One simply can't talk about the most legendary JRPGs of all time without mentioning the masterpiece that is Chrono Trigger. The collaborative efforts of Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy), Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball), and Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest) combined to bring players an absolute masterpiece in game design, to the point where most people will go so far as to label Chrono Trigger as one of the greatest games ever made!
The legend of this game is so immense that fans still talk fondly about this title to this day — something that is perfectly understandable for anyone who has experienced this masterpiece firsthand. It only goes without saying that such a legendary title is bound to have a ton of interesting information and trivia surrounding it, including some truly obscure ones that even the most devout Chrono Trigger fans probably have no idea about.
So, keeping this in mind, here are some obscure details about Chrono Trigger that most people had no idea about.
Updated on April 9, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Chrono Trigger is an incredible JRPG that needs no introduction. The game was one of the best titles on the SNES, featuring amazing combat, great characters, and a mind-boggling story that took players through the very essence of time itself. The game is one of the most beloved titles during the classic era of gaming, amassing a massive fan following that still goes crazy over the intricacies of this title even today, with the ones mentioned below being the most mind-blowing hidden details of the lot.
15 It's The First Game Ever To Tinker With A New Game+ Mode
Chrono Trigger is the first game ever to utilize a New Game+ system. It allowed players to replay the game with their current levels and equipment, which made getting through the game a breeze.
It was a unique mechanic that has become commonplace in modern games to allow for more replayability. The fact that Chrono Trigger integrated this mechanic all the way back in 1995 is mind-blowing to this day.
14 A Secret Ending Leads You To The Dev Room
The New Game+ mode also lets players challenge and defeat Lavos at any time, which unlocks its fair share of endings as well. So, it's only fair that one of these endings would house a secret as well.
In fact, if players defeat Lavos during the first scripted fight with Lucca, players will gain access to an amazing dev room. All the people who worked on the game are represented as avatars with quirky lines of their own, making it a great addition to a game already full to the brim with secrets!
13 Crono Can Adopt Cats By Playing Games At The Fair
A little-known secret that most people know is that Crono can get a cat for his house after winning the 80-point game at the fair. However, this act can actually be repeated for multiple felines.
This will lead to Crono's room getting filled with cats. It's a cool secret, although players will have to spend a ton of time at the Millennial Fair to achieve the same.
12 Magus' Henchmen Are Named After Popular Musicians
Magus serves as the antagonist for a chunk of Chrono Trigger before his true motivations are brought to light. This leads to the character being a party member further down the line!
His henchmen are pretty hilarious, with their names being particularly noteworthy. Fans of rock music will recognize the names Ozzie, Slash, and Flea — names that refer to Ozzy Osbourne from Black Sabbath, Slash from Guns & Roses, and Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
11 Some Versions Of The Game Have Animated Cutscenes
Given the numerous times this game has been re-released, it's only a given that Square Enix would've tried to change the title in their own ways with each release. This was majorly seen in the PlayStation and Nintendo DS releases, which had animated cutscenes of their own!
For some reason, later releases of Chrono Trigger didn't feature these cutscenes, which makes no sense. Why not use this content if it's already available from the get-go?
10 None Of The Three Biggest Names Associated With Chrono Trigger Directed The Game
We've already mentioned three of the biggest names associated with the title, which made the game seem all that legendary to the masses. However, what might be surprising is the fact that none of these figures actually directed the game.
Instead, the directorial duties were split between three people — Takashi Tokita, Akihiko Matsui, and Yoshinori Kitase.
9 The Timeline Where Crono And His Friends Are From Was Meant To Look Like A Fusion Of Japan And Holland
In a bid to make the setting of Chrono Trigger as unique as possible, a lot of ideas were bounced around these geniuses. One of these pitches included making the timeline of Crono and his friends look like a cross between Japan and Holland.
While this didn't come to pass, it does explain why Crono uses a katana as a weapon — something that is certainly quite befuddling in the context of the main game's setting.
8 There Was A Game Before Chrono Cross That Tied In With The Story Of Chrono Trigger
Most people consider Chrono Cross to be the only game that's part of the Chrono series, but most people don't realize that there was actually another title that was released that serves as an official side story to Chrono Trigger.
This game is Radical Dreamers, a visual novel that was written by Masato Kato — the person who wrote the original script for Chrono Trigger along with help from Yuji Horii. Kato was displeased by the quality of the writing in this title, even though the fans who've managed to play the ROM hacks of this game actually appreciated the darker tone that the writer was going for.
7 The Game Was Translated To English In Just 30 Days
Speaking of Chrono Trigger's writing, one fact that might surprise fans is the fact that the script for this game was translated in just 30 days by Ted Woolsey, a legendary figure who also did the translation for Final Fantasy 6 as well.
Woolsey had a habit of adding his own changes into the mix, leading to the translation of Chrono Trigger being somewhat different from the original script. One of the biggest changes was the name of the sword Masamune, which was originally called Grandleon in the Japanese script.nMost people surmise that this was done to form some sort of a connection between Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, no matter forced it may be.
6 There's A Dungeon Called Singing Mountain That Was Cut From The Main Game
As is the case with most ambitious JRPGs of its time, Chrono Trigger also had a ton of content that was axed. One of the most notable exclusions in this regard was the removal of an entire dungeon in the Prehistoric era — an area whose theme was still present in the game files.
According to Yasunori Mitsuda — the music composer for Chrono Trigger — the area was removed for pacing issues, which does make sense given how lengthy the Prehistoric section of the game already is.
5 There Was Supposed To Be An Eighth Party Member
Another piece of cut content comes in the form of an eighth party member, which was revealed in Masato Kato's initial sketches of the game. This party member was an old man who wielded a staff as a weapon.
Fans have surmised that this mysterious party member was none other than Gaspar, the old man who guides the players in the End of Time. Given the fact that the choice of keeping a small main cast in the game was actually lauded by critics, perhaps not having the eighth party member was actually a wise decision in hindsight.
4 Crono's Death Was Supposed To Be Permanent
A rather depressing story beat that was thankfully nixed from the end product was the idea of Crono's death at the hand of Lavos being permanent.
Players would've actually had to travel back in time before the Millennial Fair and take that version of Crono, dropping him back to this timeline after the main quest was completed and leaving him to his inevitable fate. However, this was considered to be too much of a downer by the higher-ups, and this idea was ultimately removed in favor of a more heartwarming alternative.
3 Lucca's Mom Was Originally Never Meant To Avoid The Fate That Would Crush Her Legs
One of the most well-known secrets of Chrono Trigger was the fact that Lucca's mom could actually be saved from the accident that crushed her legs... but that was not part of the original plan.
As per the prototype, this accident was meant to be unavoidable, which was — again — frowned upon by Square. Instead, the player was given an opportunity to save Lucca's mom from this fate, which was quite welcome indeed.
2 The Game Was Initially Pitched As Final Fantasy 7
Chrono Trigger and Xenogears are two of Square's most beloved JRPGs, and both these games share one thing in common — both titles initially served as pitches for Final Fantasy 7.
While Square liked both these ideas, they were shafted into side projects instead of being part of the main Final Fantasy canon.
1 Lucca Actually Makes A Cameo In Xenogears
This connection between Xenogears and Chrono Trigger actually manifested in the former game as a cameo.
In the village of Lahan, players can actually find Lucca, who explains the concept of Save Points to the player. It's a nice nod to the origins of both titles and definitely served as a treat for any fan who recognized Lucca.
Chrono Trigger was released on March 11, 1995 and is available for the SNES, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, Mobile, and PC.