Thirty years ago today on March 11, 1995, Chrono Trigger debuted on the Super Famicom (SNES) in Japan. Japanese social media has been flooded with people expressing their love for the game, and this wave of nostalgia- plus the game being on sale, has prompted it to zoom up the Japanese charts.
An RPG created by the “dream team” of Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Dragon Quest’s Yuji Horii, and character designs by the late Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest fame, Chrono Trigger has since become a cult classic. Beloved for its time-traveling story, characters, detailed 2D graphics and stunning debut soundtrack by Yasunari Mitsuda (with some tracks by Nobuo Uematsu)- the game is readily available nowadays on Steam and mobile devices.
At the time of writing, the Upgrade Version of Chrono Trigger is sitting at number 4 on the Apple App Store’s Paid Games chart, and number 1 on their RPG chart. This is likely influenced by the fact that the mobile versions of the game are available for 70% off until March 24, to mark the game’s 30th anniversary- making 480yen (about $3 USD) a relatively cheap price for gamers looking to get their nostalgia fix on the move or for newcomers to see what all the fuss is about.
On social media, Japanese speaking gamers focused on how bold and surprising Chrono Trigger was when it first released and how it has stood the test of time. Many mentioned the strong impact it had on them when they first played it as children, and how the game still moved and impressed them when they replayed it as an adult.
As well as gamers sharing their nostalgic reflections on Chrono Trigger, Yasunari Mitsuda commented on the game’s anniversary: “It could be said that it’s also my 30th anniversary as a composer, however I don’t think I could have possibly come this far on my own. I’m thankful for all the support I received from so many people.” In response, players talked about how evocative Chrono Trigger’s music is, name-checking tracks like “Yearnings of the Wind,” “Corridor of Time” and even “Frog’s Theme.”
Related article: Square’s Chrono Trigger almost had a fighting game, according to veteran dev Seiichi Ishii
Chrono Trigger is available on PC (Steam), iOS and Android. Those who prefer physical games can track it down on SNES, PS1 and Nintendo DS.
