Which Version of Chrono Trigger Should You Play? - All Ports Reviewed & Compared!

This is a comprehensive review & comparison of Chrono Trigger for the Super Famicom, Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, I-Mode, Android, iOS, and Steam. This video's coverage is relevant of the PC & Mobile version as of April 4, 2022; they will likely see updates after this videos release. We cover gameplay changes, bugs, localization, visuals, music, balance and content differences. This comparison should inform you of any and all significant differences between each different version of the game, enough so that you could decide which version you think you'd prefer. It also provides a common ground for discussion among which versions others may prefer & the points of contention to refer to in discussion.

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Save files that helped make this video:

[AustinSV]

REUPLOADED to remove the inaccurate mention of the MSU-1 chip being involved in the SNES version's crashes. I'm not positive which source mentioned it having to do with the game's rare crashes, but while we're mentioning the chip, it's a custom chip that can enable the use of mods for various SNES games. For Chrono Trigger, you could utilize the MSU-1 chip for CD quality music and even the anime FMV cutscenes on original hardware.

Thank you to everybody's prior comments!

[franciscobutte]

Playing Chrono Trigger on a Nintendo DSi XL is a bliss.

[ccarbone]

I am really hoping for a 1 to 1 remake done with the HD2D, kind of like Live-A-Live is being done with the option to play in the also beautiful original graphics.

[yoshibrothers]

Truthfully you can't go wrong with either the SNES version or the DS version. While the SNES version is my personal go to for the overall feel, the DS version having certain features the PS1 did including the anime cutscenes is a nice plus. The sound on that version also still sounds quite nice on the original hardware. The load times in the PS1 version at least in my opinion slow the game to a crawl and the Steam version (or Android version) just has inconsistencies that I can't personally get behind, though if either of the latter two versions are your only way to play, then they can at least be serviceable.

[carlosreyesf]

I hate the fact that the mobile version didn't use to have that horrible filter before the release of the Steam version. They released the game on Steam with the filter and updated the mobile version. People on Steam heavily criticised the filter so they made it optional there, but left the mobile version ruined forever...

[apha]

12:26 Being a game programmer it is possible that the "shaking" of moving diagonal is because the player is not really moving diagonally but up/left, up/right, down/left, and down/right - alternating between the two directions to give a semblance of diagonal movement.

[KasumiRINA]

Your channel is absolutely invaluable! I was always wondering about version differences and there isn't a concise way to list them all without a video.

[RegalPixelKing]

I find it odd, but nice, that the PC version of this game got no updates for about three and a half years before randomly getting further updates. Still, they need to fix the music restarting bug and they should add the missing FMVs. The extra screen real-estate on PC looks really nice though.
The DS version seems to be the best version in a lot of ways, but the PC version is not far behind, and it is better in some ways.

[willardfasto]

👍 I just don't understand why the steam versions seem to be universally worse in all these square releases.

[justanotheryoutubechannel]

That’s really cool that they actually improved the PC version by adding new details to the sides of the screen to fit 16:9, it’s a real shame no version of this is perfect though. Personally I played the original SNES copy on a real console a little while ago, but the DS version looks like it would be a good way to replay it next time I do it. PC is probably the third best option as I love the idea of new background detail and it’s got most of the bonus content.

[vincent]

Like with Final Fantasy VI, it's frustrating we can't get an absolute definitive edition without qualifiers.

[AtlasNight]

I wish Square Enix would remaster Chrono Trigger or remake it and release a physical copy of it on Nintendo Switch.

[mohemn]

I finished it on the NDS about 8 months ago and I honestly think it's the best version because of the translation and the convenience of being portable and not having the PC issues

Though if you're not playing it on an actual DS I don't think it would be the best for emulation

[fuzzyslippersyt]

Can't tell you how excited I was back when this was released on the DS. Out of all the physical games I own, that's definetly the one I treasure the most, and even if the extra content is a bit of a mixed bag, feels like the best version of this masterpiece.

Though I wish I had more then 3 save slots though, as I've kept my original save file from when I bought it and constantly have to delete the other 2 when doing a new run (depending on my mood I either replay the game fresh or do a NG+ for a different ending)

[rook]

I’ve long ago sold my DSi when I semi-retired my gaming career, but I still kept some of the titles and this is one of them. My beloved Chrono. I’ve always thought the DS one slightly better than both the SNES and PSX version and it’s good to find apparently others agree. I hope to buy another DS to reconnect with this experience again.

[thorwld]

now i am even more undecicive on which version to play XD

[willgiovi]

The Steam version works fairly well on the Steam Deck, though there may be a bug where the game reverts back to the home screen when trying to cloud save and play animated cutscenes at the same time. Besides that, since it’s a portable version with a wider aspect ratio, it’s pretty great.

[GamingWithNLGamer]

The NDS version was the ons I played. Playing RPG games on the NDS with the dual screen was always nice and I kinda miss it now nowadays. Might pick up the Steam version since there have been a lot of good updates since its was terrible at launch .

[chriswhetton]

So I played this first on original hardware and then on PS1 as a teenager. I remember wanting to cry every time I accidentally walked backwards and to the next area because I didn’t realize where my characters were… those load times are so frustrating lol. I loved the added cutscenes. I really want to play the DS version

[TheMasterd]

SNES version seems to be the best experience for those who don't care about the new extra content.