Chrono Trigger is a legendary Squaresoft (now Square Enix) JRPG that is long overdue for a pixel remaster treatment.
I was barely nine years old and doing long division in fourth grade when I was introduced to, quite possibly, the most influential and inspiring piece of software ever to grace a home console system. In all my years of being wooed by bright pixels and engrossing game worlds, I have never been captivated by a game so completely as by Chrono Trigger on the SNES.
Chrono Trigger is a game about a ragtag group of adventurers spanning many time periods who must work together to prevent global destruction at the hands of a parasitic being known only as Lavos. Throughout the epic journey, players are engaged with fully-developed characters and an intriguing and well-crafted storyline.
The music alone is worth the price of admission with Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu crafting an intricate soundscape that fully encapsulates the feel of the game and fits the dramatic twists with poignant punches. A few of my favorite tunes from the epic soundtrack still grace my playlists like “Battle With Magus”, “Tyran Castle”, “Corridors of Time”, “Frog’s Theme” and “Schala’s Theme.”
As is usually the case with phenomenal music, it stands the test of time. Even with the constraints of a 16-bit midi format for creating music, the composers wove a fantastic blend of tunes to accentuate memorable moments from the game. When (spoiler alert) the legendary Masamune sword is finally reforged, “Frog’s Theme” plays in a gloriously triumphant but bittersweet overture that punctuates an emotional moment perfectly. With such beautiful soundscapes using such a minimalist approach, It's no wonder that chiptunes are still a popular medium for music.
Sporting seven playables characters (one of them being optional), Chrono Trigger has a memorable cast. From anti-heroes to robots to tough-as-nails cave women, the characters are all flawed and relatable and their arcs are satisfying. Crono himself is a silent protagonist and it allows you, as the player, to place yourself in his shoes and append your own reactions to conflicts and triumphs throughout the story.
All of the bosses from the comically underpowered and goofy to the world-ending behemoths are unique and fun. There are mythical creatures, humans, aliens, beasts, androids, and everything in between.
The fact that encounters are not random in the game and you’re able to see the enemies walking around the interior zones before you encounter them was revolutionary for its time in a JRPG. The overworld map does not have any random encounters, which in and of itself was a huge quality-of-life upgrade for 1995.
When the action starts, the “active” and “wait” versions of the battle system are balanced and underscore the polish of this game’s combat. In the former, the enemies can still attack your party while you’re choosing your next move. The “wait” version functions like traditionally turn-based RPGs.
As a kid, my parents and I had the weekly Friday night ritual of going out to Blockbuster (what an anachronism) and picking some entertainment to rent for the weekend. I was allowed to rent one video game and one movie as per our agreement, and, while it seemed a tough decision for a child, I always knew what video game I wanted to rent–Chrono Trigger. I must have rented the game nearly 40 times, but I had never had the time during the 3-day rental period to complete the game fully. One Christmas, however, that would all change.
I had put the game on my holiday wish list knowing full well that it was a difficult item to find. People who owned the game were hanging onto it and I knew I would too if I had the chance. This was not the type of treasure that a child would let go of willingly. It was magical and special and everything that a good video game should be.
I awoke that Christmas morning to piles of boxes, but every one I opened refused to yield the prize that I so desperately yearned for. At the bottom of the pile was a box that looked like it was from a clothing store. I sighed with disgust and could barely find the motivation to open this last mystery package. When you're a child, clothes are the worst gift you can receive. If it's not something you can play with, it's not worth your time.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that there was something weighty sliding from side to side within the box. As I tore it open to reveal its contents, I realized what I had in my hands: A COPY OF CHRONO TRIGGER!!! I could hardly contain my excitement and raced upstairs to my room to jam it into my Super Nintendo.
From then on, it was love. I would race home from school to sit and play it for hours. I’d feign illness to stay home from school and play it more. Finally, I achieved every one of the multiple endings within the game and felt good about having at least one of every item in the game. After maxing out the levels and stats of all of my characters, I decided it was time to put the game away for a while. I went on with my life.
One day, though, I had the itch to fire up the old cartridge again and decided to go about hooking up my Super Nintendo to bring it out of its impromptu hibernation. Much to my absolute shock and dismay, ALL of my saves had been erased. I was absolutely heartbroken. This was not like losing a college term paper that you spent hours writing to a computer crash, but rather a loss of YEARS of my life spent playing and mastering this game. I almost wanted to cry. It was like the loss of a child.
I learned the difficult lesson of slowly deteriorating console save batteries in Super Nintendo games. The temporary nature of these batteries is yet another reason that Chrono Trigger deserves a pixel remaster, if only for game save preservation.
I could have turned away from my once beloved friend and shriveled into cynicism, alienation, and obscurity, but I chose to persevere. I started a new game and from then on, I vowed never to let obstacles block my path to personal happiness. I still start a new game in Chrono Trigger at least once a year and beat it all the way through.
While there are versions of Chrono Trigger on PSX, Nintendo DS, and mobile, these versions are little more than ports with some control upgrades or a few extra dungeons or bosses. The care and effort put into the Final Fantasy pixel remasters made the games look absolutely incredible. The choice between remastered and original music, the updates to localization, and the quality of life upgrades like upping experience gains and fast-tracking or altogether turning off random encounters were huge steps forward in modernizing older games while still maintaining their unique feel.
While some may view all the 16-bit remakes in recent years as a mere cash-in for an existing product, I wholeheartedly disagree. There’s a reason that nostalgia sells. It unlocks so many memories from childhood that remind people of simple, joyful times and less responsibility and worry. Exploring and escaping is what video games are all about.