Chrono Trigger is one of those games that I can go back and play over and over again because it is just soooooooo good. As soon as I saw that it was a possible option for #VGCApril2024 in the #VideoGameClub, I knew that I was going to vote for it and likely play it, even if it hadn’t been chosen.
Getting into the game was surprisingly much more of a difficult choice than I expected to and that’s because now, there are so many different versions available. I’ve played through it several times on both SNES cartridge and ROM, but after having recently played through all of the new Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, I was curious to see if there were any updates to the iOS version of Chrono Trigger. While I am now too far removed from actually playing the game at the time of writing this, I can say that it was visually stunning on the iPhone and played remarkably well. I do want to point out that I used my Backbone controller to play it which could have also had a massive impact. I’m not certain I would have enjoyed it as much had I had to use the on screen controls the whole time.
I was immediately taken back from the moment I heard that ticking of the clock and the intro music started playing. I think I have one of those personalities where I tie a lot of memories to music and so when I hear sounds from my youth, it brings me back to a much simpler time. It’s probably why I still listen to so many video game soundtracks to this day. Popping in a set of headphones, I found myself losing hours of my day as I battled my way through time.
I will say, the game is typical in its JRPG nature in that you have to be extremely thorough in order to know what you need to do. I don’t know how I ever figured these things out as a child, maybe I was more inquisitive in nature or just more thorough in my game play, but I ended up having to turn to a guide for the last few settings as my memory failed me on what to do next.
If you’re a purist, then I’d definitely recommend trying to get it on an SNES cart and playing it that way. But these days, with the power of the phones we carry in our pockets, the iOS version is an amazing option.