some more after they've beaten the final boss, or even just watching the scenes on YouTube. There are some minor variations to the "main" ending based on some choices and sidequests and stuff, but not enough to make them count as a separate ending, really.
My personal favourite one is the one where Frog and Leene end up getting married and Marle turns into a frog-girl. :U
It's been so long since I played, I honestly forgot about that. I may say sit down and try to speed run it to see how far I can get in a weekend if I remember everything still. The biggest upset I have with it is the censorship of US port which is saddening.
Hey, it's been a while since anyone's been posting here! I hope you all are enjoying the game. I'm getting close to endgame myself, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to take some time to talk about a few things and give my opinions.
It's hard to talk about this game without spoilering anything (since the game is very plot-based), so I'm separating my thoughts into spoilers based on chapter. In case you aren't aware, the name of your current chapter is visible as your save file title.
And that's as far as I've gotten. Currently working on the pre-endgame side-quests.
One non-spoilery piece of advice that I have for everyone is to definitely do all the pre-endgame sidequests. They're all fun and interesting and they give you a deeper look at certain aspects of the game's universe and characters. Plus, you get a bunch of cool weapons and gear and crap, not to mention extra EXP before going up against the final boss.
Oh, and for my final team I decided to go with:
I'm getting close to endgame myself, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to take some time to talk about a few things and give my opinions.It's hard to talk about this game without spoilering anything (since the game is very plot-based), so I'm separating my thoughts into spoilers based on chapter. In case you aren't aware, the name of your current chapter is visible as your save file title.
Yay, it's a festival! \o/
Always bet your points on Catalack. Always.
There's actually a surprising amount of exploring you can do before moving on with the main plot, if that's your thing, though you can't get into too much trouble. I always liked the battle tutorial with Gato, and some of the little sidequests like bringing the little girl's cat back to her.
I decide to name my characters after FE characters this time around, so Chrono is Chrom, Marle is Lissa, and Lucca is Sumia. Miriel would have been better for Lucca, but stupid 5 character limit.And I ship Chrono/Lucca anyway, so it fits well.
Always bet your points on Catalack. Always.
There's actually a surprising amount of exploring you can do before moving on with the main plot, if that's your thing, though you can't get into too much trouble. I always liked the battle tutorial with Gato, and some of the little sidequests like bringing the little girl's cat back to her.
I decide to name my characters after FE characters this time around, so Chrono is Chrom, Marle is Lissa, and Lucca is Sumia. Miriel would have been better for Lucca, but stupid 5 character limit.And I ship Chrono/Lucca anyway, so it fits well.
And so the game properly starts in earnest. As soon as we go back in time, that's when it feels like things actually begin.
We begin with our first monster encounters. This is actually one of my favourite things about the gameplay of CT. You can't really call them "random" or "wandering" encounters/monsters, because they are neither random nor wandering. Not only do you fight your combats right on the overworld screen, but once an encounter is complete, it'll stay gone until you leave for a new section, enabling you to properly explore and find all the chests, etc. In places where you have to travel frequently (such as Guardia Forest), the monsters can often be avoided completely so that you don't have to battle them over and over again each time you want to get through to a certain areas.
We also get our first introduction into time travel as it works in the Chrono Trigger universe. Marle's disappearance causing you to go on a quest to save the real Queen is a good example of time traveling causing consequences, which is reflected throughout the rest of the game (and its sequel as well).
Also the reason for my Marle name is revealed, as she is a spunky princess just like Lissa. <3
We begin with our first monster encounters. This is actually one of my favourite things about the gameplay of CT. You can't really call them "random" or "wandering" encounters/monsters, because they are neither random nor wandering. Not only do you fight your combats right on the overworld screen, but once an encounter is complete, it'll stay gone until you leave for a new section, enabling you to properly explore and find all the chests, etc. In places where you have to travel frequently (such as Guardia Forest), the monsters can often be avoided completely so that you don't have to battle them over and over again each time you want to get through to a certain areas.
We also get our first introduction into time travel as it works in the Chrono Trigger universe. Marle's disappearance causing you to go on a quest to save the real Queen is a good example of time traveling causing consequences, which is reflected throughout the rest of the game (and its sequel as well).
Also the reason for my Marle name is revealed, as she is a spunky princess just like Lissa. <3
Another party member, yay! Frog is named Lonqu.
We also get our first boss and a super easy one at that. Lucca explains time travel. Even though this is actually the third named chapter of the game, it really feels like the end of a single, introductory chapter. The heroes prepare to go back to their own time and everything seems like it should be normal, but we know there's a lot more game to come...
We also get our first boss and a super easy one at that. Lucca explains time travel. Even though this is actually the third named chapter of the game, it really feels like the end of a single, introductory chapter. The heroes prepare to go back to their own time and everything seems like it should be normal, but we know there's a lot more game to come...
I remember the first time I played this game and just bursting out laughing during this chapter. It's just so amazing, with the trial and everything. It's also another example of time traveling to the past changing things in the present.
Although I've played this game many times, I always seem to forget about the festival "triggers" until it's too late and end up with a guilty verdict. However, I managed to remember decently in time (I still grabbed Marle's pendant before going to talk to her) and got a Not Guilty verdict for the first time. \o/ You still get locked up no matter what, but I'm glad I managed to do that properly as it just makes things so amusing.
Although I've played this game many times, I always seem to forget about the festival "triggers" until it's too late and end up with a guilty verdict. However, I managed to remember decently in time (I still grabbed Marle's pendant before going to talk to her) and got a Not Guilty verdict for the first time. \o/ You still get locked up no matter what, but I'm glad I managed to do that properly as it just makes things so amusing.
Our first experience with a dungeon and our first "proper" boss. Apparently if you wait out your 3 days in your cell Lucca will come and you can fight everything together, but I always just break out and go solo with Chrono. >_> It's not like the dungeon is particularly difficult anyway. The shield guys are a nice mini-tutorial for using the game's combat timing properly, and there's lots of fun hidden things to explore (like finding your way into the blocked cells to get some extra items).
Of course, jailbreaking is a bit more difficult that it might appear and our heroes are forced to flee the castle and end up making a blind jump through another time travel gate to escape the law. Of course that's going to end well. :U
Of course, jailbreaking is a bit more difficult that it might appear and our heroes are forced to flee the castle and end up making a blind jump through another time travel gate to escape the law. Of course that's going to end well. :U
2300 AD wins the award for the most depressing post-apocalyptic atmosphere. Dark, deserted, creepy, the works. Who knows what the hell is up with the monsters here. Everything is just terrifying, especially our glimpse of Lavos in 1999.
Of course, that's also our first official introduction into what the main plot of the game is: to destroy Lavos. Seems easy, right?
We also get our 5th potential team member here, Robo, who I decided to name "1N1G0" after everyone's favourite time-traveler from the future. The random numbers are because he's a robot, obvs.
As usual for this playthrough, I left Lucca behind when we prepared to move on to the Factory. I had already decided on my final time and Marle is in it, so I figured I'd give her the EXP and Tech points to build up her techs faster.
PS: The race against the bike robot is also hilarious. My strategy is always to just wait for the end and then boost over the finish line.
Of course, that's also our first official introduction into what the main plot of the game is: to destroy Lavos. Seems easy, right?
We also get our 5th potential team member here, Robo, who I decided to name "1N1G0" after everyone's favourite time-traveler from the future. The random numbers are because he's a robot, obvs.
As usual for this playthrough, I left Lucca behind when we prepared to move on to the Factory. I had already decided on my final time and Marle is in it, so I figured I'd give her the EXP and Tech points to build up her techs faster.
PS: The race against the bike robot is also hilarious. My strategy is always to just wait for the end and then boost over the finish line.
Man, I always get turned around in this factory. >.< It's probably my least favourite dungeon. And since you're constantly going between different rooms/areas, the encounters respawn, too, and there's treasure practically everywhere so you definitely do want to explore every nook and cranny. It's good for EXP since the mobs aren't terribly difficult, but it does make it feel very long.
Lots of treasure, no real boss to speak of, new permanent party member. I guess that's all I have to say here.
Lots of treasure, no real boss to speak of, new permanent party member. I guess that's all I have to say here.
Shortest chapter ever. :U
Everyone gets magic, except Robo who can't learn magic because he's a robot. Stupid racist game. We also get our first opportunity to fight Spekkio. In case you didn't know, you can come back and fight him again multiple times throughout the game depending on your party's level, and his final form is even more difficult than the game's final boss I'd say. :U
Everyone gets magic, except Robo who can't learn magic because he's a robot. Stupid racist game. We also get our first opportunity to fight Spekkio. In case you didn't know, you can come back and fight him again multiple times throughout the game depending on your party's level, and his final form is even more difficult than the game's final boss I'd say. :U
We end up back in the present finally, but in a strange place full of imps and other monsters and we get to also learn a bit more about the war that's going on in 600 AD, partially in the town, and partially from the boss Heckran at the end of the cave that we need to pass through before we get back home. Figures that the guy leading the war against Guardia would also have something to do with Lavos since they're both evil, amirite? :U At least it's an excuse for more time travel shenanigans.
Man, the Guardian Soldiers can't even fight a war without our help. Thank god for Time Travel or they'd be screwed. :U
We meet up with Froggie again who tells us that we need the Masamune in order to defeat Magus, but he's too depressed to help.
There's a lot of little backstory and stuff in this chapter that will tie into some later side-quests and the like, so I highly recommend traveling around as much as you can and talking to everyone. This chapter is definitely a lot more dialogue-heavy than combat-heavy.
We meet up with Froggie again who tells us that we need the Masamune in order to defeat Magus, but he's too depressed to help.
There's a lot of little backstory and stuff in this chapter that will tie into some later side-quests and the like, so I highly recommend traveling around as much as you can and talking to everyone. This chapter is definitely a lot more dialogue-heavy than combat-heavy.
A dungeon and a two-part boss battle only to earn a broken sword. Lame.
I've always liked Masa and Mune, though.
I've always liked Masa and Mune, though.
Time to go waaaaaaay back in time to find a rock that can repair the Masamune. Yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me either, but at least we finally get our 6th possible team member, the broken English speaking Ayla, who I named Rinka after the Oni from Fates. Chrom gets the stone they need and it seems like it's all pretty simple...
... but this is an RPG and nothing is simple of course, so we actually get to go on a quest with Ayla to get our crap back and learn a bit more about this world and the time frame. Of course, we know who wins the battle between Reptites and Humans (because obvs), but the journey is still fun.
It's not actually a part of the plot, but I do usually go up to the Hunting Grounds as one of the few times that I'll actually seek out monster encounters. In this case, it's specifically to earn up enough caveman currency to buy the various weapons and gear at the trading hut. When it rains, you can sometimes find Nu that will give you 3 of everything, which is nice.
It's not actually a part of the plot, but I do usually go up to the Hunting Grounds as one of the few times that I'll actually seek out monster encounters. In this case, it's specifically to earn up enough caveman currency to buy the various weapons and gear at the trading hut. When it rains, you can sometimes find Nu that will give you 3 of everything, which is nice.
And so everyone confuses the hell out of Melchior by somehow providing him with both a super old sword and the even older store necessary to repair it. We also get the backstory of Frog/Glenn and see a bit more of our old friend Magus, finally learning exactly why this guy has pissed off Frog so much. Poor Glenn. :< The time has come to finally go after Magus and get some answers, though, so that's nice.
Magus's Castle is probably the coolest dungeon in the game. Super creepy music and atmosphere, a bunch of fun mini-boss battles and other interesting combats, plus more encounters with Ozzie which are always amusing. I also love fighting the fake save points. The whole dungeon is pretty long, but you also get many opportunities to save and heal so it doesn't feel like a slog.
And now we get the boss battle against Magus, really the first competent boss fight we've had all game. Of course, the kicker is that Magus didn't create Lavos at all, he was simply summoning him for a different purpose, and by interrupting him, we all end up getting flung through a mystery gate into...
And now we get the boss battle against Magus, really the first competent boss fight we've had all game. Of course, the kicker is that Magus didn't create Lavos at all, he was simply summoning him for a different purpose, and by interrupting him, we all end up getting flung through a mystery gate into...
... the distant past again with Ayla. Magus is nowhere to be seen, and no one knows what's going on, but thankfully it looks like we have some dudes to fight, so that's okay.
Most of this chapter is one giant dungeon, but it's a pretty cool one. I couldn't figure out how to get that treasure chest in the far upper right of the teleporting room though. >.< I totally love how you can just chat with Nizbel II before fighting him. :U
We also learn that coming back to this time period wasn't a complete non-sequitur either, since we actually get to witness the arrival of Lavos. He wasn't created, but came from outer space, crashing to earth in a meteor and ushering in the beginning of an ice age that also spells the death of the Reptites. It's really interesting and ties into the game well because we can see how this big baddy really has impacted the CT world for basically its entire duration, arriving tens of millions of years ago and eventually just destroying everything in 1999.
And even better, where he lands gives us another mysterious time gate that brings us to...
We also learn that coming back to this time period wasn't a complete non-sequitur either, since we actually get to witness the arrival of Lavos. He wasn't created, but came from outer space, crashing to earth in a meteor and ushering in the beginning of an ice age that also spells the death of the Reptites. It's really interesting and ties into the game well because we can see how this big baddy really has impacted the CT world for basically its entire duration, arriving tens of millions of years ago and eventually just destroying everything in 1999.
And even better, where he lands gives us another mysterious time gate that brings us to...
12,000BC, which is clearly the coolest "when" in Chrono Trigger and also has my favourite music. Hurray! \o/
We're apparently in some kind of ice age, but the people here seem to be even more advanced than the people in the "present" time, living in a floating city and using magic accomplish everything. The world is so beautiful and peaceful that you can almost forget the existence of the "earthbound" ones; magic-less humans forced to live in poverty and slavery at the behest of the magic users. Yeesh.
Like most new time periods, there's lots to explore and lots of people to talk to, including 2 secret rooms in 2 of the floating cities. Did you find them? :3
We also meet some important NPCs and the whole atmosphere really gives you a feel of this time and place being really crucial somehow... but then we end up getting kicked back to the End of Time with the time gate sealed up. :<
We're apparently in some kind of ice age, but the people here seem to be even more advanced than the people in the "present" time, living in a floating city and using magic accomplish everything. The world is so beautiful and peaceful that you can almost forget the existence of the "earthbound" ones; magic-less humans forced to live in poverty and slavery at the behest of the magic users. Yeesh.
Like most new time periods, there's lots to explore and lots of people to talk to, including 2 secret rooms in 2 of the floating cities. Did you find them? :3
We also meet some important NPCs and the whole atmosphere really gives you a feel of this time and place being really crucial somehow... but then we end up getting kicked back to the End of Time with the time gate sealed up. :<
Now that Marle's pendant is charged you can finally open up all those sealed chests and doors scattered throughout time. Some of them can even be "charged up" so to speak by activating the chests in the Middle Ages and then opening them up in the Present. You can then go back to the Middle Ages and open them again to get the regular version of the item as well. I definitely suggest doing this before moving on with the plot.
PS: Now that you've defeated Magus, if you go to the square in the Mystics' village you can see that his statue has been replaced by a statue of Ozzie. One of my favourite examples of the minor changes that take place as a result of the PC's time travel shenanigans.
Now that we have Epoch (I always find it amusing that you can rename the ship!) it's time to get back down to business.
PS: Now that you've defeated Magus, if you go to the square in the Mystics' village you can see that his statue has been replaced by a statue of Ozzie. One of my favourite examples of the minor changes that take place as a result of the PC's time travel shenanigans.
Now that we have Epoch (I always find it amusing that you can rename the ship!) it's time to get back down to business.
Ohhey, this guy looks familiar. No wonder he wasn't super surprised that we were able to travel through time, being a time traveler himself and all.
Kind of a plot-heavy chapter, but it also contains the most hilarious boss of Chrono Trigger, Dalton. He's probably my favourite villain, mostly for his sheer ridiculousness.
The Ocean Palace is a pretty cool dungeon, and I admit that the first time I played CT, I was totally prepared for this to be the final dungeon with a fight against Lavos at the end. So imagine my surprise when Lavos wipes the group with my face before I can get in a single action.
The Prophet being Magus shouldn't be all that surprising to anyone (we knew we hadn't seen the last of him, and he even looked like Magus), but it was still something of a shock to see him trying against Lavos too... and get his ass kicked just as handily as we did. And then Chrono dies and everything just goes to hell in a handbasket. Definitely one of my favourite gaming WTF moments here.
The Prophet being Magus shouldn't be all that surprising to anyone (we knew we hadn't seen the last of him, and he even looked like Magus), but it was still something of a shock to see him trying against Lavos too... and get his ass kicked just as handily as we did. And then Chrono dies and everything just goes to hell in a handbasket. Definitely one of my favourite gaming WTF moments here.
Oh, Dalton, you are so hilariously awful.
This chapter is probably my favourite in the game. You get to see the downfall of a powerful civilization followed by a breakout mission on the Blackbird. You have to be somewhat sneaky and creative (or use Ayla to kill everything), and it's laid out pretty interestingly. The final Golem boss is a laugh, as is the last battle against King Dalton.
The best part, however, is the battle, or lack thereof, with Magus.
Magus wins the top spot for my favourite character of Chrono Trigger. It's really rare to find a neutral character who's handled so well. The poor kid really got kind of a crap deal in life and only wanted to destroy the evil being that possessed his mother and harm to his sister. His biggest problem is that he's a loner and not really a people person, so he tries to do everything on his own. Even in the war against humans in the Middle Ages, he mostly just tagged along with what the Mystics wanted (though goading them a bit, of course) so he could to train and get more power to become strong enough to defeat Lavos. Magus is incredibly self-serving and chaotic, but not evil, and you really get to see all aspects of him throughout the game.
The first time I played this game, I totally recruited him completely on accident. I wasn't properly healed and ready for a boss battle, so when he asked if I wanted to fight, I said "no" in hopes that it would give me time to head back and heal up. >_> Then I recruited him, woohoo! \o/ I've since recruited him in every playthrough I've done, and I always name him Janus.
If you choose to fight him and you have Frog on your team, Frog will insist on fighting him all by himself. Maybe someday I'll do that.... but it would be really hard to play through and not recruit my favourite character.
PS: I love having Magus in my team and then going back to the Commons or whatever so Janus's little purple cat Alfador will follow him around. <3
This chapter is probably my favourite in the game. You get to see the downfall of a powerful civilization followed by a breakout mission on the Blackbird. You have to be somewhat sneaky and creative (or use Ayla to kill everything), and it's laid out pretty interestingly. The final Golem boss is a laugh, as is the last battle against King Dalton.
The best part, however, is the battle, or lack thereof, with Magus.
Magus wins the top spot for my favourite character of Chrono Trigger. It's really rare to find a neutral character who's handled so well. The poor kid really got kind of a crap deal in life and only wanted to destroy the evil being that possessed his mother and harm to his sister. His biggest problem is that he's a loner and not really a people person, so he tries to do everything on his own. Even in the war against humans in the Middle Ages, he mostly just tagged along with what the Mystics wanted (though goading them a bit, of course) so he could to train and get more power to become strong enough to defeat Lavos. Magus is incredibly self-serving and chaotic, but not evil, and you really get to see all aspects of him throughout the game.
The first time I played this game, I totally recruited him completely on accident. I wasn't properly healed and ready for a boss battle, so when he asked if I wanted to fight, I said "no" in hopes that it would give me time to head back and heal up. >_> Then I recruited him, woohoo! \o/ I've since recruited him in every playthrough I've done, and I always name him Janus.
If you choose to fight him and you have Frog on your team, Frog will insist on fighting him all by himself. Maybe someday I'll do that.... but it would be really hard to play through and not recruit my favourite character.
PS: I love having Magus in my team and then going back to the Commons or whatever so Janus's little purple cat Alfador will follow him around. <3
We get to bring Chrono back to life, yay! \o/
Death Peak is also a pretty cool dungeon. Magus rocks for being able to kill the mobs easily (and it only costs him 2mp with a gold stud) letting you focus on killing the lavos spawn mini-bosses.
Death Peak is also a pretty cool dungeon. Magus rocks for being able to kill the mobs easily (and it only costs him 2mp with a gold stud) letting you focus on killing the lavos spawn mini-bosses.
And that's as far as I've gotten. Currently working on the pre-endgame side-quests.
One non-spoilery piece of advice that I have for everyone is to definitely do all the pre-endgame sidequests. They're all fun and interesting and they give you a deeper look at certain aspects of the game's universe and characters. Plus, you get a bunch of cool weapons and gear and crap, not to mention extra EXP before going up against the final boss.
Oh, and for my final team I decided to go with:
Marle, Frog, and Magus.
My typical team is Chrono, Marle, and Lucca, but I wanted to switch things up a bit this time around. I've never used Frog on my final team, so I figured bringing him is a must, and Magus mostly for fun. Although Frog can be a decent healer on his own, I'm addicted to Haste, and Marle/Frog work as a combo pretty well since they have some very nice dual techs. Magus is a solo guy, but powerful enough on his own right, and he can attack with all elements which is super useful.
My typical team is Chrono, Marle, and Lucca, but I wanted to switch things up a bit this time around. I've never used Frog on my final team, so I figured bringing him is a must, and Magus mostly for fun. Although Frog can be a decent healer on his own, I'm addicted to Haste, and Marle/Frog work as a combo pretty well since they have some very nice dual techs. Magus is a solo guy, but powerful enough on his own right, and he can attack with all elements which is super useful.
It's been an awkward month for making much progress (yay holidays), so I have to plan on finishing this game next month. >.>
It's interesting so far though. I'll definitely be staying away from spoilers until I reach the appropriate chapters, don't want to get too far ahead of myself.
It's interesting so far though. I'll definitely be staying away from spoilers until I reach the appropriate chapters, don't want to get too far ahead of myself.
I'm alive, promise. End/Beginning of the year is a busy time for me.
But yes! I'll actually be starting my play-through of Chrono Trigger this weekend, so we can hop right back where we left off.
But yes! I'll actually be starting my play-through of Chrono Trigger this weekend, so we can hop right back where we left off.
Sure thing! I'll send you a PM.