Chrono Trigger inspired the enhanced HD-2D engine for Octopath Traveler II

Many Switch owners have been absolutely thrilled with Square Enix’s HD-2D engine. We’ve seen the engine used in games like Octopath Traveler, Triangle Strategy and LIVE-ALIVE, and next we’ll see it employed in Octopath Traveler II.

The HD-2D engine seems to be the perfect way to pay respect to the era of 16-bit games while also giving visuals a considerable makeover. Square Enix plans to push HD-2D even further with Octopath Traveler II, and it turns out they studied some of their own classic works to find the path ahead.

In an interview with Famitsu, Octopath Traveler II director Keisuke Miyauchi spoke about the goal of pushing HD-2D to even greater heights. Turns out the original Chrono Trigger was a source of inspiration in those efforts.

Last time, we had in mind an inclusive nostalgia that many people hold on to, but we thought that not much would change if we used the same method again. We needed to expand the scope this time.

By envisioning the beautiful pixel art scenery they drew back then – the trial scenes in Chrono Trigger, for example – we aimed to raise the bar of expressiveness with HD-2D by making art that would be picture-perfect no matter when you screenshotted it.

[Octopath Traveler II director Keisuke Miyauchi]

Countless Chrono Trigger fans have been keeping fingers and toes crossed that Square Enix would give the game an HD-2D makeover. While there doesn’t seem to be any inkling of that happening just yet, it’s nice to know that Square Enix not only looks back on Chrono Trigger fondly, but also continues to reference it for future projects.