Chrono Trigger

When three legends of the Japanese gaming industry come together on a single project, expectations soar sky-high — and Chrono Trigger managed to exceed them outright. This game still regularly appears at the very top of rankings of the best JRPGs of all time, and it needs only a few hours to convince you why.

Behind the game stands the so-called „Dream Team“: Hironobu Sakaguchi, the father of Final Fantasy; Yuji Horii, the creator of Dragon Quest; and Akira Toriyama, whose unmistakable artistic hand you know from Dragon Ball. Together in 1995 at the Square studio they created a story about a band of heroes who accidentally tumble through time and discover that they can change the fate of the world. Time travel here is not just a backdrop — your actions in the past tangibly alter the future, which opens the door to one of the most inventive narratives of its time.

Mechanically, Chrono Trigger cast off a number of the genre's annoying conventions. No random encounters: you see enemies directly on the map, and battles flow seamlessly from exploration. The ATB combat system also allows so-called Techs — combined attacks, where two or three characters join forces into a spectacular shared skill. Add to that the beautiful music of Yasunori Mitsuda (with contributions from Nobuo Uematsu), which ranks among the finest ever to sound in the gaming medium.

The game's true pride, however, is its replayability. Thanks to the New Game+ mode and the possibility of facing the final enemy at various stages of the story, Chrono Trigger offers a total of thirteen different endings. That had no equal in 1995 and is to this day an example of how generously one can approach the player's freedom.

The game received a range of ports — from the PlayStation through the Nintendo DS to mobile devices and Steam — and the DS version is considered one of the best thanks to added content and a polished translation. Through all the reissues it retains its original magic completely.

Few games combine story, gameplay, music, and visuals into such a harmonious whole. Chrono Trigger is not merely an excellent JRPG — it is one of the few titles that can, without exaggeration, be spoken of as a perfectly balanced work of art.

Why play: A supreme JRPG where time travel truly changes the world, the battles are fun, and thirteen endings invite you back again and again.