Chained Echoes Platinum Review

 

The first trailer for Chained Echoes already made me feel nostalgic. Games like Secret of Evermore, Secret of Mana and Terranigma shaped my childhood in the „SNES days“.

For a long time I was looking for an experience that came close to this time. Chained Echoes promised me exactly that with its trailers and I have to say that my expectations were exceeded in every aspect. The game is a modern classic and one of my games of the year 2022.

Chained Echoes was developed in Germany and shows the positive trend of very good games. In addition to Chained Echoes, SIGNALIS has also won the hearts of many players - rightly so. The game was made by the solo developer Matthias Linda in a development time of 7 years. I've watched several interviews and the game's development process beforehand, and I've always been fascinated by how much love this developer put into his project. You really noticed that there was a vision and that he really took his time. Aside from Matthias Linda, a few freelancers worked on the backgrounds and the phenomenal soundtrack comes from Eddie Marianukroh.

Chained Echoes is an old-school story-driven JRPG. Think Final Fantasy 6, Secret of Mana or Terranigma and you know where it's headed. The game also reminded me of Xenogears and Xenoblade. The game impresses with a beautiful pixel art style, which is incredibly detailed. The biggest difference to well-known games might be the battle system but more on that later.

Story:

The story of Chanied Echoes is multi-layered and just plain epic. War, betrayal, friendship and love are elementary pillars of the story. I really liked the story and some of the twists just caught me off guard. Well-done pacing also contributes to a great story. And I have to say that the pacing here is simply very good. You always want to know how to story unfolds. Each of the characters has their own beautifully written backstory. The story isn't overloaded either and was able to follow at any time.

Battle system:

The unique selling point in the combat is the so-called overdrive system, which is (usually) divided into three sections (yellow, green and red).

Depending on the ability used, your bar will shift to the right or left. If this bar is in the red area, it means „Overheat“ and your party takes significantly more damage. In the green area, you deal more damage and suffer less. Active skills, passive skills, defense and attack as well as character changes result in a tactical dance between life and death. Every fight is different and never gets boring.

The depth of this combat system is a welcome change. Furthermore, you can see the upcoming actions of the opponents and plan your steps. This reminded me of Final Fantasy 10 in a positive way. Your battle group consists of four different characters, which can be replaced by another four characters.

I have to say that I really liked the combat system. It's tactical, fast-paced, and the skills are plentiful. I also think it's nice that a substitution doesn't use a "move". It just feels „right“.

Of course, special attacks should not be missing either. Each character has its own animation, which is jsut awesome. Later in the game you get mechs, which cleverly expand the combat system once more. So let yourself be surprised.

Quality of life:

Chained Echoes gameplay is just so smooth. It seemed to me that Matthias Linda had a vision from his childhood and perfected it down to the smallest detail. So called “fat“ was simply cut out. This also includes the incredible number of modern „Quality of Life“ adjustments. Enemies can be seen before the start of the fight and also avoided. So there are no random fights. I also think it's nice that the fights are started directly and not after a transition screen.

The battle speed can be adjusted by pressing a button. After each battle, the life points and magic points are completely refilled.

After a lost fight, you end up in the menu and you can adjust equipment or skills and start the fight again. Or you start before the fight and look somewhere else first.

There are different levels of difficulty, which can be selected before starting the adventure. I played on the normal level of difficulty and was quite challenged here. The fights require a lot from you and you always have to keep your concentration high. If you still can't win a fight, you can change the level of difficulty at any time. Really at any time – just great! The game is simply classic but with an modern tun on it.

Is the grind real?

Leveling works differently in Chained Echoes than in so many other RPGs. And that's just great. There aren't really any known experience points. There is a reward board that you complete similar to the sphereboard in Final Fantasy 10.

Points are unlocked through all sorts of tasks. Defeat a certain number of enemies, find certain objects or just explore the world.

This is a nifty solution to the constant grind of other games out there. I had a lot of fun with this system. Your exploration is always rewarded in a good way.

You invest the points in new skills and stats. By using your skills you can expand them even further. I also thought it was nice that characters that you rarely use in combat will also be leveled up simultaneously.

Distributed in the world you will find a variety of different weapons and armor, which you can upgrade with collectibles. You can also fuse crystals with your weapon and grant them additional bonuses. I didn't like the crystal system that much myself and it was unnecessarily complicated. Rarely have I known what additional bonuses I have received. The fusion menu is also quite confusing.

As you explore the world, you'll find new armor and weapons everywhere, which I really liked. So exploring was a lot of fun. I would advise you not to buy any weapons from the shop keepers, as you will find them regular while exploring.

Cast of characters:

In a JRPG, the characters are incredibly important. They accompany you throughout the game, either grow on you or not. I really liked all of the characters in Chained Echoes. They are well written, deep and believable. I've always enjoyed meeting new characters which is also simply due to the well-written dialogues. I actually played the game in German, but I recommend you to use the original English translation. In some text you will just notice that the translation is not quite right. I also saw a few placeholders here and there. Besides that I didn't find any bugs in the game, which is absolutely insane.

Only on foot? Hell no!

Your journey takes you through great, varied landscapes, which are simply beautifully designed. At the beginning you are still walking normally, but after a certain point you can jump right into your mechs at any time and just start flying. This new mechanic really opens everything up. New unreached places and secrets are now waiting to be discovered. In a JRPG, of course, an overworld should not be missing, which you travel with your own airship.

Presentation:

The game impresses with a beautiful pixel art, which is simply incredibly detailed. I played the game on the PS5. Loading times are hardly noticeable and there are no stutters. The enemy designs are highly varied and bursting with detail. The game's soundtrack is also great. 50 different songs will burn into your ears. I still listen to the soundtrack regularly to this day.

Content / Replay value:

The game is just packed with content. I played the game for over 60 hours and discovered all the secrets. There are side quests, various airships, optional bosses, secret bosses, your own island that you have to rebuild and much more. It's just crazy – in a good way.

I got the Platinum Trophy in this game and I will remember this journey for a long time. Matthias Linda has already announced that there will be new content like a New Game Plus and I can barely wait for it.

Many have already asked me if there will be a physical version of the game.

Right here:

Chained Echoes – First Press Games

I recommend you to order the game right away as I have a feeling that this game will sell out quickly due to its pure quality.

Verdict:

Packed with content, Matthias Linda manages to follow a clear vision that helps make Chained Echoes a modern classic. One of the best games of 2022 and one of the best JRPG'S I've ever played.

9.5/10

Code provided by publisher