Credit the place credit score is due: Square Enix has achieved proper by Chrono Trigger for its PC launch. Praise is deserved.
Back in March, I went to town on the then-new PC re-release of basic Japanese RPG Chrono Trigger. Honestly, I used to be livid – I regard Chrono Trigger as certainly one of Square’s most essential video games, one of many prime Japanese RPGs of all time and subsequent to Final Fantasy 7 in all probability probably the greatest ‘gateway drug’ entrance factors there may be to the normal Japanese-style RPG style.
So after all I used to be mad. Square messed it up. Not slightly, both – lots. It was a catastrophe of a port with mismatched background tiles, once-characterful sprites smeared with an unsightly vaseline filter and mobile-esque menus that seemed like one thing spat out by RPG Maker. I known as it a perfect example of how not to re-release a classic game. More than something, it felt just like the port lacked respect for its extremely revered and beloved supply.
Well, credit score is owed to the behemoth Japanese writer: I’ve been enjoying the sport slightly since its remaining patch final week, and most complaints have been totally sorted out. Square Enix took the criticism to coronary heart and over the course of a string of hefty patches have slowly turned this into one thing that truly may very well be argued as the very best model of Chrono Trigger.
I lit up Square Enix for the poor preliminary launch, and now it solely feels proper to set the report straight: put up patch, that is now a worthwhile model.
This is actually a very stunning improvement, not least as a result of Square Enix has left the additionally hideous cellular variations of Final Fantasy 5 and 6 on Steam untouched for years. At greatest I’d anticipated a sprucing of the proverbial turd, however it is a do-over the likes of which is never seen. This is now a very good model of this nice recreation. It took Square too lengthy to get right here, however a minimum of the writer did in the long run.
Whatever space of the sport you have a look at many of the points raised with the preliminary launch have been vigorously attacked and stuck. The nasty filtered sprites and mismatched background tiles have been handled early on, as pictured above. The font, which had been modified to a reasonably generic one, has been restored to one thing extra evocative of the Super NES unique.
The greatest modifications are to the UI and menus, all of which have been ripped inside out with the builders clearly working laborious to discover a method to restore menus which might be extra paying homage to these from the controller-based SNES unique whereas maybe maintaining one or two quality-of-life modifications extra suited to a contemporary launch of the sport.
There’s even new content material together with an extras menu that contains a bunch of frequent fan-requested additions. Via this part gamers can now repeat view the animated story scenes that have been added to the PS1 launch of the sport and have on this model – and one patch additionally improved the decision of those film recordsdata. You may also hearken to the soundtrack, view paintings of from the sport’s improvement and advertising and marketing and re-watch any of Chrono Trigger’s endings that you just’ve unlocked by common play.
Some options are sadly nonetheless lacking: a number of FMVs stay left on the chopping room ground and the beastiary and dojo discovered within the Nintendo DS launch are additionally nonetheless absent. Others would nonetheless like a carbon copy of the SNES interface to a minimum of be an choice, too.
It’s a disgrace these are lacking, and twice as a lot so provided that Square say the sport has now seen its remaining patch of this kind – however it’s however tough to understate how spectacular a job that is of fixing this port and making it a worthy model of a basic. Sure, the way in which these updates have been dished out slowly however certainly over the course of some months whereas gathering fan suggestions does now imply that those that bought Chrono Trigger early on had a form of early entry expertise, however the level is that Square made the trouble to hear and make important modifications.
This is actually now a extra spectacular port than, say, the PS4 model of Final Fantasy 7, which is stable however doesn’t have any of the nifty little additional options like a CG film gallery. It’s additionally corrected errors that even the higher ports made – so whereas the PC, PS4 cellular variations of Final Fantasy 9 nonetheless function an terrible substitute font that loses the characterful, world-appropriate font from the PS1 days, Chrono Trigger on Steam has fastened that exact same downside.
At greatest I’d anticipated a sprucing of the proverbial turd, however it is a do-over the likes of which is never seen.
Obviously, I’m happy. Chrono Trigger is a recreation that I get pleasure from a replay of from time to time and it’s additionally a recreation as many individuals ought to expertise as attainable. That this model is now so top quality primarily permits extra folks to discover the thrill of this distinctive little gem, and that’s sensible. I lit up Square Enix for the poor preliminary launch, and now it solely feels proper to set the report straight: put up patch that is now a worthwhile model, and a must-play for anyone unlucky sufficient to have by no means skilled this basic earlier than.
The title of definitive model will certainly be heartily debated by hardcore followers sooner or later, with the defining factors of the argument now left to extra subjective issues such because the deserves of the much less correct however charming SNES-era translation versus the fashionable one, or the appropriateness of the PS1-era animated cutscenes. Those debates are acceptable.
Of course, the one correct factor to do as a online game fan is now ask for one thing else, proper? That’s what we do to builders, I believe – we’re by no means fairly happy. With the PC model of Chrono Trigger now an absolute magnificence, the following query is apparent: will Square Enix prolong this form of courtesy to the remainder of its basic Steam catalog?
Final Fantasy 8’s PC model nonetheless options actually terrible midi music (unusually this downside additionally existed in 7 however was patched – Eight was left with the inferior sound), whereas FF7 lacks function parity with the PS4 and cellular variations. FF9 nonetheless has the garbage font, and naturally the much less mentioned in regards to the PC variations of FF5 and FF6 with sprite artwork that’s vaguely paying homage to that botched restoration of a painting of Jesus the higher. These are all basic video games – so I hope they’re finally all handled with the care, respect and a spotlight to element Chrono Trigger has been within the wake of its botched launch.
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