A surprise Steam release of 16-bit era RPG classic Chrono Trigger is certainly something to get excited about. Except of course when it turns out to be nothing more that a poorly optimised mobile port with terrible filtering and a UI that looks worse than you could possibly imagine. So bad that it's absent from all marketing.

So then, what went wrong?

Well, the announcement to mark the initially pleasant surprise of Chrono Trigger making it's way to Steam seemed genuine.

Surrrrrrprise! We’ve decided to both announce AND release CHRONO TRIGGER today on Steam!

OK, so if you’re reading beyond that last line then you probably want to know what CHRONO TRIGGER is (beyond my humble opinion that it’s one of the best games ever made).

CHRONO TRIGGER is a JRPG originally developed by who we affectionately dub the ‘Dream Team’, consisting of:

The creator of the DRAGON QUEST series: Yuji Horii
The creator of the DRAGON BALL series: Akira Toriyama
The creators of the FINAL FANTASY series, including Hironobu Sakaguchi

As did the launch trailer.



But, upon firing it up players quickly learned that it was a rush-job port of the existing and flawed mobile re-release. With all of the touch-screen UI menu items in tow. And very basic controller support. Cue, a veritable swarm of negative reviews and reactions.


In this so-called Chrono Trigger remaster, the menus all look terrible as do the new text boxes that look ripped from the Clip Art files of Windows '95. Both of which were re-purposed to suit the touch screen controls of the mobile version. The biggest slap in the face though, a big 'Menu' button that appears at all times in the top right of the screen whilst you're playing. Not to mention the filter that blurs most of the original pixel art.

This looks like someone's first attempt at an RPG Maker game. pic.twitter.com/1cd6YxTdZU

— Fred Wood (@thatsmytrunks) February 27, 2018

So, where to for Chrono Trigger fans on PC? Well, if this is the state of re-released for classic games, then emulation. Naturally.