Reverse Design: Chrono Trigger

by Patrick Holleman

The Reverse Design series looks at all of the design decisions that went into classic video games. This is the second installment in the Reverse Design series, looking at Chrono Trigger . Written in a readable format, it is broken down into four sections examining some of the most important topics to the



Analyzes how the designers use gameplay to preserve and embellish the surprises in the plot



Explains how Chrono Trigger is really two different the Tragedy of the Entity and the Comedy of the Sages.




Highlights how the two games differ in terms of tone, linearity, player choice and in the pacing of their content.


Key Features

Comprehensive definitions of key concepts and terms, introducing the reader to the basic knowledge about the study of RPG design

Summary of historical context of Chrono Trigger how it came to be, how it influenced other games, and how it manipulated players through expectations they had about the RPG genre

Extensive collections of data and data visualizations explaining how Chrono Trigger's systems work and how the game's challenges increase in complexity as the player gets deeper into the content

Genres: Game Design, Nonfiction

90 pages, ebook

Published September 3, 2018

Reviews

[Othy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great 4-star book marred by something external to the book itself: it is horribly overpriced. $40 to $60 for an 80-page book is absurd. The contents are really good, and I would love to read more in this series. Thinking of games from their technical design is a great way to consider a game's overall effect. Holleman is also knowledgeable and overcomes the problem of most gaming books, namely that they are horribly written and are overly concerned with the author's experience of the game. Too bad these books are prohibitively priced.

[Henry Skey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Christmas presents I've ever got! I can't recommend this to just everybody, but if you're even remotely fond of Chrono Trigger (my favorite game ever) and are interested in any kind of game design, this is an absolute must read. I thought I knew absolutely everything about the game and I was totally wrong. This is such a cool peek behind the curtain; the bookcases in Zeal is such a revelation to me and core to the design philosophy of Chrono Trigger; subtle visual and gameplay changes that are so well implemented, players won't even notice them. I'm really keen to read Holleman's other Reverse Design books, this has sold me on his style and research.