Submitted 1 year ago by Xylinna@lemmy.world to retrogaming@lemmy.world
I’ve recently been on an old school RPG kick and picked up Chrono Trigger which is a phenomenal game. Any other suggestions on similar games?
One of the best RPGs ever made. I’d jump to either the Breath of Fire series, Wild Arms, or Suikoden. All are solid, though none quite as brilliant.
I wish Wild Arms had an official mobile port. Such a great series with no modern IP usage to take advantage of its cult status.
Best you can do for now is buy it on PlayStation store
Gonna have to +1 Wild Arms and Breath of Fire 3
Wild Arms was so good
+1 for jumping to Suikoden II. If you love it you can check III and I
I played Wild Arms back in the day and I don’t remember too much about them although I did enjoy them all. Might be worth picking up again. Also, isn’t Suikoden getting a remake soon?
Yes it is! The first 2 games. It’s kind of an odd situation where the 2nd game is kind of a remake-ish retelling of the first game, sort of like Final Fantasy or Zelda, where it is different characters but same themes. I just thought of 2 more I could recommend! Grandia and Live a Live. Both fit nicely in Chrono Trigger’s orbit, though none are quite as good. Live a Live just got a low up and re-release recently too.
And for those who don’t know, Yasunori Mitsuda worked himself so relentlessly on the soundtrack that he ended up developing stomach ulcers that required hospitalization. You know the soundtrack is good if the composer would rather be shitting blood than let his work be less than perfect.
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I was walking around the Iowa State Fair for an hour last summer before I realized I was whistling the theme to the Millennium Festival.
highly recommend chrono symphonic as an interpretation of the incredible original.
My favorite was always Frog’s theme, alternating between the triumphant knightly and the devastatingly tragic (which perfectly fit the character). Ah, what a perfect game with a soundtrack to match!
Now you gotta play Xenogears and really be ready for some mental shit.
I played Xenosaga forever ago, are they related at all? I have heard really good things about Xenogears so I will put it on my to play list.
I never played Xenosaga, but the teams that made them are totally different. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s like Chrono Trigger with a more complex plot and characters. There’s something about it that feels a bit similar, it’s hard to describe. Good to go in without too many spoilers. Might be your thing and might not, but definitely worth giving a shot!
It’s the best jrpg of all time.
When does Chrono Trigger really start to get good? I’ve tried to play it a few times but it never fully holds me.
For me? As soon as I power on the SNES. For most folks I know? After you complete the intro (festival).
I remember being hooked the moment Marle disappears for the first time. That was 20 years ago. I’m not sure the game would have the same impact on me today.
The trial?
Chrono Trigger is that awesome game that I never played back in the day… Until now, I started it like a month ago (the DS version) and I’m liking it so far.
For more modern CT-likes I would recommend Chained Echoes and the soon-to-be-released Sea of Stars. Chained Echoes was fantastic.
Check out the “Tales Of” series. I feel those games don’t get the attention they deserve
I haven’t played tales of, but another modern game that gave me heavy chrono vibes is Chained Echoes. I’ve been loving it. Streamlined the right parts of jrpgs imo
I played that since it was free on XBox pass and loved it. Actually is the reason I picked up Chrono Trigger. I really hope the developer is able to create more games similar in nature. From what I understood it was just one person?
I have actually played a few of the more recent ones, Zestiria, Berseria, and Arise although I haven’t finished the last one. I also picked up Trails in the Sky series from the last Steam sale and they are quite good.
Tales of Graces is my favorite followed closely by Symphonia.
I have been enjoying the Trails in the Sky series as well.
Definitely try out Tales of Xillia if you get a chance.
I would really recommend Chrono Cross for the PS1. It’s set in the same world as Chrono Trigger but isn’t a direct sequel. It has some really great elements to it. I played it when I was a kid and I still revisit it every few years.
@Phyzaks For anyone not aware, there is a re-release of Chrono Cross last year! It's available on Steam and consoles: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1133760/CHRONO_CROSS_THE_RADICAL_DREAMERS_EDITION/ (even Steam Deck verified) The graphics and art is upscaled, partly with AI, and the results got mixed receptions. And "Radical Dreamers" is included as well, according to the Steam page. Just wanted to point this out, in case emulation is complicated for some.
One of the few games I listen to the music from.
Lavos’ second form is my jam
Chrono Trigger, Earthbound/Mother 2, and Seiken Densetsu 3 were the trifecta of awesome.
One of the best games ever made.
Play Terranigma.
Try Secret of Evermore. The combat is very different but the game allows for two players! One controls the main character and the other can control his pet dog. It’s one of the rare action RPGs of the time.
Would Secret of Mana also qualify - even has three players (lots of multi-tap powered memories).
Agreed. SoM was also a classic. I just enjoyed the aesthetic of Evermore and it had a cool dog companion.
You know the game left an impact when the grand-daddy of another great franchise, Fallout, desperately wants there to be another Chrono game.
You’re goddamn right, it is.
I don’t know why I never played it for so long. I played it on DS man it was amazing.
There’s nothing quite like Chrono Trigger.
Dragon Quest IV/Dragon Warrior IV was a strong influence on Chrono Trigger’s medieval era. If you wanted an entire game about the Hero, DQ4 is the closest you’re ever likely to get. (Does that make Recettear a sister game to Chrono Trigger?)
Phantasy Star IV has a similarly fast-moving and cinematic plot, but the graphics and gameplay are more archaic as befits a 1993 game. Strongly recommended if you want to play older JRPGs like DQ4.
Final Fantasy VI (released as “Final Fantasy III”) is similar in quality and difficulty, but much longer and more complex.
Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross continue the story, but they have a much darker tone.
Earthbound/Mother 2 came out the same year and is another of the greats, but that’s where most of the similarities end. Earthbound might be the only 16-bit classic whose tone is “all of them”. Earthbound can be quite hard early on, so don’t get discouraged.
I should really play this someday.
But for recommendations: have you played Golden Sun perhaps?
It remains, to this day, one of my very favorite games of all time. Top tier story, characters, gameplay mechanics, and musical score. Not to mention almost infinitely replayable. So much value packed into a single purchase. Enjoy!
@Xylinna I did a post a few years ago: https://thingsiplay.game.blog/2020/02/11/what-to-do-after-chrono-trigger/
Replayed this game so many times as a kid.
People are mentioning all the ones I would have added already. Maybe also the Dragon Quest series, but I haven't played any recent ones.
Also if you can stand a mobile gacha (also a Steam version) one of the writers of Chrono Trigger & Cross started the game Another Eden that is kind of a spiritual successor - gorgeous graphics, fantastic music, and yes some pretty nice storyline as well (mixed in with crap but you can't win them all:-D). Like... one of the main characters is basically Frog! 🐸 (Another is essentially Lucca, and Robo, and Marle, etc.)
The official mobile port is well done. I know it wasn’t always the case but after some past updates I haven’t had any issues with it. I picked it up on Google Play and it was worth the $8 I paid.
I just started playing this the other night. Was one of those games as a kid I wanted to buy but for whatever reason I never did. Amazing so far.
@Xylinna Chrono Trigger also had New Game+, which basically created the term for RPGs. I played another JRPG long before Chrono Trigger, where enemies was visible on the playfield in dungeons: the infamous Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (fantastic soundtrack BTW).
PrinceHabib72@feddit.nl 1 year ago
Chrono Trigger is so far ahead of its time, it’s insane. Enemies visible on the field map, battles taking place directly on the field map, character positioning mattering immensely, multi-character attacks, incredible music that holds up today, a compelling story with something like 15 total endings (granted, it’s not like they’re ENTIRELY different from one another, there are a few major branches with a few variations each)… Most of these things would all but vanish from games for twenty-plus years. I remember when Final Fantasy 12 came out, it was lauded for having the enemies shown on the map and battles taking place on the map as well.
thingsiplay@kbin.social 1 year ago
@PrinceHabib72 Chrono Trigger also had New Game+, which basically created the term for RPGs. I played another JRPG long before Chrono Trigger, where enemies was visible on the playfield in dungeons: the infamous Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (fantastic soundtrack BTW).