Square Enix is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its iconic RPG Chrono Trigger with multiple projects that “go beyond the world of the game”.
The beloved SNES game, released on 11th March 1995, is described in a new social post from Square Enix as a “timeless masterpiece that transcends generations and is still talked about today”.
To mark the anniversary, the developer will launch various projects throughout the next year, though it’s unclear what their nature will be.
“As we mark the 30th anniversary, we will be launching various projects that go beyond the world of the game over the next year to express our gratitude to everyone who has played Chrono Trigger so far,” the company stated.
Fans are, of course, now speculating as to what these projects will be. Perhaps the most obvious would be a new re-release of the game for current consoles – as while it’s available on PC via Steam and on mobile devices (iOS and Android), it’s not on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, or Switch.
Or perhaps Square Enix could be working on a remake. Many fans would love to see a HD-2D remake in the same style as Octopath Traveler or Dragon Quest 3, which one 3D artist even mocked up back in 2023.
Alternatively, these projects may not be game-related – I could certainly imagine some form of Chrono Trigger anime based on the cutscenes in the PS1 port.
Chrono Trigger has been celebrated as one of the best games of all time for its joining of RPG legends, coming from the minds of Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Dragon Ball artist Akira Toriyama.
The time-travelling adventure sees the titular Chrono joined by iconic characters like Frog, Robo and Lucca in a quest to save the world across multiple ages. It features a sublime soundtrack, turn-based battles, and multiple endings.
A sequel to Chrono Trigger already exists in the PS1 game Chrono Cross, which was released on current hardware in 2022 as The Radical Dreamers Edition.
Chrono Trigger’s impact remains particularly relevant today. This year, Sabotage Studio’s Sea of Stars will receive a new DLC called Throes of the Watchmaker, with the base game being heavily inspired by Chrono Trigger and including music from that game’s composer Yasunori Mitsuda.
Two more games inspired by Chrono Trigger have also recently been announced: Threads of Time is a spiritual successor from Canadian studio Riyo Games; and Edge of Eternity from Montpellier-based Studio Midgar blends RPG mechanics with French animation, and also includes music from Mitsuda.