In late February, Square Enix surprised role-playing fans with the release of Chrono Trigger on PC. The excitement surrounding getting to play one of the best games of all time on a new platform quickly subsided, however, after it was discovered that the game used the much-inferior mobile version’s visual style. The game’s developers have been listening to the feedback, and they plan to update the game with the original version’s visual style very soon.
Planned for release in mid-April, the new Chrono Trigger update will give players the choice between the newer visual style and the original 16-bit style. These visuals were seen on the Super Nintendo, as well as the PlayStation and Nintendo DS.
Though not substantially different than the original pixel art, the mobile and PC versions attempt to smooth out some of the lines on characters and environments, removing the nostalgic charm and much of the game’s visual appeal. The result looks more like someone traced a screenshot from the game rather than the game itself.
Still, Chrono Trigger on mobile and PC doesn’t attempt to erase its history in the way that Final Fantasy VI did. The iOS and Android version of the game completely redesigns the environments and all of the characters, replacing their original sprites with something out of a low-budget Flash cartoon. Luckily, Final Fantasy VI is available on the SNES Classic, so you still have a great way to play the game if you can find one on store shelves.
The “Limited Edition” of Chrono Trigger on PC was scheduled to disappear from Steam on Tuesday, April 3, but it has now been made available until April 30. For $15, it includes a five-song medley soundtrack as well as six wallpapers for your PC.
If you haven’t yet played Chrono Trigger at all, we suggest checking out the Nintendo DS version. It will set you back about $40 on Amazon, but it comes with the original version’s visuals as well as the PlayStation’s animated cutscenes and some additional game content. If you prefer to do your fighting with the touchscreen, that option is available, also, though we still prefer the traditional buttons and directional pad.
