Final Fantasy Chronicles

Pros • Added anime sequences for Chrono Trigger • Slight improvements to Japanese-English translation • Re-release of two classic RPGs	Cons • No in-game graphical/music enhancements
Bottom Line Great for the nostalgic, but ultimately brings nothing new to the table. Last summer, Squaresoft treated their North American fans to the Final Fantasy Anthology, which revisited a pair of their most beloved classic games. This year, Square dives into their SuperNES archive once again, re-releasing the classics Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger as the Final Fantasy Chronicles. Unfortunately, as with Anthology, most of the players who know of and are interested in these games already own them either in their original SuperNES cartridge format or as an emulator ROM, and without any tangible enhancements, these old titles are unlikely to draw the appeal of those who have never seen them before.

Since the release of Final Fantasy Anthology, fans of Square’s now classic SuperNES games have been clamoring for a similar re-release of Chrono Trigger, which some have called the greatest RPG of all time. Now, just in time for the Final Fantasy movie, those nostalgic desires can be indulged with Final Fantasy Chronicles, which revisits both Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV and presents them in their complete, uncut, original form.

Final Fantasy IV is the Japanese “hard” version of the game that was originally released in North America as Final Fantasy II. This version is said to be more difficult and have a more complex story, yet there are really fewer differences between the two versions than Square would like players to believe. In fact, the story progression, enemies, and even the infamously vague item/equipment system appear to be unchanged from the original version. The English translation is, however, slightly more polished in this release, while keeping many of the more classic “Engrish” moments, such as the “You spoony bard!” line.

The graphics and sound of this game, however, remain unpolished, and these are areas that could have benefited greatly from such improvement. Final Fantasy II/IV’s look and sound were primitive when it was originally released; ten years later it becomes nothing short of archaic. Gaming purists will probably be thrilled by this fact, but the majority, especially those who have never experienced such classic games before, are sure to be put off by the blocky 8-bit graphics and repetitive, annoying tunes. It appears that this game may have been formed from Square’s first, experimental leanings toward the more mature characters and storylines for which they have achieved world renown, but the simplistic 16-color environments and pixilated square blocks which pass for characters are even more damaging to this effort now than they were a decade ago, distancing players from the very elements they are meant to grow close to. Further damaging to this game is its nearly unusable equipment system, which, as with its graphics, drew considerable heat when this game was first released, but becomes unacceptable when placed against the backdrop of more user-friendly modern RPGs.

The more recent Chrono Trigger is a bit more likely to find a niche among the current market. The ever-growing legions of Dragonball Z fans are sure to recognize the familiar stroke of Akira Toriyama’s pen in CT’s character designs, even if most of them don’t know his name, and perhaps more importantly, CT’s graphics and sound are for the most part comparable to the few 2D games which the PlayStation has played host to.

The addition of the few anime sequences do at least add value to this title, and Square has added slightly to its endings to create a bit more continuity between this game and its sequel, Chrono Cross. Still, even this title could have benefited from a few additional frames of animation, and perhaps a slight boost to its spell effects.

The game itself stands the test of time beautifully; its story, characters and environments coming together to create an experience that remains captivating from beginning to end, enhanced by intuitive menu controls and a unique abilities system that shifts the main focus of battle from individual characters to teams. This encourages players to explore the depth of each character like no game before and few after as they slowly discover how best each character can complement the others.

Chrono Trigger provides the better part of this package’s value; however, those who have never experienced these classics before really should not miss this opportunity to experience firsthand two of the finest titles in RPG history. Those who have traveled these roads before should be aware that they should not expect many surprises, but even so, will find these elder titles to be quite worthwhile in the absence of anything new from Squaresoft.

James Tapia

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