Rumors and hopes for a Chrono Trigger remake resurfaced last week, prompted by recent comments from Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, who neither denies nor confirms the existence of such a project.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Chrono Trigger. As a result, Square Enix launched various projects to celebrate the classic RPG. This includes: brand recent album containing piano arrangements of character motifs, a character popularity survey (Frog took first place, as reported Famitsu), I orchestral concerts which will take place in January next year in Japan.
However, this sudden celebration of Chrono Trigger after little fanfare for the cult classic has sparked speculation that Square Enix is preparing for a wider reveal of the Chrono Trigger remake.
Hopes were reignited among Japanese-speaking fans on November 30, when Yuji Horii was directly asked in discussion program on YouTube if all the recent projects and events celebrating Chrono Trigger’s 30th anniversary suggest that a remake is in the works. Horii did not deny this outright, replying, “I can’t say,” “You shouldn’t ask that!” and “I will be scolded!”
That and publishing director Kazuhiko Torishima’s tongue-in-cheek follow-up: “There is! There is (the Chrono Trigger remake)!” left Japanese-speaking fans once again hopeful that a remake was in the works, even though Square Enix made no announcement. “I wonder if it will be announced next year?” users I was wondering about X.
Chrono Trigger was originally released for the Super Famicom/SNES in 1995. Thanks to the involvement of Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, the RPG is beloved by fans and considered by many to be one of the best games of all time. While there is currently an enhanced version available to play on Steam and smartphones, fans have been calling for a remake of Chrono Trigger for years.
The recent HD-2D remakes of Dragon Quest also had Chrono Trigger fans hoping they would see the SNES game recreated in the same style. “I want to play Chrono Trigger with such beautiful graphics!” he said user to X. “Please, Square Enix!” Official posts on Square Enix accounts for Chrono Trigger anniversary merchandise have also been met with similar enthusiasm comments for example: “If there is a remake, I will definitely, definitely buy it!” In November, a Japanese gaming news site Dengeki Online conducted a survey the games readers most wanted to see received the HD-2D treatment, with Chrono Trigger topping the list.
The situation is similar to Final Fantasy IX, except that this year will also celebrate the game’s 25th anniversary. fueling fans’ hopes that the adventures of Zidane and Garnet are in line for a remake, although in the case of IX, the rumors were backed up by the infamous Nvidia leak from 2021, which showed that a FFIX remake was likely on Square Enix’s to-do list at some point. However, it seems that for both games, the anniversary celebrations were simply an opportunity to revisit these classic games through events and recent merchandise. Until an official announcement is made, fans of both games can only continue to express their enthusiasm for these classic RPGs towards Square Enix.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who was previously the editor, contributor and translator of the gaming news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and films for various publications.
