Chrono Trigger, released in 1995, is unarguably one of the most iconic JRPGs ever to be made.Chrono Triggerinspired new titles with a diverse storyline and action-packed battle system. Later in 1997,Final Fantasy 7was released and set the tone for future Final Fantasy titles.
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Final Fantasy 7is, without a question, the more popular title. JRPGs weren’t a trend in the United in the early 90s.Final Fantasy 7was the landmark title that introduced JRPGs to a broader audience. However, there are a lot of arguments that could be made thatChrono Triggerwas the superior RPG.Chrono TriggerandFinal Fantasy 7were both amazing RPGs, but only one game can reign supreme.
10Chrono Trigger Has a Better Plot
The plot ofChrono Triggerwas pretty simple. Crono and his friends accidentally time-traveled and saw the fate of the world by an alien life-form named Lavos. Determined to change time and save the world, they venture throughout time, collect new comrades, and battle those responsible for unleashing the wrath of Lavos upon the world.
Time-travel plots are a bit obsolete now, yet the creators ofChrono Triggerforged an impeccable plot that touched on the legend of magic, Lavos' beginnings, and side quests regarding characters like Frog and Magus.Final Fantasy 7had a decent plot that also revolved around saving the world. Though,Chrono Triggerhad a multi-dimensional plot that was uncommon back in the early 90s. This game gets the nod overFinal Fantasy 7in regards to a complete plot.
This determination was more of a no-brainer. InChrono Trigger, Crono didn’t talk (Cloud didn’t talk much either) and the rest of the characters were a bit one-dimensional. They all didn’t interact much, asChrono Triggerwas one of those early titles where both characters and NPCs didn’t have much dialogue.
Final Fantasy 7had a bunch of interesting characters, such as Vincent, Red XII, and Yuffie. One shouldn’t also forget about the pasts of Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith. Without a doubt,Final Fantasy 7had the better characters out of both titles and it’s not much of a debate.
Now,Final Fantasy 7had an action-packed battle system that first introduced a limit break, which was a special attack any playable character could perform. There was also a sweet motorcycle chase inFinal Fantasy 7that set the tone for the entire game. However,Chrono Triggergets a slight nod in the gameplay department.
Chrono Triggerhad the epic Magus scene, allowed players to fight on the Epoch, and featured the triple-attack battle sequence that revolutionized modern JRPGs.Chrono Triggerwas simply ahead of its time, and it’s vibrant gameplay is still something that attracts retro gamers to this very day.
There are very few video games (besidesFinal Fantasy 6), where players hugely anticipated fighting the final boss. Of course,Super Mario BrosandThe Legend of Zeldado not count as Bowser and Ganondorf are two legendary villains, but they’re somewhat overplayed. Sephiroth, on the other hand, is a complete villain.
His signature Masamune, his apathetic background, and calm mystique makes him the bane of Cloud’s existence. Sephiroth alone trumps any villainChrono Triggerand most games have to offer.
Sephiroth, Hojo, and Jenova headlinedFinal Fantasy 7as premier bosses. But Chrono Trigger had a lot more memorable bosses, such as Lavos, Black Tyranno, Queen Zeal, Dragon Tank, and Masamune.Chrono Triggeralso featured the opportunity to battle tons of monsters either by bumping into them or interacting randomly with the map.
Bosses inChrono Triggeralso had numerous status proficiency and deficiencies. This allowed players to formulate strategies to defeat monsters and bosses instead of using sheer might.
5Final Fantasy 7 Has the Better Battle System
There are so many things to like aboutFinal Fantasy 7’sbattle system. The limit break is absolutely a plus, and the game boasts dozens of more magical attacks thanChrono Trigger. The limit break system certainly rises to the occasion, allowing players to master several different special skills for all characters.
The new and improved ABS gauge is also a breath of fresh air compared to older RPG titles. Everything aboutFinal Fantasy’sbattle system was superior toChrono Trigger’s. The only exception being the triple-attack feature.
Before 1997, 2D graphics reigned supreme on countless video game consoles of the day. The Super Nintendo (SNES) featured some of the greatest JRPGs of all time, fromFinal Fantasy 6toTales of Phantasia.Chrono Triggerarguably had the greatest graphics on the SNES console. Of course, legendary concept artist and creator ofDragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, developed the game’s art along with Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of theFinal Fantasyseries.
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The development team put a lot of time and effort intoChrono Trigger. Final Fantasyclearly has better graphics, butChrono Triggerstood out on an entire console of great RPGs.
3Final Fantasy 7 Was More Challenging
Chrono Triggerwas a very difficult game for its time. For those familiar with the game, Ocean Palace was home to more than 100 enemies playershadto fight. There was no getting around them, and it was certainly tedious to defeat them all and still have the wherewithal to fight the map’s boss. Interestingly,Final Fantasy 7was even more difficult.
Bosses and enemies in this game had much higher HPs and defenses. They were also much more enemies to fight on each map. Special bosses like Ruby and Emerald Weapon have given gamers nightmares over the years, as well.
This isn’t even up for debate. Before you attempt to close the window and retweet this article in disgust, take the time to listen to “Corridors of Time” from theChrono Triggersoundtrack. While you’re at it, listen to theChrono Trigger"600 AD" theme. Legendary composers, Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy) who is known as the Beethoven of video game music and Yasunori Mitsuda (Xenogears) created the music.
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Both composers created a masterpiece soundtrack forChrono Trigger. WhileFinal Fantasy 7had an amazing OST in its own right, it doesn’t come close to the magic ofChrono Trigger’svivid soundtrack.
Chrono Triggerclearly had a better plot thanFinal Fantasy 7, yet there is a definite caveat here. There were certain aspects toFinal Fantasy 7’splot which included the death of Aerith and the complicated past of Sepiroth that made the game seem realer thanChrono Trigger. Players in this game were determined to save the world from the evil Shinra corporation, and it honestly felt likeFinal Fantasy 7could actually happen here on Earth in some weird future.
Both games are undoubtedly works of fiction, butFinal Fantasy 7had a few advantages with a deep plot that explored diverse tropes other than magic and monsters.
