10 Hidden Details Everyone Missed In Chrono Trigger | Game Rant
One simply can't talk about the most legendary JRPGs of all time without mentioning the masterpiece that is Chrono Trigger. The collaborative efforts of Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy), Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball), and Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest) combined to bring players an absolute masterpiece in game design, to the point where most people will go so far as to label Chrono Trigger as one of the greatest games ever made!
The legend of this game is so immense that fans still talk fondly about this title to this day — something that is perfectly understandable for anyone who has experienced this masterpiece firsthand. It only goes without saying that such a legendary title is bound to have a ton of interesting information and trivia surrounding it, including some truly obscure ones that even the most devout Chrono Trigger fans probably have no idea about.
So, keeping this in mind, here are ten obscure details about Chrono Trigger that most people had no idea about.
10 None Of The Three Biggest Names Associated With Chrono Trigger Directed The Game
We've already mentioned three of the biggest names associated with the title, which made the game seem all that legendary to the masses. However, what might be surprising is the fact that none of these figures actually directed the game.
Instead, the directorial duties were split between three people — Takashi Tokita, Akihiko Matsui, and Yoshinori Kitase.
9 The Timeline Where Crono And His Friends Are From Was Meant To Look Like A Fusion Of Japan And Holland
In a bid to make the setting of Chrono Trigger as unique as possible, a lot of ideas were bounced around these geniuses. One of these pitches included making the timeline of Crono and his friends look like a cross between Japan and Holland.
While this didn't come to pass, it does explain why Crono uses a katana as a weapon — something that is certainly quite befuddling in the context of the main game's setting.
8 There Was A Game Before Chrono Cross That Tied In With The Story Of Chrono Trigger
Most people consider Chrono Cross to be the only game that's part of the Chrono series, but most people don't realize that there was actually another title that was released that serves as an official side story to Chrono Trigger.
This game is Radical Dreamers, a visual novel that was written by Masato Kato — the person who wrote the original script for Chrono Trigger along with help from Yuji Horii. Kato was displeased by the quality of the writing in this title, even though the fans who've managed to play the ROM hacks of this game actually appreciated the darker tone that the writer was going for.
7 The Game Was Translated To English In Just 30 Days
Speaking of Chrono Trigger's writing, one fact that might surprise fans is the fact that the script for this game was translated in just 30 days by Ted Woolsey, a legendary figure who also did the translation for Final Fantasy VI as well.
Woolsey had a habit of adding his own changes into the mix, leading to the translation of Chrono Trigger being somewhat different from the original script. One of the biggest changes was the name of the sword Masamune, which was originally called Grandleon in the Japanese script.
Most people surmise that this was done to form some sort of a connection between Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, no matter forced it may be.
6 There's A Dungeon Called Singing Mountain That Was Cut From The Main Game
As is the case with most ambitious JRPGs of its time, Chrono Trigger also had a ton of content that was axed. One of the most notable exclusions in this regard was the removal of an entire dungeon in the Prehistoric era — an area whose theme was still present in the game files.
According to Yasunori Mitsuda — the music composer for Chrono Trigger — the area was removed for pacing issues, which does make sense given how lengthy the Prehistoric section of the game already is.
5 There Was Supposed To Be An Eighth Party Member
Another piece of cut content comes in the form of an eighth party member, which was revealed in Masato Kato's initial sketches of the game. This party member was an old man who wielded a staff as a weapon.
Fans have surmised that this mysterious party member was none other than Gaspar, the old man who guides the players in the End of Time. Given the fact that the choice of keeping a small main cast in the game was actually lauded by critics, perhaps not having the eighth party member was actually a wise decision in hindsight.
4 Crono's Death Was Supposed To Be Permanent
A rather depressing story beat that was thankfully nixed from the end product was the idea of Crono's death at the hand of Lavos being permanent.
Players would've actually had to travel back in time before the Millennial Fair and take that version of Crono, dropping him back to this timeline after the main quest was completed and leaving him to his inevitable fate.
However, this was considered to be too much of a downer by the higher-ups, and this idea was ultimately removed in favor of a more heartwarming alternative.
3 Lucca's Mom Was Originally Never Meant To Avoid The Fate That Would Crush Her Legs
One of the most well-known secrets of Chrono Trigger was the fact that Lucca's mom could actually be saved from the accident that crushed her legs... but that was not part of the original plan.
As per the prototype, this accident was meant to be unavoidable, which was — again — frowned upon by Square. Instead, the player was given an opportunity to save Lucca's mom from this fate, which was quite welcomed indeed.
2 The Game Was Initially Pitched As Final Fantasy VII
Chrono Trigger and Xenogears are two of Square's most beloved JRPGs, and both these games share one thing in common — both titles initially served as pitches for Final Fantasy VII.
While Square liked both these ideas, they were shafted into side projects instead of being part of the main Final Fantasy canon.
1 Lucca Actually Makes A Cameo In Xenogears
This connection between Xenogears and Chrono Trigger actually manifested in the former game as a cameo.
In the village of Lahan, players can actually find Lucca, who explains the concept of Save Points to the player. It's a nice nod to the origins of both titles and definitely served as a treat for any fan who recognized Lucca.
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