Chrono Trigger, the influential adventure often regarded as the greatest role-playing game of all time, is available on the Super Nintendo, original PlayStation, DS, and even iOS and Android, but it has now found a home on another platform: The PC. Seemingly out of nowhere, publisher Square Enix released the game on Steam and we’re more than willing to play the whole thing again.
Available now on Steam for $15, a special limited edition of Chrono Trigger comes with a five-song medley, composer Yasunori Mitsuda’s digital liner notes, as well as six PC wallpapers. It will be on sale until April 2, after which point a standard edition will be for sale, instead.
Chrono Trigger brought together a dream team of developers and artists, including Final Fantasy VI director Yoshinori Kitase, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, who was responsible for character designs, giving Chrono Trigger a distinct look when compared to Square Enix’ other role-playing games.
The PC version includes autosave, an updated control scheme built for both keyboard and gamepad, updated music, and the “Dimensional Vortex” and “Lost Sanctum” dungeons seen in the DS game. The cutscenes originally featured in the PlayStation version of the game, produced by Toei Animation, are also included. Early players have pointed out that the PC game bears a striking resemblance to the mobile version, with similar visuals and text.
Chrono Trigger paved the way for future branching role-playing games with its multiple endings and timelines, and its placement of enemies in the game world — instead of having random battles — make it a much less frustrating period than many other 16-bit games. Its cast of characters includes Frog — a prideful former knight and literal frog — as well as the morally ambiguous Magus. Though shorter than many other Square Enix role-playing games, Chrono Trigger makes the most of its time, with the story jumping between several different time periods as protagonist Chrono and his friends prepare for a battle against the all-powerful Lavos.
Chrono Trigger was oddly left out of the SNES Classic’s game lineup, though Final Fantasy VI made the cut. It was followed by a successor, Chrono Cross, released for the PlayStation in North America in 2000, but didn’t attract the same massive following of its predecessor.
