A new page on publisher Square Enix' s Japanese website suggests that the company is planning to port its acclaimed SNES RPG Chrono Trigger to the Nintendo DS.

Pointing to a directory marked " ctds" , the page (pictured left) shows the Nintendo DS logo juxtaposed with the series' iconic clock image. While the page itself is titled " Countdown Clock" , there is no indication offered as to when the countdown is scheduled to end.

Director Takashi Tokita had previously suggested a DS remake of the game was feasible, assuming " demand is great enough."

Further evidence of an upcoming port comes from the pages of this week' s issue of Japanese gaming magazine Jump, as relayed by users of gaming forum NeoGAF. A winter 2008 release was suggested for the Japanese edition, though a direct translation of the report was not available.

A screenshot contained in the Jump article appears to show the game in its original 2D graphical style. Several previous Square Enix DS remakes—including Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV—have made use of 3D graphics engines, while others, such as Front Mission, remained 2D.

Initially released on the Super Nintendo in 1995, Chrono Trigger was later brought to the original PlayStation, complete with animated cutscenes. A sequel, entitled Chrono Cross, hit the PlayStation in 1999.

Square Enix' s gratuitous use of compressed full-motion videos in its existing DS lineup—including Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings—implies that the developer would have no issues fitting the animated cutscenes on a DS cartridge.

Though the article and countdown only suggest a Japanese release of the project, Square Enix has localized nearly all of its recent Nintendo DS offerings. Combined with the title' s status as a fan-favorite, an eventual North American release is quite likely