Chained Echoes Reviews
I’ve played a lot of retro-inspired games this year, and Chained Echoes easily stands out as one of the best – and it’s not even particularly close. With gorgeous artwork, addicting mechanics, and a world that blends steampunk with high fantasy seamlessly, Chained Echoes is a loving homage to old-school RPGs while still managing to proudly blaze its own path. If you’re looking for a challenging (but not punishing) RPG with an engaging story, enjoyable characters, and mechanics that will keep you coming back for hours at a time, Chained Echoes is an absolute must.
A modern RPG classic; a game that would have made a splash on SNES, even surrounded by all-time greats like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger.
Chained Echoes builds on what makes older JRPGs great to feel familiar and new at the same time.
A love letter to console RPGs that left a mark on the life of many players in the past, Chained Echoes succeeds in delivering an adventure worthy of the titles it pays homage to, and it can already be considered a modern classic. The charismatic characters, excellent soundtrack and enticing plot from the very start will definitely please fans of the genre looking for something new that smartly reminds them of the past. Thus, for all intents and purposes, do not let yourself be deceived: though it may seem small, this is one of the big titles of 2022.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I couldn’t have been happier with my time with Matthias Linda and Deck13’s Chained Echos. It does everything right. Taking retro inspired designs and making it an RPG worthy of today’s standards, the characters, the environments, the music, the gameplay, essentially the works, you have it here. Thank you for this early holiday present!
I enjoyed my time in Valandis so much that I experienced as much of the side content as I could. This full length RPG stands as a love letter to the games I grew up with. The inspirations are clear, and yet this is a wholly unique RPG experience that anyone who has an affinity for the style–and 90s' RPGs in particular–owes it to themselves to enjoy.
A product of a 7 years of hard work, Chained Echoes is a very, VERY successful debut game for a game made by a single person. I recommend it not only to JRPG fans, but to anyone who is interested. Who knows, maybe your entry into the JRPG genre will be Chained Echoes.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Chained Echoes is not just a tribute, it's a fresh new take. An old school JRPG for a new school. Archaic systems and features have been cleaned up and now all the worst conventions of the genre are surprisingly manageable. Add in beautiful art direction, a rousing soundtrack, fleshed out characters and a wondrous world to explore and you have an excellent game in its own right.
Many independent RPG creators are inspired by the classics, but few succeed in their genre aspirations in the same way that Mattias Linda has.
Chained Echoes is a must-play for fans of classic SNES, PS1, and PS2 RPGs.
Chained Echoes is a 16-bit-era JRPG that lends itself well to the genre. A definite pickup if you are wanting to do a run of more SNES-era games but still have some quality-of-life adjustments of the modern era.
Chained Echoes is a wonderful mash-up of '90s JRPG tropes, masterfully woven together to produce an experience that feels simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. A well-paced story, unconventional progression system, tactical combat system, and expansive world all come together to make for a game that is shockingly one of the very best RPGs that we've played this year. Really, there's no place where it feels like Chained Echoes drops the ball, which is all the more impressive when you consider that the vast majority of it was put together by one person. If you consider yourself a fan of JRPGs, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up as soon as possible. Even if you aren't a fan of the genre, we'd still encourage you to snap this one up; it stands as a shining example of everything that makes RPGs great.
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.
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.
Indie JRPG Chained Echoes is a polished new 16-bit JRPG that brings out the best of the golden age.
This single-developer passion project sets a standard for how the classic 16-bit JRPG can still be improved upon
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.
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
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
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.