Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger lets a festival accident throw a small party across several eras of one planet. The fair, the trial, and the ruined future are the same planet arguing with itself.

Square assembled an unusual team: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yuji Horii, and Akira Toriyama on the story and character art, with Yasunori Mitsuda writing most of the score until health forced him to share the last tracks. Battles take place on the field, and where a character stands changes what a tech can hit.

New Game+ keeps levels and gear so a second journey can reach endings the first clock would not allow. The trial at the start of the future, the reptite past, and the ruined dome are one timeline arguing with itself.

A Nintendo DS port later added extra dungeons and a monster arena. This page is the Super Nintendo Chrono Trigger, the version whose ending count and soundtrack made it the RPG people recommended for a decade.