An Unexpected Gem || Chained Echoes Review

[@bragdale]

As a guy over 40 and a forever fan of RPG games, I have to say that game made my heart beat faster. Many games say they try to bring back the 16bits era feeling. Not everyone can really do it. Chained Echoes is an amazing experience.

[@JRPGFanatic]

I agree, one of the few games that can really capture the feel and memory of those old games!

[@gearhead417]

Switching party members is super useful though. It decreases the Overdrive gauge and also adds strategy with how you place people in the party. Having duos to set up big damage is always good.

[@keithhanisek2465]

Exactly! What is dude on about? 😂

[@Lorcrono]

This is honestly a true gem of a game, I'm so sucked into the story already!

[@jenscee7679]

Just bought on Christmas Day. The start was so fast paced, completely atypical of a lot of RPGs. Loving it so far (as 54 year old!)

[@FullMetalB]

Lol what? Face paced? WHERE?! It slowly pushes you through intro story to intro story for several hours before anything gets going.

[@ironman-fg3jh]

@@FullMetalB he means the combat and gameplay not the story. Usually these kinds of retro games have very slow animations for the combat attacks and movement while this game has fast animations that keep the tensions high

[@FullMetalB]

@@ironman-fg3jh lol....no.

[@jb0258]

This game came from absolutely nowhere for me, and has instantly become one of the best experiences of the year with gaming. I'm 20 hours in and truly can't get enough!

[@lucan465]

I was not expecting this when purchasing this game; but honestly, this has become one of my favourite games I’ve ever played. Haven’t finished it yet (40 hours in), but highly, highly recommend if you’re into jrpg style games…

[@alissonvieira6903]

This game exceeded my expectations at the beginning, later after finish the story it exceeded my expectations again, and later finally beating the reward board, it exceeded my expectations again, the epic bosses are there not only in the main storyline. This game will be in my memory for life

[@tazmanceltic]

#truth

[@rifaiaryoananta6535]

agree, if only the ending isn't trash,..

[@user-pq4dq6bj2u]

@@rifaiaryoananta6535 it's not an amazing ending, but it's still better than 90% of jrpgs

[@yurifan2537]

@@rifaiaryoananta6535 the ending is amazing imo. Throughout the game we've been shown time and again that this is not a kind world, to expect the worst, that there are no fairytale endings. Admittedly it is sad, but not trash in any way. Edit: ok not amazing, but a fitting end.

[@alissonvieira6903]

Your tip on the crystals is gold!

[@TheMixedPlateFrequency]

I really enjoyed this game. Haven't felt this way about an RPG since the classics, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

[@jeremychong8541]

Me too! And I love Yakuza like a dragon too! Hehe

[@TheMixedPlateFrequency]

@@jeremychong8541 It was surprisingly one of my most favorite rpgs of all times too.

[@ironman-fg3jh]

@@TheMixedPlateFrequency having a grounded older character instead of a cringy anime main character like most Japanese games probably helps

[@edyc1989]

God this game is good. Also if you played square enix rpgs, you can see this game was inspired a lot from those games.

[@anthonyromero9935]

I love this game so much. Reminded me of the feeling of playing Chrono Trigger back in the day. The last JRPGs I enjoyed as much as Chained Echoes were Octopath Traveler and Crystal Project.

[@crono3339]

Some of the scenery I've seen in this video were super similar to Chrono Trigger. Waking up with your mom opening the window, the balloons in the town square, etc haha.

[@FalconStrikeGames]

Octopath wasnt amazing and the reason being was because the story was mediocre at best. Everything else was top notch

[@anthonyromero9935]

@FalconStrikeGames Sorry your experience with octopath fell flat because of the story. Personally, I enjoyed the combat, power progression systems, and path action system that kinda blew open the doors on what could be done to make NPCs more interesting as a resource in the jrpg space.

[@Sunny_Tang]

Played for 4 hours. It's amazing. Tag team party system kind of like octopath, gem customization for gear kind of like Diablo 2. Classes are contained in emblems that can be mastered/switched around. There's an in-game achievement board that rewards bonus xp/money/materials. Map is clean and the art and music is great.

[@claytonweaver7335]

The level design gets better after the 4 hour mark, too, with a good amount of exploration

[@francisedwards8786]

Heavily inspired by Skies of Arcadia too. People keep saying Chrono Trigger, because new JRPGs ALWAYS get compared to Chrono Trigger but the combat was very different, exploration and the world was similar I suppose but definitely getting more vibes from Skies and probably FF5 and FF9. Stunning, stunning game.

[@mcm426]

I had no idea the game was in development for 7 years. It really shows though. They should be really proud of what they've accomplished.

[@makasete30]

Just one person developer. And another who did the music.

[@mcm426]

@makasete30 Yeah I learned that too after I commented this lol. That's awesome.

[@bixhutch6274]

I'm on Xbox and happen to know many players that found this through Gamepass. It's my game of the year for 2022.

[@jeremychong8541]

My game of the year. I play on Xbox Game Pass and really glad I did... It is amazing. The music too... Wow... Owh and you mentioned 13 sentinels. That is one hell of an adventure too. I was obsessed with the battle system. I played it on my switch.

[@miniblaze3230]

Solid overall experience , few bosses were cheap but once you find the balance they become a lot easier to take down ! Many re tries though , but I didn’t let that take away from the amazing story , ost , and the overall fun I had . 9/10 for me , pushing 9.5

[@gizzad]

First time i died was about 7 hours in when I fought a vegetable skewer. The screen went black and slowly faded in the game over and piano theme. I just put the controller down, closed my eyes and listened like back in the day. Truly a nostalgic moment.

[@user-pq4dq6bj2u]

Best jrpg I've played in a long time. Story wise it did feel a little rushed towards the end, and there are some specific skills that feel a little op, but otherwise the world building, lore etc. is just amazing.

[@kbutta01]

Have you played the Sea of Stars demo? It’s absolutely incredible.

[@JRPGFanatic]

I have not. Sea of Stars is another game I'm really looking forward to. I've been real busy lately but hopefully I'll be able to set aside some time to play it when it releases

[@abrahamxiong6729]

This game reminded me of great storytelling in jrpg games that, unfortunately, has been lacking. The whole game was immersing from start to finish.

[@gureXD]

this game has put to SE to shame for me and it was done by 1 persona it's insane, you can really see what you get when some1 cares about the end product and not about release dates and money/sales.

[@thehater6189]

Its good but it is basically a ff6/ct ripoff

[@gureXD]

@@thehater6189 hmm no, FF6 sucks next to this, try to move on

[@thehater6189]

@Guregori lol of course it sucks compared to a 2022 game. Do you see what you have to do? You have to compare it to a 30 year gold game. A game thats older than you probably to make a point. Chained echoes is definitely great but let's not get it twisted. It's to be compared with games from the 90s lol

[@PowerMetalRealm]

I agree this game is exceptional

[@ohcharlie428]

And heads up for everyone looking for a physical copy. First press is notoriously bad with their service. Check into them for yourselves before you order. Hopefully we can help pusb for another publisher. Its a shame this game is wrapped behind a bad distribitor. Been wanting this game forever.

[@AvantiMusicNJ]

I play about 1 JRPG a year, and usually just do the main story and finish it rather quickly. I couldn't put this game down. The world is so much fun to explore and you can go back to old areas several times to find new stuff. Cannot recommend this game enough.

[@monkehm]

I don't know if this was an actual influence or not but I'm getting some serious Secret of Evermore vibes from this, which is one of my favorite games of all time. I was going to hold on this until it goes on sale but eff it.

[@ratmilk671]

There is no small indie team, it's just him. He was the solo developer, he said this in an interview.

[@jimmygrenier9668]

105.x hrs played, game finished but not 100% (miss the hidden boss), and I'm happy to say this is one of the most interesting game I've played as of late! Alongside CrossCode, those games kept me busy a whole lot and kept me wanting more! I'm working my way toward the hidden boss and... apparently he's worthy of the trope: Hidden bosses being harder than final bosses!

[@soulrebel6309]

Cross Code is good?

[@jimmygrenier9668]

@@soulrebel6309 CrossCode is a gem! Definitely worth playing through and through, DLC included (most definitely). :)

[@soulrebel6309]

@@jimmygrenier9668 thanks

[@ChicCanyon]

Maybe top 5. Maybe. It was a damn good year for rpgs.

[@DJPickee]

id love a physical copy to have in hand but not from firstpress

[@JRPGFanatic]

I've debated about buying a physical version. What's wrong with first press?

[@DJPickee]

@@JRPGFanatic they take forever to ship ftom wut i read on reddit

[@zachyates8440]

Not many physical copies left. They are only printing 4500 copies of the standard Switch edition, in Q3 of 2023. Everything else is sold out already.

[@robertplaysgame]

This game is very promising dark horse for 2023 goty 😁

[@clarencep90]

Kinda looks like golden sun, I like that

[@chalando6124]

wow geez i never had any of those bugs

[@kamchhoker1167]

Played and finished the story in about 40 hours. Did not had any single bug.

[@BlueSazerac]

Mentioned raganarok online while I'm playing ragnarok online 😮

[@Memesis]

the combat is so annoying to me I always gotta choose moves that are useless because the overdrive keeps filling up

[@chalando6124]

& yes it was my game of the year :)

[@CalebByRamen]

great video !

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

Best game 2022

[@NickEnlowe]

Guh. I really dislike the pixelart. Why does a game this good have to be attached to this ... style? damn. Guess I'll have to try it after all.

[@denysvision]

why so much hate of the pixel art? is an fantastic art style done right

[@NickEnlowe]

@@denysvision I ended up changing my mind and the artstyle grew on me. Had a blast with the game, too. Ended up being one of my favorites of the year.

[@d3lvn]

"There's not much detail in the environments." Said while showcasing beautifully rendered pixel art with intense granular detail. I seriously want to know what games this guy's playing that this one does not meet his standards for detail. Baffling.

[@JRPGFanatic]

Any 2D-HD SE game, anno mutationem, blasphemous, FF6, etc

[@stevesmyth7413]

I’m not a huge indie fan and some of the recent turn based games like octopath were disappointing imo. Tried this with gamepass and was really into it. I love the battle system and having a non linear world which seems to be rare from turn based games now. It bothers me when I go into a dungeon and don’t have multiple paths for loot. This game is one of the best I’ve played in terms of the layout of the world and dungeons

[@wadesymes1703]

best JRPG i've ever played! so badly underrated

[@francisedwards8786]

It's not under rated at all??? It's averaging 93 on Metacritic and everyone is saying how good it was.

[@wadesymes1703]

@@francisedwards8786 yeah i think people that play it, love it. Underrated might be the wrong word but i just mean there arent as many people playing it that should be. I feel like the advertising or something or was poor bc a lot of people dont even know about it.

[@kodry9235]

Is it me or there are scenes that are identical to chrono trigger?

[@JRPGFanatic]

Yup, Chrono Trigger was one of the inspirations so it's no surprise. The games Victor plays reminds me of the fair games. The opening is almost exactly the same as CT with his mom waking up the main character.

[@justinserrano4506]

Idk about the year. Theirs a few dialogue issues as well as responses. Story pacing as well has some issues but overall it’s pretty solid.

[@kar12894]

the story of this game is almost carbon copy berserk with kylian being griffith...

[@Luso1221]

is it bad? i mean you even say the sky armor thing is inspired by mecha anime such as gundam and evangelion

[@wadejohnston4305]

Decent revie although there is no "team" it was JUST him. Also some of your negative are just because you didnt take time to learn game mechanics or just didnt knownthey exsisted. Thats user error.

[@lilsabin]

on gamepass

[@johnnykeener3727]

PC?

[@JRPGFanatic]

It's on steam and it might be on PC gamepass

[@dannystaten5701]

I really annoyed this one thanks to game pass

[@ascherit5912]

the only downside of this game is when you finish it just finished it for 100% after 45 hours and i'm so sad its already over :(

[@Smi77y1]

Really couldn’t get through 3 hours. Same thing as every jrpg before it.

[@misha130]

For me, this has been one of the worst games of the year. Combat that feels like a job on each encounter, cheese story with plot holes all over the place, boilerplate characters, terrible upgrade system (crystals?), and the list just goes on.

[@denysvision]

sorry but you are wrong on this one, the combat is fantastic and complex, the story is well told and there is no plot holes in it, the character still good, the crystal are not that bad if you ignoring them and so one and so fort

[@PigDaddy2020]

This was a pretty nice game for a solo dev effort. Nowhere near as good as it's golden age inspirations (FF6, Chrono Trigger), but still in my top 5 indie games of the year. Particularly liked the pixel art style & level design, but not so much the limited encounters, limited skills or the RNG based overdrive system, tho I still give credit for trying something unique here. 8.5/10, IMO.

[@Nessolfte]

I was so excited to pick this up until you said that you don't actually get exp from killing monsters. That killed all of the excitement for me.

[@denysvision]

bruh what? that is an amaizing change because it reduces griding in favor of variety and actuall give you items for the crafting system

[@jamus9_games967]

JRPG?

[@JRPGFanatic]

Technically not a JRPG because it's made by a German guy. But also no one uses JRPG to mean specifically a Japanese made game unless they're just trying to be difficult. It captures the JRPG essence and plays like what you would expect from a classic JRPG. tl;dr - Yes it's a JRPG

[@Omar_Al_Seddik]

@@JRPGFanatic Nope, it's not. It's not Japanese, therefore it can't be called a _"Japanese Role Playing Game"._ I don't understand how's this being _"difficult"._ It's as straightforward as it can possibly get, lol. A correct term to use to refer to this genre would be _"SRPG"_ or _"TRPG."_

[@uzukisensei1603]

@@Omar_Al_Seddik jrpg doesn't mean it's made by japanese people 🤣🤣🤣🤣 It's a genre coined by games like DQ and FF, with Animesque graphic style and turns based combat system, LOL.

[@Omar_Al_Seddik]

@@uzukisensei1603 Sigh… Whatever suits you, dude. On second thought, this is a really pointless topic to argue about.

[@GodGoggs]

Not for me it’s not it would have been if it had a proper level up system.

[@makasete30]

I thought so before playing it, but it The level up system really is proper. As he said in the video you get skill points from every fight which you can use to strengthen abilities. You can lean new skills by defeating bosses or getting as a reward for competing challenges in the reward board. You also get stat boosts sometimes when you choose a skill a normal level up. It works well because you naturally progress and get stronger, but boss fights often give you some challenge far into the game. You don’t have to grind but can if you want to.

[@gotaplanstan]

If it launched in late 2022, it's not jrpg of the year because of Triangle Strategy. If it launched in early 2023, it's not jrpg of the year because of Octopath 2.

[@makasete30]

I found this game far better than triangle strategy to be honest. Too much text to get through killed it for me. Overall, I did enjoy it though. This is a common complaint. I absolutely hated Octopath 1. It looks great but such it was a grind to level up and the lack of interaction between characters was disappointing. 2 needs to Improve a lot. It will have to be damn good to be better than Chained echoes though.

[@gotaplanstan]

@@makasete30 interesting opinions lol. Most people I know (other millennials who have played jrpgs for 3 decades) love Octopath 1. Most people from my generation also loved Triangle Strategy. Sure this game is good too, but it doesn't really compare to Octopath 1 or COTC. And definitely won't hold a candle to Octopath 2 which is probably gonna be the best jrpg made since FF9.

[@anntakamaki1960]

Don’t buy this game. Even though it’s a good game it’s broken. After playing 26 hours, suddenly today when I try to open the game it gets stuck on a black screen. What nonsense.

[@JRPGFanatic]

That sounds like something that happened to me. Try loading another save that works then loading the broken save

[@anntakamaki1960]

@@JRPGFanatic no, I mean it doesn’t even reach the title screen anymore. Such a shame, I was really enjoying the game. I’ll probably get this game again in the future on console, since this type of problem mainly happens on PC.

[@JRPGFanatic]

@@anntakamaki1960 ah that's a shame.

[@makasete30]

That sucks! Works fine on the switch, luckily. I haven’t had a single bug or crash, though I’m sure there were a few minor ones because the game has received speedy updates. I hear it’s buggy on pc and other platforms though as I said, there have been a number of bug fixes in recent days.

[@anntakamaki1960]

@@makasete30 I was thinking of getting a new console anyways. When I but either PS5 or Switch, I’m buying this game again. As I said before, the glitches are really annoying but the game itself is really good.

[@Malavander]

Certainly impressive for a solo project, but I found it to be aggressively generic, mediocre and derivative. The art and story are the most bland and uninspired boilerplate jrpg fare. People are so hypnotized by nostalgia they're massively overhyping this game.

[@RFerreira2009]

You seem like you're lots of fun at parties...

[@stephenlyster4045]

All of you love this game but im not a fan the combat sucks all the battles take way to long the final boss fight sucks and the ending us terrible i give it 2 thumbs down.

[@denysvision]

you are wrong, the combat is amaizing because it actually uses your dam brain instead of spaming the same moves, the final boss is fantastic and the ending was good

[@SubFlow22]

Progress-locked behind story points, can not level. Hard pass.

[@jmaddey85]

your loss, bro

[@craig581]

Don't let that put you off. It's a very well balanced RPG. Sure, you can go through as much as the board as possible, but a lot of the content will be locked until a lot later, meaning this game offers a challenge.

[@makasete30]

You can level though. You get skill points from battle to strengthen abilities. You also get rewards from the reward board to learn new skills which also sometimes give you stat boosts. It works really well.

[@wesleyvalk9129]

The monsters look stupid and boring, which sadly is a gamebreaker for me