 IGN commented that "it may be filled with every imaginable console RPG cliché, but "Chrono Trigger" manages to stand out among the pack" with "a [captivating] story that doesn't take itself too serious " and "one of the best videogame soundtracks ever produced".Other reviewers (such as the staff of RPGFan and RPGamer) have criticized the game's short length and relative ease compared to its peers.Victoria Earl of Gamasutra praised the game design for balancing "developer control with player freedom using designed mechanics and a modular approach to narrative."