Chained Echoes

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 53 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 53
  3. Negative: 8 out of 53

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. RuriGokou
    Jan 22, 2023
    3
    I had a written out this long rant about Chained Echoes. But I think this will get my idea across in less words. Chained Echoes reminds me of that scene in the anime, Welcome to NHK. The two characters are talking about what their cute female character will look like for the comic they are going to make. So, they come up with this female character that is so distorted and weird lookingI had a written out this long rant about Chained Echoes. But I think this will get my idea across in less words. Chained Echoes reminds me of that scene in the anime, Welcome to NHK. The two characters are talking about what their cute female character will look like for the comic they are going to make. So, they come up with this female character that is so distorted and weird looking because they thought using all these cute anime tropes would make the ultimate cute character. Instead, they created an ugly mess.

    In short, that is Chained Echoes.

    Chained Echoes draws from so many classic JRPGs it just becomes this self indulgent mess with no voice of its own. It wants to be this grand epic tale like the ones written by Yasumi Matsuno (Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Battle), Tetsuya Takahashi (Xenogears), and Mr. Murayama (Suikoden 1 and 2), but it just comes off as a bloated mess of a story as if told by a 13 year old who really loves old school JRPGs.

    The characters all speak in the same monotone voice except for the character Amalia, who had dialogue that did make me chuckle actually. But everyone else just seemed overall bland and unremarkable. I couldn't tell you anything about a character because there is very little character development outside their role or traits. Like for example, princess, Delita clone, guy that is overly protective of princess, lizardman or manchild who is over 100 years old.

    Like I mentioned, the story wants to be this grand tale like Final Fantasy Tactics or Suikoden but the writing just comes off as amateurish. Certain scenes were, I guess, supposed to be serious, but I was laughing out loud more from the ridiculousness of it all. And after the over 9000th random betrayal I was just rolling my eyes waiting for the story to come to an end.

    After the prologue and the very first few hours of the game, I totally lost any sort of interest in the story because of the poor writing and uninteresting characters. Don't believe the reviews. I could go into the imbalanced game play mechanics, the music which seemed to cycle through the same 5 or so tracks, or a number of other things. But in all honesty, if the writing was better I could have tolerated it all.    … Expand
  2. gqmasters3
    May 10, 2023
    3
    I felt it to be very overhyped. I didn't like the battle system or the system for leveling up where you pick from various stat boosts. Obviously I'm in the minority here, but I regret buying it and don't recommend it. I don't feel all of the comparisons to games like "Chrono Trigger" are well deserved at all. I feel the praise comes from more of it being a dry market rather than actuallyI felt it to be very overhyped. I didn't like the battle system or the system for leveling up where you pick from various stat boosts. Obviously I'm in the minority here, but I regret buying it and don't recommend it. I don't feel all of the comparisons to games like "Chrono Trigger" are well deserved at all. I feel the praise comes from more of it being a dry market rather than actually being a great game...kinda like when Coldplay or Mumford and Sons were two of the biggest bands on the planet i.e. it wasn't that they were that great, its just that there was absolutely nothing else out there if that makes sense.… Expand
  3. Svartruun
    Mar 27, 2023
    3
    Eine Hommage an die RPGs der SNES-Ära, schön gestaltet und eine gute Story bisher. Das tröstet jedoch nicht über den viel zu hohen Schwierigkeitsgrad hinweg. Selbst die kleinsten Random-Gegner haben viel zu viele HP, sogar schon zu Beginn des Spiels. Dazu kommt, daß sie sehr hohen Schaden machen, vor Allem, wenn die Overdrive-eiste im roten Bereich ist. Dann hat man auch noch das Pech, daßEine Hommage an die RPGs der SNES-Ära, schön gestaltet und eine gute Story bisher. Das tröstet jedoch nicht über den viel zu hohen Schwierigkeitsgrad hinweg. Selbst die kleinsten Random-Gegner haben viel zu viele HP, sogar schon zu Beginn des Spiels. Dazu kommt, daß sie sehr hohen Schaden machen, vor Allem, wenn die Overdrive-eiste im roten Bereich ist. Dann hat man auch noch das Pech, daß die meisten Attacken oder Aktionen keinen Cool down-Effekt bekommen, oder zumeist nur solche Aktionen, die nichts bringen. Ständig landet man selbst bei einfachsten Gegnern im Game over. Also muss man die Kämpfe stets wiederholen und sich eine Random-Taktik einfallen lassen, die dann mit viel Glück funktioniert. Ganz schlimm ist es bei Endgegnern: deren Attacken pushen die Overdrive-Leiste immer ans Limit, was dann mehr Damage für die Gruppe, weniger Damage für den Gegner und höhere TP-Kosten bedeutet. Und dann dürfen die Bosse auch mehrere Züge nacheinander machen, zumeist kommen dann deren Ultimate Attacks. Grinden kann man im Übrigen nur selten.
    Das Alles führt dazu, daß man nach Möglichkeit Kämpfe meidet - oder das Game gleich abbricht. Schade, aber mehr als drei Punkte kann ich dem Spiel nicht geben    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PS4 Game of 2022
7
#7 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. LevelUp
    Apr 25, 2023
    95
    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.
    Read full review
  2. RPGamer
    Jan 30, 2023
    90
    It’d be easy to simply compare Chained Echoes to some of the classics that clearly inspired it and call it a day. But the game brings to the table a lot more than simple callbacks to Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, or Suikoden. It builds on the impressive groundwork set by these household names in such impressive ways that it easily establishes its own identity. Even those who have never played any of the above titans will be able to get into Chained Echoes without any trouble, and all that take the plunge are sure to be quite happy they did so.
    Read full review
  3. PSX Brasil
    Dec 29, 2022
    95
    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's 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.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »