Play Chrono Trigger Online

Summary

The Nintendo DS edition of Chrono Trigger feels like a love letter to fans, keeping every classic moment while adding a handful of thoughtful upgrades. A revised translation by Tom Slattery clears up the quirky phrasing of the original, and the dual‑screen layout pushes menus off the top screen so the action stays front‑and‑center. The map now auto‑completes as you explore, a default "run" button speeds up travel, and you can choose between the nostalgic SNES button layout or a touch‑screen scheme that makes use of the DS’s stylus.

Beyond polish, the port introduces fresh content that feels right at home in the time‑bending world. Masato Kato oversaw the new Monster‑Battling Arena, plus two brand‑new zones: the Lost Sanctum and the Dimensional Vortex, the latter housing a re‑imagined dungeon and the haunting "Singing Mountain" melody from the original soundtrack. Even a missing dungeon from the first release gets a proper remake inside the Vortex, giving veteran players something unexpected to discover.

Critically, the DS version earned a nod as a nominee for IGN’s 2008 Best RPG on the platform, and commercially it performed solidly—ranking as the 22nd best‑selling game in Japan that year. By March 2009 the title had moved roughly 790,000 copies worldwide, with about 490,000 in Japan, 240,000 across North America, and 60,000 in Europe. Those numbers reflect how the blend of nostalgic fidelity and new features kept Chrono Trigger relevant for a new generation of handheld gamers.

Storyline

Chrono Trigger follows Crono, a silent katana‑wielding teen, his friend Lucca the mechanical prodigy, and Princess Marle as they stumble through a malfunctioning teleporter at the Millennial Fair in 1000 AD. The accident throws Marle into 600 AD, where the trio rescues Queen Leene, returns to their own time, and is later framed for her kidnapping, prompting a daring prison escape through another time portal. Their journey takes them to 2300 AD, where they meet the robot Prometheus (Robo) and learn that an advanced civilization was wiped out by the alien parasite Lavos, which first awakens in 1999 AD.

Guided by the mysterious sage Gaspar at the End of Time, the party discovers that Magus, a powerful sorcerer once known as Janus, summoned Lavos in 600 AD. To confront him, Frog—formerly the human squire Glenn—must obtain the legendary sword Masamune. The heroes also travel to the prehistoric age of 65 million BC, befriending the fierce Ayla, and later to the ice‑age Kingdom of Zeal in 12,000 BC, where they witness Lavos’s true origin and the tragic fall of Zeal.

After being banished from Zeal, the group returns via the Epoch, a time‑machine vehicle, and uses a Chrono Trigger device to replace a dying Crono with a duplicate, averting his death. With the help of allies across eras, they defeat Queen Zeal in the Black Omen, confront Lavos, and ultimately slay the extraterrestrial menace, saving the world from its apocalyptic future.

The Nintendo DS version adds two new scenarios: a Reptite sanctuary that rewards powerful gear, and a tie‑in to Chrono Cross featuring shadow versions of the heroes, the Dream Devourer, and a final showdown with Magus and Schala. A New Game Plus lets players explore additional temporal distortions, battle Dalton’s army, and experience an expanded ending accessed from the End of Time after completing the extra dungeon and optional boss.