Chained Echoes

This is just a slice of nostalgia. Great story, great team members. It left me wanting more, but also satisfied. quick hit list: Pros: + Great combat. The mechs feel like Xenogears (that's why you looked at it). +Kicking Soundtrack. I put some of the songs on my Spotify rotation. +Diverse party who all have a function. Double ++ for a lizardman berserker caster. Tragic backstory and hella fun to use. +feels like a classic SNES rpg but with modern comforts. By the late game you can get or go anywhere you need/want to. +Kickass boss fights. They'll challenge you just enough. +Lots to do, from sidequests to gear and item farming. +Overall story is great. the writing ranges from great to OK. It keeps you involved. Cons: -The crystal system for weapon and gear upgrades is jank AF. I learned how it should work, but that was far in. You could break the game if you know what you need to do early. It's like FF8 Junction system jank; tricky but easy to break if you know what you're doing. -Great cast of main characters, but some are just better than others in combat. to each their own. -Encounters, even just regular ones, can F you up. It wants you to know the games systems. You need to do regular upgrades to feel safe/strong. This goes back to the crystal system.

Chained Echoes is the kind of game that feels like it came straight out of my dreams: a 90s-style pixel-art JRPG that pays homage to genre classics such as Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Suikoden, and many others. Developed by a single developer over roughly seven years, Chained Echoes is the quintessential Japanese-style RPG—a genuine love letter to the genre. What the developer understood perfectly is the difference between honoring the past and preserving its ashes. Many of the most tedious and grindy mechanics of classic JRPGs are simply not here. Progression is closely tied to completing quests and defeating bosses, so forget about spending hours grinding by slaughtering random mobs just to gain a few levels. The Overdrive system is also a great idea, keeping battles moving at a good pace while adding an interesting layer of strategy. The only real flaw, IMHO, is the pacing of the narrative, which can sometimes feel a little too rushed compared to the events taking place. But that's really my only criticism, because the plot and its themes are otherwise complex, mature, deep, and very well written. I won't spoil anything, but imagine a sort of philosophical Game of Thrones set in a Final Fantasy-esque world. We're looking at one of the best JRPGs of the last ten years here. Do not miss this game for any reason.