When people talk about the golden age of RPGs, Chrono Trigger is never far from the conversation. Released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo, it was the product of a “dream team” collaboration between Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy), Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest), and Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball). That lineup alone turned heads, but the real magic is how the game delivered on its promise: a time-travelling adventure with a heart, blending mechanics and storytelling in a way few games had managed before.
You take control of Crono, an unassuming spiky-haired protagonist, who—after a mishap at a science fair—finds himself pulled into a sprawling journey across multiple eras. From prehistoric times to a post-apocalyptic wasteland, you’re tasked with preventing the world’s destruction at the hands of Lavos, a parasitic alien buried deep within the planet. It’s a simple premise at first glance, but the way the story unfolds—across timelines, with choices that ripple into the future—is what sets Chrono Trigger apart.
Gameplay is classic JRPG with some forward-thinking twists. Battles are turn-based but seamless—no screen-swipes or random encounters; enemies are visible in the world, and fights kick in naturally. The “Active Time Battle” system keeps things tense, as you juggle character turns and special abilities. Even better are the “Techs,” which let party members combine moves for flashy and devastating effects. Experimenting with different combinations is half the fun, and it reinforces the sense of teamwork between the cast.
And what a cast it is. From Lucca, the brilliant inventor, to Frog, the cursed knight, to Robo, a machine with more humanity than many of the people you meet—Chrono Trigger gives you characters who grow on you, not just because of their arcs, but through the little details: their dialogue, their animations, their roles in battle. By the time you’re shaping the fate of the world, you’re invested not just in saving it, but in saving it with these people by your side.
Visually, the game is gorgeous. Akira Toriyama’s character designs translate beautifully into sprite form, and each time period has its own distinct look—from the lush forests of 600 A.D. to the stark domes of the ruined future. The soundtrack matches this range perfectly, with themes that capture both the wonder and the weight of time travel. It’s one of those scores that lingers in your memory, pulling you back into its world even when you’re not playing.
Then there’s the replayability. Chrono Trigger popularised the idea of multiple endings, with over a dozen possible outcomes depending on your choices and when you decide to tackle the final boss. For a mid-90s RPG, this was groundbreaking—it gave players reason to revisit the game again and again, uncovering new possibilities with each run.
Looking back, Chrono Trigger is more than just a great RPG. It’s a landmark moment in game design: accessible yet deep, emotional yet playful, traditional yet innovative. It showed what RPGs could be, and it still stands tall today, three decades on.