Fifteen keychains. Five hundred yen a pull. No remake in sight.
Square Enix confirmed on X that Chrono Trigger is getting a new collection this year, and it isn’t the thing fans have been asking for since the SNES. It’s gacha physical keychains, called the One Mark Collection, distributed across Japan.
So no, still no remaster. But if you’ve spent three decades loving this game, you’ve learned to take what you’re given.
What’s actually in the set
There are 15 types total. Every one of the six main characters gets a standing pose and an action pose: Chrono, Marle, Lucca, Frog, Robo, Ayla and Magus.
The 15th is the mystery character, and it’s a Nu. The blue creatures with green hair that Square Enix keeps trotting out alongside Chrono Trigger. Not exactly a shock, but a nice one.
The complete set retails for around $140 USD. At 500 yen per pull, you can get through the whole thing without much pain, especially if you’re only chasing one per character rather than the full run.
You’ll need to be in Japan (or know someone who is)
This is a region-specific promotion. Kansai has the most locations, but you’ll find machines in Tokyo, Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Chugoku and Shikoku, and Kyushu.
The official site breaks down every spot by prefecture, which is the only sane way to hunt these. Square Enix notes that stock varies by store and that the collection could be sold at other stores not listed. Translation: don’t drive two hours on faith.
Importing online works too, if you’d rather pay a premium than buy a plane ticket.
Why this game keeps refusing to die
Chrono Trigger has taken a full seat in the Mount Rushmore of JRPGs. The Akira Toriyama designs. The open-ended way it lets you slip through time. The old-school combat system. Pick your reason for the greatest-of-all-time status, they’re all defensible, but the characters are a huge part of why it endures.
And it’s part of a stranger lineage than casual fans realize, involving Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross. There was even a third potential game, Chrono Break, that never fully got off the ground at the company.
The evergreen problem
Here’s the uncomfortable part. Being timeless works against Chrono Trigger.
The original is so beloved that any merchandise release is notable, which means Square Enix has little incentive to build a follow-up or a re-release when the original is still available on several platforms, including PC. Why fix what’s still selling?
So we get keychains. Fifteen of them, one Nu included, scattered across gacha machines from Hokkaido to Kyushu. One day I hope we get to revisit this time-traveling adventure in a new format. Until then: 500 yen, and hope the Frog drops.
