A HD-2D remake seems most likely.
It’s been a tumultuous year for Chrono Trigger enthusiasts. Rumors of a potential remake have cropped up several times, only to be quickly debunked. I can’t blame fans for their gullibility: it really is very weird that Square Enix hasn’t done anything with the Chrono series for so long, though the publisher did indicate in March that it intends to honor the 30th anniversary of Chrono Trigger with projects that “go beyond the world of the game.”
Corporate mysticism aside, JRPG legend Yuji Horii, who among other things had a hand in writing Chrono Trigger, and has worked on countless Dragon Quest games including the forthcoming Dragon Quest 12, has indicated in an interview with Gamereactor that he wants to work on Chrono Trigger.
Noting the 30th anniversary, Horii says “Yes, it has been a long time. Yes, I want to do something.” Acknowledging the HD-2D remakes of the older Dragon Quest games, Horii adds that he’s “getting a lot of requests for a Chrono Trigger remake as well, so I’m starting to look into it.”
This follows a quickly debunked rumor earlier this month. At a Comicon in Italy a translator misinterpreted Horii as all but confirming a Chrono Trigger remake, but Gematsu later confirmed that Horii hadn’t made any confirmation at all: it was a translator’s gaffe, basically.
A HD-2D remake seems like an obvious choice, though a small part of me dreams of Chrono Trigger getting the Final Fantasy 7 Remake treatment. That seems fanciful, especially given the erratic market and Square Enix’ famously high sales expectations. Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D did exceptionally well for Square Enix—to the extent that they were actually happy with its sales—so it seems inevitable that the company will double down on this remake format. I’m fine with that, as long as they don’t touch the music.
Whatever form it takes, a Chrono Trigger revival of some kind seems basically inevitable at this point. While you wait, the original is discounted by 50% on Steam at the moment, and is perfectly playable nowadays despite being busted at launch. Its divisive sequel Chrono Cross is also going cheap.
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