Reverse Design: Chrono Trigger

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 game:

1. Analyzes how the designers use gameplay to preserve and embellish the surprises in the plot
2. Explains how Chrono Trigger is really two different games: the Tragedy of the Entity and the Comedy of the Sages.
3. Highlights how the two games differ in terms of tone, linearity, player choice and in the pacing of their content.

Key Features

Patrick Holleman founded The Game Design Forum in 2010 with the specific goal of publishing scholarly articles about videogame design. On that site he originally published the Reverse Design series, which has been used by game designers and students across the world to improve their understanding of their craft. Material from that series has been used in online courses as well as university settings, including the University of Toronto and Cornell. His writing has also appeared in Paste Magazine, Indie Game Magazine and Tutsplus. In addition to his writing, Holleman has worked as a part-time producer and consultant in the game development industry. He lives in Pennsylvania.