30 Years Later, Chrono Trigger's Defining Feature Still Can't Be Topped

Chrono Trigger is celebrating its 30-year anniversary today, March 11, 2025. Below, we explore how its innovative New Game Plus feature set it apart as an all-time classic.

I spent almost an entire summer vacation repeatedly replaying Chrono Trigger. At the peak of the dog days, when I was content to stay indoors with the air conditioning (and my parents were content to let me), I was completing a full playthrough every few days. This was a welcome proposition thanks to New Game Plus, which still stands as a major part of Chrono Trigger's legacy and a critical, irremovable piece of its brilliant design.

Chrono Trigger was not the first game to feature an optional way to continue playing after beating the game. Other games, like The Legend of Zelda, featured second quests or post-credits challenges. But Chrono Trigger did coin the term New Game Plus, and it popularized the idea as it's currently understood. As opposed to an extra challenge for those who had mastered the game, Chrono Trigger's NG+ allowed you to start the game again with all of your experience, skills, and any items or equipment that wasn't critical to the plot. Rather than challenge you to complete a second quest with your newfound mastery, it rewarded you by making the game easier and faster--a breezy romp through a story you already knew and probably loved.

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