So I'm getting Chrono Trigger soon....

[Espurrhoodie]

The DS port, to be specific.

What should I brace myself for, any advice I should have, etc.

....Yeah.

[Dayni]

Time travel.

That there are chests that you can unlock in multiple time periods. Try to get all of them in the furthest forward period of time and then work backwards.

Nobody shares a weapon type, magic has to be unlocked for some characters and isn't available for others. It'll not be too hard to find who does that, but just know it's not available initially.

Everyone's watching you early on.

Sometimes something has to be left in a place for a time and then found again in a different time. This will happen repeatedly.

Two events requires the L and R buttons. If yours are broken like mine were, it won't lock your progress one one but it will on the other.

The DS exclusive dungeons can be a bit long in the tooth to get through, moreso the first one because of the way it's handled.

One tricky boss changes weakness. You'll have the way to change this but keep it in mind when making your party.

[smgrinus]

You will love it and compare other RPGs to it. It will make you wonder how a 20+-year-old RPG is better than anything out now. 

[Shiki]

Best advice anyone can give you is ... just let it come to you. cliche, I know.
I recommend to avoid spoilers because Chrono Trigger is enjoyed best if you don't know what's coming. Even more so here because the story isn't convoluted as other modern RPGs that would require some backtracking or additional reading.
Another factor is its lenient difficulty. In fact it's one of the least grind-heavy RPGs out there despite its age and it gives you a smooth difficulty curve throughout (with maybe 1-2 spikes).

That being said, Chrono Trigger isn't a long game either. For an RPG a single run is pretty short but if you want the full experience you will play through it multiple times (which I won't spoil for you). You will see what I mean.

As for the DS version; it still plays as good as the original, you can change the controls to the classical ones in the options if you are allergic to touch controls. The bonus content like the extra dungeons aren't that great, being rather tedious compared to the main game. They are purely optional and don't really affect the game in too many places, so feel free to ignore them.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

I hope you have a good lawyer for one part of the game...

[Ren_Ambrose]

Much like Magus of Memery said, going in blind is the best way to experience it. New game plus unlocks after your first clear, and lets you carry over character levels, items, and money. There's not a ton of sidequests, but the ones that are there feel meaningful to the characters. The final dungeon unlocks in multiple eras, and much like the treasure chests, you can go through it from the furthest point to the earliest point to dupe loot. Character names can be changed later but iirc it doesn't unlock until you get free reign over travel, so don't name anyone something stupid if you wanna be immersed.

[Shadow Mir]

3 hours ago, Dayni said:

That there are chests that you can unlock in multiple time periods. Try to get all of them in the furthest forward period of time and then work backwards.

Speaking of, if you examine them in the past, refuse to open them, then go back to the present, they'll have better stuff in them. Unless this refers to something else...

6 minutes ago, Glennstavos said:

I hope you have a good lawyer for one part of the game...

Ergo, your actions at the fair early on determine what happens later... Well, not really, but you'll get Ethers if they find you innocent.

[Jingle Jangle]

Ayla and Crono's dual tech combo Falcon Strike is one of the best moves in the game.

[Shadow Mir]

Good luck hitting some of the TP rich enemies. You'll need it, because they have high evade, seal your commands other than Attack, and run away after several turns.

You'll see a curious creature called Nu throughout the various eras. If you fight one (which you'll mostly be doing in the hunting range), look out for its headbutts, as they will set the HP of whoever it hits to 1. Speaking of, Nus are also pretty good for TP grinding.

Edited December 24, 2018 by Shadow Mir

[Interdimensional Observer]

Hopefully the game won't disappoint. Being held up to as this legendary godly classic, there is the chance that if you set your expectations too high, you'll come to hate it as overrated. Keep in mind it's a product of its era.

 

3 hours ago, Jingle Bells said:

Ayla and Crono's dual tech combo Falcon Strike is one of the best moves in the game.

Add Frog for Slurp Kiss, and you have a pretty amazing team.

 

Although following the Rule of Fun, everyone is perfectly usable, so pick whomever you wish when you can choose your team members.

[sirmola]

10 hours ago, Dayni said:

Time travel.

That there are chests that you can unlock in multiple time periods. Try to get all of them in the furthest forward period of time and then work backwards.

You can also use the same trick on certain endgame bosses
Some times (for certain sealed chests), you have to interact with the chest in the past, but not open it to get better loot. otherwise, you just get two copies of the worse loot.

two events require the L and R buttons. If yours are broken like mine were, it won't lock your progress one one but it will on the other.

Three, if you count the DS exclusive dungeon.

The DS exclusive dungeons can be a bit long in the tooth to get through, moreso the first one because of the way it's handled.

The DS exclusive content is really repetitive, and the story switches between non-existent and badly tying into the sequal despite a massive tonal mismatch. I personaly dislike it. I recomend skiping it untill after the final boss, and only doing it if you really want more.

One tricky boss changes weakness. You'll have the way to change this but keep it in mind when making your party.

Make sure to save the sappling, as doing so gives you access to an extra dungeon.

Don't read that much about the plot. It's pretty good, and throws some curve balls I was not expecting.

One more thing. This game is not especially hard, (and it is also pretty short). You can play the game completely blind and win pretty easily, especially with things like the maps and item/skill/enemy lists in the ds version. There are fairly major missables, but new game plus allows you to go back and get them all. I'd recomend playing close to blind, and then using a walkthrough to get everything on the new game plus playthrough.

Edited December 24, 2018 by sirmola

[Dayni]

8 hours ago, Shadow Mir said:

Speaking of, if you examine them in the past, refuse to open them, then go back to the present, they'll have better stuff in them. Unless this refers to something else...

Actually, that does ring a bell. Thanks for the reminder.

2 hours ago, sirmola said:

The DS exclusive content is really repetitive, and the story switches between non-existent and badly tying into the sequal despite a massive tonal mismatch. I personaly dislike it. I recomend skiping it untill after the final boss, and only doing it if you really want more.

I mean, you kind of have to for the second anyway because of the end boss. I mean, I thought it was alright as a whole.

The first is just tedious honestly. While the rewards are real nice and why I did it before the endgame, I think I'll have to agree with you there.

[DiogoJorge]

Brace yourself for a easy game if you are a RPG veteran. The story is great, with a very likable cast and the gameplay is good too, but one wishes it was harder.

[eclipse]

I remember bits and pieces of the battle system, plot, and characters.  But the one thing that stuck with me was the music.  Don't be afraid to crank the volume on this one, because it's well worth it.

[Ren_Ambrose]

5 hours ago, eclipse said:

I remember bits and pieces of the battle system, plot, and characters.  But the one thing that stuck with me was the music.  Don't be afraid to crank the volume on this one, because it's well worth it.

Speaking of the battle system, there's two ways you can have it work. Active has gauges going at all times, while Wait has gauges paused while you're in sub-menus. Each character gauge fills up depending on their individual speed stat, enemies included. 

[Espurrhoodie]

WOW I GOT A LOT OF COMMENTS! Thanks for all of the advice! It's supposed to come in the mail today, although obviously I won't be able to play it for a while unless my aunt (who bought it for me for Christmas) says I can.

[Shadow Mir]

After a spoileriffic event, your party will get captured and stripped of their equipment, items, and money. You'll have to sneak around to get your stuff back. BUT... If you include a certain party member in your party before this, this doesn't apply.