Square Enix announced today that it is going to release a remake of Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS. That little system still is the best place for RPGs (at least JRPGs) around!
For those not in the know, Chrono Trigger is quite possibly Square’s best RPG ever… no hyperbole there. Final Fantasy what? Created by a group of FF and Dragon Quest vets and released for the Super Nintendo in 1995, the game mixed interesting characters, a fantastic battle system and one of the best storylines around, involving time travel. Doesn’t hurt that the graphics and music were no slouch, as well. The game got a sequel of sorts called Chrono Cross for the PS1 in 1999 which, while good, couldn’t hold a candle to the original. I’m not sure why it was trying to hold a candle in the first place, actually.
This is going to be a must buy for anyone who hasn’t played the game since its release, or since the crappy PS1 version (with load time galore!). The graphics will be the same (could you imagine the fan uproar if they were to update it to 3D?) but it will now of course have DS specific features, like touch screen functions and the use of both screens. Also, there will be a brand new dungeon (Nice!) and a wireless play mode, of which no further details are available.
Release will be this holiday season. I can’t wait to see how Chrono and friends are doing.