Highlights
- Square Enix has been consistently delivering good RPGs with recent successes like Octopath Traveler and Final Fantasy 16.
- Chrono Trigger is a deserving candidate for a console makeover, as it is difficult to find and play on modern consoles.
- An HD-2D remaster of Chrono Trigger would bring new life to the game's visuals while staying true to its nostalgic roots, appealing to both new and longtime fans.
With games like Octopath Traveler, Tactics Ogre: Reborn, and The DioField Chronicle, Square Enix has hit a steady stride of consistently good role-playing offerings. This is on top of the acclaim that Final Fantasy 16 has been showered with, showing that the company still has immense range to go along with the quality. It's been at the top of the JRPG pile for decades, but in recent years it feels like there has been a renewed interest in the retro, and graphics can be a make-or-break factor. There are plenty of games that deserve a makeover in that HD-2D art style that has been used by some to great effect. Still, Chrono Trigger may be the most obvious choice.
After it was announced that Dragon Quest 3 will be next to get the treatment, rumors have been rife about which IP that Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft) could adapt next. There's no shortage of options, and whatever it chooses to bring back will likely be met with excitement, but Chrono Trigger has needed a new release for a while, not only because it is as good as it's ever been but also because it can be tricky to find out in the wild.
Chrono Trigger Needs a Console Makeover
While it can be played on PC and Steam Deck as well as mobile devices, Chrono Trigger can be challenging to find on consoles, especially in physical form. The Nintendo DS release from 2008 is increasingly hard to track down, and the Super Nintendo and PlayStation versions have become sought-after classics, and mean dragging out old hardware to play. For a game as renowned as it is, not having a seamless avenue to play it can be annoying, and its lack of availability is more obvious with the release and subsequent success of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters.
It would be a welcome development to see the original sprites come to modern hardware, as Chrono Trigger's 16-bit visuals have done well to stand the test of time. However, updated graphics could help breathe new life into the time-traveling story. That's not to say that it needs a Final Fantasy 7-esque remake (though that would be an exciting prospect), but it could use some kind of glow-up to go with a fresh release, as it would help new players to appreciate how groundbreaking the Squaresoft RPG was when it launched in 1995.
HD-2D is Beautiful, but Nostalgic
Though games like Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy are original titles, the HD-2D art style they deploy is a perfect fusion of modern and nostalgic. It has been proven to elevate the potential for immersion with new projects, but also with the launch and critical success of Live A Live, the style has shown that it can be used to reinvigorate classics from decades past, giving them more depth of field that adds hugely to immersion. Chrono Trigger may not be desperate for it, but there's no denying that locations like Zeal and the Millennial Fair could look truly stunning with a modern twist.
Bringing Chrono Trigger back by way of an HD-2D remaster would kill two birds with one stone. It would allow one of the best JRPGs of all time to shine in front of an entirely new generation of gamers while also improving its already timeless visuals in a way that stays true to its roots, pleasing longtime fans. It's a game that has stayed in the hearts of many for almost three decades, and Square Enix has shown with six recent remasters of Final Fantasy's sprite-era games that the NES and Super Nintendo age of role-playing still has more to give. If Live A Live gets a second chance, then Chrono, Marle, Lucca, and Magus have more than earned it.
Chrono Trigger is available on Mobile, Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation, and Super Nintendo.
