Platypus Plays Chrono: Part II
Following my previous post, I want to address an aspect of the "story" of Chrono Trigger that makes it so compelling: community. Like Edwardian pulp such as "A Princess of Mars," or fantasy epics such as "The Lord of the Rings," Chrono Trigger presents us with a community of characters that gather around the hero and without whom the hero could not succeed. This community aspect stands in stark contrast to the "go it alone" figures we see in other video games such as Halo, Resident Evil, or Metroid. Adventure games and first person shooters naturally lend themselves to the "lone hero," while RPGs thrive on a fellowship of protagonists.
Following this trend, Chrono Trigger presents us with a cast of vivd and eclectic characters that hold our interest throughout the game. Indeed, the title character, Crono, is rather flat and amorphous, inviting the player to project their own personality onto this "blank slate." With Crono as an avatar for the player, the other characters of the "fellowship" carry the weight of the story. We see the attachments they form with each other and with Crono through the story arcs and mini-quests that make up the plot of the game, and these attachments are chiefly what drive the plot. We want to know if Frog will revenge himself on Magus and return to being human. There is a sense of completion when Marle finally reconciles with her father. Any nerd who ever picked up a controller can empathize with Lucca, who finds robots easier to relate to than humans. Personally, I always wanted to know what became of Schala, and if Magus was ever able to rescue her (I guess there's always Chrono Cross...).
It's always fun to picture ourselves as the lone hero riding in to save the day, but experience tells us that it's far more realistic to make a difference if we're part of a team. In that way, Chrono Trigger serves as a metaphor for real life. We all are thrown into situations we didn't create and called on to rise and meet the challenges that come. The world of Crono and his friends reminds us that success and failure in meeting those challenges depends as much on who we choose to share our lives with as on our own efforts.
Following this trend, Chrono Trigger presents us with a cast of vivd and eclectic characters that hold our interest throughout the game. Indeed, the title character, Crono, is rather flat and amorphous, inviting the player to project their own personality onto this "blank slate." With Crono as an avatar for the player, the other characters of the "fellowship" carry the weight of the story. We see the attachments they form with each other and with Crono through the story arcs and mini-quests that make up the plot of the game, and these attachments are chiefly what drive the plot. We want to know if Frog will revenge himself on Magus and return to being human. There is a sense of completion when Marle finally reconciles with her father. Any nerd who ever picked up a controller can empathize with Lucca, who finds robots easier to relate to than humans. Personally, I always wanted to know what became of Schala, and if Magus was ever able to rescue her (I guess there's always Chrono Cross...).
It's always fun to picture ourselves as the lone hero riding in to save the day, but experience tells us that it's far more realistic to make a difference if we're part of a team. In that way, Chrono Trigger serves as a metaphor for real life. We all are thrown into situations we didn't create and called on to rise and meet the challenges that come. The world of Crono and his friends reminds us that success and failure in meeting those challenges depends as much on who we choose to share our lives with as on our own efforts.
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