Square Enix invited SmashPad to the final U.S. showing of the Chrono Trigger Orchestra Concert: Melodies Across Time, and as a big fan of both Square and the genre, I had to go. It also helped that I was already in LA for the Metaphor: ReFantazio concert just days before, so it made sense to stay a few extra days.
Before we talk about the concert experience, I think it’s essential for some people out there to understand just how revered Chrono Trigger is.
Chrono Trigger, the GOAT
Chrono Trigger came out 32 years ago on the Super Nintendo, widely regarded as the greatest JRPG machine ever made, and on that platform, it’s also widely considered the best of the bunch. Ask anyone who loves JRPGs from that era, and odds are extremely high that Chrono Trigger is near the top of that list.
There are several reasons for it. One top reason is that Akira Toriyama, Yuji Horii, and Hironobu Sakaguchi worked on it. It was a collaboration of legends, with the best of Dragon Quest, Dragon Ball, and Final Fantasy under the belts. Then, of course, there’s the music, led by Yasunori Mitsuda, with names like Nobuo Uematsu assisting, and it’s just the cherry on top. Each of these people was arguably in their prime, and at the time (and even now), Final Fantasyand Dragon Questare considered the cream of the crop in the genre.
Countless video games are inspired by and borrow fromChrono Trigger, but nothing will ever top the original. Now that we have an exquisitely crafted symphonic composition to share on a concert tour, it further backs Chrono Trigger‘s timelessness.
Nostalgic Bliss
The show started a little late, especially for game industry event standards, but I wasn’t upset, and I’ll explain why when we go over the venue in a little bit. As usual with video game orchestral shows, the music is accompanied by footage on the screen from the areas and moments in which we hear them. After we heard the musicians tune their instruments, the iconic pendulum swung as the Chrono Triggerlogo waved onto the start menu, followed by the game’s official theme.
At that point, I knew they’d go over each track in sequential order. For me, in particular, the first act of the game has the very best music, so I was instantly entertained and easily immersed by the footage I saw on the screen. From the chimes of Crono waking up to his trek over to Leene Square to check out the Millennial Fair where he meets Marle — listening to mysterious and hopeful whimsy from “Morning Sunlight / Peaceful Days” and “Guardia Millennial Fair / A Strange Happening” just left me there with a smile the entire time.
Not long after that, when Crono goes back in time, we get to hear some of my favorite songs, including “Frog’s Theme” and “Robo’s Theme.” I love listening to video game covers, but I’ve never actually searched for orchestral covers of Chrono Trigger‘s music on my own, so hearing both Frog’s and Robo’s themes live was an experience I’m simply glad I had. I hum and whistle these themes to myself from time to time, and when a friend or even a stranger notices what I’m whistling, there’s an unmistakable sense of camaraderie.
And that was just Act I!
The Setlist
I’ve already talked about how timeless Chrono Trigger’s soundtrack is. Everybody in that theater, from the performers to the audience, knows that. The best part of the experience was that every piece played was essentially a melody made up of multiple songs. At the end of the day, sure, we missed some songs, but it’s been a while since I’ve sat down and played the game. I am more than satisfied with what we got.
We don’t know if they’ll ever bring this show back… Okay, we’re fooling ourselves–they will, but when will they? Until then, here’s the entire setlist. I’d call these spoilers, but come on. If anything, it’ll make you go over to Spotify and YouTube to go give the songs a listen.
- Presentiment / Chrono Trigger
- Morning Sunlight / Peaceful Days
- Guardia Milennial Fair / A Strange Happening
- Secret of the Forest / Wind Scene
- Battle 1 / Fanfare 1
- Courage and Pride / Frog’s Theme
- Kingdom Trial / The Hidden Truth / A Shot in Crisis
- Lab 16’s Ruin / Robo’s Theme
- The Day the World Revived / Lavos’ Theme
- Brink of Time / Delightful Spekkio / Fanfare 3
- Primitive Mountain / Ayla’s Theme
- Magus’ Castle / Confusing Melody / Battle with Magus
- Corridors of Time / Zeal Palace
- Schala’s Theme
- At the Bottom of Night
- Determination / Wings That Cross Time
- World Revolution / Last Battle
- Epilogue – To Good Friends
- To Far Away Times
Again, Frog and Robo’s themes are my favorite songs in the game, so it’s no surprise I enjoyed the first act more, but Act II was no less interesting.
The encores, although with more trolling than you’d want from a performance of this caliber, included a medley of every important character theme intertwining back to the game’s theme. It was just about as perfect as you can ask for.
The Visuals
Part of the interest is thatChrono Trigger has over 12 endings, depending on which version you play. The concert doesn’t go and spoil the endings if you’ve never played it and are worried about that — it’s really not a problem. But what it does show are the intricacies of certain routes.
One such example, and this might be spoiler, but it’s also the coolest moment in the game is the fact that you can recruit Magus to your party. You can beat Chrono Trigger and never get Magus, but the concert decided to follow the part of the canon where you do actually recruit him.
Back to the visuals, they were fantastic. They enhanced the music in every crafted moment, and you felt that from the get-go. As “Morning Sunlight” plays and you see birds fly across the World Map, the orchestra uses instruments to emulate their calls. In Battle 1, it felt like the percussion followed every strike Crono and company delivered. Everything was so brilliantly in sync, and my brother (my +1) and I were amazed by how skillfully they did it. Speaking of percussion, it was hard not to bob side to side as “Delightful Spekkio” played, and watching the party run circles around Spekkio to troll him gave the crowd something to laugh with.
Melodies Across Time … sometimes at a rough time
Taking place in the esteemed Dolby Theater, which hosted both the Persona Live concert as well as the Summer Game Fest Showcase, a Chrono Trigger concert being nestled in the middle of Hollywood seemed like it would be appropriate, but it ended up being rougher than I anticipated.
Personally, I made things harder on myself by deciding to have an early dinner with my brother at a “nearby” Packers bar in Silverlake. We decided to leave at halftime, and we were technically five minutes late to the show thanks to all the traffic, but it was a Sunday night–even with LA traffic being a terribly real thing, where was it even coming from? It turns out there was Miley Cyrus concert happening at the Hollywood Bowl, so Hollywood was definitely a happening place that night.
Because of that, I wasn’t upset about the show starting late. We got to our seats on time, and they were EXCELLENT SEATS (thanks again, Square Enix), and as we waited, I watched the game from my phone. No big deal.
Last but not least, of course, I have to talk about the merchandise. Like the Metaphor merch a few days ago, I wasn’t too impressed. It was just the key art of the logo and the Epoch on a black shirt and a bag. I would’ve paid $40 for an overpriced shirt, but again, even though it wasn’t the most beautiful thing in the world, it was sold out. Figures also sold out, even though I could find them online for less, and the last thing available, which I actually got my hands on, was the concert pamphlet, a term I’m using very loosely. This “pamphlet” was actually a hardbound picture book with beautiful imagery, and to me was totally worth the $44. I bought two, especially after finding out that it was a concert exclusive.
Chrono Trigger Concert? Also one of the GOATs.
As for a fully symphonic video game experience, Chrono Trigger is up there with the best — the best being any iteration of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. I would pay to see this with my brother again if it ever shows up in my town, and I’d do it again and again. Chrono Trigger will always be legendary, and experiencing its music live is something any gaming fan should do.
I am beyond thankful that Square Enix was generous enough to provide me with a seat and a +1. My brother is a huge fan, so it made a great gift for his short getaway to Los Angeles.
