Chained Echoes Reviews
Chained Echoes is without a doubt the best RPG I've played all year, and should be pushed to the top of your backlog immediately.
There are so many “retro homage” JRPGs these days that I tend to approach them with caution. Even when they’re made well, they rarely live up to the standards of the games that inspired them. Chained Echoes not only meets that standard but, were this released back on the SNES when Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI were flying high, people would have considered them comparable. It’s more than a homage. It’s a genuine and powerful contribution to the genre.
Chained Echoes is a fantastic JRPG that captures everything we love about turn-based RPGs on the SNES but improves on everything we didn't love. With a new battle system, no random enemies to encounter, and the ability to have eight characters on your team and switch without using a turn, Chained Echoes is a must-play!
Even if inspired by classic franchises, Chained Echoes delivers what it proposes and even more: I'd dare say future games will be inspired by it. That's the case because its story and soundtrack wipe the floor with [what] many renowned games [have to offer], not to mention its multiple combat styles. The Overdrive and Overheat gauges are a smart choice to make battles dynamic and fun. Extra content also helps, being inserted in the right measure. Actually, is there anything in Chained Echoes that isn't perfect?
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Fans of SNES-era games (and especially JRPGs) will certainly love Chained Echoes, but there are plenty of quality-of-life improvements (like being able to save at pretty much any time) that keep the game feeling new and distinctly 21st-century. For all the aesthetics of games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6, Chained Echoes doesn't feel like a '90s game (a trap that many retro-leaning indies fall into). Chained Echoes is a fresh, smart adventure that celebrates classic JRPGs while not being afraid to push into new directions. It's sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking - and always fun. It's a must-play.
On the surface, Chained Echoes is an amazing game, but one that offers you an even better experience overall the more you play.
It's not every day you get to experience a game like Chained Echoes. With an incredible story, excellent writing, characters you can connect with and a combat system that takes a traditional turn-based system and turns it into a strategic, thought-provoking experience. What's not to like about that?
Matthias Linda and his collaborators sign the perfect title to close the 2022 just passed, packaging a hit that - we are sure - has made the Christmas holidays of many JRPG fans unforgettable. It's true, Chained Echoes is a love letter to great classics of the 90s and early 2000s but it is also an adventure with a spirit of its own, unique and special. We sincerely hope that Linda decides to make Chained Echoes a saga and we believe that she will be able to treasure this experience and its (few) flaws to create, in the future, other equally memorable adventures. Meanwhile, Chained Echoes is destined to become a new, great classic, inserting itself into the illustrious firmament to which it refers.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Don't look at Chained Echoes as a throwback to the 16-bit JRPGs of yesteryear, just look at it as an amazing game with an engaging battle system and wonderfully paced story. You can also look at it as one of the best Nintendo Switch games of 2022.
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 is 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.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Chained Echoes is fantastic. Not only does it capture what made 90s JRPGs special, but it elevates and modernizes it to deliver an unforgettable experience. With an engaging narrative, attractive characters, a well-built world, and a combat system full of good ideas, it has become one of the best JRPGs I've played in over a decade. Chained Echoes didn't copy old JRPGs, it understood them to create something that lives up to their legacy.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Chained Echoes is one of the best RPG games in recent years. with creative Mechanics, fascinating narrative and enjoyable combat, you are going to blast playing this amazing game.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Fans of old school 2D JRPGs, who would like something made today that resembles the great Super Nintendo and PS1 classics, need to play Chained Echoes. It’s a wonderful game. It’s more ambitious than the common indie throwback JRPG, but has many of their modernizations. Every single element of Chained Echoes is full of loving attention to detail. Hopefully Chained Echoes is a success and we can see future projects from its creator. I’ve already ordered a physical copy.
Chained Echoes is a title that knows how to honour the past, celebrate the present and embrace the future through a development inspired by the great tradition of the JRPG genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Chained Echoes is simply one of the best games of the genre, worthy to be remembered like the others iconic classics.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Having released in this day and age where the classics of the genre are probably a memory for most, Chained Echoes has everything going for it to make a mark. It meshes modern-day conveniences and improvements with old-school formulas, making it a much more refined JRPG experience that simply needs to be played. While there are some stumbles along the way, it is an impressive effort from a solo developer, and a giant leap in what is hopefully the first of many successes to come.
This single-developer passion project sets a standard for how the classic 16-bit JRPG can still be improved upon
Indie JRPG Chained Echoes is a polished new 16-bit JRPG that brings out the best of the golden age.
Valendis is a beautifully pixelated world with a rich history in this story-driven RPG. The initial introductions drag on a bit long, but once the story picks up it pays off in the end. Chained Echoes manages to introduce useful mechanics to its combat with the Overdrive system that work with the player while challenging them to change up their gameplay and strategy at the same time while still affording plenty of room for customization and accessibility.
Simply put, Chained Echoes is a heartfelt love letter to the SNES JRPG classics from the 90s that boasts an incredible cast of characters, amazing pixel artwork, a brilliant soundtrack, impeccable attention to detail, and a complex narrative.