Chained Echoes Review- A Chain to the Past
Chained Echoes is a modern 16-bit turn-based RPG published by Team 17 with all the charm and classic fun from SNES titles like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI. This game wears its influences on its sleeve- which can often lead to gaming disappointments, especially when the project relies too heavily on the past. Thankfully, Chained Echoes masterfully avoids the pitfalls that games like Mighty Number 9 and Yoka Laylee fell into by crafting its own engaging world and story while also reinvigorating classic turned-based battles with a unique spin on the genre. Chained Echoes is more than just a love letter- it's a wholly new RPG with modern mechanics to make the whole experience feel smooth throughout its 20-30-hour runtime.
Story
It would feel wrong to start a review on an RPG without first discussing its story. Games in this genre are known for their intricate plots spanning entire worlds with the main characters facing godlike entities to save their planet. In this sense, Chained Echoes follows all of the familiar beats you may expect to find in a classic JRPG. The cast of characters all meet by chance and (without spoiling too much) get wrapped up in political plots and the scheming of higher powers to prevent as much destruction and death as possible. Of course, there are twists and reveals that shake up the narrative, but the general plot of Chained Echoes remains easy to follow (which can be hard for more modern RPGs to achieve) whilst still offering something more for fans who really want to delve into this new rich world filled with lore to uncover
The standout part of Chained Echoes' narrative is its characters. You have your basic knight, thief, and black mages as well as more out-there choices like a blue mage and gun-wielding white mage, but what makes these all special is how their individual personalities shine through in cutscenes and combat. The thief Sienna has quick, slashing attacks that focus on critical hits. On top of this, she is mostly&ynical throughout the game while slowly warming up to the rest of the party. Another character, Robb, is a nobleman turned servant to the crown who was disowned by his father and forced to live most of his life as a poor boy hunting in the woods. To reflect this, in combat, he has access to a bow and skills that allow the spreading of ailments such as poison and paralyze to reflect the living conditions of the lower denizens of Chained Echoes' society.
Each member of the roster has something to contribute- and even the optional parts of the roster have their own time to shine in optional side quests and dungeons. On top of this, as you move through areas, you'll occasionally see text boxes pop up showing conversations between party members. Although the game is surprisingly short for JRPG standards, most of the cast is fleshed out in a way where their inclusion feels worthy instead of just being there to increase the roster. Chained Echoes' plot may seem basic and by the numbers at first, but it soon becomes more grand and exciting- thanks largely due to the compelling party you have accompanying you throughout.
Gameplay
Somewhat rare for a JRPG, the strongest element of Chained Echoes is its combat. The developers have managed to transform a stale turn-based combat system left in the past into something that can be even more compelling and exciting than the action-oriented gameplay styles that a lot of games in the genre have become in recent years. Working on a turn-based order seen in the top right hand of the screen, you are tasked with playing around the enemies' moves and attacks to inflict maximum damage while staying alive. This is complemented by the ability to have eight characters in your party- with four in battle and the ability to swap them out without wasting a turn. This allows you to experiment much more with the roster of 12 characters without feeling underpowered.
Far and away the best and most innovative aspect of combat, however, is the 'overdrive' bar. As you take actions and hits from the enemy, a bar in the top left of the screen slowly fills up. While in the green section, you do additional damage, take less damage and your skills only cost half as much. However, if you stray out of this, the opposite will come into play. The way to reduce this bar back to green is to use a skill of the type randomly generated on-screen, which forces you to use skills you may not otherwise have used to ensure your party stays within that green section. This manages to sidestep the biggest mistake that turn-based RPGs make spamming your most powerful move. If you follow that formula, you'll end up doing less damage and will likely be killed rather quickly. By being forced to switch tactics and characters on the fly, Chained Echoes combat is one of the best turn-based systems I've ever seen.
Outside of combat, you're given the ability to explore on foot and over the environment with your sky armor. These are unlocked around halfway through the game and allow you to reach areas that you wouldn't otherwise be able to. This also offers a completely new combat style that allows you to decimate smaller foes in huge mechs- if you want to, that is. With all enemies appearing as actual sprites that you can avoid, you can pick and choose your battles. This makes exploration far more fun than random encounters would make it and allows you to backtrack through areas to pick up chests and missed items with ease. You'll want to do this too- with some of the strongest rewards given for obtaining as much loot as you can in each area. Chained Echoes shines in both its exploration and combat systems- and with new surprises and mechanics are constantly thrown at you, this JRPG is one of the most constantly engaging games in the genre.
Presentation
Being inspired by SNES-era games, Chained Echoes doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to its visuals. What it does do is manage to create beautiful environments to explore within the pixel style paired with some great musical implementations that make each location feel unique and part of a real, living world. One of the best is the city of Rain, Tormund. The song choice and constant downpour is very reminiscent of indie darling Hollow Knight. Much like that game, Chained Echoes does a lot with its atmosphere that heralds back to the dark, gritty environments of the early Final Fantasies. From suicide to sexual abuse, this game manages to implement depressing themes in a way that adds to the world without feeling cheap.
Much like Square Enix's SNES classics, however, Chained Echoes also manages to introduce optimism and lighter aspects to its game world. From the forgetful grandfather character of Tomke who is obsessed with eating everything to the gang of platypuses who terrorize the streets of New Wyrnshire looking for treasure, there are undoubtedly some areas of comedic relief to ease the tension. Of course, this doesn't detract from the heavy moments- which leads to a fantastically crafted world that has just the right balance of dark and light. This game manages to be a joy to listen to and look at alongside being incredible to play.
Conclusion
Chained Echoes is one of the greatest modern JRPGs of our time- and that's including the more modern take on the genre. By returning to the roots of the genre, this adventure manages to take the best parts of the classics and add its own innovations to create something truly special. By being accessible while also complex for more seasoned JRPG fans, Chained Echoes is the perfect game for those craving some old-school turn-based action as well as those completely new to the genre.
This game is the culmination of the innovations made to old-school style RPGs in the last decade while also adding its own charm and mechanics to create something that can't be missed. What makes it even more impressive is that it was created by one man: Matthias Linda. If this and Stardew Valley are anything to go by, single indie developers can create some of the greatest games of our generation.
