Few games have the kind of near-universal acclaim and staying power of a title like Chrono Trigger, which, even at 30 years old, somehow still feels fresh and forward-thinking. In conjunction with Chrono Trigger‘s 30th anniversary on March 11, Square Enix took to social media to acknowledge the game’s impact, while also assuring fans that they could expect “various” Chrono Trigger-related projects over the course of the next year. Given how open Square Enix has been to reimagining beloved RPGs from its back catalog, it seems like an HD-2D remake of Chrono Trigger might not be out of the question.
The HD-2D art style, which was popularized by Square Enix and Acquire’s Octopath Traveler, immediately stood out as the ideal visual template for modern-day remakes of classic RPGs, and it has since gone on to be used for titles like Live A Live and last year’s Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. Fans already have the HD-2D remakes of both the original Dragon Quest and Dragon Quest 2 to look forward to in 2025, and considering the success of the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake, and that the Dragon Quest games feature the art and character designs of the late Akira Toriyama, a Chrono Trigger HD-2D remake makes a lot of sense, both financially and logistically.
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Now is the Perfect Time for One Critically-Acclaimed Square Enix Game to be Remastered
In light of recent news, now is the perfect time for Square Enix to bring one of its most beloved Super Nintendo RPGs to modern consoles.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D’s Commercial Performance Bodes Well for a Chrono Trigger Remake
Square Enix’s embracing of its past, and willingness to remaster, remake, and re-release beloved titles from its now-legendary back catalog, has proven to be incredibly successful, and one need look no further than Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake‘s success for evidence. The original Dragon Quest 3 was the fastest and best-selling game in the series at the time of its release, a distinction that it still holds to this day as the single most successful entry in the long-running and foundational JRPG series. Unsurprising, then, that Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake has only continued the title’s success, selling more than 2 million units in less than six months.
It’s hard to imagine that Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake‘s sales figures wouldn’t inspire Square Enix to continue remaking or remastering other popular titles in the company’s library, and it’s similarly hard to think of a more beloved legacy Square Enix title than Chrono Trigger. From purely a financial perspective, an HD-2D remake of Chrono Trigger would be a surefire win for Square Enix, and the title’s 30th anniversary creates the perfect window of opportunity for the company to strike while the iron is hot.
Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger’s Shared Lineage Could Speed Up a Remake’s Arrival
Interestingly, rumors of a Chrono Trigger remake being in the works have been circling for some time now, with leakers claiming that Square Enix had already completed a significant portion of work on the title as far back as 2023. What’s even more interesting is that Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest share an important lineage, with Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii and artist Akira Toriyama acting as two-thirds of the “Dream Team” that, along with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed Chrono Trigger. With players receiving HD-2D remakes of the first three Dragon Quest games in 2024 and 2025, there’s every chance that several assets from those projects could easily be reused in a Chrono Trigger HD-2D remake project.
Considering how important the title is to both the legacy of the SNES and the history of RPGs as a whole, it seems unlikely that Square Enix would let Chrono Trigger‘s 30th anniversary pass by without a substantial celebration. So, while there is the possibility that Chrono Trigger coming to modern platforms could simply be a re-release or port, it would feel like a missed opportunity for the project to not be larger in scope. Given the potential for success of an HD-2D remake of Chrono Trigger, as well as how streamlined its potential ongoing development would be due to the work that has been done on the HD-2D remakes of the first three Dragon Quest games, a full-blown remake seems more likely than a remaster.
- Released
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March 11, 1995
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood