Chrono Trigger is celebrating its 30-year anniversary today, March 11, 2025.
Below, we explore how its innovative New Game Plus feature set it apart as an all-time classic.
I spent almost an entire summer vacation repeatedly replaying Chrono Trigger.
Chrono Trigger was not the first game to feature an optional way to continue playing after beating the game.
Other games, like The Legend of Zelda, featured second quests or post-credits challenges.
It’s important to understand this innovation in its context.
RPGs were a heavier lift, because they demanded so much of your time.
Replaying an RPG wasn’t unheard of, but it was a commitment.
Put simply, Square recognized that persistent progression is a major component in our enjoyment of RPGs.
Chrono Trigger was an especially great testing ground for this novel concept.
The time-traveling RPG famously sportedmultiple endings.
Some characters' fates were immutable no matter what you did.
Others could be changed in small ways that impacted their lives.
Still others could have major ramifications on the world.
It makes a certain degree of intuitive sense even if the story doesn’t directly call attention to it.
And like the best platforming games, the flexibility of the system allowed players to invent their own fun.
It certainly deserves to be remembered for all of those reasons and more.
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