This does such an impressive job synthesizing what was appealing about pixel graphic era JRPGs while avoiding repeating the outdated design choices that could make those feel tedious or clumsy. It’s the sum of lots of little QoL stuff that respects player time, like its quick launch in and out of its many battles without requiring intro/outro fanfares or dedicated battle rewards screens to be clicked through. A lot of modern JRPGs seem to think the answer to that is shifting to real-time action instead of turn-based combat, but still keep a lot of the blandly repetitive interstitial UI. Chained Echoes shows a smarter way to streamline presenting battles and their outcomes while not dumbing down combat (or changing genres). Things like movement speed are similarly well considered, avoiding the trudging pace of a lot of older games without resorting to the hack of multiplied speed settings that feel like the game is on fast-forward.

Aesthetically, this isn’t as high-budget and effects-heavy as the recent HD-2D games like Octopath, but it’s still really charming looking (the character portraits are especially effective characterization) and the soundtrack is really moving and memorable. The story is constantly shifting and eventually scales up to stereotypically grand stakes, but I still found lots of smaller emotional character moments to enjoy throughout. It could probably be a little shorter and with less mech-based combat near the end, but overall I had a ton of fun with this.

A real diamond in the rough if I've ever seen one.

Chained Echoes lacks polish, and with polish I don't exactly mean bug-fixing or balancing things around, as the word is commonly used, but rather refining and iterating on the ideas concerning its story, combat and progression. Sure, it was made by a solo dev, and polishing a game of this scope all alone is no easy task.

I really liked some of the ideas going into it, though, and think that this game's got enough personality so as to differentiate itself from its inspirations. The story beats can be quite tropey at times, but even then it was possible to perceive the charm behind it all.

An overall great experience that, even though shallow and unpolished sometimes, successfully states what it wants to, and is not only a neat love-letter to 16-bit JRPGs, but also a glimpse of the future of the genre and how it can evolve going forward.

Ganhei burn out depois de jogar
História convoluta que se segura por muito pouco
Encontros visíveis que poderiam ser aleatórios que não fariam diferença
Sistema de melhoria que não bate bem com a progressão do jogador e melhorias de armas/armaduras/cristais que perdem propósito a cada loot novo
Texto bom pra krl e momentos fodas demais
Glenn e Lenne sanctos
Kylian o mais foda
Robb, Agyl, Tomke fodase
Shishishi
Sienna, hmmmmmmmm

I found this game to be a surprise to me. I didn't expect much of it, perhaps a fun little JRPG, but it was so much more. Probably the first time in a long time where an RPG had really great writing with memorable characters and sequences, and actual twists that I didn't see coming from a million miles away. The opening of the game starts off pretty intense, with the RPG trope of waking in your bed from your mother, then BAM, you're actually dreaming and you're really in the middle of a suicide mission. I was hooked, and interested in doing as much as I could in the game. That is often rare these days, so I'd have to say that I enjoyed this game quite a bit.

shishishi

This one really does everything right, from story, world building, gameplay and combat. The music hits all the right notes, playing on nostalgia while still giving something fresh. The characters are genuine and their interactions help to fully flesh out the story.

Really cannot recommended this strongly enough for fans of the genre. Being able to play Chained Echoes and Sea of Stars in the same year has reignited not just my love of JRPGs but also kindled a true interest in indie games, something I historically have mostly ignored for the flashy big titles.

Super impressive that one guy made this. It has a real unique and great battle system that is fun to min max, a decent story, and fun exploration and customization with the sky armor (mechs). There are lots of nice secrets and superbosses to find too

I'd say the only thing I still am not a fan of is the look of some characters/the portrait art. There aren't different portrait expressions and it's not really a style I'm personally fond of. The rest of the game's spritework is pretty though

Good game overall

Whilst offering some neat twists on the JRPG genre in narrative and moment to moment gameplay the biggest thing that differentiates Chained Echoes from its contemporaries is its progression. Gone is the standard system of XP go up (admittedly not a bad system but its nice to find something fresh) to be replaced by Grimoir points. This almost achievement like system of character progression really helps emphasise using the combat system in unique ways and focusing on exploring each of the area to its fullest. With the mutliple ways to obtain these points and the almost mini-game like completion rows grinding never feels like a chore whilst still giving you more than enough wiggle room to experiment with different builds and playstyle.

If I did have one complaint other than the relatively generic cast and story it would be that the mech gameplay feels somewhat finicky and less developed than the main gameplay. Whilst I understrand its made by a solo dev that just makes me question why even include a whole other if only slightly different form of gameplay onto an already pretty fleshed out rpg.

Esse é provavelmente um dos melhores RPGs dos últimos anos.

Chained Echoes tem personagens incríveis, uma história interessante e muitas referências a cultura pop sem destoar do cenário em que o jogo se passa.

A gameplay é divertida e a todo momento introduz novas mecânicas, se tornando muito dinâmico, já que é possível trocar os personagens da party durante a batalha, o que gera uma quantidade muito grande de interações dentro de um único combate.

Um prato cheio pro fã de Chrono Trigger que sente falta de um jogo na mesma pegada. Fãs de robô gigante e Berserk vão ficar felizes com alguns momentos que o jogo proporciona também.

wish this had a more optimal release date in 2023 so it could have gotten more attention from outlets and what not.

gameplay is the strongest element of this. enjoyed the overdrive system for battles, though the sky armor battles were definitely the weaker element and didn't enjoy the implementation there. the skills level up system is integrated very well and there are non-story opportunities to progress that which i appreciate.

plot and characters are fine. i found the secondary characters more engaging than glenn and lenne at the end of the day. sienna, amalia, and victor ended up being my favorites and i think the localization gave them actual unique cadences / speaking quirks than others. i know some people pointed out translation issues when this initially released, but i think those got cleaned up by the time i picked it up. i believe everything on this was done by one person, so while i understand, this might have benefitted from a localizer able to help give the characters more character to put it simply.

the music is great to listen to, i will be adding it to my favorite game ost tracks playlist. looking forward to what matthias linda puts out next.

Old school turn based RPG, with tons to do, an adult themed story, great performance, and fun combat. I found myself thrilled to do the side missions though I wish the island had more depth to it.

My only complaints are the sky armor battles being mediocre compared to the party battles, and the graphics being a step down compared to the quality of the game.

9.5/10

Não tem muito que se esperar de um "jogo feito por uma pessoa só que mexia com RPG Maker", mas esse jogo quebra todas as expectativas que são impostas sobre ele ao não fazer apenas um "copicola" dos jogos que referencia mas sim elaborar mecânicas e história originais apenas lembrando a "vibe" de jogos como Xenogears, Terranigma e Final Fantasy VI.
O combate é dinâmico e permite até 8 personagens na luta, ao mesmo tempo que você tem que controlar uma barra que avança ou retrocede conforme suas ações e os personagens que usa, acaba sendo uma camada extra de desafio a se atentar, e como o jogo não tem sistema de level e ao final das lutas seu HP/MP regenera, cada luta é sempre um desafio, diferentemente de outros JRPGs que te cansam pelo tamanho das dungeons e escassez dos itens, aqui cada combate pode ser fatal desde o início.
A progressão, por não ter níveis, consiste em desbloquear novas skills e dar upgrade em seus itens através da coleta de materiais que são achados em abundância conforme você anda, raramente você necessitará fazer um desvio e dedicar seu tempo apenas a coleta de materiais. Como bônus, tem também um sistema parecido com o License Board de Final Fantasy XII, mas onde cada slot é desbloqueado terminando desafios específicos, como explorar um mapa, matar um inimigo forte ou finalizar uma sidequest, desbloqueando slots adjacentes e aumentando suas recompensas, que são stats e itens.
A exploração é fluida e você pode acessar cada canto do mapa quase a qualquer hora do jogo graças aos pontos de teleporte espalhados ao mapa e que você só não pode fazer uso em momentos chave da história. Os mapas abertos e de dungeons são compactos o suficiente pra não serem enjoativos e abertos o suficiente para que não sejam corredores e estejam com diversas bifurcações que oferecem recompensas adicionais à você.
Mas o ponto altíssimo do jogo são seus personagens e sua história, tendo um ensemble cast onde todos do elenco principal tem seu momento de holofote, seu passado e sua personalidade bem desenvolvidos, embora tenhamos claros "protagonistas" no decorrer da história, quem os acompanha raramente passa como personagem secundário. Não apenas isso, mas o desenvolvimento da história apresenta diversas reviravoltas e surpresas, momentos dramáticos e engraçados, dilemas morais e diálogos excepcionalmente tocantes, tudo isso desenvolvido em cima de intrigas políticas complexas e inesperadas, envolvendo mais tarde até mesmo "Deuses" e inimigos de toda a humanidade, mas sem nunca descaracterizar a narrativa inicial do jogo. Uma grata surpresa e recomendadíssimo a todos os fãs de JRPGs e histórias de qualidade.

This is very impressive for such a small team. The pixel art and soundtrack are nice. The gameplay feels nice for the most part and the combat is pretty unique for all the RPGs that I've played. The world is rich with lore and is well thought out. The character writing is also solid.

I think where it stumbles a little bit for me is in how it has a lot of systems, but I don't feel particularly invested in optimizing them aside from the main party. Changing crystals was such a tedious thing. Traversal in the world is a bit awkward and despite how it shows you where to go, it's not always clear how to get there. To specify, it would usually be climbing surfaces blending in with the background. I only sought out a couple of party members and despite their unique roles, they join way too late.

Despite my gripes, I'm glad I played this. I totally understand why many were saying this was an overlooked and underrated game last year, and I'd agree it's a solid RPG experience.

Chained Echoes is one of the best turn based RPGs out there. Amazing characters, great story, fun ability system with a lot of different options.

The turn based combat is the star here! One of the best features a lot of other turn based games never do: Status ailments actually work on bosses! One of the biggest criticisms for other games in the same genre.

Look + sound are also beautiful and every turn based fan needs to give this one a try!

Um dos melhores RPG's que joguei e com uma baita história.

Consegue recuperar bem a essência dos clássicos e dá um toque particular muito bom.

Narrativa se perde um pouco, mas nada que atrapalhe muito.

If this was a game made by a professional AAA studio like in the 90s, this would be a pretty solid 7/10 due to some minor oversights. But the fact that this is made entirely by one guy and his composer friend and is just as good as the ones made back then, its on a whole other level.

Hopefully this gets this guy some notoriety so that and he has plans to keep making games because if you throw some money and a little bit of professional help for polish, he will dish out the next FFX or Baldurs Gate 3 no doubt.

I also would love to try and 100% this but Jesus fucking Christ those tablet bosses are actually impossible.