Chained Echoes

As a Suikoden fan, this is the kind of game I've been hoping for for years. Chained Echoes feels like a modern take on everything I loved about Suikoden. 9/10

七年磨一劍~值得!! 整體來說是這幾年來，看到委靡不振的大廠拚死炒冷飯， 或是捧著老IP繼續造神，把老魔王頻頻挖回來鞭屍， 卻又端不出什麼能令玩家下嚥的優秀作品後的一個新希望。 這款''宿命殘響''， 是一款切合主題又很用心的獨立作品， 故事裡面有很多大廠或是過去RPG標竿的作品影子， 我本以為只有大宇的軒轅劍3、天之痕，想不到德國居然還有這麼一招。 先說優點， 1. 本作劇情嚴謹(除了那兩極化的結局之外XD)，角色性格鮮明，亂世末路英雄的反轉情節很多， 看得出來在腳本懸念上有下足苦心，僅有少數伏筆(黑色天鎧)未回收，還望後續DLC補齊， 在刻劃上會使用畫面補足言外之音，很多過程並未說出，但僅用畫面就不言而喻，屬於高級的敘事手法。 例如: 凱廉為了上位，和主教發展的關係，可以從半夜兩個大男人裸身(只穿條內褲)睡在一起， 就讓玩家明白其含義，諸如此類，刻劃人性深刻，很少有像素作品會去這麼描寫成人語言，特別是王道類型的RPG。 2. 隱藏要素條件和隱藏BOSS很多，解謎和小細節也是量大管飽，夠讓RPG迷細細品味， 很多設計巧思，跟隱藏玩法。不論是鋼彈機器人、魔法奇幻王國、龍與地下城， 光這幾個要素結合配上這價錢，真的就夠佛! 3. 地圖在設計上也是有針對步行及天鎧模式分開去設計，連接關也是， 巧妙利用移動島的特性，把整張圖當成解謎遊戲，邊緣密道、隱藏山洞和財寶、以及水中泡泡傳送， 也是分分鐘操作，帶給玩家層層驚喜! 4. 遊戲中能夠隨時自由調整戰鬥的難易度，日記、怪物圖鑑加上任務標記，友好新手黨。 成就黨也不用怕，1周目也好，多周目也都沒問題，全破完還可以繼續回頭解(請記得跑完字幕再存檔2周目)， 讓你慢慢挖掘這世界量體到底有多大。 5. 像素畫風，整體美術畫面精美，彌補了UI設計位置的空差，感覺設計師是左撇子， 大多的介面視覺重點都放在左邊，一般來說普遍是右邊。 說完優點，來看缺點 : 1. 撇開沒有語音實屬可惜，但系統的無用設計較為人所詬病， 感覺得出來作者很有心想要改變回合制的玩法， 但很多所謂新穎的設計，以結果來說仍偏向雞肋實驗性質， 例如: 戰鬥中的過熱系統，原意是讓玩家考慮多種配合combo避免無腦A， 無腦A會受到罰則等想法，立意是有趣的，但顯然不夠成熟， 導致基本你還是可以無視該系統，一路A過去，也不太影響戰鬥的大多過程。 2. 裝備的獎勵制度，前面關卡的BOSS不該是掉後面關卡商店能買到的獎勵， 特殊性不夠，可能是想讓玩家收集多點戰利品去兌換商店給的特殊物品包吧， 但也導致一個問題，就是很多裝備到後面是跟喝水一樣，穿沒兩下就要脫下來賣了， 導致玩家得思考...還要花這麼多錢升級嵌入水晶嗎? 還是我硬著打打等下一關吧，就這麼...一路來到了10星裝備XD 3. 再來就是天鎧能降落的地點，常常是令人摸不著頭腦，不夠直覺，可以設計可降落區域的範圍顯示。 4. 很多技能BUILD是沒有辦法洗點重置的，對於新手來說， 點錯技能就只能等下次得到新點數才能點來使用，且點錯的還不能洗掉，得一路頂到破關，有點可惜。 5. 商店買賣或是傳送系統的頁面，我知道作者不是寫程式出身，但反人體習慣是做遊戲的大忌， 例如: 其他廠設計可能就選定這樣東西，按A再按數量再按A就可以買，頂多按B是取消，屬於直線性操作， 但本作不是，本作遊戲手把買東西是要反覆確認AB鈕，頗為麻煩，這點也是不夠直覺便利。 6. 建議解謎橋段或是教學的說明篇幅，以現今角度來看過於複雜，可以考慮直接用像素動畫做展演。讓玩家從玩中學習，會比較省事也快速。 雖然有上述缺點，但整體仍是瑕不掩瑜的一款用心作品， 推薦給對RPG有興趣的小夥伴，這款獨立遊戲''宿命殘響''，絕對值得你們細品。

Clearly intended to be an epic JRPG opus, Chained Echoes’ widescreen ambitions are too often handicapped by smaller-scale design gaffes. Biggest positives: + Detailed worlds that feel like a maximalist expansion on the settings of the SNES-era JRPGs + Obviously a lot of thought put into the extensive world-building Other notes: - The overdrive system is poorly framed. You spend most of each fight in overdrive, so it stops feeling like a ‘special’ boost pretty early. The reward for being in overdrive is a manacost reduction, which feels like a relatively unexciting buff. - The protracted basic fights really stunt the game’s motion before it fully has a chance to take off Full review: https://toothbrush.blog/review/chained-echoes/

Came in by reading out good reviews, but after playing for a few, decided that this game is "not it" and agressively mid: 1) Start of story is rough. You get not much intro but your character acts like knows everything 2) Combat system is "plain"? 3) Full restore HP system after battle, but still have items that waste entire battle turn??? MAJOR PROBLEM FOR ME 4) If you go wrong fork on the road - you locked in cutscene with no way to check other road without reloading save file 5) Millenial writing with "current political ideologies" 6) Music kinda not matches what is going on the screen MAYBE it's game that "Gets better 20 hours in!", but no. I'll pass.

This is strictly my personal opinion not from a JRPG loyalist, but based on similar games I’ve played. I’ve played Octopath Traveler II, finished Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, and then played Chained Echoes, so I think it’s fair to compare my enjoyment across the three. One important bias up front: [b] I don’t enjoy grinding [/b], and I don’t play JRPGs as much as I used to. That’s why [b] Chained Echoes’ progression system worked especially well for me [/b], since it isn’t level-based, you can’t really grind your way through encounters. Progress comes from exploration, bosses, and learning the combat system, which felt refreshing. [b] Eiyuden Chronicle [/b] has an enjoyable, fully voice-acted story, but its combat system feels shallow at times. Many of the Hero Combo attacks feel underwhelming and rarely worth using. [b] Octopath Traveler II [/b] offers the most complex and polished combat system of the three, but for me, its structure can feel a bit cumbersome when playing blind. Many NPC interaction options Inquire, Purchase, Allure, etc.—often lead to similar outcomes, and keeping track of which action works best in each town can feel tedious. While highly polished, it sometimes felt more like managing a checklist than going on an adventure. [b] Chained Echoes [/b]sits comfortably in the middle. The Overdrive system is divisive, but I personally enjoyed how it encourages planning instead of repeating the same optimal turn order. The game is more linear, yet still allows exploration, has a manageable number of side quests, and feels great to play without a guide. Piloting a mech later in the game is also a standout moment (not really a spoiler). Story-wise, [b] Chained Echoes is ambitious and thematically strong [/b], but the ending feels weaker because [b] too many ideas are left unexplored [/b]. It’s like introducing powerful concepts and factions but never fully following through on them imagine a Naruto world where tailed beasts exist, yet you never really get to fight or confront them directly. The message is still meaningful, but some elements feel rushed or forced toward the end. In summary: [list] [*]Chained Echoes offers the best experience-to-price ratio, especially for players who dislike grinding [*]Octopath Traveler II excels in presentation, OST, and overall polish [*]Eiyuden Chronicle delivers a strong, enjoyable story [/list] Chained Echoes tells a deep story with a slightly weaker, somewhat forced ending, but still leaves a meaningful message. It’s also impressive that [b] Chained Echoes was made by a single developer [/b], which makes the overall experience even more remarkable.

A great RPG with some good surprises like; - The combat with overdrive system, it encourages you to use all characters and strategies. - The main characters are solid. - Sky Armor Fight. - Music and story in great parts. But, it have some issues; - The conflict in certain point seems to go much faster. - The game have some issues with character development, cause some members or antagonist have some less attention until the game remember that they need a closure. - No spanish support. - The inconsistence of recruit some characters, literally the last members that you can obtain is in the endgame, before the last dungeon.

When you take off the nostalgia glasses and look back at classic JRPGs, many of them have glaring problems, ranging from poorly balanced combat to mechanics that simply do not work as intended. Chained Echoes aims to be a classic 16-bit JRPG in its own right, but despite being developed by a single person, it benefits from decades of progress in game design to deliver an experience without any of those shortcomings. Chained Echoes' experience is strongest in its complex combat system. It's unique, well thought-out and surprisingly well-balanced. It throws you into a wide variety of situations you'll have to puzzle-solve your way out of using the large selection of tools it gives you. This is not a game where you can press attack and win, or grind until you're overpowered. It can feel a little overwhelming at times, but it's a very rewarding experience that is especially impressive coming from a single developer. The combat may be the best part of this game, but that doesn't mean the rest of the experience is anything short of captivating. Chained Echoes has a huge world to explore, full of beautiful locations. The art style is pretty classic, but the way it's used and the amount of details put into environments is superior to what you'd typically see. The soundtrack is beautiful and though it may not have super memorable bangers, it is very good nonetheless. All great RPGs have deep narratives and Chained Echoes certainly lives up to that expectation. It checks all the boxes; great characters and character development, strong themes, great world-building, unexpected twists and turns, emotional moments and on and on. It may not be on the level of life-changing stories from other classics, but it is still great enough that I struggle to find anything bad to say about it. This game is of an exceptional value for the price. I wouldn't recommend this as a first-time RPG, but if you're a fan of the genre and haven't played this, you're missing out.