Chrono Trigger on Steam is Unfortunately Just the Mobile Port

Chrono Trigger, one of the greatest RPGs conceived in the 16-bit era (and arguably one of the best games of all time), received a Steam release today. Before you get too excited, be forewarned: The Steam version of Chrono Trigger is actually the 2011 mobile version blown up for computer screens.

Chrono Trigger for mobile isn't terrible. I was once on a bus that broke down on the Interstate for four hours, and it kept me adequately entertained. But Square is infamous for making slapdash Steam ports of its mobile retro RPGs, and going by buyer outcry on Twitter, "slapdash" appears to describe Chrono Trigger for Steam.

This iteration of Chrono Trigger doesn't look quite as horrid as Steam's anti-aliased, Vaseline-smeared Steam / mobile releases of Final Fantasy V and VI, but it's no prize-winner either. The screenshots alone show off tiling errors and anti-aliased sprites surrounded by chunky black lines. Even the menus are oversized and adorned with simplistic fonts. They're clearly direct ports from the mobile game and are engineered to be tapped, not navigated with a keyboard or controller.

Chrono Trigger for Steam still includes some of the extras from the Nintendo DS re-release of the game, which is well-loved amongst fans. The anime cutscenes are there, as are the bonus dungeons. From now until April 2, $14.99 USD gets you the "limited edition" of the game. The limited edition includes an arranged medley from composer Yasunori Mitsuda and six wallpapers.

It's your call. I'd say, "Get an SNES Classic," but Chrono Trigger is the console's most glaring absence.