{"id":8594,"date":"2010-08-13T12:40:31","date_gmt":"2010-08-13T17:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=8594"},"modified":"2010-08-26T16:31:10","modified_gmt":"2010-08-26T21:31:10","slug":"vault-review-chrono-trigger-formation-arts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=8594","title":{"rendered":"Vault Review: Chrono Trigger Formation Arts"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>In 1995, Squaresoft released Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo, and the video gaming world was forever changed. Now, fifteen years later, Square Enix has released a set of figures based on this timeless game. The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw them: Finally!<\/p>\n

Chrono Trigger isn\u2019t just a game, not anymore. It\u2019s a symbol of RPG perfection with a cult like following. Chrono Trigger fans are almost their own religion. Constantly praying to the video game gods for just one more sequel, while eagerly devouring dead-end rumors about the series continuing, or buying up re-releases on different systems, and even going so far as to program their own remakes and sequels. You may think this sounds a little excessive, but you have to keep in mind that Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest games ever made, and I\u2019m not exaggerating. It\u2019s the perfect blend of story, action, game mechanics, art, and music. It was the first game to offer multiple endings based on actions and decisions you made while playing out the story line. It allowed you to play with seven different characters that you could switch out at your leisure. Plus, each of those characters had sub quests that not only could affect the outcome of the game, but also that character\u2019s personal story. This might all sound quaint today, but in 1995 there were no games that even came close to this amount of detail.<\/p>\n

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So, fifteen years and two re-releases later, Square Enix has finally produced the first figures of these classic characters. Sure, they made some tiny versions of these characters as cell phone straps back in the day, but that hardly counts. I\u2019m talking real figures, or statues, or busts, or anything that a modern day collector can display on a shelf with pride. These little trading figures fit the bill.<\/p>\n

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In Japan, these figures are being released as blind box trading figures. You don\u2019t know what you\u2019ll be getting till you open it, but if you buy a case of six, you should get all five figures with one double. This is different from the U.S. release. Outside Japan they are being sold as a box set. The bad thing is that the solicitation implies that the box set only includes four figures, leaving out one of the more important ones: Crono and Marle. If this is true, then it\u2019s a huge mistake on Square Enix\u2019s part. We won\u2019t know for sure until September, when the set is due out.<\/p>\n

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Those of you who are familiar with the series will recognize that each vignette has been taken from the promotional material from the game. Each one is about three inches tall and depicts a small portion of a larger scene. Every scene is accurately depicted in the style of the games art director, Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball Z franchise. <\/p>\n

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Lucca and Robo<\/strong>. Robo rests patiently in Lucca\u2019s workshop as she sits upon his shoulder, tinkering with the mess of components that make up his brain. This is the simplest of the scenes, but I think it\u2019s my favorite. Not only did the complexities of Robo\u2019s brain get sculpted, but there are a lot of nice details like Lucca\u2019s pouch full of tools. I also like that large canister behind Robo, which is actually a giant batter, complete with plus sign. I didn\u2019t realize that until putting this set together. You also get a nice sculpt on Robo, which is much more up close and detailed than the other figure of him. Interestingly, this is the only set without Crono.<\/p>\n

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Crono and Magus<\/strong>. This is my least favorite vignette in the series, which is sad because Magus is my favorite character. For some reason the top of his hair is a separate piece that was glued on. They did this to create more flowing detail in his hair, but it mostly just creates an ugly line through his forehead. Also, there is a perspective problem with this scene. Magus\u2019 cape is going behind his fortress. This makes the gigantic castle look more like a totem than the background for this setting. I would have really liked to have a different scene all together, but Magus doesn\u2019t appear in any other drawn scene. There\u2019s still some nice details with this set, like the bones beneath Crono and the little dragon that sits on top the tower. Continue to Page Two…<\/A>.<\/p>\n

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Crono and Frog<\/strong>. As Crono peeks around the corner to see what monsters lay ahead, Frog is preoccupied with ridding the world of one more rat. The back of this display is a simple rock face, with all the action happening on the front side. This set has a ton of detail. From Frog\u2019s armor, and the clear blue water that he and Crono are walking through, to the terrified rat standing in front of him and another one hiding in a hole in the wall. I really like the scene, it\u2019s just a shame Crono is turned away. Although it\u2019s accurate, it\u2019s also strange to display the back of a figure.<\/p>\n

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Crono, Robo, and Ayla<\/strong>. This scene looks a little crazy out of context. In the larger picture, these three are under attack in the market square. Alone, it kind of looks like Robo is freaking out and Ayla has been taken prisoner. I love the spilled bowl of apples and the clear swirling effect of Robo\u2019s spinning fist. But I think this is kind of an odd choice for Ayla. Unlike Magus, she\u2019s actually in a couple other promotional drawings, one where she\u2019s even riding a pterodactyl. That would have been a much better fit for her character. Maybe we\u2019ll see something like that if there is a second wave of these?<\/p>\n

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Crono and Marle<\/strong>. One reason why it would be such a crime if this scene was exclusive to Japan is that, along with Crono and Lucca, Marle is the third main character. The pendant she\u2019s holding in this scene is what starts the whole time travel adventure. It would be a shame if the thousands of hard core fans outside Japan didn\u2019t get a chance to pick a main character. Ultimately, there are only seven characters in the game and there\u2019s no reasonable excuse that they aren\u2019t all available. Another reason why it\u2019s a shame is because there are some really nice areas to this set. There are bits of plants sticking up in front, and from behind you can see the gnarled tree roots twisting around the base. But my favorite part is the tree\u2019s leaves. Molded in a translucent dark green, the sculpted canopy gives the impression that light is shinning down between the leaves. It\u2019s a really impressive way to make a tree without casting a large shadow over the little set.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m pretty happy with this set all around. It\u2019s also nice to finally get some sort of product from this game. If they plan on making a second series of Chrono Trigger trading figures based on art, I would like to see characters like Johnny, Gato, Nu, and Kilwala. Those may sound obscure, but I think most fans would be delighted with them. It would also be nice to see the Epoch. Or, there was a very specific scene in the game where all the characters are sitting around a fire at night, contemplating what or who truly brought them together. That would make a very awesome diorama. But ultimately, being a toy guy, I want action figures. That seems about as farfetched as a game sequel though. Maybe if these sell well, we can hope to see something for the 20th anniversary in 2015?<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re looking to pick up the American box set of these figures, it\u2019ll run you about $30. Not too bad, but you run the risk of not getting the entire set. If you\u2019re a crazy fan like me, and you want all five scenes, then you\u2019ll probably have to order a set from Japan. This will run you closer to the $50 price range, maybe even a bit more. But with how rare Chrono Trigger merchandise is, that price might still be worth it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1995, Squaresoft released Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo, and the video gaming world was forever changed. Now, fifteen years later, Square Enix has released a set of figures based on this timeless game. The first thing that popped into my mind when I saw them: Finally!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[34,10],"tags":[652,653,502,654],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/trigTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-2eC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23743,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23743","url_meta":{"origin":8594,"position":0},"title":"DCClassics.Com Club Infinite Earths Red Hood Review","date":"June 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22129,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=22129","url_meta":{"origin":8594,"position":1},"title":"Fansproject Function X Charity Promotion","date":"December 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I don't normally cover third party news (though I probably should considering how many I'm buying), but I thought this news was too cool to pass up. 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Fansproject\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23435,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23435","url_meta":{"origin":8594,"position":2},"title":"Vault Review: Revoltech Metal Gear Solid, Naked Snake","date":"May 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Metal Gear is one of those brands that never get the right kind of toy love.\u00a0 There were statuesque McFarlanes back in the day, expensive Hot Toys & Play Arts Kai figs that don\u2019t fit in with my other figures.\u00a0 But Kaiyodo has finally made one that fits in with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/rns9.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12425,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=12425","url_meta":{"origin":8594,"position":3},"title":"Vault Review: Transformers Hunt for the Decepticons Hubcap","date":"April 26, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been having no luck finding any of the \u201cReveal the Shield\u201d Transformers that I want. Not just the nearly impossible ones like Windcharger and Warpath, but even Highbrow or Wreck-Gar. So I decided to satiate my TF need with a \u201cHunt for the Decepticons\u201d Hubcap I found on sale\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":29121,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=29121","url_meta":{"origin":8594,"position":4},"title":"Hot Toys Announces Guardians of the Galaxy Star-Lord!","date":"July 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Film & TV"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7175,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=7175","url_meta":{"origin":8594,"position":5},"title":"Vault Review: Transformers Lockdown","date":"June 29, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I buy Transformers on a case-by-case basis. There are plenty that would fit nicely in my collection, but I don't always pull the trigger on them. Sometimes upcoming figures can make me look at current offerings differently. That's the case here, because the product shown at Botcon motivated me to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8594"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8594"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9059,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8594\/revisions\/9059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}