20 Years Later, Chrono Trigger Amazes Me

For as many games as I've played, I have a few glaring holes in my game history. I've only played two Megaman games, I didn't play Metal Gear Solid until I was 18, and one of the biggest gaps for me is how little I've played Chrono Trigger.

After I experienced Final Fantasy 7 when I was seven, the series quickly became my absolute favorite. The games of Squaresoft and eventually Square Enix at large also made their way to me, and I found a love of JRPGs. It's strange then that Chrono Trigger conspicuously went under my radar, especially considering that it's sequel Chrono Cross was a game that I played when it released. Either way though, I didn't end up playing Trigger until its release on the Nintendo DS in 2008.

At this point, I didn't find myself drawn in by the experience. I was in a mindset that it had to be like Final Fantasy for me to enjoy it, and Chrono Trigger was just different enough to put me off of it a bit. Another compounding factor in this was Chrono himself as the silent protagonist. I thought I wanted more "character", and this was before I realized how strong of characterization a silent protagonist can actually have.

Long story short I never finished the game, even though I played over 50% of it. This isn't to say I hated Chrono Trigger or anything, it just didn't keep me involved. After last weeks episode of Playing with Perspective where we talked about Chrono Trigger, I found myself inspired to pick the game up again to try and complete it. This time around I'm finding myself enjoying it much more, for a multitude of reasons. As I've matured, I've come to appreciate games much more instead of being in that mindset where they have to be one way or another.

One part of Chrono Trigger has really stood out to me so far though. A part I had completely forgotten about somehow, but one that is a fascinating commentary on player choice and consequence. Chrono Trigger opens with you attending the Millennial Fair, happening to run into a young girl named Marle. You're able to spend time at the fair and do some odd activities like racing, fighting a giant robot, collecting points, and finding random items. As the story progresses Chrono finds himself on trial for kidnapping Marle who turns out to be the princess.

Here Chrono is put on the spot and forced to defend himself as citizens from the fair get called in to testify against Chronos "character."This includes people testifying on things Chrono has done, that can be different depending on what you did during the Millennial Fair. In my play through, I found a sandwich sitting on a shop that of course I ate. I also talked to a little girl who was looking for her cat, but was too busy playing games and getting on with the story to bother with it. It's still an amazing turn when the game throws these things back in your face. It completely destroys the status quo that we've come to expect with typically JRPGs.

This is when something amazing happens with the game, because it belays your expectations here you come to think more seriously about choices and your actions in the rest of the game. Here is when Chrono as a silent protagonist really becomes you. As a player you see your choices directly effecting a character in the game, and now suddenly it feels like your more of a part of this world.

Chrono Trigger made an absolutely brilliant decision when it put this reactive scene in. Although the outcome of the trial is the same no matter what, by putting this design choice in the game, it gets the player that much more involved in its story and events. Anytime a game can do this in an effective way, you really see the pay off. We should use this instance in Chrono Trigger as an example of reactive design. This is something that a lot of Telltale games do well too.

I'm hoping that I can make the push to finally finish Chrono Trigger this time, and I feel confident that I can. I find myself much more involved with the story and characters this time. The trial scene was one of those instances that just lept out at me, as a wonderful design choice. Chrono Trigger is certainly a wonderful gem that I wish I hadn't missed.

Experiencing Video Game Fatigue

Sometimes there is some truth to having too much of a good thing. This applies to anything that you like or enjoy, and sometimes because of life events you just experience burnout.This has happened to me personally at various points in my life, and it happened again recently.

As much passion as we hold for video games, and as much enjoyment as we get out of playing games, sometimes it' just too much. Video game fatigue can hold especially true in today's ecosystem, because of the hugely flooded market we have. There's so many games to choose from, that sometimes it can just become overwhelming as you look at your 'pile of shame' twenty games high.

For as much effort I put into this career of becoming a video game journalist, I don't get all that much to to actually play games. With school, a full-time job, a second part-time job, research for a radio show, and my own personal research my life is a blur of business. Not to mention the struggle I have to keep any kind of healthy social life. With this fact in mind, I found solace in The Witcher 3. As a lot of people who might associate with me know, I sunk myself into the game and found utter joy in analyzing it as much as I could. However, some time after beating it I found out the mistake I made.

Sinking yourself wholesale into a game can be a dangerous proposition, you spend countless hours pouring over the games systems, lore, story and whatever else you might be invested in. In my example, I had so utterly sunk myself into The Witcher investing over 150 hours, playing it on every spare chance I had. Upon completion of the game, I felt lost. For almost two months I had played The Witcher, it was my go-to game whenever I had that rare chance of down-time.

Of course there is a caveat to this fact in the truth that the whole time I was playing the Witcher I was escaping from issues in my life. A myriad of issues had assaulted me this summer, from sick and dying family members to confidence and identity issues. The Witcher 3 was the game I needed at this point, a grand fantasy adventure that I could really get invested in, but it also led to my most recent bout of burnout.

Video games as a medium are different than other forms of entertainment. It takes a commitment on the players part, and in one way or another each of us has to take the time to put ourselves in the game and push through the narrative or our character/avatars development. Whatever game it might be, it requires that the player takes and incredibly active role in pushing the experience along. As we know, games have a level of interactivity that other things do not, and when you do a lot of one thing it can become exhausting.

In my case, I had been too involved with games both with playing as well as writing about them. It's important that we all remember there are other things we enjoy doing besides playing games, I know that's hard when you have very little time to relax and games are your favorite past-time in that event. But remember, that sometimes all you need to do is take a break.

There's a second side to this story though, something I wanted to point out that pulled me back into my passion for games. Although this burnout wasn't the worst I've experienced the same thing held true. A few years back, I went through a sudden unexpected breakup with someone I had been living with for a while, needless to say it crushed me. Now I don't want to dwell on this, but the fact is that this even along with others led me to my longest hiatus I had ever had with video games, to the point that I didn't play one game for over six months.

Obviously this was a big blow for me, as it also caused my writing to slow to a sluggish pace considering I had taken some time off of school a while before. Finally I made the push though, going back to college I wanted something to do in between classes. So I popped my copy of Persona 4 Golden into my Vita that I had purchased months before, and my interest became completely renewed. Person 4 would become one of my favorite games of all time, and one of the most influential for my way of thinking. After playing P4, I found a niche that completely drew me in with the indie game scene. Fast forward to now and that very thing is exactly what pulled me out of my most recent slump.

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this at this point, but just last week I finally played The Unfinished Swan and Journey for the first time. I know I should probably be mocked in the street for this, but somehow these experiences eluded me since their release. The point though is that at a time when no game could hold my interest for more than 20 minutes, I found myself getting completely pulled in by these beautiful emotionally impactful games. Leap-frogging from this I played Everybody's Gone to the Rapture and found myself getting hooked by the disgustingly addictive Rocket League.

What this all boils down to, is the fact that video games are at a wonderful place right now. Although I found myself getting completely fatigued by games, the fact that I was able to play a huge expansive experience like The Witcher 3 then turn around and be just as engaged by an artistic three hour experience like Journey shows the wonderful diversity that games have right now. There really is something for everyone at the moment, and if you don't have time to sink into this hobby there are alternatives for you as well. Games that have bite sized chunks in the indie scene among other things are easily accessible for a fairly cheap point of entry. The face of gaming is diverse and colorful, and there are engaging experiences around every corner. Even the unexpected can be incredible surprises, I certainly didn't expect something like Rocket League to come along and completely blow my mind. With my interest and attention span getting renewed, I've also been able to hop back into the Assassins Creed series, which I've had a hell of a time playing for over a year.

The point to remember here is that there's a wonderful breadth of experiences available to all of us, and don't be afraid to drop something for a lighter experience if you need. Conversely, don't feel bad if you can't find it in you to focus on any one game, or any games at all for an amount of time. Even if you take six months or more off, it doesn't mean that you're passion or interest in games has faded or left. It's important for all of us to take a break, especially with a medium that requires such a high level of interaction from us. Video games aren't at their best when they let us forget our lives, theyre at their best when they remind us what we love and enjoy about life, and when they teach us things about how we think and feel. Sometimes, the time just isn't right for us to find this experience, so we can wait until it is.

One Single Line of Dialogue Highlights the Best Part of The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3 is a massive sweeping fantasy tale, that spanned over 150 hours for me to complete. I recently finished the game, and was very surprised by one fact. There was one thing that had more of an impact on me than anything else in the game, one thing that tied up Geralts journey as a character. We'll get to the specific line in a bit, but first we need to cover the relationship that Geralt and Ciri hold. I will warn you that significant spoilers on the end of the Witcher 3 lie ahead, so read on at your own peril.

Through much of the story of Witcher 3 Geralt spends his time on the trail of Ciri, a young woman that is basically a daughter to him. As such, you spend most of the game one step behind trying to piece together the path that Ciri took while also playing the elusive young woman herself at a few different points. This is the driving force behind Geralt in the game, although there's much more going on within the world Geralt's only worry is the safety and well being of Ciri.

With this fact in mind, it actually altered some of the choices I made through the story. For example, there's one plot-line in the city of Novigrad that has you hunting down a crime lord named Whoreson Junior. During the process of all this you find out what a terrible person Whoreson is, a person who enjoys sexually torturing women to death. You also find out that during the time Ciri interacted with him, he may have done something to harm her. While none of this is confirmed, the fatherly love that Geralt holds for Ciri prompted me to immediately end the life of Whoreson Junior.

It was a knee jerk reaction that I had in an instant because of the thought of what the man might have done to another character. This man needed to be gone from the world of The Witcher 3. It's not exactly commonplace that a game has this strong of an emotional response from me, and I was amazed with The Witcher 3 when it happened multiple times. As much as I'd love to go on and on about all the emotionally impactful parts, the point I have here is to highlight the incredible job Witcher 3 does with the father daughter bond of Geralt and Ciri.

Once you finally find Ciri and bring her back from The Isle of Mists, you begin the final stretch of the game. After the huge event of the Battle of Kaer Morhen, Geralt gets some quality time with Ciri as they mourn over the loss of a friend. Over the next few quests and plot lines, Geralt has five different choices regarding Ciri thrust upon him. The girl is having an incredibly hard time coping with everything and there are multiple occasions where Geralt gets to decide how to deal with Ciri. This can result in a warm fatherly approach, versus a cold disapproving father approach. For example, let me show you the snowball fight scene. This is moment where Ciri is frustrated and unsure of what to do next and how to do it. With the positive choice you get an incredibly heartwarming scene where Geralt tries to cheer Ciri up in the only way he knows how. Just watch.

Another scene involves Ciri upset with being deceived by the elf Avalla'ch, once again you can see the unique relationship held between the two and even more so the father, mother, daughter relationship the two hold with Yennefer of Vengerberg. Again it's easier to just show you; 

These two choices, and the three others involving Ciri decide the strength of her resolve at the end, as well as the chances for her to survive which leads to one of three major endings for you. I hope this can highlight the intense loving relationship that the two have. After all, Geralt spends 50-60 hours of the game merely on the hunt for Ciri, putting up with countless headaches and problems in order to find her. The way Geralt feels about her, shines through in both the dialogue choices as well as his facial expressions. The interesting thing is, that this holds true whether you pick the warmer or colder option on how to deal with her.

The two ways of dealing with Ciri create very different experiences for the player and a very different interpretation of the relationship between the two. The colder way gives you an impression of a Geralt that cares for Ciri deeply, but has no idea how to treat her like a father and feels uncomfortable with that fact. Feeling detached from the child he used to know, he feels disappointed with some of the brashness that Ciri approaches situations with and wants to ensure that she gains the skills and knowledge she'll need to survive. On the flip side, the warmer approach denotes a Geralt that sees a Ciri who has taken completely after him, and knows how to be the father figure that she needs as her real father was never there. Both approaches are valid, and both develop an incredibly deep but different relationship between Geralt and Ciri. 

Now that we've covered that, we can fast forward to the ending of the game. After the final conflict with the Wild Hunt, events find you at a tower where the cold winds of another world are blowing in threatening to drown the world in a giant freezing storm. At this point Ciri explains that because of the power of her elder blood she's the only one that can save the world from this fate. This realization is a huge shock to Geralt and something that has a huge impact on him, as you see his emotions get thrown into a state of chaos. It's in this moment that you have a dialogue choice as Ciri is preparing to enter the portal to the other world. This choice is where Geralt desperately says, " Don't do this... to me. Please. Not now." It's at this moment that we realize, Geralt isn't the main character of this story. He's a supporting one. Here's the ending in full, note that this is the ultimate 'good' ending. With the happiest story tones wrapping up here. Each ending of The Witcher 3 I feel does some good things in their own way, but I may go into that another time. 

Ultimately the choice in the end is Ciri's, and it's up to you as Geralt to support Ciri on her path how you can. But in this moment, you see a usually emotionally toned back Geralt break. His daughter is leaving, possibly going to her death and everything he's done will be for naught. After all, it's not the fate of the warring countries or the lives of non-humans that Geralt is truly invested in during this journey, it's the life of his daughter who is the single most important thing in his life. The time he spent with her was a reminder of the love that he held for her. 

This single line of dialogue ties up the relationship between Geralt and Ciri no matter what approach you took to dealing with her. Like I said earlier, it's an important moment of clarity for the player in which we realize that we've merely been someone on a quest, on the trail of the real main character of this plot. Which can explain a lot about the pacing of The Witcher 3. Of course, I don't want anyone to think this is a bad thing. It's an incredible moment, one where we realize the powerlessness that we have as players at the end. Yes we found Ciri. Yes we altered the course of the war. Yes we defeated The Wild Hunt. But in the end, we are powerless to stop the most important person to our character from leaving to her possible death. You do have an impact on the outcome of course, but this is in how you build your relationship with Ciri, how you treat her as she struggles to figure out how she deals with the fate she's been dealt. In that moment, you see Geralt become emotionally broken and powerless, with even Ciri stating " What would you know about saving the world? You're just a Witcher." 

Herein lies the beauty of some of the final moments of The Witcher 3, and what I believe to be one of the finest parent-child relationships in any game I've played. It builds up the level of care and love Geralt has through Ciri throughout the game, illustrating the lengths he goes to in order to ensure her safety. Then it yanks the rug out from under you, and reminds you that Ciri is her own woman and you don't get to decide what she does no matter how much you might want to. In a game that so intimately features player choice, it's a stark reminder that as players and as people we don't always have control over what others do, even when those people are important to us and our characters.  

Introductions Are In Order

Greetings,

And welcome to Optional Analysis. I guess I should take a minute to let you know who I am and what this blog is about. If you weren't informed already this is a very video game and entertainment-centric blog and news site. My name is Hayes Madsen, and right now I work as a video game and freelance journalist..... in training. I'm in the midst of getting my Bachelors degree for ...well its a bit wordy  but, Convergent Journalism with a minor in Digital Media. I have worked in the industry briefly for a few years now. However, I'm not here to tell you all about my history and past work and whatnot.

I'm here to invite you on a journey. A journey with me into the midst of the video game industry and the wonderful pieces of art that we call video games and the industry and culture that surround them. So on that note, what is Optional Analysis?

Optional Analysis is an idea, a way of thinking, a way of analyzing. Optional Analysis is the way that I approach my work and my career, it's my 'brand' if you will. What this means is that for everything we experience, games and entertainment, there's more than one side to them. For everything you encounter, there's some way that you can dig deeper, some way that you can find another meaning or another idea in it.

Basically, every game you play and movie you watch has an optional analysis to it. That's what I'm here to do, analyze and make my way through video games and the industry. Of course I'm still learning, every day. I also have a want to talk about more than video games and that industry so you may see me commenting on may things. Social issues, politics, entertainment.

Optional Analysis is the brand to carry me through the things that I do in my life whatever that may be. And so, I invite you to join me. I want to share what I learn with you, for our mutual benefit. I hope that any and all that want to, can partake in what I find. I invite you to comment with me, and discuss with me about whatever you feel like. All I ask is that we keep the conversation respectful, other than that everything is fair game. Over time if you choose to stick with me, you'll find out plenty about where I am and what I do so I don't need to explain that know.

Honestly, I do hope that there are those of you who want to join me in this growing experience. Welcome.

With Highest Regards,
Hayes Madsen