Posted on: December 19, 2023

Michformer

Games: 100 Reviews: 3

A very well-crafted ode to JRPGs of yore

Of all the RPGs I've played these past couple of decades, Chained Echoes proved to be one of the most nostalgic and accessible genre entries out there. From an epic story that shines a light on a cast of colorful and three-dimensional characters to QoL features such as resetting health/magic bars post-battle and fast traveling on a whim, Chained Echoes never ceased to amaze me with its presentational and gameplay qualities. Special mention has to go to the soundtrack, which succeeded in sucking me into the game’s world thanks to its vivid blend of rousing tracks and ambient tunes. If you're looking for a reasonably priced and very well-rounded (J)RPG that'll keep you entertained for hours on end with its narrative beats and exploration loop, Chained Echoes is worth checking out.

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Posted on: November 7, 2024

jhotmann

Verified owner

Games: 110 Reviews: 1

I'm Hooked

I'm about 8 hours in so far and I'm definitely hooked. It's very similar to old SNES rpgs but there so many niceties compared to the old games. I love not having to worry about HP/TP after battles as that gets rid of a lot of stress around item management. The battles are interesting and varied, bosses have been hard but not frustrating, but there are some challenges along the way that you may not be prepared for. All of this makes for a fun game and the story is compelling enough for this to be a winning combo for me.

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Posted on: January 7, 2025

RobaHamburguesa

Verified owner

Games: 116 Reviews: 1

Clasic JRPG Style

Interesting combat system

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Posted on: December 23, 2022

TigrisCallidus

Verified owner

Games: Reviews: 9

Surprisingly the best "JRPG" of the year

I saw the great reviews, bought it, and was still positivly surprised! Here is what makes this game great: - Fun and rewarding exploration! So many chests, caves amd secrets can be found on the map! - Tactical turn based combat: Small number of INTERESTING options per character, meaningful character switching, "heat gauge" handling adds a clever twist on top. - No grind: You level up mostly due to the story (or because of exploration/achievements) - Always challenging: Because of the above, the game never gets too easy and has great difficulty curve - No random encounters: You see enemies on the map and can often evade them - Surprising boss encounters which often add intelligent twists to the game - Big cast of colorful characters, each with their own personality - Great looking retrographic. It was clearly handmade with a lot of love - Well thought through progression system, which makes levels (your choices), itemdrops and item upgrades really matter! - So many smalll tweaks (like sell all buttons, good autosave, "repeat last combat" option etc.) which make sure the game experience is as smooth as possible. - Typical "JRPG" story, but with good relatable characters, surprising twists, and fun dialogues. All in all this game really condensed what makes a good "J"RPG and removed the annoing parts. It still has some minor flaws, but thats just nitpicking. This game makes so many things right, and its the sum of those things which make the game good, its not a single decision, but the overall high quality of everything.

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Posted on: July 17, 2023

Sho555

Verified owner

Games: 187 Reviews: 2

Best JRPG in the past two decades

I can not express enough how wonderful this game is. If you have a love of classic JRPGs then you will love this game, if you have felt that those games are far too complex then you will also like this game. Removing many of the general annoyances of classic JRPGs Chained Echoes Takes both the story telling and mechanical conventions of the genera and brings them in line with more modern gaming. Things like auto healing after battles allows people to cast spells and tactically play each battle with all their resources unlike most other JRPGs that have you saving your mana and big attacks. This also allows the game to lean into map exploration more then older games aswell, as players are not balancing the cost of exploration against the benifits. In turn the developers have made dungeon exploration extensive and highly rewarding. The story takes influnence from many of the classics of the genera while bringing a modern perspective aswell as a culteral difference. English speaking and german influences are felt in the story that makes for a refreshing change of perspective. Also the characters are very interesting and a few of them go through interesting arcs. The roster ends up with more then ten characters in your party so not everyone can have a satisfying story. Even the thinner ones add to the world in unique ways and bring different game play styles to the party. If a burn out on the industry i have mostly stayed away from modern games, this one caught my eye and i can say it is the best money i have put into the gaming industry in 15 years. It is clear it is a project of passion and from a team that loves their work and has been mulling over the idea for a very long time. I am excited to see what is next from these guys but if this is the only thing they ever make i think they have made a fantastic contribution to the gaming world. I can not speak highly enough of this game. There are some pacing flaws and UI annoyances but that is nitpicking. Buy it son!

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