Having played about 5 hours of Chrono Trigger, I can say I’ve enjoyed the game WAY more than I thought I would. I’ve never played a game like this before and I’m playing on the computer, which is a first for me since I play all of my games on console, so this has definitely been a unique experience compared to what I’m used to. That being said, it took a little while to get the controls down and get used to the gameplay, but after that I was just rolling along.

For a 1995 game, most of my expectations have been met, but were exceeded in one case which I will talk about later. For the most part though, the graphics and gameplay were what I expected. For the time it was probably fast-paced and smooth, but it felt a little clunky and slow to me. In cases where I want to interact with something, sometimes it wouldn’t work unless Crono was in a specific spot looking directly at the character or chest. Besides that though, the game is what I expected considering its age.

In terms of the story, the game so far has met my expectations. I have not gotten to any plot twists or huge character moments yet, so this may be why the story is fairly basic so far which was my expectation going in. It is hard to say where I think the story will go since it is so early, but obviously time travel plays a huge part, even going so far as to put a pendulum on the main menu. I do think the backstory of the world will play a big role though.

The gameplay was simple and easy to get used to. I really like the leveling system and how items can be used and equipped. The fights have started to become tedious though, only due to their repetitiveness.

The one aspect of this game that truly exceeded my expectations was the trial scene. I was not expecting this style of game to feature a moment where all of my small, and seemingly insignificant actions would be judged. I really enjoyed this part and it has been my favorite moment in the game so far. I hope there are more sections of the game like this.

Overall, while not my cup of tea in terms of what I’m used to and what I enjoy playing, Chrono Trigger has been surprisingly enjoyable considering its age and genre. While not something I would go off and play in my free time, I appreciate what it brings to the table and am excited to see how the story plays out.