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Chrono (series)

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The Chrono series is a video game franchise owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). It began in 1995 with the time travel console role-playing game Chrono Trigger, which spawned two continuations, Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross. A promotional anime called Dimensional Adventure Numa Monjar and a port of Chrono Trigger were also produced. As of March 31, 2003, Chrono Trigger was, with 2.65 million units, Square Enix's 12th best-selling game (based on copies shipped); Chrono Cross was, with 1.5 million units, the 24th.[1] The games have been subject to generally positive reviews.

Design

Chrono Trigger was produced in 1995 by Kazuhiko Aoki and directed by Akihiko Matsui, Yoshinori Kitase and Takashi Tokita. The development of the game was dubbed the "Dream Project", because it was headed by a "Dream Team" composed of supervisor Hironobu Sakaguchi, of Final Fantasy fame, as well as freelance supervisor Yuuji Horii and character designer Akira Toriyama, both of Dragon Quest fame.[2] Yuuji Horii worked on the general outline of the story; as a fan of time travel fictions, such as the TV series Time Tunnel, he focused on a theme of time travel for Chrono Trigger.[3] The outline was then finalized by story planner and script writer Masato Kato.[4]

In 1996, Masato Kato and several other members of the Chrono Trigger staff worked on a minor project for the Super Famicom Satellaview extension, titled Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Hōseki. Initially, the game was intended to be a short, original text-based adventure developed in three months with almost no planning. Nevertheless, by the end of the development, Masato Kato had connected the game's plot and characters to Chrono Trigger, turning it into a side story. Since the platform of the game was not mainstream, the connections were however left blurred on purpose and were not advertised on the game's release.[5]

In 1999, a continuation of Chrono Trigger, titled Chrono Cross, was announced as being in development. Although the "Dream Team" members did not participate in Chrono Cross, the game was developed mostly by the same staff as the first installment.[6] In terms of basic system and gameplay, producer Hiromichi Tanaka made it clear that the new installment was not a sequel to Chrono Trigger; rather, the game designers' approach was to make the "gameplay evolve with the hardware", creating a completely new game while restructuring the former style so as to maximize the performance of the console.[7] The gameplay focuses on the theme of parallel worlds rather than time travel, although the latter is still deeply involved in the game's plot. In terms of storyline, Chrono Cross was described by director and scenario writer Masato Kato as "not a Chrono Trigger 2", but "a result of a pulled trigger", "another Chrono".[8]

Music

Main article: Music of the Chrono series

The music of the Chrono series was mainly composed by Yasunori Mitsuda. Chrono Trigger was the first for which he had served as composer. However, after Mitsuda contracted stomach ulcers, Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu was brought onto the project to compose ten songs.[9] At the time of the game's release, the quantity of its tracks and sound effects were unprecedented.[10] Additionally, a one-disc acid jazz arrangement called The Brink of Time was also released. Mitsuda went on to compose the soundtrack for Radical Dreamers, which was never commercially released as an album.

In 1999, Yasunori Mitsuda, now a freelance composer, returned to score the soundtrack for Chrono Cross after being contacted by Masato Kato.[11] Mitsuda decided to center his work around old world cultural influences, including Mediterranean, Fado, Celtic, and percussive African music.[8] Xenogears contributor Tomohiko Kira played guitar on the beginning and ending themes. Noriko Mitose, as selected by Masato Kato, sang the ending song, "Radical Dreamers ~ Le Trésor Interdit".[11] Mitsuda was happy to accomplish even half of what he envisioned.[8] Certain songs were ported from the score of Radical Dreamers, while other entries in the soundtrack contain leitmotifs from both Chrono Trigger and Radical Dreamers.[11]

In 2006, Yasunori Mitsuda arranged versions of music from the Chrono series for Play! video game music concerts, presenting the Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross main themes, as well as "Frog's Theme", and "To Far Away Times".[12]

Games

Chrono Trigger

The Chrono Trigger logo
The Chrono Trigger logo
Main article: Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger (クロノ・トリガー, Kurono Torigā) is a console role-playing game which was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on March 11, 1995 in Japan and on August 22, 1995 in North America. The game's story follows a group of young adventurers led by Crono, who are accidentally transported through time and learn that the world will be destroyed in the distant future. Vowing to prevent this disaster, they travel throughout history to discover the means to save the planet. Chrono Trigger was ported to the PlayStation in 1999 as a standalone title in Japan and in 2001 as part of the Final Fantasy Chronicles compilation in North America. It is regarded today as one of the greatest games ever made.[13]

Radical Dreamers

Main article: Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Hōseki

Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Hōseki (ラジカル・ドリーマーズ -盗めない宝石-, Rajikaru Dorīmāzu -Nusumenai Hōseki-, "Radical Dreamers: The Jewel that cannot be Stolen") is a Japanese-exclusive text-based game released in 1996 through the Super Famicom Satellaview extension. The player takes on the role of Serge, a young adventurer accompanied by Kid, a teen-aged thief, and Gil, a mysterious masked magician. It is a side story to Chrono Trigger wrapping up a loose end from its predecessor's plot.[5]

Chrono Cross

The Chrono Cross logo
The Chrono Cross logo
Main article: Chrono Cross

Chrono Cross (クロノ・クロス, Kurono Kurosu) was released on the PlayStation on November 18, 1999 in Japan and on August 15, 2000 in North America. The story is partly a remake of Radical Dreamers, and as such replaces it as Chrono Trigger's successor. The protagonist Serge, faced with an alternate reality in which he died as a child, struggles to uncover his past and meets Kid, a thief seeking the mysterious Frozen Flame artifact. Serge and Kid's fate are ultimately revealed to find their roots in the events of Chrono Trigger.

Chrono Break

Main article: Chrono Break

Chrono Brake and Chrono Break are the names of two trademarks owned by Square Co.; the first applied in Japan on November 5, 2001,[14] and the second registered in the United States on December 5 of the same year.[15] The registrations were preceded by a press report in which Hironobu Sakaguchi mentioned that the Chrono Cross team was interested in developing a new game in the Chrono series, and that script and story ideas were being considered.[16] However, Square did not publish further news, and the American trademark Chrono Break was eventually dropped on November 13, 2003.

Other Games

Additionally, three titles were released for the Satellaview in 1995. They were Chrono Trigger: Jet Bike Special, a racing game based on a minigame from the original, Chrono Trigger: Character Library, featuring profiles on characters and monsters from the game, and Chrono Trigger: Music Library, a collection of music from the game's soundtrack. The contents of Character Library and Music Library were later included as extras in the PlayStation rerelease of Chrono Trigger.

Dimensional Adventure Numa Monjar

File:Ct-nuumamonjaa.jpg
Nu on the left, Mamo on the right, and Gonzalez in the background.

Dimensional Adventure Numa Monjar (時空冒険ヌウマモンジャ～, Jikuu Bouken Nuumamonjaa, lit. "Time and Space Adventures: Nuumamonjaa") is a 16-minute humoristic and promotional Chrono Trigger anime which was broadcast at the Japanese V-Jump Festival of July 31, 1996. It was created by Production I.G, and written by Hiroshi Izawa and Akihiro Kikuchi, while Itsuro Kawazaki served as director, Tensai Okamura as animation director, and Riho Nishino as character designer. It was never commercially released.[17][18]

The anime takes place in the same setting as Chrono Trigger, the night before the beginning of the game's events. The empty Millennial Fair is invested by a festive gathering of monsters coming through portals. The two protagonists, a Nu and a Poyozo, voiced by Chafūrin and Mayumi Tanaka respectively, try to recruit members for their group "Nuumamonjaa". Finding no one willing to join them, they wander the fair and interrupt the robot Johnny's show, who is voiced by Shinichirō Miki.

Later, Nu enters a drinking contest and wins a golden shovel, with the help of a controller that resembles that of a Super Famicom. Nu goes into the bushes after the contest to urinate, and stumbles upon Gonzalez (a robot called Gato in the English version of the game). Gonzalez, voiced by Fumihiko Tachiki, activates and chases the group, while singing his line from the game: Aa Gonzaresu. Ore-wa tsuyoi. Ore ni kattara shirubaa pointo ("Ah, Gonzalez. I am strong. Beat me up and get silver points").

Eventually, Nu and Mamo end up on Gonzalez' back as he runs uncontrollably, entering a race against Johnny. In an attempt to stop Gonzalez, Nu presses a large button on Gonzales' back, which causes a large boxing glove on a spring to hit Johnny. A dazed Johnny flies through the air and solemnly recites a haiku before smashing into a wall. Gonzalez' singing voice can still be heard from where Nu and Mamo are.

In the morning, Gonzalez is still singing, but runs out of power and falls to the ground. A group of people is seen watching in the foreground, including Crono and Lucca. The credits show Nu and Mamo parodying scenes from the game.

Reception

Aggregate review scores
Game Metacritic Game Rankings
Chrono Trigger
—
95%[19]
Radical Dreamers
—
—
Chrono Cross
94 out of 100[20]
92%[21]
Final Fantasy Chronicles
89 out of 100[22]
87%[23]

The Chrono series has been very successful in game rankings and sales. Chrono Trigger sold more than 2.36 million copies in Japan and 290,000 abroad.[24] The first two million copies sold in Japan were delivered in only two months.[25] The game was met with substantial success upon release in North America, and its rerelease on the PlayStation as part of the Final Fantasy Chronicles package topped the NPD TRSTS PlayStation sales charts for over six weeks.[26][27][28]

Chrono Trigger has recently placed highly on all five of multimedia website IGN's "top 100 games of all time" lists—4th in 2002, 6th in early 2005, 13th in late 2005, 2nd in 2006, and 18th in 2007.[29][30] GameSpot included Chrono Trigger in "The Greatest Games of All Time" list released in April 2006, and it also appeared as 28th on an "All Time Top 100" list in a poll conducted by Japanese magazine Famitsu.[31][32]

The music of the series has been very highly regarded and enjoyed wide popularity. IGN commented that Chrono Trigger has "one of the best videogame soundtracks ever produced."[27]

References

  1. ^ Square Enix staff (2003-08-04). "Square Enix IR Roadshow Document" (PDF). Square Enix Japan. Retrieved 2006-07-06.
  2. ^ "Square Announces the Release of Final Fantasy Chronicles: Final Fantasy IV & Chrono Trigger for the PlayStation Game Console in July 2001" (Press release). Business Wire. 2001-04-17. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  3. ^ Play staff. "Yuji Horii interview". play Magazine Online. Fusion Publishing. Retrieved 2007-02-16. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  4. ^ Procyon Studio staff (1999). "This month's friend... Masato Kato". Our Millennial Fair. CocoeBiz. Retrieved 2007-02-16. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  5. ^ a b GamePro staff (2000-11-24). "Chrono Cross — GamePro.com Interview, Fan Questions". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  6. ^ Sato, Yukiyoshi Ike (1999-07-20). "Chrono Trigger Staff Remains". GameSpot. CNET Networks. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  7. ^ GamePro staff (2000-12-01). "Chrono Cross Development Team Interview and Contest". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  8. ^ a b c Kato, Masato (1999-12-18). Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack (liner notes) (in Japanese). DigiCube. SSCX-10040.
  9. ^ Kohler, Chris (2004). Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life. DK Publishing. ISBN 0-7440-0424-1.
  10. ^ Averill, Alan (1995). Nintendo Power July, 1995. Nintendo. pp. p. 52. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  11. ^ a b c Studio BentStuff, ed. (1999). Chrono Cross Ultimania (in Japanese). Square Enix. pp. pp. 476–477. ISBN 4-925075-73-X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  12. ^ Driker, Brandon (2006-30-05). "Play! A Video Game Symphony". N-Sider. Retrieved 2006-05-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ The Greatest Games of All Time: Chrono Trigger - Features at GameSpot
  14. ^ "Industrial Property Digital Library". Industrial Property Digital Library. Japan Patent Office. 2002-07-26. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
    To find the Chrono Brake patent, search "Japanese Trademark Database" for "chronobrake". Click Index to find the result, and click the link.
  15. ^ "Chrono Break Latest Status Info". Trademark Applications and Registration Retrieval. United States Patent and Trademark Office. 2003-11-13. Retrieved 2006-06-01. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  16. ^ Ahmed, Shahed (2001-07-03). "New Chrono game in planning stages". GameSpot. CNET Networks. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
  17. ^ Production I.G staff. "時空冒険ぬうまもんじゃ～" (in Japanese). Production I.G. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  18. ^ Production I.G staff. "Dimensional Adventure Numa Monjar". Production I.G. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  19. ^ "Chrono Trigger — SNES". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  20. ^ "Chrono Cross". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  21. ^ "Chrono Cross — PS". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  22. ^ "Final Fantasy Chronicles". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  23. ^ "Final Fantasy Chronicles — PS". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  24. ^ Square Enix staff (2003-08-04). "Square Enix IR Roadshow Document" (PDF). Square Enix Japan. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Averill, Alan (1995). Nintendo Power June, 1995. Nintendo. p. 36.
  26. ^ Game Rankings staff (ed.). "Chrono Trigger Reviews". Game Rankings. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ a b IGN staff (2001-07-04). "IGN: Final Fantasy Chronicles Review". IGN. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Wollenschlaeger, Alex (2001-08-15). "Final Fantasy Chronicles Tops Sales Charts Six Weeks in a Row". RPGamer. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ IGN staff (2006). "The Top 100 Games Ever". IGN. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ IGN staff (2007). "The Top 100 Games Ever". IGN. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ GameSpot editorial team, ed. (2006-04-17). "The Greatest Games of All Time". GameSpot. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ Campbell, Colin (2006-03-03). "Japan Votes on All Time Top 100". Next Generation. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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