page_title: Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes
section_title: Development
hierarchical_section_title: Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes / Development
caption_attribution_description: English: Concept art from Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes, an unreleased ROM hack fan game by Kajar Laboratories, based on the game Chrono Trigger developed and published by Square (now Square Enix).
context_page_description: Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes is a fangame developed by the international team Kajar Laboratories as a ROM hack of Square's role-playing video game Chrono Trigger for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was conceived as an unofficial installment in the Chrono series, set between the events of Chrono Trigger and its sequel Chrono Cross.
  The game, as a ROM hack, runs on the Chrono Trigger game engine and has gameplay similar to the original. It is based five years after the events of Chrono Trigger and features all the playable characters from the original game, who come together across different time periods to fight an enemy attempting to change the past. The plot includes elements from both official games. Crimson Echoes concludes by setting up several plot points that were used in Chrono Cross.
  The project was in development from 2004–09, with 98% of the game completed. The game reportedly totaled around 35 hours of play time, and had ten alternate endings. A few weeks prior to the expected released date, Square Enix sent the developers a cease-and-desist letter for knowingly violating Square Enix's intellectual property, which led to the cancellation of the project.
context_section_description: The Crimson Echoes project was launched by ZeaLitY in 2004. The development team, dubbed Kajar Laboratories, primarily consisted of members of the Chrono fansite Chrono Compendium. The team was led by a game director, Agent 12, and two co-directors, ZeaLitY and Chrono'99. To create a story that was compatible with Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, the team took full advantage of the Chrono Compendium's encyclopedia and the fandom's knowledge and analysis of the series.
  The game took the form of a ROM hack of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System version of Chrono Trigger. It was coded using Chrono Trigger ROM editing software, and was meant to be played on a Super Nintendo Entertainment System emulator. The finished game was intended to be released as a patch file in the IPS (International Patching System) format, so as to avoid illegal distribution of a full Chrono Trigger ROM.
  The project lasted four and a half years, with a planned release date of May 31, 2009. However, Square Enix sent ZeaLitY and Agent 12 a cease-and-desist letter on May 8, 2009 for trademark and copyright infringement, ordering that the team stop development and cancel all ROM hacking activities, including translation and distribution of all their other projects that were in progress or already released. The letter noted that ZeaLitY and Agent 12 risked being sued for "up to $150,000 per work" in damages. At the time of the cancellation, the game was "around 98% complete"; it allegedly featured 23 story chapters adding up to roughly 35 hours of gameplay and ten alternate endings.
caption: Concept art illustrating the game's art style differing from Chrono Trigger's.
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