Chained Echoes Review (Punda-senpai)
Chained Echoes: The heartfelt love letter that stole my heart.
(No spoilers, keeping things out deliberately. Get used to the word pacing, as it is at the heart of the game's design. Read other reviews if you want more, I actually want you to enjoy the game yourself.)
Where do I even begin?
There exist a lot of Western JRPGs out there that are a fun little journey on their own, but never really go beyond their shell of inspiration. You attack, you level up, you gain stronger attacks, and now you have no use for older attacks as some are plain worse, throw in some references, rinse and repeat. It is rare that a game shows up that makes me not even consider for a second if it's good or bad; I just need it no matter what. The first screenshot and description to "board your mech" were all I needed, and I didn't know what I was even in for.
In the troves of western JRPGs that are, for a lack of a better word, novel in its delivery but honest in its execution, Chained Echoes is more than that and drags me into its maelstrom to make me feel like I was a kid again who just discovered their first JRPG. While there is a sincere attempt at the love and nostalgia we used to feel while playing these types of games whenever one gets made; Chained Echoes goes above and beyond with thoughtful design and terrific delivery. It wears its inspirations and references on its sleeves and rather than becoming a crutch like so many other games; it fully becomes an identity of its own.
The Story
Come on, sleepyhead! Wake up! From its opening, you immediately get dragged into the game's coy nature, and your expectations are set right away only to be immediately subverted. Get used to this feeling, since "one more hour" will make you feel like a time traveler after several hours have passed.
The plot follows a very well-paced and familiar story, you are a young mercenary who is placed in the middle of a war that has ravaged the world for generations. You are followed by 7 companions in your journey, each united with different sets of goals, all of who contribute to the main plot of the story. There are an additional 4 that can be found that are optional but aren't that engaged in the main plot, except for one which you will know as the plot unfolds.
Whenever I became smug and thought I was predicting the plot, it would surprise me and make me awed at how it was all unfolding. Like the previous point about inspiration; the game does so in a very nuanced way that will make anyone familiar with it smile, and it is extremely rare to get a pacing that is this well done as it becomes its own entity. I want more, and the game is fully aware of what it is that I want out of it.
Gameplay
Honestly, this game should be in a masterclass education on how to properly pace a game and how to organically meld new gameplay elements along your journey. I'll say it right away, but this game is a natural evolution of how the turn-based JRPG formula should be made, and it isn't afraid to destroy the old to create something truly new and amazing.
The tutorial is excellent at introducing you to its Overdrive system, which is the core gameplay loop at its heart and will organically introduce newer elements outside of this system in time, and it has quickly become my favorite system of the genre by far. Simply put; it's a system that requires you to have a balancing act on the abilities you use, and requires a more varied moveset for your party- Use too much of the same ability and the cost goes up across the board and your entire party takes more damage, and it rotates and tells you what you have to use. It breaks down the traditional elements of spamming and stops you from the monotony that haunts the genre.
Bringing the best from some other game, such as swapping party members without losing a turn, and then melding that as a core part of its gameplay, is something you'll get used to quickly. Encounters aren't random, a very welcome addition which just adds more to the game's wonderful pacing and the story. This allows me to pick my fights where I want them rather than 30-50 fights before the next story, only to be introduced to yet another welcome addition; full HP/TP recovery after each fight- which forgoes the annoyance of stocking up fully on items or spamming 'attack' to conserve TP. This is needed since the sprite art is amazing, and I always want to see my party do their flashy abilities.
The game doesn't follow a conventional leveling system either, instead opting for a split between unlocking points for exploring/doing tasks and following the story. It doesn't use this as an annoying stopgap either, you will never feel like you are held back for a lack of points as long as you play the game right. This ties right into its skill system, with a wide variety of abilities, passives, and stat bonuses to unlock, and while there are no respecs, you do get enough points to unlock everything eventually. All characters might have their intended or traditional role that is familiar to you, but you are allowed to explore other possibilities or use them for other purposes as the game naturally progresses, so a lack of variety isn't a worry either.
And then we have the mechas. Oh boy, the mechas. I love me some mechas, pull my Gundams and Xenogears trigger because HOT DAMN. You are better off discovering this part on your own, but it follows the Overdrive a little bit differently while being extremely cool (The mechas, that is).
Other
Each soundtrack is beautifully crafted in this game, each song masterfully placed precisely where and when each should be played at any moment. There are some extremely clever uses of transitions, from what themes to use at any given area to what battle theme gets used in any specific environment, to making you invested in any series of events unfolding. Honestly, the main point that it's inspired by SNES and PSX RPGs isn't even a joke, it's like a combination of Breath of Fire 4 meets WildArms in its use of thematics; I keep thinking "man this place had that amazing unique tune" or "damn this boss fight is hype". If the soundtrack wasn't as good as it was to supplement the rest of the game, the game itself would have felt quite in the middle and short of perfect (since a lot of other games tend to have average OSTs).
The art style is beautiful, the game keeps introducing new things to look at, and the details placed around the world are mindblowing. Whenever I thought the game was going to get lazy, it instead throws me for a loop and shows me something new in its environmental designs, it honestly baffles me and every new sequence feels completely fresh every single time. I can't fathom how long all of this took, and the style is consistent and beautiful. Enemies range from cute to bizarre, and boss sprites are treated with the respect they deserve for their intended purposes and are always a joy to look at.
There are so many design decisions in this game that are just great, the feeling of nostalgia and something new never leaves. Everything from the smallest detail to the most mundane adds up to a level of quality you expected from the old SNES/PSX era JRPGs while pushing beyond that to really captivate a fan of the genre.
An honest 11/10
Chained Echoes shows that you can take the old and break it apart to create something new that stands out on its own. Standing at the top for having the most masterful and fluid use of pacing, a great combat system, and clever use of sounds and music: The effort of 7 long years from a singular Dev shines through in this game and the love and passion poured into it is felt throughout its journey. It's honestly 16-bit RPG perfection, it respects all the rules that are needed to make a game like this. The glee and joy I have for this game are in an abundance, and I want to go back in time again just so I can experience that same surprise and awe once more.