In contrast to the critical acclaim of "Chrono Trigger"'s original SNES release, the 2018 Microsoft Windows port of "Chrono Trigger" was critically panned. Grievances noted by reviewers included tiling errors on textures, the addition of aesthetically-intrusive sprite filters, an unattractive GUI carried over from the 2011 mobile release, a lack of graphic customization options, and the inability to remap controls. In describing the port, "Forbes" commented: "From pretty awful graphical issues, such as tiling textures and quite a painful menu system, this port really doesn't do this classic game justice." "USGamer" characterized the Windows release as carrying "all the markings of a project farmed out to the lowest bidder. It's a shrug in Square-Enix's mind, seemingly not worth the money or effort necessary for a half-decent port." In a Twitter post detailing his experiences with the Windows version, indie developer Fred Wood derisively compared the port to "someone's first attempt at an RPG Maker game", a comment which was republished across numerous articles addressing the poor quality of the rerelease. Square Enix released five major updates to address the complaints, thus improving its overall reception; Alex Donaldson of "VG247", commenting on the improvements, wrote that "Square Enix took the criticism to heart and over the course of a string of hefty patches have slowly turned this into something that actually could be argued as the best version of "Chrono Trigger"."