Final Fantasy 9 Meets Chrono Trigger In New SNES-Inspired RPG

Published Sep 21, 2026, 11:32 AM EDT

Lee D’Amato is a writer born, raised, and based in Queens, New York. With collective thousands of hours in games like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Elden Ring, and The Legend of Zelda, he's now writes game features, guides, and reviews for Screen Rant, but has covered a wide range of topics, including ancient history, affordable travel, and overall health.

An upcoming turn-based RPG is taking cues from some of the best Square Enix classics, like Final Fantasy 9 and Chrono Trigger. Released for the original PlayStation and SNES, respectively, these are two of the most influential titles in RPG history, and are still fondly remembered, played, and replayed today.

Although these genre-defining RPGs have endured throughout the decades, there's been a resurgence of interest in 2D, turn-based RPGs as of late. Final Fantasy Resonance is set for release this October, while indie devs continue to embrace this retro style in crafting new stories. That's the case for the upcoming Threads of Time.

Threads Of Time Is Inspired By The Classics

Threads of Time is a decidedly SNES-inspired RPG, the debut release by Riyo Games. It's a turn-based 2.5D RPG in which you gather a party of heroes and travel through the ages, with settings ranging from 12,000,000 BC to 2400 AD, engaging in strategic combat and attempting to save a collapsing timeline.

The Chrono Trigger inspirations are obvious, with a time-traveling premise, and a mechanized character (pictured below) who appears to be a clear homage to Chrono Trigger's Robo. You'll fight against dinosaurs in paleolithic forests, and combat robots in futuristic cities, all the while exploring and recruiting new characters with a variety of different abilities.

Where Threads of Time takes things just a bit further than its inspirations, though, is in incorporating its time-travel mechanics into the battle system. Early previews have shown glimpses of a mechanic called the "Timebar," which appears to function as a sort of timeline showing when each combatant is able to take their turn. Some attacks appear to be AoEs that affect segments of the Timebar; for example, a big spell might hit one enemy, then splash damage onto another set to take a turn immediately after them.

All of this is not even to mention the game's pixel art style and suggestions of animated cutscenes, both of which look really unique and gorgeous. Although the characters are 2D sprites, the environments are all 3D, and crafted in Unreal Engine 5, which creates a fascinating clash of aesthetics: the simplistic, SNES-style characters really do look like they're "out of time" when placed against these detailed 3D backdrops.

When Does Threads Of Time Come Out?

Threads of Time has been in development for at least a couple of years now — it was announced with a trailer at Tokyo Game Show back in 2024. Most recently, it got a developer update trailer during Day of the Devs back in June, in which the creators at Riyo Games took us through some of the combat mechanics, explaining their use of party combo attacks and their inspirations from Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, and Xenogears in developing Threads of Time.

We do know that Threads of Time is set for release on Xbox Series X/S and PC, and that it's available to wishlist on both platforms now. However, as of yet, there's no confirmed release date for Threads of Time; those details are to be announced at a later date. So, we could be waiting a while yet for a final release — it's anyone's guess as to how far along in the development process Threads of Time really is.

Still, if you're a fan of classic RPGs like Final Fantasy 9 and Chrono Trigger, this is one to watch out for. It's always interesting to see how today's devs are shaped by the classics of yesteryear, and this certainly seems to be an interesting evolution of concepts some of Square Enix's greatest games once pioneered.

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