Putting aside the distaste from some character depictions and general moments of cringe in the storyline, I enjoyed the majority of Chained Echoes. There's enough mechanical creativity and visual splendour to keep you entertained for the duration, and if you have a hankering for the good old JRPGS of the SNES and PS1 era, this title will be a welcome addition to your collection. Though the game has a very familiar voice, it manages to be much more than just an echo of its inspirations.
Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure manages to stay fresh throughout the entire experience – it finds a decent balance between challenge, frustration, and a sense of accomplishment upon completing a level. There’s not much to say about the plot – largely there isn’t one – but the brief bits of dialogue between the heroes and villains get a good chuckle every now and then. The gameplay takes centre stage, and it’s good and solid. Just be prepared ahead of time to resist hurling your controller through your screen as you lose yet another life to a bird shitting on you at exactly the wrong moment.