Chained Echoes started out feeling like a classic, lighthearted jrpg and ended feeling like a classic, introspective jrpg. The most surprising part of the game for me is the high bar of quality it holds for an indie game, where the music, designs, art, and scope of content feel like 'more' than it should be capable of, given that it was made by a single developer.
I ended the story feeling very attached to the main character and without very many questions, which was surprising given how many plot threads were running only a few hours prior. The narrative feels like so much is happening all at once in a world where no one waits for the main characters before acting, but it never felt like it lost focus or that it wasn't on track to its final destination.
The star of the game is definitely the world and exploration though. NPCs, surprise encounters, the enemy designs, the various secrets lying around are all what made the game so enticing for me. I spent the majority of my time running around trying to complete the reward board (which was a great way to add optional content without muddying up the player with side quests) and kept being surprised until the very end of my 39 hour playthrough.
The turn based combat system wasn't anything insane on its own, but the decision to pace the game with regular setpiece encounters really made the difference. Combat very rarely felt like a chore because the only times I felt forced to do it were in encounters that progressed the story or had some other draw that made them feel special. If the world building is the star of the game, the combat encounter pacing is the bread trail that keeps you playing just a littttle bit longer.
All in all, as someone who doesn't have a ton of experience in jrpgs (Pokemon, Persona, Xenoblade, and Fire Emblem mainly), Chained Echoes felt fresh, but also really digestible and quality throughout my entire playthrough. Recommended even if you dislike jrpgs.
$25 makes it a great price too.
I ended the story feeling very attached to the main character and without very many questions, which was surprising given how many plot threads were running only a few hours prior. The narrative feels like so much is happening all at once in a world where no one waits for the main characters before acting, but it never felt like it lost focus or that it wasn't on track to its final destination.
The star of the game is definitely the world and exploration though. NPCs, surprise encounters, the enemy designs, the various secrets lying around are all what made the game so enticing for me. I spent the majority of my time running around trying to complete the reward board (which was a great way to add optional content without muddying up the player with side quests) and kept being surprised until the very end of my 39 hour playthrough.
The turn based combat system wasn't anything insane on its own, but the decision to pace the game with regular setpiece encounters really made the difference. Combat very rarely felt like a chore because the only times I felt forced to do it were in encounters that progressed the story or had some other draw that made them feel special. If the world building is the star of the game, the combat encounter pacing is the bread trail that keeps you playing just a littttle bit longer.
All in all, as someone who doesn't have a ton of experience in jrpgs (Pokemon, Persona, Xenoblade, and Fire Emblem mainly), Chained Echoes felt fresh, but also really digestible and quality throughout my entire playthrough. Recommended even if you dislike jrpgs.
$25 makes it a great price too.