Chained Echoes

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 34 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 34
  3. Negative: 5 out of 34

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  1. RuriGokou
    Jan 22, 2023
    3
    I had a written out this long rant about Chained Echoes. But I think this will get my idea across in less words. Chained Echoes reminds me of that scene in the anime, Welcome to NHK. The two characters are talking about what their cute female character will look like for the comic they are going to make. So, they come up with this female character that is so distorted and weird lookingI had a written out this long rant about Chained Echoes. But I think this will get my idea across in less words. Chained Echoes reminds me of that scene in the anime, Welcome to NHK. The two characters are talking about what their cute female character will look like for the comic they are going to make. So, they come up with this female character that is so distorted and weird looking because they thought using all these cute anime tropes would make the ultimate cute character. Instead, they created an ugly mess.

    In short, that is Chained Echoes.

    Chained Echoes draws from so many classic JRPGs it just becomes this self indulgent mess with no voice of its own. It wants to be this grand epic tale like the ones written by Yasumi Matsuno (Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Battle), Tetsuya Takahashi (Xenogears), and Mr. Murayama (Suikoden 1 and 2), but it just comes off as a bloated mess of a story as if told by a 13 year old who really loves old school JRPGs.

    The characters all speak in the same monotone voice except for the character Amalia, who had dialogue that did make me chuckle actually. But everyone else just seemed overall bland and unremarkable. I couldn't tell you anything about a character because there is very little character development outside their role or traits. Like for example, princess, Delita clone, guy that is overly protective of princess, lizardman or manchild who is over 100 years old.

    Like I mentioned, the story wants to be this grand tale like Final Fantasy Tactics or Suikoden but the writing just comes off as amateurish. Certain scenes were, I guess, supposed to be serious, but I was laughing out loud more from the ridiculousness of it all. And after the over 9000th random betrayal I was just rolling my eyes waiting for the story to come to an end.

    After the prologue and the very first few hours of the game, I totally lost any sort of interest in the story because of the poor writing and uninteresting characters. Don't believe the reviews. I could go into the imbalanced game play mechanics, the music which seemed to cycle through the same 5 or so tracks, or a number of other things. But in all honesty, if the writing was better I could have tolerated it all.    … Expand
  2. Sabrewulf1
    Dec 26, 2022
    10
    Edit: 110 hours later, game of 2022. Best in class, best rpg since I was 19 and played secret of mana and evermore when they came out on snes. It deserves all the praise it can get and some. It's not a 'tribute' to the very best old school rpg's, it stands by them as one othe best rpg's of all time. Absolutely incredible writing, heartfelt, loved every single second. The music is some ofEdit: 110 hours later, game of 2022. Best in class, best rpg since I was 19 and played secret of mana and evermore when they came out on snes. It deserves all the praise it can get and some. It's not a 'tribute' to the very best old school rpg's, it stands by them as one othe best rpg's of all time. Absolutely incredible writing, heartfelt, loved every single second. The music is some of the best I have ever heard on an rpg. What a breath of fresh air in a world where gaming is boring, manipulative, greedy, cash cows seen as a way to keep shareholders and corporates happy. If you love rpg and miss this, it's a crime.… Expand
  3. SWERY_51
    Dec 26, 2022
    9
    One of the very best story and character writing of the decade!

    And if it was not enough, soundtrack is a masterpiece, graphics are lovely, turn based combat is great with interesting mechanics, and the game is quite long with a lot of surprises and twists.

    If you are nostalgic of the 2D RPG era à la Chrono Trigger, do not miss this gem.
  4. HellaSavageX
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    Such an amazing modern-day 16-bit SNES-style RPG, it really takes you back to what was the golden age of RPGs... : )
  5. 1van5
    Jan 5, 2023
    9
    This game wears its inspirations in a very straightforward manner and does not shoot for over the top innovation. It is a very familiar experiencie for experienced golden era JRPG players with a couple QOL features and modern game design metrics. Still, it delivers its promisses in almost every aspect. It has a very engaging take on turn based combat (with an alternative module for theThis game wears its inspirations in a very straightforward manner and does not shoot for over the top innovation. It is a very familiar experiencie for experienced golden era JRPG players with a couple QOL features and modern game design metrics. Still, it delivers its promisses in almost every aspect. It has a very engaging take on turn based combat (with an alternative module for the mechas), a very competent soundtrack and beautiful pixel art. The plot is very interesting in its pace and moment to moment scenarios, but the writing does hang low frequently, not always embodying the messages/em… Expand
  6. Elronas
    Dec 13, 2022
    10
    Vaya locura de juego, me esperaba algo bueno al ser un RPG por turnos pero ha superado mis expectativas.
    Uno de los mejores juegos de su estilo que he jugado.
  7. Maxtkd3
    Jan 5, 2023
    10
    Chained Echos se nos presenta a simple vista como un simple juego de RPG que busca captar la esencia de los clásicos 16 bit y cumplir. sin embargo, a los pocos minutos de iniciarlo es evidente que tiene muchas buenas ideas y nos vamos a meter en un viaje que nos recordará a los grandes del género.
    Para empezar hay que hacer notar que es un juego hecho por una sola persona, pues si bien    Chained Echos se nos presenta a simple vista como un simple juego de RPG que busca captar la esencia de los clásicos 16 bit y cumplir. sin embargo, a los pocos minutos de iniciarlo es evidente que tiene muchas buenas ideas y nos vamos a meter en un viaje que nos recordará a los grandes del género.
    Para empezar hay que hacer notar que es un juego hecho por una sola persona, pues si bien comisionó trabajo a algunos artistas por separado -lógicamente-, no tenemos tras de esta joya un estudio entero. Esto solo, de por sí podría permitirnos dejarle pasar muchas cosas o le daría libertad para hacer algo "no muy complejo" y sin embargo, pone en ridículo al 60% (al menos) de los JRPG del último lustro.
    Graficamente tenemos un estilo pixel art hermoso, y aunque no se destaca precisamente por ser "único", es bellísimo en todo momento y captura la magia de clásicos como el Crono Trigger. Quizá la única queja (si le cabe a un juego hecho por una persona) es la repetición de ciertas texturas, como por ejemplo las piedras, con cambios de color. Esto es un exceso realmente, pero algo había que decir. Por lo demás, los diseños de personajes, Sky Armors y enemigos están muy bien, quizá con una leve excepción a los dos Bosses finales que me parecieron sacados de contexto.
    La música es hermosa, una variada selección de canciones que representan el ambiente en el que nos encontramos casi a la perfección y pequeños temas que te quedan pegados mucho tiempo despues de jugar.
    Las mecánicas de juego en si podemos decir que en su mayoría son un rejunte de cosas que se han visto en diversos juegos, pero que están aplicadas de manera excelsa y logran innovar en pequeñas cosas que sorprenden al veterano del genero. Como si fuera poco, cuando nos dan las "Sky Armors" (no es spoilers. se las ve en cualquier trailer) el combate se amplia y cambia totalmente y no solo esto, la manera de explorar el mundo da un giro de 180 grados. Excelente.
    La historia, que transita canales típicos inicialmente, está muy bien escrita, con personajes creíbles y entrañables y con varios giros de trama en momentos específicos que logran sacar a la trama de los cliches previsibles del género. Además, el mundo que nos plantea, muy lindo dado a sus gráficos en principio, se ve contrastado con historias personales a veces muy crudas. Quizá la única queja en este aspecto es que algunas partes del juego necesitan un leve retoque de guión (lo que pasa está bien en el qué, pero su ejecución podría haber sido mejor)
    En fin, un obligado del género, y en una época en donde la industria del gaming en general no para de decepcionar, es muy bueno que este juego exista. Háganse un favor y juéguenlo.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. RPGamer
    Jan 30, 2023
    90
    It’d be easy to simply compare Chained Echoes to some of the classics that clearly inspired it and call it a day. But the game brings to the table a lot more than simple callbacks to Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, or Suikoden. It builds on the impressive groundwork set by these household names in such impressive ways that it easily establishes its own identity. Even those who have never played any of the above titans will be able to get into Chained Echoes without any trouble, and all that take the plunge are sure to be quite happy they did so.
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  2. PSX Brasil
    Dec 29, 2022
    95
    No matter how you look at Chained Echoes, it's undeniable that this is a project whose mere existence impresses. Developed by a single person, it's an exceptional game in everything it proposes to do, from its story to the graphics, passing through the engaging combat and rich universe. It's a must-have game for all RPG fans around the world.
    Read full review
  3. Metro GameCentral
    Dec 24, 2022
    80
    The best sequel to Chrono Trigger there’s never been, with a pseudo-Japanese role-player that maintains a delicate balance between retro homage and modern indie game.
    Read full review
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