A bit of a forewarning: The following post is a bunch of "shop talk" regarding Chrono Trigger. If you don't talk shop, it's likely to be uninteresting.
My favorite games of all time used to be condensed into a simple three item list including Final Fantasy VII, EarthBound, and Chrono Trigger. However, recently trying to replay Final Fantasy VII on my PS3 led me to reconsider it's place on the list. My memories of that game are nothing less than pure wonder, but the graphics and the script need desperate touch-ups and outright reconstruction from the ground up. I still love the Materia system, but early 3D games such as this are becoming increasingly difficult to play for me (It's not just how they look either, it's the actual manipulation of the environment that's difficult to stomach as well). But that's beside the point. I'm here to talk about the re-release of another one of my favorites and that's Chrono Trigger on the Nintendo DS.
There are no amount of superlatives that I could throw at Chrono Trigger that I would find satisfying in expressing my feelings for the game. The DS version proves this. The graphics are still fantastic two-dimensional representations of Akira Toriyama, the soundtrack still sublime and exemplary of Yasunori Mitsuda, and the story is fun and brisk allowing your imagination to fill in the gaps (something current RPGs could take a lesson from). I don't know how to preach to the unconverted, so instead I'll talk about what's new to the DS version.
First, the script is given an upgrade. It's largely the same, however in some areas there's added clarity and the heavy-handed efforts of NOA to "sissify" the game are now pretty much removed. You no longer down gallons of "soup" with Ayla in 65,000,000 BC. Instead you're drinking "skull smash" because after a night of partying, it feels like your skull has been smashed in. The script feels a little more formal all-around, but I don't I think there's anything to complain about at all. It doesn't seem to be as big of a change as the Final Fantasy VI script for the GameBoy Advance underwent, but it's still a good re-working.
Second, there is new equipment that can be obtained in three new areas. The first new area is a monster arena that's not really worth discussing or investing in. It requires too much babysitting in order to cultivate a monster that's capable of a lot and it's not exactly enthralling to watch your monster attack another one when you're not able to control it. The other new area is the Lost Sanctum which is a Reptite lair in Prehistoric and Medieval times. There's some valuable equipment to be gained here (such as the Elemental Aegis which grants Lucca elemental immunity or the Dragon's Tear which increases the chance of a critical hit), but it's really a series time consuming sidequests because the Sanctum requires a lot of backtracking. And finally, there are the Dimensional Vortices that appear in Antiquity, the Present, and the Future. Each one of these supports a new area (one of which features the previously unused track "The Singing Mountain") and new enemies and some really excellent gear (Angel's Tiara gives Auto-Haste and status immunity!). All of this leads to a new final boss and a new ending which (un)fortunately gives credence to Chrono Cross' plot.
In the SNES version of Chrono Trigger (which I'm now afraid to boot up for fear of finding that my save battery has died), I found that the most effective party was Chrono (for Luminaire), Marle and Ayla (for Iceberg Toss and Charm). Now with new equipment however, I've found a slightly tweaked party that deals out damage in spades. Giving Ayla a Dragon's Tear or Valor Crest (increased chance of criticals, counter rate of 50%) for when she has Bronze Fist makes her deal out 9,999 damage far more frequently. She's a certified beast now. Then who departs from my original three? That'd be Marle. Unfortunately, her Venus Bow (which guarantees 777 damage) just doesn't save her. Final Kick is still quite excellent and overall she's still very useful, but I'm afraid I've found someone else... Instead, I've got Robo in the mix. I never found him to be very good in the original game. Along with Lucca, he was my least used character. Now, with Apocalypse Arm (which deals 9,999 damage on critical) and a Dragon's Tear, you've got another beast. Plus he has Heal Beam, which increases in effectiveness when you give him some Magic Tabs and solves the problem of not having a Single Tech multi-party heal. With the new equipment though, you'll likely not be needing it. In fact, even the new final boss wasn't a challenge because of this. You're welcome to go ahead and not use these tactics or try a low level game though.
One thing I'm kind of glad that they've addressed in the Lost Sanctum is that you can no longer just spam Crono's Luminaire with a Gold Stud anymore since most of the enemies there absorb Light damage. In that case, I've got Magus stepping in for him. Dark Mist is enough to take care of most of the threats you'll face there. His new Dreamreaper scythe will also give him some melee aptitude since it gives 4x damage for when he lands a critical hit. So while you can no longer just roll over everything with Luminaire, there's still not much challenge when you figure out that Magus is one of your better bets in the Sanctum. Also, the pink Nu version of Spekkio is now a push-over thanks to Lucca's Elemental Aegis so given the right setup, there's nothing to be afraid of anymore.
So yes, Chrono Trigger for the DS is highly approved. The game is treated with respect and it's still a joy to play. It would have been nice to have a harder difficulty in New Game+ that leveled up all the monsters, but what we really need is a true successor to Chrono Trigger and I'm afraid Chrono Cross just doesn't cut it. It has no regard for the style or mechanics that made Trigger good. Trigger was a simple and elegant RPG that was brisk and had tons of replay value. Cross was a convoluted nightmare that merely had a soundtrack with some really excellent tracks. The successor to Trigger needs to be small and charming not ambitious and grotesque. It also doesn't need 40 some useless party members without any character development.
So that's my brain dump for Chrono Trigger DS. It's got the "Square Enix tax" on it, but for $40, I don't think you'll find a better RPG to play on the DS. Granted I haven't played Dragon Quest V, but I'm very confident in asserting that'll probably be far more hardcore and unforgiving. Chrono Trigger on the other hand, is an excellent first RPG -- which is not to say that it's dumbed down or lesser. No, it's quite the opposite. There's a reason that the team behind it was called the "Dream Team." Chrono Trigger is still one of the pinnacles of not just Japanese RPGs or 16-bit games, but of gaming as a whole.
