Should I Play Chrono Trigger First?

[Forsaken Lover]

So I realize CT is largely considered to be one of the best JRPGs eve but I was thinking of starting with Chrono Cross simply because a friend of mine who also really enjoys Xenogears just played CC without playing CT and he said it was really good.

I've also talked to others who say that Cross is a better game as long as you don't really associate it with Trigger.

Any recommendations?

[Jowy]

I recommend you stop talking to these people.

There is no reason to not play Chrono Trigger. Unless you hate great games.

[Wolf Kanno]

I don't really understand the crowd who thinks Chrono Cross works better without CT cause while major events are kind of explained in game, the final antagonist and why everything went to hell in a handbasket is pretty much directly the result of CT. Hell the whole point of CC is basically to answer the few lingering questions left unanswered in CT. Though I guess I'm odd cause I'm also one of the few Chrono fans that likes both games even if I feel CC has more misfires.

Technically you can understand CC's plot without playing CT, but you kind of lose the impact of some of the story elements cause the Orphanage section doesn't really mean anything to you if you never played Trigger, and certain major character name drops and appearances also lose any relevance since they are out of context.

I say play them in order but I'm a stickler for crap like that.

[Rostum]

Both are fantastic games, and for reasons stated by WK you should play them in order.

[Clo]

Play Chrono Trigger because it is an awesome game, but play it separately from CC.

Play Chrono Cross because it's pretty.

[Skyblade]

I don't really understand the crowd who thinks Chrono Cross works better without CT cause while major events are kind of explained in game, the final antagonist and why everything went to hell in a handbasket is pretty much directly the result of CT. Hell the whole point of CC is basically to answer the few lingering questions left unanswered in CT. Though I guess I'm odd cause I'm also one of the few Chrono fans that likes both games even if I feel CC has more misfires.

Technically you can understand CC's plot without playing CT, but you kind of lose the impact of some of the story elements cause the Orphanage section doesn't really mean anything to you if you never played Trigger, and certain major character name drops and appearances also lose any relevance since they are out of context.

I say play them in order but I'm a stickler for crap like that.

The problem is that, while it does give you more foundation, the foundation it gives you is extremely unstable. None of Chrono Cross's story, from the very basic setup point that the entire world is based around ((SPOILER)Porre defeating Guardia because Dalton went back in time and took it over for revenge) makes any sense to anyone who's played Chrono Trigger.

It does not hold up. When you don't get the background, you can fill in the blanks on your own. It's not ideal, but you can make it work. When you have the background, you just go "Oh, that's bull$#!+".

Square did too much to distance Cross from Trigger. The characters are tossed off with brief mentions, the events and themes are largely ignored, and the entire world is reshaped into something completely different. NONE OF IT MAKES ANY SENSE. Unless you haven't played Trigger yet.



But, yeah, play Trigger first. Sure, it'll ruin Cross's entire setup and world, but who cares? Chrono Trigger is simply awesome. Play it now, and pretend Cross is it's own IP when you get to it. Then go play Trigger some more.

[NeoCracker]

I'm with Wolf here. I think a fair amount of Cross is better knowing the story behind Trigger.

And I think Trigger is the better game anyway, though both are fun and worth playing.

[Skyblade]

I'm with Wolf here. I think a fair amount of Cross is better knowing the story behind Trigger.

And I think Trigger is the better game anyway, though both are fun and worth playing.

Explain: (SPOILER)How did Dalton possibly build a tiny town into a military force capable of taking over Guardia in five years? Especially given that Crono, Lucca, and Nadia are each capable of destroying Lavos on their own, and Dalton is the most pathetic boss/leader in the game?

If you can't explain that, how can you possibly come to terms with any of the other nonsensical references that twist and distort what Chrono Trigger gave us?

[VeloZer0]

I think playing Chrono Cross first, then going back to Chrono Trigger and starting to see all the references would be kind of cool. I don't think playing Chrono Trigger first will hugely contribute tho the enjoyment of Chrono Cross, as most of the direct links are either of marginal importance or stupid.

Though to be honest I don't really think you can go wrong as long as you play both in the end.

[DownDiagonalLeftA]

I would do them in order. Neither of them are long games. Not only is Chrono Trigger alone more enjoyable, but playing Chrono Cross after beating Chrono Trigger makes you enjoy them both a little more. It'll DEFINITELY help you understand Chrono Cross better. I suppose you could play Chrono Cross on its own, but.....why?

[NeoCracker]

I'm with Wolf here. I think a fair amount of Cross is better knowing the story behind Trigger.

And I think Trigger is the better game anyway, though both are fun and worth playing.

Explain: (SPOILER)How did Dalton possibly build a tiny town into a military force capable of taking over Guardia in five years? Especially given that Crono, Lucca, and Nadia are each capable of destroying Lavos on their own, and Dalton is the most pathetic boss/leader in the game?

If you can't explain that, how can you possibly come to terms with any of the other nonsensical references that twist and distort what Chrono Trigger gave us?

(SPOILER)
1. He had access to both the magic of the past and the technology of the future. This is a huge advantage.
2. We know nothing of his actual plans to win past that.
3. Fighting one thing is a different beast entirely then fighting off armies. It's not so bad considering he could have tried a war of attrition.
4. Don't forget he had the assistance of Lynx and Harle during this time, it was hardly just Dalton. An agent of Fate and one of the worlds Dragons are a bit of a scale tipper.

Your move Skyblade. ;P

[Wolf Kanno]

Damn Skyblade, you're really hung up on that issue aren't you. (SPOILER)Don't forget that Dalton was actually a fairly competent villain up until the showdown with him on the Blackbird, petty maybe but its not like he was a comic relief character the whole time he was in the story. Its also not like Fate was dealing with Lucca doesn't mean it may not have decided to deal with Crono and Marle as well. Course my own personal interpretation is that some other major catastrophe happened before Guardia was attacked, that drove Crono and Marle away, this is largely why I want a Chrono 3 cause I feel Kato would have to answer these questions since Cross ultimately created so many loose ends despite the main plot trying to tie up CT's loose plot threads.

Other than that, I don't really mind CC, though I definitely feel that working on Xenogears seriously changed Masato Kato's writing style. CC's writing is definitely more in line with Xenogears (complex themes and heavy philosophical banter) compared to CT's more charming and simple narrative. Still, I like the contrast between CT largely embody the themes of adventure and determination as opposed to CC's more cynical and cautionary themes. Though I do feel Kato was pretty bad about sucking the subtlety out of some of his environmental themes. The scenario with the Dwarfs and Fairies is a bit anvilicious...

[nik0tine]

I haven't completed chrono cross yet, but hearing the music from chrono trigger in it was enough to make me instantly fall in love with the game.

[Gamblet]

Chrono Trigger is the game that got me into old school JRPGs and it is still to this day the best to me. It has lots of replayability and there are so many Double and Triple Techs to experiment on.
I really have to agree with Wolf too, since without playing CT first, you will miss a lot on the plot of CC.

[Skyblade]

I'm with Wolf here. I think a fair amount of Cross is better knowing the story behind Trigger.

And I think Trigger is the better game anyway, though both are fun and worth playing.

Explain: (SPOILER)How did Dalton possibly build a tiny town into a military force capable of taking over Guardia in five years? Especially given that Crono, Lucca, and Nadia are each capable of destroying Lavos on their own, and Dalton is the most pathetic boss/leader in the game?

If you can't explain that, how can you possibly come to terms with any of the other nonsensical references that twist and distort what Chrono Trigger gave us?

(SPOILER)
1. He had access to both the magic of the past and the technology of the future. This is a huge advantage.
2. We know nothing of his actual plans to win past that.
3. Fighting one thing is a different beast entirely then fighting off armies. It's not so bad considering he could have tried a war of attrition.
4. Don't forget he had the assistance of Lynx and Harle during this time, it was hardly just Dalton. An agent of Fate and one of the worlds Dragons are a bit of a scale tipper.

Your move Skyblade. ;P

(SPOILER)1. He fell through a time gate with nothing but the clothes on his back. He had access to his own magic, which is completely pitiful and only does anything when he manages to get your party with a "look over there" move. He had access to zero technology and magic outside of that, and he had little brains, having stolen the Blackbird and the Epoch, rather than developed anything himself.
2. Golems. That's about it.
3. Except... You face armies. You wipe the floor with Magus's army, remember? Or what about the Robot armies in the future? You know, the ones about seven times more powerful than Dalton's cronies, yet you can still annihilate with a single spell?
4. Both being inferior in power to Lavos, and therefore not enough of a balance tipper to upset anything.

Even worse, however, is that the game doesn't even attempt to handle this issue. It makes no explanation, the characters have no appearance or presence in the game at all. It just goes "Yeah, this stuff happened. Deal with it, and please don't ask why these incredibly powerful, important people are never ever going to be seen during the entire plot".

It feels like the developers were intimidated by Chrono Trigger. Like they felt that actually using anything from that game might be seen as ruining it by their fans, and cause an outcry. As a result they handled everything from Chrono Trigger with a fifty foot pole. And because of that, the entire thing feels really, really weird. It's a sequel that's afraid to be a sequel. It's too scared to actually step up to the role it was given, and so it can never do more than sit in the shadow of a much better game.

Chrono Cross exists in limbo, unsure if it wants to be a sequel, a spin-off, or a new world. Its references to Chrono Trigger are poorly handled and minimalistic. And yet the two games are still tied closely enough together that Chrono Cross's flaws are also measured and judged by Chrono Trigger's, a comparison that will always leave Chrono Cross wanting.

And that is why I think Chrono Cross is better enjoyed on its own. Because, while it does have some gaps and missing backstory, taken as its own game, it has to stand on its own, and can do so. Taken together with Chrono Trigger, it is a toddler standing for the first time, unsure if it needs its parent's help or not.



Although, again, none of this matters, because regardless of the best way to play Chrono Cross, the best decision for anyone who hasn't played Chrono Trigger yet is to GO PLAY IT NOW. As in, immediately.