Chrono Trigger Prerelease

The Chrono Trigger Prerelease is an unfinished version of Chrono Trigger. It was given to magazines and game retailers as a sample before Chrono Trigger's release to generate interest and ensure sales. The Prerelease could not be played all the way through; barriers to player passage were programmed in Guardia Castle, beyond Lab 32, or beyond the Magic Cave. Around 1999, someone ripped and uploaded the ROM; the Sonic 2 Beta was obtained in a similar manner.

The Prerelease provides a rare look into Chrono Trigger's development. It's full of things that were changed or dropped from Chrono Trigger's final release; we can only guess at what the developers intended in some cases. For that reason, it holds a special quasi-canon position in the Chrono series. Fans can explore the game's many interesting areas (witnessing different enemies and items) by using codes or an Epoch savestate. This section of the encyclopedia exposes and classifies every important difference between the Prerelease and the final version, and its content structure mirrors the parent encyclopedia.

Topics

• Characters
• Epoch
• Locations
• Menu Icons and Colors
• Modification
• Monsters
• Music
• Status Icons
• Prerelease Cartridge
• Translated Text

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• Explore the Prerelease
• Debunking Prerelease Rumors

Beyond the Prerelease

• Alpha Version Screenshots and Videos
• Chrono Trigger Prism Cards
• Instruction Manual References

Thanks for browsing and exploring the Prerelease. As a final footnote for the section above, it is worth mentioning that the Chrono Trigger US manual shows a saved game called "The Princess is Gone", which was apparently revised to "The Queen is Gone" for the final version. The manual also contains an instance of Fleaver. Thanks to PrincessNadia

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