Chained Echoes vs Sea of Stars: Which One Is Right For You? | Backlog Battle

[@melephs_cap]

I was kinda expecting more discussion of those qualitative differences between the games and less of a "this one wins at story, this one wins at graphics" sort of video when I clicked on it. Like how Chained Echoes uses a long list of characters and a lot of political intrigue, whereas Sea of Stars focuses more on a tight-knit group; and how Chained Echoes is great at aesthetically fusing the fantastical and the mechanical, while Sea of Stars is more devoted to a magical world, emphasized by the varied, fluid animations and great lighting; and how Chained Echoes has a lot of nonlinear exploration and Sea of Stars has more creative linear level design; and how CE tends toward strategic complexity in gameplay while SoS prioritizes rhythm and simplicity. I could glean some of those details but sometimes I couldn't tell because you only said what one game did well.

[@tukituki1892]

I love your take on this. It definitely is something that I feel subconsciously when playing the game but never thought to put into words. I wholeheartedly agree with you.

[@mekudu-man3804]

SoS is style and CE has substance.

[@melephs_cap]

@@mekudu-man3804 I somewhat agree. I'd say SoS is a game of wonder, and CE is a game of intricacy.

[@marcusreddin155]

Agreed this video flopped hard

[@gazaalley3862]

not saying this to be edgy or sassy but you have a waaaay better take and structure maybe you should make a video on it I personally would love to hear your thoughts and it seems like others would as well

[@OCurioso-Shorts]

Both are fantastic games, but Chained Echoes marked me in a way that no other game marked me, what a fantastic story!

[@alex56565]

Its so interesting how subjective stuff like this is. I enjoyed Chained Echoes but i just could not get into the story at all. I don't like when video games have very large, complex stories with tons of characters. We truly are in the greatest age of gaming when it comes to variety and options that we can both find games that match our very specific tastes.

[@SiD19884]

i understood this on spiritual level.

[@ihsaniap6410]

Thanks...I played Suikoden series and Eiyuden : Hundred heroes...I have been playing Chained Echoes for 2 hours :D...I start getting immersed...👌

[@GustavoSoares-db9xb]

I've played Sea of Stars 2 months ago and just finished Chained Echoes. Honestly they're both AMAZING games. The story of Chained Echoes seem more mature but Sea of Stars gave me the most beautiful/sad/deep moment I had gaming for god knows how long

[@Cleverconveyence]

What was that for you without spoiling it (I have played it)

[@GustavoSoares-db9xb]

@@Cleverconveyence I knew something would happen because I had already seen reviews before, but it was completely unexpected what and how. The final scene after the mission was really well done to me, the right amount of sadness and tenderness. Simply amazing

[@davidtremayne4963]

Having just finished SOS, I totally agree with the emotion the game makes you feel. If you are looking for something similar, I would highly recommend checking out a game called Crossing Souls. (Not turn based but still a great game).

[@davezwieback4208]

Both excellent games in their own ways. I love both.

[@dothackersnet]

Great gameplay and music. Terrible grammar and storytelling

[@randymagnum8178]

Yeah that’s what im skeptical about too. So many low hour reviews too for sea of stars.

[@DogAfraidOfUmbrellas]

This is what happens when studios don't bother to hire professional writers.

[@ZenKrio]

@@randymagnum8178 The low hour is the peak of Sea of Stars though, the game actually gets worse and boring as it goes on... You don't exactly gain more gameplay options or learn new skills after the first 3 hours, and my playthrough was 44.5 hours...

[@JeremyStratton]

Chained Echoes. It shows you how utterly superb writing can elevate a game to God tier. And have great, snappy gameplay with absolutely fun gameplay that's not just a fleeting novelty.

[@JamesBantz]

I need a midnight hour to have enough time to finish all of these wonderful new indie JRPGs.

[@ToddMa09]

I'm pumped to play the P3 remake. I got into the series with 5 and then went backwards to 4 and 3 so by the time I played 3 the mechanics felt pretty dated in a lot of ways.

[@yoshikazuikeda]

These new turn-based indies are looking neat. Heavily Jrpg inspired, but still have a very western in game character illustrations. Unlike how Asians emulate anime 1:1. Pixel art RPGs have a very promising future. Hope they don't get stagnated just as western's take on classic Jrpgs.

[@commandertempest6391]

I liked Chained Echoes combat more than SoS. Chained Echoes restoring you to full hp/TP after fights is seen as bad for some. But, it allowed Matthias to make every fight a lot more engaging, a lot of 'trash' fights felt a lot less like trash fights when they were free to beat the crap out of you rather than just whittle down your HP before a boss.

[@ZenKrio]

Yah, it threw me off at first but I found it great for getting through the BS faster... The two things I can say I didn't like from the game was the Crystal System for gear, where trying to make powerful weapons was a lot harder than need be, and the leveling system being a lot like Chrono Cross, though at least with CE, all your characters benefit from the Star Levels, unlike CC..

[@garystringer2582]

It did a couple things that surprised me for the genre. Starting each battle fully charged; and no xp levelling. I spent a lot of time in the menu screen tweaking skills, optimising weapons etc. I wasn't won over by customising gear with empowered crystals mechanic though.

[@tascal2]

but in sea of stars there a relic at the beginning of the game who does the same.

[@jogo808]

Just gonna hope and dream for the developers to collab and create a sequel for both games called... Sea of Echoes

[@aso900]

Chained Stars

[@voltron77]

Just like with chrono trigger.

[@jowoboy9911]

Just put robot driving mechanic in sea of stars, and you got it lol

[@Pfizenmaier]

I think what should have been mentioned as well is, chained echoes was done by mostly one person, whereas sea of stars had an entire studio behind it. It's still not a dick measuring contest, like "who's boss" or anything, but i think it's something important to keep in mind. I wonder, if these people would collaborate on a new project together, what it could bring. Fascinating idea to think about.

[@saeefa]

💀

[@cynicle]

Personally I think this information is irrelevant for a review/comparison. Gamers want good/great games and that's what all the focus should be on. The development details and history of the dev team, while it can be interesting for some, don't contribute at all to the quality of the final product. Take Immortals of Aveum as an example. Do gamers care that Avalanch Studio was trying to bring something new to the FPS genre, or that it was a smallish team that made it after a short development cycle? No, players don't care because the game was shit. Now Avalanch has laid off half of their staff just to try and keep their studio afloat. Did people fall in love with Team Cherry's Hollow Knight because it was made by 3 people or how about Stardew Valley that was made by 1. No, they fell in love for the gameplay, art style, audio and story. Learning about the behind the scenes comes after a game has attracted a devoted fan base rather than influencing ones buying habits. If you require behind the scenes content to enjoy or enhance a title then that's saying something about the gameplay of the title in the first place.

[@nickfarace9339]

The mere idea of combining teams for a project when it comes to two games that very much aimed to mimic Chorono Trigger is sort of ironic in a way

[@Gonk]

Sea of stars had a studio? none of them worked on that story at least from the start, Chained beats it in that department.

[@Pfizenmaier]

@@cynicle in the context of comparison it is a valid point to bring up (in my mind at least). If you talk about the games individually, then of course not. A studio worth a couple of dozen people (or even just a small team) can prioritize certain aspects of development differently than just one person, and that will definitely show in the finished product. And those aspects might come up in a (comparing) review.

[@Gchampion89]

Played both games, Both are just different flavors of awesomeness 👌

[@nesoukkefka1741]

I think both games are good in their own way, and in the end they'll be more a matter of preference if I have to sum up my opinion in each category tough : -Story : Now for this one Chained Echoes is hands down the winner to me, to put it simply I had a lot of trouble getting hook in Sea of Stars story it took me about 15 hours to really get interest and engage with it, Chained Echoes on the other hand had me hook instantly and, what I found most impressive, never drop down for me I was just in from start to finish and my interest for the story has never dropped once which very few RPG did that for me. Not to mention the world-building in Chained Echoes is just phenomenal, even with the connexion to The Messenger and the stories you can get through Teaks, the world building in Sea of Stars while great in it's own right just doesn't come even close to what Chained Echoes did, also help by Chained Echoes having sidequest that ACTUALLY contribute to the narrative and/or world building (is there anyone at Square Enix taking notes ?), while Sea of Stars has not much going on in his sidequest. I also overall just prefer the more serious tone of Chained Echoes -Gameplay : Well.... here is where Sea of Stars lose a lot of point for me, now I will say the gameplay in Sea of Stars isn't bad it can be fun, and is more skill than strategic with all the interaction... that being said Sea of Stars end up with some of the same shortcoming as Final Fantasy XVI's battle and it would be unfair to me to point them out on FFXVI and not here so here's the issue : -Lack of customization : To break it down the only thing you can customize in Sea of Stars is your accessories and a little bonus when you LVUP and that's it, the weapon and armor equipment is completly streamline and are nothing but stat sticks. -Lack of variety : Each characters learn only 3 abilities + their ultimate, only 4 abilities per character in turn base RPG, while I do understand that the intent is probably to give a smaller kit for more balance, but as a result battle feel quickly repeatitive and I just don't feel like my character are evolving they just use the same moves from start to finish. Not help by the combo system being basically useless on mob fights and only seeing some uses on boss fight. -Lack of strategic element : What I mean by that is some staple in RPG like there is no statut effect at all in Sea of Stars, there's no buff either outside Valere's Moon Shield, there's no debuffs you can inflict on ennemies or ennemies can inflict to you, your attacks does have element to them, however the ennemies don't and if they have it doesn't cause you have nothing to protect yourself against element. All of these makes just for a huge part of strategic element in typical JRPG that is just not there at all. The locks system is fun but sometime a bit unfair on the bosses, like when you have a boss that as soon as the battle start start to cast a spell with 8 Locks with only 1 action to break them, it's pretty much guaranteed you'll not have time to break them all, or when they just keep casting these 8 locks move back to back. Chained Echoes on that point is just more satisfying to me the customization is IMO much better, your characters learn more abilities throughout the game, and you can customize your equipment with the Crystals System, Buffs/Debuffs and Statut Effects (that actually work on bosses) combine with the management Overdrive Gauge and the combat in Chained Echoes were just much more engaging for me throughout the game. So yeah Gameplay wise for the battle Sea of Stars is still fun, but Chained Echoes battle customization, strategy element and overall was just much better for me. -Level Design : Now on that front however Sea of Stars wins hands down, the puzzle and interaction with the level are just more well thought, making exploration of the dungeons more fun overall, altough I really dig Chained Echoes's Board System which IMO is something I'd like to see more in RPG as it really reward exploration and seeking every secrets, but the actual exploration is just much more fun in Sea of Stars. -Graphics : Point again for Sea of Stars, as much as I like Chained Echoes artstyle I don't think there is an argument on this one, Sea of Stars's presentation is basically flawless the artstyle is good, the lightning is amazing the sprite work and character portraits is pretty good to (a point where Chained Echoes is actually lacking), I just can't think of anything wrong with Sea of Stars's presentation. -Characters : Now this one is tough, Chained Echoes has IMO the same issue as FFVI, the first few character you meet are very good Glenn, Lenne, Victor, Sienna and Kyllian are the highlight of the game they are just incredible I love them, Ba'thraz and Amalia are also very good, but the rest of the characters and especially the optionnal one while they do have their little arcs which are pretty good they lack the same impact on the stories and end up feeling just not as well thought. Meanwhile Sea of Stars has fewer characters so they get more time to shine, but the thing none of them got me invested as much as the top characters of Chained Echoes (except maybe Garl), they lack a little something, I don't know how to put it, the secondary characters are pretty fun tough not as important obviously. So dunno for this one really maybe Sea of Star cause it's more consistant overall, but that's really a close one. -Music : Honnestly that's the hardest point for me to put them against the other, I love both soundtracks both of them have their bangers that I'll keep listening after I'm done with them, but here I just think the tone is what makes it hard to judge, overall Sea of Stars is more light hearted overall and this is reflected in the OST which is overall more happy, adventurous and upbeat, Sea of Stars also earn a soft spot for me as a fan of The Messenger hearing The Messenger's themes again was such a joy, meanwhile Chained Echoes goes for a more serious tone overall which is reflected in it's OST the Battle Themes feel more intense (as in it truly feel like it's a serious fight to the death), I also want to mention to more melancholic and sad OST in Chained Echoes like "Road to Redemption" or "Flower Fields of Perpetua" are just masterpieces, and don't get me started on the Final Boss theme "Those Who Resist Destiny" which to me is quite litteraly the Dancing Mad of Chained Echoes and has become one of my favorite track ever, and I'm just barely scratching the surface of this OST. Honnestly fuck it gonna give a tie to this one I just can't decide to me both OST are great and fit their respective games perfectly. So overall well, Sea of Stars gain in more categories overall, however to me the story and especially the gameplay are the most important one to me when it comes to JRPG, and on these categories Chained Echoes to me just killing it, I can't recall a traditionnal turn base RPG having this much engage with it's story and mechanics, meanwhile Graphics is the least important category to me and on characters I do comment on Sea of Stars consistancy over Chained Echoes but the later is no slouch either and both games nailed it when it comes to the Soundtrack. So as an all while Sea of Stars is a good game in it's own right I just prefer Chained Echoes's story, tone, world building and game mechanic and progression which makes it the better game of the 2 for me. Sorry for the essay ^^

[@jasonm7298]

A less popular less noticed classic style RPG that came out last year worthy of consideration is also "Rise of the Third Power"

[@Kennyko89]

Looks a lot lik chained echoes no? Gonna check it out, thanks!

[@Shizzy_Mac235]

Both games played, and I love both of them for different reasons. Sea of Stars visually is just stunning, beautiful art design and the 3d mapping puts it over the edge. The battle and lock system gives you so much freedom to tackle fights without making the game too easy. I'm a sucker for Rainbowdragoneyes and the soundtrack is definitely my kind of game. The story is intriguing and while it does keep getting better, the pacing does have slow points and certain NPCs (cough cough Yolande) make me roll my eyes hard. Chained Echoes battle system also blew me away with having a system based around being at full power every fight, and mechs to fly around and explore with and eventually fight with! But there was a moment in the story that had my jaw hit the floor and slapped me with enough emotional depth that I couldn't believe I was playing a JRPG, a genre noted for its trope laden stories. The story is so compelling and real and believable I got so sucked in. Both games are doing the same thing, differently. Innovation in opposite directions, and I love them both

[@666blaziken]

It's funny because I like Yolande... but I know exactly why you don't.

[@YouTubeCensors]

Chained Echoes for me but visually Sea of Stars has a more appealing look. YOU Win either way by playing them both

[@magnainsomnia]

People are sleeping on Jack Move. That indie RPG was great too.

[@Highlander77]

I played it! Had a lot of fun with it. It was on the shorter side, and a little bit simpler with only one playable character. But I had a fun combat system, and some cool characters and I like the story. Wouldn't mind seeing a follow-up in that universe that expands on what the first game did.

[@BunchaNothin]

The game is only 7 hours long, which is pretty low for an RPG. I'm looking forward to sea of stars, which is more than 4 times longer, and still shorter than chained echoes. Game length is certainly not the most important factor, but 7 is pretty measly

[@Highlander77]

@@BunchaNothin I'd say it's a little longer than that, if you take your time to stop and smell the roses and such. It's also a $20 game. I've bought $60 AAA games in the past that had campaigns that were under 10 hours. Sometimes 10 or so hours is all you need to tell your story.

[@sam_barris]

I haven't gotten around to either one yet, but both were easy purchases to make. This reminds me of the Chrono Trigger vs. Final Fantasy VI debate that pops up now and then. Fortunately, they can both be awesome, and I'm sure they both are. That said, I'm looking forward to playing Sea of Stars slightly more. 🙂

[@elnogal9298]

Chained Echoes is way better than SoS

[@norfsidejayy1223]

@@elnogal9298100%. SoS pales in comparison to CE.

[@pla6ue]

@@elnogal9298100% agree

[@ZenKrio]

@@elnogal9298 Yep. Sea of Stars is only great for the first few hours, it gets worse as you play it because of how repetitive it is once you get your lvl 8 skill. Chained Echoes on the otherhand is great for the sheer volume of stuff your cast can do and it's story is a lot bigger. Sea of Stars just has most of it's villains leave the game before the 3rd act. No good game would ever do that. Imagine FF6 but at the floating continent, Kefka and Gesthal just leave through a portal, never to be seen again, and you're left to fight Necron for no reason, thats legit how the last act of Sea of Stars felt for me...

[@Luso1221]

Characterization in CE is definitely not weak. Maybe it just feels less personal because the world there is a harsher place than in SoS, thus the characters have backstories that are hard to relate to.

[@TheKasualKat]

Also there ain't tha much characterisation in SoS, bost Solstice warriors are blank pages leaving only Garl as a mediocre shonen character.

[@joelman1989]

Yeah the characteristics in CE is subtle but it’s definitely there. Glenn starts of generic but grows into one of the most fleshed out characters in any JRPG. I can’t even think of a single defining trait for any of the SOS cast. I mean Garl is like optimistic? But they are all just different flavors of the same good guy tropes.

[@IanLeeNixon]

This is interesting to read, I'm going to have to go back to this game. I preferred Sea of Stars characters, but maybe I was just lost in all of my menu time in CE. I do feel like Garl is the main character in SoS to be honest. Zale and Valere seem more like a vehicle for the story, and the rest of the party are the real cast.

[@2inverse469]

Chained echoes was so much better because of the story. I wasn't expecting that to be the case. Sea of Stars was just kinda boring, though it looks amazing.

[@PestulonGaming]

You did a great job with this topic. Thank you! When I finish Sea of Stars, I'll gladly return to the comments here and give my verdict for each category. I'm probably 1/3 or 1/2 half through. And it keeps getting better and better. I knew I would like it, but I feel like it's really punching above its weight.

[@julz19]

How? Chained Echoes was made by 1 guy, Sea of Stars was made by a team. Chained Echoes wasn't kickstarted unlike Sea of Stars, so in terms of budget, team etc. Sea of Stars blows chained echoes out of the water. It's not punching above it's weight if it's being compared to Chained Echoes and still struggles to even compete with it.

[@PestulonGaming]

@@julz19 I'd say it's punching above its weight simply because it's better than the vast majority of new JRPGs out there. That's not to say that budget guarantees quality; obviously it doesn't. But it's impressive that SoS is better than most 2023 RPGs, some of which have exponentially higher budgets. SoS is still an indie game, at the end of the day. Of course, Chained Echoes is an even smaller project, so it's all the more impressive that it ranks as high as it does.

[@chrisleach5682]

These games are above even TotK on my wish list. As a long time lover of pixel RPGs, this looks like the culmination of something fantastic!

[@rin_blank5830]

Same i prefer these kinds of games like sea of stars and octopath traveler1&2 than any 3D games coming out right now. There's something about pixel rpg that no game can compare. Atleast in my opinion

[@chrisleach5682]

Agree wholeheartedly

[@Retcon404]

Both games are really great. What an awesome year for retro-inspired RPG's.

[@Exeeter1234]

It really can't be overstated how much CEs soundtrack succeeds in accomplishing the goal of capturing the emotion of the jrpgs it draws it's inspirations from, while being wholly original and not pandering.

[@jesseross639]

My 10 year old son immediately complimented the music from Sea of Stars when he came into the room.

[@renren47618]

I begun to play CE because it was on sale and one of my first compliments to the game is how great the soundtrack of it is.

[@cryptorcd9352]

I bought chained echoes because of how amazing the sound track when I listened to on youtube.

[@gustaveriksson113]

Story: Chained Echoes Combat: Chained Echoes Sound: Chained Echoes Characters: Chained Echoes Graphics: Sea of Stars. Overall I'd recommend Chained Echoes to anyone, Sea of Stars I'd only recommend to people who like Jrpgs and understand that getting into the story can take a while (but damn, 8 hours before anything interesting happens?).

[@oriecameron]

The first 4-5 hrs were build up and character development to feel connected to the characters and the adventure that awaits. I personally liked this take and made me care more about what’s going to happen down the line.

[@gustaveriksson113]

@@oriecameron Yeah, though I think I sunk about 5 extra hours in act 1 doing sidequests (or rather filling out the reward board). An interesting sort of grind.

[@HyperNova137]

Thank God someone else said it -- I played SoS for a day or two and was so bored that I just dropped it, yet everything I've read so far has been praise about how great it is... Except maybe for the story, which most will admit isn't that fantastic. I'm getting old and short on free time, and I just can't forgive a game for making me question whether or not I'm even enjoying it for that long.

[@gustaveriksson113]

@@HyperNova137 Are you past Dweller of Woe? Anything before that was kinda dull storywise, but after it gets really good. Fighting never gets any more fun though...

[@HyperNova137]

@@gustaveriksson113 Nah I don't think I've even gotten that far yet... Might give it a bit more of a chance before I write it off completely. Several other reviews I've seen comparing it with Chain of Echoes make it sound like that game would be more worth my time, but the one thing SoS has going for it is that it's at least prettier and more colorful.

[@jordanbonner9842]

Love both and will be replaying them yearly from now on.

[@brichan1851]

I’m just getting both. I just ordered both in physical copy for Nintendo Switch. Thanks for the review/feedback. I can’t wait to add these two to my library!

[@CancelledExplorer]

Chained echoes has a physical?

[@brichan1851]

Physical is coming from 1st Press Games. I already preordered my copy. God knows when it’s coming.

[@haru7star256]

Played and finished both games. Both games are bangers, no need to compare, get both and you'll love both. Now I need November to hurry for Star Ocean 2 R to come out... What a year for Jrpgs.

[@raymondjohnson2724]

I'm curious. If you think there is no need to compare the two, what compelled you to watch this video?

[@rin_blank5830]

​@@raymondjohnson2724maybe he just wanted to know why the video compared the two

[@Hyperion_Dark]

star ocean is dog shit and has been for over a decade which leads me to not take your comment seriously

[@Aether_Athea]

Literally a second ago before I saw this video on my home page I saw the type of video I was looking for and that is a comparison of these games! Ty for the video! I beat Sea of Stars and it may be my favorite JRPG of all time, the battle system is so engaging and it is beautiful! I did like the demo for chained echoes maybe I should get it too someday

[@firenze6478]

I 100% it with the secret room in the crypt and a talk with the creator. It’s great to see the creator sharing his deepest and most personal feelings for the player who 100%

[@viniciusnascimento1993]

Chained echoes was awesome, so far, 3 hours into Sea of stars, just good.

[@Joshdrew352]

Im playing both right now and both are great but the story of chained echoes has me playing more than sea of stars right now

[@cr4sher7]

@@Joshdrew352 I absolutely loved Chained Echoes, especially the story. Sea of Stars got me initially worried if the story will be up to that level. At the end, it just got so interesting that I was absolutely invested in it and super hyped!

[@Joshdrew352]

@@cr4sher7 I’m almost 10 hours in and the game just keeps getting better and better the story, combat, exploration, lvl progression system, everything is so well made it blows my mind how one person made this game

[@firenze6478]

It starts out slow but picks up soon and never stops running

[@jesseross639]

I do not know whats wrong with me I could not get into Chained Echoes...I do not like the pixel art style was my first turn off. Tried playing the demo and could not finish it. Loving Sea of Stars though....

[@ChronoKatie]

Amazing video as always, Alex. I'm really passionate about this topic, so I'll offer two cents. Haha. Both games are amazing, and I think they both accomplish different things. But I really want to emphasize how Sea of Star's nails simplicity. So many seem to see something, shorter, smaller and simpler as a bad thing, when in reality, I think SoS is a masterclass in keeping it compact, short and sweet. Doesn't feel like it wastes anything, and no mechanic feels like an afterthought. Simplicity is so underrated these days, but in reality, some of the best RPGs of all time are even simpler. Haha

[@PestulonGaming]

Short RPGs really need to become more of a thing. Untapped market!

[@thencsmaster4343]

That feels like one of the best ways to describe it. I still have a good several hours to go in Sea of Stars but these two very much feel like simplicity vs complexity. Sea of Stars has a more upbeat tone, straightforward combat system, and simple yet still engaging plot. Whereas Chained Echoes is noticeable more difficult, has a much more complex and layered narrative and world, and as a much more diverse and in-depth battle system. SOS feels like something built more for anyone with a passing interest in RPGs while CE was built for long time vets who know their way around the genre. Both have their own merits.

[@nuthut1396]

Keeping games simpler also makes it easier to avoid stupid/underbaked mechanics like the gems in Chained Echoes. They’re not the worst, but every complex JRPG has something like that included

[@ChronoKatie]

@@nuthut1396 I 100% agree, and would also use that very example haha.

[@Vanden_Vanden]

"Aside from New Game+ which unlocks after beating the game and having a cleared save file, Chained Echoes is making some changes to crystals" When interacting with a crystal source the player now gets a choice of three crystals for every drop. The player can choose one or none. Choosing none gives the player arc depending on their game’s progress. This gives the player more control over which crystals he wants and which he considers useless for his builds. Also, this makes the inventory less cluttered. This whole system can be turned off in the options. ** If the player chooses a crystal a chain starts. The more crystals of the same property are gathered the more likely they will drop. Choosing a crystal with a different property will restart the chain. Choosing none will continue the chain. This makes hunting for certain crystals a lot easier. When a crystal drop is boosted through a chain it is marked as “Boost”

[@eproductions5115]

chained echoes is the far superior game its not even close at least we get a story with an ending

[@dante19890]

No contest. Chained Echoes.

[@teosto1384]

This video title showing up on my feed was gold; then seeing what the channel name is and what it implies paired with some solid reasoning and enjoyable enough a sound (read: voice, recording equipment and volume levels between voice and gameplay volume) it's an instant subscribe. Where have you been?! This is the content I need and crave on my youtube!

[@BacklogBattle]

It took six years, but you found me! Welcome!

[@Sctn187]

They're both amazing I got both day one and love them both and am so happy to have had a chance to play them along with octopath traveler 2. It's been a good year for classic jpgs. Well for gaming in general.

[@dannysimion]

Great titles in both of them and im glad we are getting that love of retro RPGs back after being bombarded by a lot of modern RPGs. Hands down Sea of Stars is my style but thanks to this video, im picking up Chained Echos. Love it!

[@jgreysquirrel]

Loving Sea of Stars about 10 hours in right now and will pick up Chained Echoes this winter

[@firenze6478]

@@aceanime8634good suggestion, but many of us realize want to support the creators who went far and above 90% of most AAA studios

[@julz19]

Chained Echoes was made by 1 guy, no kickstarter Sea of Stars was made by a team, with kickstarter funding goes to show how Chained Echoes really punched above it's weight if it's being compared to Sea of Stars and still struggles to top it. both has quality, but which has more variety and originality? Which has a more open adventure? Which has a better lore? Sea of Stars was definitely a copy Super Mario RPG and the likes Overdrive system of Chained Echoes is definitely an orginal idea. I take Chained Echoes as indie game of the year vs Sea of Stars

[@gldev8191]

Good points, both games are incredible, i have yet to get to sea of stars but chained echoes definitely set the bar for jrpgs for me personally

[@spader267]

played both, your review is spot on and every penny you will use to buy these games are worth it! I LOVE THEM BOTH and i hope this will be the start of the resurgence of this type of RPG games again.

[@DanteCrowlley]

Since I'm still in the loss of proper immersion, I don't think I can actually enjoy the games at their fullest potential

[@mikote2000]

I prefer Chained Echoes because combat system is more tactical and intense in my opinion. -You always start battles with full HP/MP. This makes that you can use magic or habilities without worries about next encounter and it permits to developer make combat more tough because you always have all your weapons ready. -All character are vulnerable to debuffs and negative status effect. Most JRPG makes debuffs and status effect useless because when you fight against bosses they don't work. In chained Echoes it does. Every time you apply a status effect the resistance of enemies increases in one. This implies that you need one more attack for apply de status. For example: you can sleep an enemy with sleep skill when the enemy wake up you need to cast sleep 2 times for applying sleep. The next time 3 casts, etc. A good solution that makes status effect useful but prevents abuse. This game and DOS2 are, in my opinion, the bests games managing status effects. - Buffs and debuffs are necessary. If you don't use it probably you will suffer most of battles. You won't win any battle only spamming attacks. - There are a quest board that works like achievement system but giving you items when you unlock them. Very engaging. - The way you explore is guided by non linear. Usually in a JRPG you have the main path and some bifurcations that only have some minor chest. Chained Echoes improve this part. - Plot is very good and more mature than average. -You don't have levels at usual. There are upgrades but the way you unlock them is not grinding. History Ando some events unlock Ability Points and you can spend it unlocking stats improvements or skills. It makes unlock decisions matter and prevents over leveling making battle system better. Chained Echoes is in my top 5 JRPGs I ever played. Give it a try. I think you won't regret.

[@HallyVee]

Linearity is not a failure of design, any more than red is an ugly color. And full stats at battle start doesn't have any effect on how hard battles can be. But otherwise fine detailed writeup.

[@Lazybal.gaming]

"Comparison is the thief of joy" - some guy on this planet. I think both games are beautiful in their own ways. The fact that they are different in story and world building and have different combat styles makes it more enjoyable for me. I would recommend BOTH!

[@NeoSquall89]

Guys, the best answer: play and enjoy them both. They are truly gems of our time that take us back to the golden era of JPRGs. Have fun! :)

[@ashcrow1356]

I'm enjoying Chained Echoes so far, need to see where the story is going. The battle system is engaging and you can't just button mash your way out of it. The characters are interesting, as are the interactions between them. I'm definitely going to play Sea of Stars later on, it looks amazing!

[@daveonezero6258]

I bought Chained Echoes on sale. I put the difficulty sliders up and so far really enjoying the combat. I like things to matter and it seems like this game does a good job of doing that.

[@cr4sher7]

Both are absolutely amazing! :D

[@FullMetalB]

Both games are great. I enjoyed chained echoes but really wanted to love it. I am loving sea of stars a good bit more. The only thing I'm missing from sea of stars was alittle more areas to explore. Overworld map/sailing is OK but I would just prefer a little more.

[@ereviscale3966]

I couldn't get into chained echoes as Much as I wanted to. I found it more frustrating than fun

[@denysvision]

​​@@ereviscale3966maybe you are not into challenge since chained echoes is pretty chalenging and best of all is that you can change the dificulty at any time, ether way i understand why you prefer sea of stars more ^^

[@firenze6478]

@@denysvisionthe only challenging boss for me was the djinn due to it making you fight the bar more than the boss

[@phantom9831]

@@denysvision Yeah, It took me off guard at first, but I really liked the difficulty of chained echoes, and it actually forced me to reset the game to be able to end it at 100% (the superbosses were way to hard, and without thinking, I sold some items that I found being almost necessary to beat them). And the fact that you can't over exp is also a really good choice, it prevents the user from being too strong to have some challenge even at the end game.

[@pete_____b]

I just finished Chained Echoes I really liked it and how challenging it was. I played Sea of Stars back in January and it was fun and gorgeous but it just felt like an homage to games of the past and found it much easier I don't think I got a game over once during any battle. Chained Echoes was obviously influenced and paid homage to the JRPGs of the past but it felt like it tried to give a little to it as well. Try to be original in some ways. Sea of Stars artwork is unmatched and exploration was way easier. Chained Echoes tiles and backgrounds got a little confusing at times on where I was supposed to go or find secret areas. Both games I thought the battles didn't use enough status effects on your party to really utilize certain items and abilities. All in all I think we should be grateful we got two games of this style released so close to each other and don't really care which one is objectively better. I think everyone should play both and I certainly want to play both again.

[@drake128]

Bought sea of stars , plugged away for about 18 hrs , the story whilst serviceable didn't grip me . I was enjoying it but not entralled . Bought Chained echoes . I'm only about 6hr in and I'm already invested more and enjoying the story . The story is my propeller. I want to know what comes next . Suikode 2 was similar for me. Hooked from the opening. (Edit 23 hrs into chained echoes. It's enthralling I'm hooked.. I can't wait to see where the story goes next and I'm being surprised regularly.

[@sombrego2260]

I like both games but I find sea of stars combat a bit repetitive and not satisfying. I love the lock system and I think it works wonderfully but I would prefer for the game not to have any timing system at all and more skills per characters similarly to chained echoes. I also think that chained echoes try a lot more new ideas. Even simple things like the funny timings at the beginning of the game with the slaps and how the game is introduced. How the cast eventually meet and how characters keep being added even quite late into the story.

[@danielsinnott2343]

I'm only about 10 hours into Sea of Stars so far but it seems nice if not a little easy and shallow. The graphics look good and the attention to level design is well thought out. Soundtrack is also very good. The characters are a little run of the mill aside from Garl so far. Chained Echoes however blew me away when I played it. Very challenging as well. Basically everything I could have ever wanted from a throwback JRPG. It might actually be the reason I haven't been enjoying Sea of Stars more.

[@firenze6478]

It gets better and better. Have you made it past wraith island yet?

[@firenze6478]

It gets better and better. Have you made it past wraith island yet?

[@firenze6478]

It gets better and better. Have you made it past wraith island yet?

[@TMV420]

sea of stars is incredible. the music, the animations, the battle systems, the story. its also a prequel to the studio's previous game, old school platformer "The Messenger". there are so many connections between games its insane. have you beat Sea of Stars yet?

[@richardklein1167]

I did everything possible in Chained Echoes and after playing it I feel the same way about Sea of Stars after spending 140 hours with Chained Echoes.

[@ASquared544]

"I felt the characters in Chained Echoes were a bit lacking-" Compared to Sea of Stars? I love Sea of Stars to death and back but if the characters are less than the plastic cups that are Zale and Valere then what the fuck were they doing?

[@gilbertwhite2837]

Very nice VS video! I really like your opinion as well, though I would say that Sea of Stars have a much better soundtrack in my opinion. But in the overall aspect, I agree that they are both amazing game worth buying though when you start playing, very different. Though if I had to pick just one, I would choose Sea of Stars, but just because I prefer the puzzle aspect and I really love the lighting in SoS. But CE has more depth to it's combat system.

[@lawlyss]

Easy answer. Together the price equals one AAA game. Play them both.

[@Cold_Zero_The_Wise]

Chained Echoes is the most mature and modern RPG ive played

[@acidwizard6528]

I haven't gotten around to either of these as I am currently engaged in a heated "Backlog Battle". Thanks for highlighting some of the strengths and weaknesses of each so we can make an informed decision about which of these highly regarded Indie RPGs we might enjoy.

[@blakefenslerjr4858]

Played both and i love sea of stars more, but chained echoes is a great game too 😊

[@anaveragegamer359]

same but i prefer chained echoes

[@blakefenslerjr4858]

Win win for both us 👍

[@cr4sher7]

Yeah, same mate! Chained Echoes was absolute suprise for me, I didn't know about it and I absolutely loved it! Such great game! Having said that, Sea of Stars managed to even top that for me. I enjoyed every single bit of it.

[@angelofdarkness1435]

Both games are a masterpiece in their own way fam I already finished sea of stars like a week ago got the true ending and I am now playing chained echoes next. :D

[@eonisone]

I have to give it to Sea of Stars. I loved the more mature themes and dialogue in Chained Echoes, but I haven't had a reason to return after maxing out during the first playthrough. I love NG+ on Sea of Stars because I'd love to work on maxing the characters on more playthroughs. The music in that Chained Echoes white swamp area was pretty amazing, though.

[@norfsidejayy1223]

@@elnogal9298 Definitely had better & more mature dialogue than SoS. not sure what game you were playing. Maybe you played the “I’m a fxcking retard” edition of the game or something.

[@elnogal9298]

@@norfsidejayy1223 lol I was reading the comment the OP said now and I seemed to be stoned af when I read it because I was referring to SoS with my comment, like I'm reading the comment now seeing he is praising Chained Echoes and I feel dumb, I thought he was saying that for SoS. So yeah, I was a bit retard when I wrote it lmao.

[@elnogal9298]

I 100% chained echoes and refunded SoS so yeah, agree with the OP and you here lmao

[@eonisone]

@@elnogal9298 I'm a bit dyslexic, so I usually I figure I worded something strange from time to time. Weed and comment sections aren't always the best mix, but it sure makes you bursting with shit to say. Haha

[@elnogal9298]

@@eonisone yeah definitely hahaha

[@dferas5535]

Sea of Stars is the superior game by far

[@VisiV]

Well, one of them used to have the Completionist in it, which makes it pretty hard to want to boot up, even if only to patch him out.

[@Luso1221]

The question is why add the Completionist as a cameo in the first place? Just no reason whatsoever.

[@wpelfeta]

Thanks. I always hear Chained Echoes and Sea of Stars mentioned together, that sometimes I even lose track of which is which. >.< I can't wait to play both of them.

[@garystringer2582]

I've complete both Sea of Stars and Chained Echoes recently. Both games are great. If I had to choose one, Sea of Stars probably takes it with art style, as well as characters I was more invested in. I also just complete Octopath Traveler 2, spending well over 100 hours with the game - OT2 beats them both. But you can't go wrong with any of these games if you're an old-school jrpg fan.

[@furomin4272]

Great comparison and reviews! Thank you so much! ❤❤ Guess I'll start with Chained Echoes I decided now...

[@BacklogBattle]

Hope you enjoy!

[@theFado96]

I finished Chained Echoes some time ago and just started Sea of Stars. For some reason I doubt we'll ever get a cooler one-liner than Sienna's: *"With weapons of steel against the Gods? I guess we will make it work"* #everyjrpgever

[@Ausluc007]

the platforming in sea of stars reminds me of Crosscode. The levels were so fun in Crosscode because the platforming and exploration was great. I don't think Sea of Stars will take it the level of Crosscode but the mechanics look the same.

[@firenze6478]

It’s definitely not the same extent but I had the same thought as you while playing lol

[@Toron90]

Crosscode never gets the credit it deserves. I was thinking the same thing while playing it

[@Concerned.Citizen]

It's the same developer btw

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

These two unintentionally ended up complimenting each other in interesting ways.

[@jinyboi]

So it's basically ff6 vs CT all over again

[@zerorequiem42]

Nah, not that... FF6 and Chrono Trigger were leagues above the rest at the time. Now we have plenty of good rpgs that aren't too far off from chained echoes or sea of stars.

[@coreylandrie8187]

Both are good but chained echoes is better

[@Caun-88]

I've already decided to play Sea of Stars first but I'll be picking up Chained Echoes as well. Great time to be am RPG fan right now

[@MrKenpachi28]

CE I feel is like league's above SoS in terms of story/plot/writing nuance/characters with actual personality and not archetypes *cough*

[@CountShadow]

Both are amazing, but I liked Chained Echoes a bit more. It felt more mature overall and the writing just was one of the best I've ever experienced in a JRPG. I'd replay Chained Echoes in an instant, for Sea of Stars I probably need more time to get the urge to replay again. But I'm really glad the Indie scene provides unique experiences like that, while the majority of AAA studios don't deliver... or at least not deliver what I want.

[@sergiomessias3691]

Amazing video and analysis 🎉🎉🎉 I was looking for it so much. Couldn't wait to watch. Thanks for putting out such great content

[@stang6552]

Chained Echoes is hard...the battles that is. Sea of Stars battles were easy and I breezed through the game.

[@Enigmalake]

Play both. Problem solved

[@AndreasRunge999]

I agree on all parts except Soundtrack. Sea of Stars wins this category for me, but both are just awesome.

[@toad7424]

Chained Echoes has a pretty good soundtrack but I definitely agree that Sea of Stars is much better, especially boss themes in which Chained Echoes really lacks in.

[@Maxbeedo2]

This reminds me of the FF6 vs. Chrono Trigger arguments in the SNES days, or maybe a weird Xenogears vs. Super Mario RPG comparison. The only true correct answer is "Play both", but they do have tonal and gameplay complexity differences that are interesting to compare. Chained Echoes is a little darker and more complex, with more characters, abilities and systems. I personally prefer that gameplay complexity, but Sea of Stars has moments of overwhelmingly positive charm that it's hard not to love. I platinumed Chained Echoes and will probably platinum Sea of Stars in the next week or so, and both are in my top 5 games I've played in the last year.

[@appleku51]

Just came across this - great vid and channel name - subbed.

[@ZenKrio]

IMO it's no contest, Chained Echoes was magnificent and Sea of Stars was a disappointment. Chained Echoes told a near complete story that left room for a sequel, while at least ending the main conflict. Sea of Stars on the otherhand ended with most of the bad guys leaving, never to be seen again, halfway through the game, the story by the end made little to no sense in how it ended, mainly because it didn't (any other games made don't add to this, if you have to leave your story to find out what happens, said story fails as a story). Chained Echoes gameplay wise felt like it had great progression, whereas Sea of Stars was quite boring and repetitive after the first few hours, you got every move you'll ever use very early and learned nothing else as the game went on. Where Chained Echoes made me feel like i was getting new gameplay options all the way through the game, Sea of Stars was like playing Chrono Trigger, only once you get your first magic spell, thats all you get for the rest of the game. The one thing IMO Chained Echoes screwed up on was the Crystal system for your gear, it didn't feel friendly at all, whereas in Sea of Stars I felt like it's mechanics were quite engaging, I even liked it's weird mini game (which i completed, most people I saw on the message boards hated this, but I actually wanted more of it). Graphics Wise Seas of Stars wins all the way, but if I cared at all about graphics, I wouldn't be playing indie games... I'm hype to see Chained Echoes 2, if Sea of Stars ever gets a sequel, I'm not sure I'll care honestly. I beat both games, and I actively chose to doo all the content in Chained Echoes, with Sea of Stars I stopped in post game because it never felt like my team was getting any stronger...

[@grapes9h5]

It’s funny that Sea just came out but the. I decided to finally play Chained first. I’ll def play Sea next.

[@angelikafrohlich486]

me too :)

[@DewaHuang]

Both great, play both. They have each own uniqueness

[@__vha]

Bought both, currently replaying Chrono Trigger. Going to start with Sea of Stars after and then CE and Octopath 1 and 2 next.

[@tigerking8165]

Chained Echoes is a quality game but in game character portraits and dialogue are god awful. Sea of Stars are better in those 2 aspects.

[@45noop]

Chained echoes actual game mechanics are definitely better

[@Foolsome]

My best solution...I get both and love both for different reasons. The physical version of Chained Echoes should be on the way soon so I'm looking forward to that.

[@War624]

Just finished Sea of Stars yesterday. Got the true ending as well. Had a great time. About 35 hrs iirc. One thing I didn't realize till way late in the game was that you can save Live Mana boosts, as in you only have to use one at a time. I felt like such a dummy. Lol. Playing through BG3 right now, but hoping to get to Chained Echoes after before the other big releases over this Fall.

[@figyelem9764]

wait WHAT didn't know that and used all 3 live mana boosts on spells most of the time - and i finished like the entire game (PLUS the true ending)

[@DomDomPop]

I don’t know what it is, but Sea of Stars feels a little too simple at times, especially early on. There just really isn’t any flexibility or decision making in building characters. You get what you get. Even the stat bonuses from level up are all gonna level out by the end, and so it’s ultimately “what stats do you want right now”, not “what build do you want to end up with”. Chained Echoes, there’s just something I don’t like about the character designs. So much about the game is so great, but every time I look at the characters it feels like a Pixel Game Maker game, and it bothers the hell out of me.

[@pleshgore1198]

I have both but due to my busy schedule, have only started playing now. Trying out Sea of Stars and will play Chained Echoes later during the holidays.

[@IamYasha10]

Honestly i am willing to buy and support both. I already played chained echoes so having another sprite type rpg like sea of stars is right up my alley.

[@tuanis90]

Personally, I hate Chained Echoes' approach to combat and the lack of leveling. Been loving Sea of Stars.

[@Cacapouletpipichocolat]

Porque no los dos? Both are amazing. Add Crosscode and you have 3 of the best games of the last 10 years.

[@anthonyg1307]

Played both. I couldn't put down chained echoes until I 100% it. The combat, customization, characters, story and music, were all spot on. Been playing sea of stars on and off, find it hard to go to the next area knowing how dragged out the combat is.

[@jackthepres]

I think Sea of Stars constant combat gets tiresome with time. The fights are shorter than Chained Echoes and I like the combat system more, but lots of fights succeded by more fights gets really annoying after some time

[@ophidianmind333]

I just purchased Chained Echoes and I'll probably wait to play Sea of Stars until the Japanese physical release that contains English comes out in December. Both of these look very promising and I've seen a lot of high praise for them, so I'm excited to play them and experience the games for myself.

[@crystalcove99]

I absolutely adored Chained Echoes and it's become one of my favorite indie games of all time, honestly just one of my favorite *games* ... period. I've also been looking forward to Sea of Stars ever since I first heard about it, but unfortunately I'm currently playing a couple other games at the moment and so am holding out a bit for now. I'm glad to see that Chained Echoes is getting a bit more attention now because of comparisons with Sea of Stars, but I gotta be honest and say I really dislike people comparing games just because they have some similarities. In this case, the only thing these games really have in common is a 16-bit art style, and other than that the games are radically different. I've found that comparing games to eachother, and saying one game does something better than the other, inevitably leads to people enjoying *both* games *less* ...

[@toad7424]

One thing I hate about the usual RPG games is when you exceed the amount of members in a party and you end up with a couple of unused characters, which is one thing I really love about Sea of Stars over Chained Echoes. I also think that the soundtrack is better, especially regarding boss themes. Music is one of the most important part of games for me and Chained Echoes pretty much has ONE boss theme for the entire game (from what I can remember) that isn't even good..

[@toad7424]

I not saying that Chained Echoes has a bad soundtrack. Most area and town themes are great.

[@notnancy4579]

Let it be known Chained echoes was made by one person! Only one guy took him 7 years. Music, story, system, graphics literally everything! Even the music

[@WaruiDeshou]

Eddie Marianukroh composed the music, actually. Not taking anything away from Linda, though!

[@notnancy4579]

@@WaruiDeshou yes sorry I forgot I even have it in my phone

[@gustaveriksson113]

I'm so happy Sea of Stars gets compared to Chained Echoes. More people are gonna find CE after playing Sea of stars. Chained Echoes needs more love

[@IanLeeNixon]

For me, the simplicity of progression and battle really helped me focus on the character development and plot in Sea of Stars. This had me hooked from start to end. I feel like the developers really played to their strengths here to create an immersive experience. That wasn't present for me in Chained Echoes. I will say that seeing this video, however, has urged me to go back to CE and pick up where I left off. I'll give it another go.

[@BacklogBattle]

Let me know if your opinions on it changed!

[@marcosceles2789]

Haven't played Chained Echoes Yet, but the thing in SoS that sold me to finish the game was mostly Garl, what a well written character. He isn't complex, actually, he's a quite simple character and person, but his gentleness and pearless courage wins everyone, even the player. The guy is a normal person surrounded by deities and lovecraftian horrors and still is avaiable to laught and share joy. Man, the game actually convinced me to hunt 60 stupid conches because of this guy. I love as well how the game manages to make us fell how much of a thread the Fleshmancer actually is, when he first appears it actually feels like it is hopeless, and there is nothing our characters could do in face of him.

[@psycake]

You should REALLY try out CrossCode if you haven´t yet. It´s an Action-RPG, so not quite compareble to these two, but espiacelly in terms of level desing it is LEAGUES above Sea of Stars. The Level Design in Sea of Stars is quite good, better than most JRPGs, but CrossCode blows it out of the water. I´m not through Sea of Stars yet, but by now I´d also give CrossCode the categories for better characters, music and battle system (if only by preference). I haven´t played Chained Echoes yet, I´m waiting for my physical copy to arrive, but CrossCode is a masterpiece and a must-play for every JRPG fan. It´s a shame people seem to have forgotten this game, it really is something special

[@SKS_Shadowkitty]

100% them both, and they're both excellent. Besides, Chained Echoes came out long enough ago that they're not even competing against each other-- there was plenty of time to polish CE off well before SoS released.

[@benlastname6667]

I'm still waiting on my chained echos physical copy. Haven't played it yet. I tried sea of stars demo and the timing portion of the battle is not something I'm caring for.

[@henrychang2267]

Great video for comparing both games in different categories. After watching this video, I would like to play both these games. While I own Chained Echoes already but haven't started playing yet, I'm gonna buy Sea of Stars and play them both. :-)