Chained Echoes

 Switch
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. GamingTrend
    Jan 13, 2023
    55
    Chained Echoes is an incredibly uneven RPG heavily inspired by the likes of Chrono Trigger and Xenogears. With bad writing, poorly thought out mechanics, and an overly complex… everything it can be hard to get through. Even so, there is a little fun to be found here, mostly near the beginning.

Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best Switch Game of 2022
33
#33 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 92 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 79 out of 92
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 92
  3. Negative: 9 out of 92
  1. TuffinUp
    Dec 9, 2022
    10
    Good combat, sprite and story. Giant robots, good characters and 10 hours in an engaging story, I am stoked on this game. Might be a bit oldGood combat, sprite and story. Giant robots, good characters and 10 hours in an engaging story, I am stoked on this game. Might be a bit old school for the kids, but classic jrpg fans will definitely enjoys… Full Review »
  2. WeAllEffed
    Jul 29, 2023
    1
    Could be a fantastic rpg, but completely ruined by the Overdrive mechanic. All it is is fake difficulty as it pigeonholes you to play exactlyCould be a fantastic rpg, but completely ruined by the Overdrive mechanic. All it is is fake difficulty as it pigeonholes you to play exactly the way the game wants you to. Battles end up being is a tug of war with this mechanic. Then the game arbitrarily decides to put you in Overheat for no apparent reason; where you take more damage and skills cost more to use. Getting out of Overheat completely derails the flow of the battles, and it makes no sense. There are either turns, or situations hardcoded, or it’s designed to be a pain. For example: a skill is highlighted yellow-orange (arbitrarily mind you) that will significantly lower the overdrive bar, often times forcing the player to use a skill that’s not beneficial. Sienna’s Pilfer when there’s nothing to steal, or you need to heal but some random skill lowers the Overdrive gauge, which allows you to temporarily play the game until it randomly throws you back into overheat.

    Give me an option to disable this stupid mechanic and I’d likely change my review score.    … Full Review »
  3. Lother
    Jan 4, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Half decent, it has a lot of good things going for it: the graphics, the gameplay, the music. It's all made (somewhat) by one dude.

    The story? It just falls apart. It tries too hard to be Xenogears, even copying entire plots, but not in a way that makes it fit with the rest of the story. The dude just doesn't know how to write a story. How can you expect people to relate to your protagonist if you make him out to be some mish mash of anti-hero/hero?

    Oh, so the dude was a major **** in the past, but then spent lifetimes "apologizing"? Oh, so the dude at the very end of the game decides "fk it, I'm too tired to keep on living, I'll let the guy we were just fighting have my body".

    No, this is sht writing. It also has some wke elements as well.

    It's a shame that the story tries so hard to be "different", but ends up just being a jumbled mess. So we have the major evil bad guy, who we NEVER fight, that inspired the ACTUAL villains of the game to keep killing humanity every few centuries IN ORDER TO FIGHT HIM. I know there is a reason given, but it's still rtrded as fk.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »