The Chrono Trigger sequel is rumored to be getting a remaster – we touch on the important bits

Arguably one of the greatest games ever made is Chrono Trigger, an active-time RPG published by Squaresoft in 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Developed by some of the greatest RPG minds at the time from both Squaresoft and Enix, along with character designer Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame, Chrono Trigger is considered a nearly-perfect game.

And like any nearly-perfect game, a sequel was developed and released for the next-gen system – Chrono Cross for the Sony PlayStation in November 1999.

Thanks to a GeForce Now leak from earlier in 2021, the Chrono Cross Remaster listing was shared to the public. At the time the validation of the leak had yet to be determined. Since then, a number of games on the list were officially announced, leaving fans to speculate that Chrono Cross Remaster is indeed happening.

An Irish vocalist musician also hinted at recording a new song for a classic game. The original composer of the game has also revealed to be working on a project. And the head of Forever Entertainment has playfully responded to fans on Twitter asking if the remaster is legit or not.

Now let’s break down all the details that we know.

Who

Chrono Cross is a sequel to Chrono Trigger. The game was originally released on the Sony PlayStation in 1999 and while it received great reviews from gaming outlets, the game itself failed to sell enough copies to warrant it being considered a great success by Squaresoft, and thus the world of Chrono was retired. The game did see re-release under the PlayStation moniker “Greatest Hits”, but aside from that, has not re-released (aside from being available to purchase in its original format via the online PlayStation Store).

What

The rumor is that Chrono Cross is receiving a remaster. The publisher would be Square-Enix and the development team is rumored to be Forever Entertainment. A remaster would mean the game itself would remain largely intact to the original release but with enhanced graphics and music, with minor quality of life changes. A remake would mean the game would be re-designed to fit modern day systems, graphics, and gameplay.

The gameplay was similar to Chrono Trigger – but with more 3D graphics – and featured turn-based-battle and a plethora of characters to recruit to your party. The overall system involved you phasing through two different dimensions (for story related purposes) as you worked your way towards the climactic conclusion of the story.

Why

The success of Final Fantasy VII: Remake no doubt encouraged Square-Enix to look in its vault for games that it could bring back. With recent releases of the Final Fantasy pixel remaster series on Steam/PC, Android, and iOS and Final Fantasy VII: Remake, along with Final Fantasy X, X-2, and XII remasters, it was only a matter of time for Square-Enix to work their way down the list.

So why not Chrono Trigger first?

As other outlets have stated – why change what is considered to be a perfect game? The 2D sprite graphics are not THAT outdated (whereas Final Fantasy VII polygons were enough to make the game unplayable in today’s standards) and the gameplay was near-perfect.

Chrono Cross represents a game that missed the mark in 1999 – but may find better footing in 202x, and hopefully open the door to a new Chrono game down the road.

When

The rumored announcement would be at this year’s Video Game Awards on Thursday, December 9th. As for the game release – our best guess would be either late 2022 or early to mid 2023. Knowing Square-Enix and their struggles with releasing highly anticipated games (Final Fantasy VII Remake had numerous delays and changes) it wouldn’t surprise us to see the game inch its way closer to 2024.

Should We Be Excited

Yes.

The Chrono series was very short-lived (only Trigger and Cross were released, with a rumored third game “Break/Brake” never getting past the trademark stage). Fans have been clamoring for something – anything – Chrono related since Final Fantasy VII Remake was first announced. They even played Chrono Trigger music in the background as an event preview but didn’t make any Chrono-related announcements (I was very unhappy that year).

Our hope is that this is the beginning of a full revival for the Chrono series. The original game is nearly 30 years old with Chrono Cross practically at the 25 year mark (which is why we think 2024 may be the actual release date, 25 years later). The story, characters, and music defined the end of the Super Nintendo generation and carried over in to the Sony PlayStation generation.

With two games – one about time travel and the other about alternate dimensions – it seems only fitting we travel back in time to play some of our favorites.