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

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  1. TheGoodGoat
    Jun 26, 2023
    10
    Chained Echoes is a sometimes challenging game with a lot of meaningful side content. It harkens back to the best time of JRPGs and really is comparable to the all time classics. There is nothing bad about this game aside from maybe the ending and some of the twists, which I thought were quite obvious. The best part of it is the combat!

    Combat: Perfect combat that involves diverse    Chained Echoes is a sometimes challenging game with a lot of meaningful side content. It harkens back to the best time of JRPGs and really is comparable to the all time classics. There is nothing bad about this game aside from maybe the ending and some of the twists, which I thought were quite obvious. The best part of it is the combat!

    Combat:

    Perfect combat that involves diverse party members with clear roles and duties. Additionally, you get Mechs that also serve similar roles and hare very customizable for different play styles. Each character gets their HP and TP (MP) replenished after battle which works very well due to the excellent balancing. A group of enemies can easily defeat you if you do not understand how the game plays. Eventually, the game gets easier but the pacing is excellent because you get new party members with unique roles that can shake things up. The bosses are and feel epic.

    The world:
    Very similar to Ivalice for me which makes it amazing. A lot of diverse NPCs and party members and fun things to do aside from the main quest.

    The Story:
    Pretty good considering everything but, in my opinion, the weak point of the game. The other things, however, make up for it.

    OVERALL:
    Definitely worth the price and to try out. There are elements from FF12, FF6 and FF10 that are reinterpreted in interesting ways so if you like those games, definitely give this one a try!    … Expand
  2. Sabrewulf1
    Dec 26, 2022
    10
    Edit: 110 hours later, game of 2022. Best in class, best rpg since I was 19 and played secret of mana and evermore when they came out on snes. It deserves all the praise it can get and some. It's not a 'tribute' to the very best old school rpg's, it stands by them as one othe best rpg's of all time. Absolutely incredible writing, heartfelt, loved every single second. The music is some ofEdit: 110 hours later, game of 2022. Best in class, best rpg since I was 19 and played secret of mana and evermore when they came out on snes. It deserves all the praise it can get and some. It's not a 'tribute' to the very best old school rpg's, it stands by them as one othe best rpg's of all time. Absolutely incredible writing, heartfelt, loved every single second. The music is some of the best I have ever heard on an rpg. What a breath of fresh air in a world where gaming is boring, manipulative, greedy, cash cows seen as a way to keep shareholders and corporates happy. If you love rpg and miss this, it's a crime.… Expand
  3. HellaSavageX
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    Such an amazing modern-day 16-bit SNES-style RPG, it really takes you back to what was the golden age of RPGs... : )
  4. Casjamin
    Apr 8, 2023
    10
    Incredible game. Beautifully written story to accompany a classic JRPG feel, but without all the tedious and negatives from older titles. 10/10, Matthias Linda is a mastermind
  5. Elronas
    Dec 13, 2022
    10
    Vaya locura de juego, me esperaba algo bueno al ser un RPG por turnos pero ha superado mis expectativas.
    Uno de los mejores juegos de su estilo que he jugado.
  6. GoonieMcGoon
    Mar 15, 2023
    10
    10/10. Incredible game. The combat system, the story, the reward board. Amazing.
  7. Maxtkd3
    Jan 5, 2023
    10
    Chained Echos se nos presenta a simple vista como un simple juego de RPG que busca captar la esencia de los clásicos 16 bit y cumplir. sin embargo, a los pocos minutos de iniciarlo es evidente que tiene muchas buenas ideas y nos vamos a meter en un viaje que nos recordará a los grandes del género.
    Para empezar hay que hacer notar que es un juego hecho por una sola persona, pues si bien    Chained Echos se nos presenta a simple vista como un simple juego de RPG que busca captar la esencia de los clásicos 16 bit y cumplir. sin embargo, a los pocos minutos de iniciarlo es evidente que tiene muchas buenas ideas y nos vamos a meter en un viaje que nos recordará a los grandes del género.
    Para empezar hay que hacer notar que es un juego hecho por una sola persona, pues si bien comisionó trabajo a algunos artistas por separado -lógicamente-, no tenemos tras de esta joya un estudio entero. Esto solo, de por sí podría permitirnos dejarle pasar muchas cosas o le daría libertad para hacer algo "no muy complejo" y sin embargo, pone en ridículo al 60% (al menos) de los JRPG del último lustro.
    Graficamente tenemos un estilo pixel art hermoso, y aunque no se destaca precisamente por ser "único", es bellísimo en todo momento y captura la magia de clásicos como el Crono Trigger. Quizá la única queja (si le cabe a un juego hecho por una persona) es la repetición de ciertas texturas, como por ejemplo las piedras, con cambios de color. Esto es un exceso realmente, pero algo había que decir. Por lo demás, los diseños de personajes, Sky Armors y enemigos están muy bien, quizá con una leve excepción a los dos Bosses finales que me parecieron sacados de contexto.
    La música es hermosa, una variada selección de canciones que representan el ambiente en el que nos encontramos casi a la perfección y pequeños temas que te quedan pegados mucho tiempo despues de jugar.
    Las mecánicas de juego en si podemos decir que en su mayoría son un rejunte de cosas que se han visto en diversos juegos, pero que están aplicadas de manera excelsa y logran innovar en pequeñas cosas que sorprenden al veterano del genero. Como si fuera poco, cuando nos dan las "Sky Armors" (no es spoilers. se las ve en cualquier trailer) el combate se amplia y cambia totalmente y no solo esto, la manera de explorar el mundo da un giro de 180 grados. Excelente.
    La historia, que transita canales típicos inicialmente, está muy bien escrita, con personajes creíbles y entrañables y con varios giros de trama en momentos específicos que logran sacar a la trama de los cliches previsibles del género. Además, el mundo que nos plantea, muy lindo dado a sus gráficos en principio, se ve contrastado con historias personales a veces muy crudas. Quizá la única queja en este aspecto es que algunas partes del juego necesitan un leve retoque de guión (lo que pasa está bien en el qué, pero su ejecución podría haber sido mejor)
    En fin, un obligado del género, y en una época en donde la industria del gaming en general no para de decepcionar, es muy bueno que este juego exista. Háganse un favor y juéguenlo.    … Expand
  8. SWERY_51
    Dec 26, 2022
    9
    One of the very best story and character writing of the decade!

    And if it was not enough, soundtrack is a masterpiece, graphics are lovely, turn based combat is great with interesting mechanics, and the game is quite long with a lot of surprises and twists.

    If you are nostalgic of the 2D RPG era à la Chrono Trigger, do not miss this gem.
  9. 1van5
    Jan 5, 2023
    9
    This game wears its inspirations in a very straightforward manner and does not shoot for over the top innovation. It is a very familiar experiencie for experienced golden era JRPG players with a couple QOL features and modern game design metrics. Still, it delivers its promisses in almost every aspect. It has a very engaging take on turn based combat (with an alternative module for theThis game wears its inspirations in a very straightforward manner and does not shoot for over the top innovation. It is a very familiar experiencie for experienced golden era JRPG players with a couple QOL features and modern game design metrics. Still, it delivers its promisses in almost every aspect. It has a very engaging take on turn based combat (with an alternative module for the mechas), a very competent soundtrack and beautiful pixel art. The plot is very interesting in its pace and moment to moment scenarios, but the writing does hang low frequently, not always embodying the messages/em… Expand
  10. Kulitsch
    May 10, 2023
    9
    Großartig!

    Dieses Spiel ist was es lange gebraucht hat. Anstatt mit Hunderten von Mitarbeitern halbgare AAA Titel zu entwickeln braucht es nur eine gute Idee und viele tolle Gameplaymechaniken um in einer mit Spielen überschwemmten Branche aufzuräumen. Hier wurde mit Leidenschaft und ohne Zugzwang eines der besten MultiRPGs geschaffen.
  11. SetyaPanca
    Jun 25, 2023
    9
    After getting the Platinum trophy from this game, and playing it for 55 Hours,

    Chained Echoes is a "love letter" come from someone who really loves JRPG genre, this love letter is shown to all gamers who love this genre to, through an epic game that has been made with all their heart for 7 years. This game have a very emotional storyline. Not only that, this game also tells about a    After getting the Platinum trophy from this game, and playing it for 55 Hours,

    Chained Echoes is a "love letter" come from someone who really loves JRPG genre, this love letter is shown to all gamers who love this genre to, through an epic game that has been made with all their heart for 7 years. This game have a very emotional storyline. Not only that, this game also tells about a moral dilemma in achieving peaceful world.    … Expand
  12. Hazuna
    Jun 29, 2023
    8
    Eine Hommage an die großen Titel der JRPG-Ära. Ich muss zugeben, dass mich Chained Echoes überrascht hat und anfangs süchtig werden lies. Die Geschichte ist spannend und mitreißend dabei aber nie überzogen oder drüber. Das Kampfsystem lässt dabei Erinnerungen aus der guten alten Turn-Based-Zeit wach werden. Alle Charaktere sind toll geschrieben und leisten ihren Beitrag zur sichEine Hommage an die großen Titel der JRPG-Ära. Ich muss zugeben, dass mich Chained Echoes überrascht hat und anfangs süchtig werden lies. Die Geschichte ist spannend und mitreißend dabei aber nie überzogen oder drüber. Das Kampfsystem lässt dabei Erinnerungen aus der guten alten Turn-Based-Zeit wach werden. Alle Charaktere sind toll geschrieben und leisten ihren Beitrag zur sich entfaltenden Geschichte. In Summe eine tolles Spiel!

    Allerdings tue ich mich doch schwer, hier von einem absoluten Meisterwerk zu sprechen. Zum einen ist da das Kampfsystem: es gibt zwar einen twist, der die Kämpfe fordernd hält und so nie wirklich langweilig macht - allerdings ist das auch gleichzeitig eine Schwäche, die mit zunehmender Spieldauer immer deutlicher wird: es fehlt der eigenen Party oft an Wucht und auch kleine Mobs können einen an den Rand des Game Overs bringen. Grade wenn man mal eine Region absucht kann dies etwas nervig werden. Des Weiteren haben mich die dauernden Kämpfe in den Himmelsrüstungen ab der zweiten Hälfte eher abgeschreckt. Zumal hier nur 4 Charaktere aus der gut besetzten Party eine Relevanz spielen.

    Das ist - ich weiß - meckern auf sehr hohem Niveau. Unter dem Strich bleibt jedoch ein Spiel, dass jeder mit gutem Gewissen in die Konsole einlegen kann und bis zu 100 Stunden Inhalt und Grind bietet. Made in Germany!    … Expand
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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

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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.
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  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.
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  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.
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