Chrono Trigger, the seminal JRPG from Square Soft that made its Steam debut in 2018, is getting an update on March 11. It’s not out of character for Square Enix to update some of its classic titles on Steam out of the blue, though. Final Fantasy VIII had a similar treatment when the developer added a handful of cheats to make the game easier. This was a few years before the release of Final Fantasy VIII Remastered in 2019, before talk of the re-release was even on the table.
So, while the timing of Chrono Trigger‘s newest update is a bit strange, it’s certainly welcome, as it adds in a handful of neat features that make the experience smoother. The patch notes are by no means long or detailed, but the features outlined here seem more than worthwhile. You can also see some of these features in a recent trailer for the update.
Improved controls, 21:9 support, and more
The biggest addition coming with this update is support for displays up to a 21:9 ratio. Ultrawide monitors can make some games look absolutely gorgeous, and the ability to play Chrono Trigger with an ultrawide display is an opportunity that owners of these monitors shouldn’t pass up.
There are also a few smaller additions coming to Chrono Trigger with the March update. These include options for increasing the speed of auto battles by x1.5. The battle speed can be adjusted from the game’s settings. The update also increases the amount of save slots available for the player, increasing the amount to 20. Important interaction prompts will now have exclamation marks when approached as well. This should make it far easier to see how to interact with certain things. Apart from minor bug fixing, that’s pretty much it for the Steam update.
Mobile versions of the game are also receiving an update with a handful of extra features, like improvements to the touchscreen controls and an extra features menu. As of now, it’s unclear if this menu will make it onto the Steam version, but we won’t need to wait long to find out either way.
Chrono Trigger‘s March update, frankly, came out of nowhere. It’s especially surprising considering the title’s previous update was all the way back in 2018 (which really doesn’t feel that long ago). Regardless, it’s good timing. There’s never been a better chance to pick up Chrono Trigger and give it a try, especially because Chrono Cross, the controversial sequel to Chrono Trigger, is coming to Steam on April 7.
