Chrono Trigger is one of the most acclaimed RPGs from Square Enix. Over 25 years after the game was first released, it still has plenty it can teach current RPG developers and storytellers, even as modern gaming enters the next generation of consoles.
While many of Chrono Trigger’s impressive technical achievements have long been surpassed, the way the game weaves a narrative and sets up its most memorable characters could still teach modern storytellers a lot about creating meaningful in-game relationships, the position of the player, and saying more with less in RPGs.
Character Design
The characters in Chrono Trigger are extremely memorable. The first lesson that Chrono Trigger can teach modern RPG developers is to do with diversity in the most literal sense of the word. Chrono Trigger’s companion line-up includes a cavewoman, an engineer, a princess, a robot, a frog, and an evil wizard. With these extreme differences the game is able to give the player a sense of the companion’s characterization with as little dialog as possible. The vast differences between each concept for the companions enables them to be characterized through more than just their words as well. Ayla the cavewoman, for example, always engages in combat by running into the fray on all fours.
In part this relies on genre, with Chrono Trigger’s fantasy and sci-fi elements allowing for characters to be brought in from across different genres to diversify the cast. However, there are plenty of modern examples of the need for more diversity among RPG companions. Mass Effect: Andromeda ran into this problem when using some of the species from the original trilogy for its companions. Developers found that the popularity of Jaal, the only companion from a newly introduced alien race, eclipsed many of the other squadmates.
It’s not that every companion in an RPG needs a gimmick to be distinct, but it does help for each member of an RPG companion roster to be distinct from their comrades in more ways that just personality. These other aspects, from age to specialty to species can then in-turn be used to characterize that companion in more subtle ways than if that character had to express their personality through their words alone.
The differences between physical design, animations, and attacks in Chrono Trigger all help distinguish the game's characters more the more distinct those companion characters already are in concept. The utility of Robo’s Heal Beam in combat, for example, goes some way towards characterizing the gentle giant even though his ability is never brought up in dialog. Frog’s slightly weaker healing ability then in turn becomes a reminder that the character wants to help others, but is less able to do so than he might like – something which becomes extremely relevant in the characterization of Frog when more of his backstory is revealed.
Storytelling
This diffusion of characterization between distinct character design, animation, and the character’s role in the group hugely complements the game’s storytelling. Without overloading the game with huge dialog trees or slowing down the pacing, a game like Chrono Trigger is able to enhance the player’s immersion with a more holistic approach to its storytelling than some more modern games.
The way Skyrim handles a character like Lydia is a good example example. The housecarl is obtained by almost every player, at least on their first playthrough of the game, and is always obtained when completing Skyrim’s main quest. Despite this, Lydia is just one of a huge amount of companions throughout The Elder Scrolls 5 who does not complement the story in any way. Not only is her dialog generic, but very little effort is made to distinguish her as a character, even from the other housecarls in-game.
The story of Chrono Trigger is all about its companion characters. Returning to Chrono Trigger's Frog as an example, players help the unfortunate amphibian overcome his past on the way to redemption, helping lay old ghosts to rest in a very literal sense. In acclaimed RPG series like Mass Effect, players can complete companion loyalty missions to learn more about the pasts of their squadmates, but the main story unambiguously revolves around Shepard.
Learning from Chrono Trigger
The problem with this is that, as the player character, Shepard isn’t in a great position for the story to be led by their characterization. The player character has to be flexible, and a blank slate to some degree. By making its companions the driving force behind its story, Chrono Trigger focuses on improving an aspect of the game most within the control of the storytellers and delivers an extremely tight narrative as a result. Not only is Crono himself just the point-of-view character in the game, but Chrono Trigger proves the strength of its other characters when Crono himself dies, and it’s optional to bring him back.
Indeed, one huge problem facing many RPG developers in recent years has been dealing with the role of the game’s protagonist. There have been debates about whether or not the player character should be voiced – one controversial change made to the Fallout series with Fallout 4 – as well as the best way to make a story feel driven by a character who might make different decisions in different playthroughs.
Some of the most memorable RPG moments of the last 10 years are those that decentralize the role of the player character. Finding out Archangel is in fact Garrus Vakarian in Mass Effect 2, for example, or seeing Mordin Solus sacrifice himself to end the genophage he helped engineer and save the Krogan species in the following game are among the most powerful moments in the series, and both times the games hand the story reigns over to companions for their most meaningful moments.
Chrono Trigger has had a huge influence on both Western and JRPGs since its release. However, it’s worth returning to the game as a reminder that not all of its storytelling devices were implemented due to technological limitations. Many would still work to improve RPGs today. However, which RPG developers will start to stand out as gaming enters the next generation of consoles remains to be seen.
Chrono Trigger is available now on PC.