Introduction

As the J-RPG genre cedes more and more ground to the W-RPG revolution taking over gaming consoles in America and Europe, many gamers have to look back -- way back -- to find J-RPGs truly worth their time. The 1990s represent the height of J-RPGs, with the Super Nintendo and PlayStation dominating the biggest releases, from Final Fantasy IV and VI to Wild ARMs and Tales of Destiny. Sitting somewhere comfortably in the latter-released titles for the Super Nintendo is Chrono Trigger, a game widely considered to be one of Square's masterpieces.

Regardless of Chrono Trigger's bona fide status as a quintessential RPG that everyone should play, the game has seen extremely limited release since its heyday in the mid-90s, and finding a working SNES cartridge is an expensive endeavor. Stateside, the game has only seen the light of day post-SNES once, on the PlayStation. Regrettably, the collection it was on (bundled with Final Fantasy IV and called Final Fantasy Chronicles) was a broken and jumbled mess, making it virtually unplayable. So much relief was felt when Chrono Trigger was announced to be coming to the DS, complete with myriad extras.

Chrono Trigger isn't a vast RPG like Final Fantasy VI, nor is it epically challenging to the point of being nearly impossible, like Wild ARMs. Instead, Chrono Trigger falls somewhere many classic RPGs don't, concentrating on story and characters far more than many of its contemporaries. But there's a lot to see, too, for you'll be time travelling all over the place, to the past and to the future, to save humankind from the destructive forces of a being known as Lavos. Our guide aims to get you through the game from front to end. Our Basics section runs down Chrono Trigger's finer points, while our Walkthrough will get you from point A to point Z, and everywhere in between. While Chrono Trigger is a linear affair, it becomes quite the opposite at the end of the game, and that's where our Side Quest section comes in. And, of course, our Appendices section will give you the rundown on all of the game's gear, techs, and monsters.

So, without further ado, IGN Guides presents to you our guide for Chrono Trigger DS.

In this Chrono Trigger DS strategy guide, you'll find:

• BASICS // Time travellin' ain't easy. We'll rundown the fundamentals.
• WALKTHROUGH // We bend space and time to get you from beginning to end.
• SIDE QUESTS // Chrono Trigger is a linear RPG... well, until the very end, at least.
• APPENDICES // Enemies, weapons, armor, and items... oh my!

Guide by: Colin Moriarty

PLEASE NOTE: This guide was written specifically for the Nintendo DS re-release of the game. While the guide will be completely accurate for the SNES and PSX releases of the game, be aware that the DS deals with a new translation. Thus, differences in item names, enemy names and the like will differ if you're playing other versions of the game, especially the SNES original.