Chained Echoes is a 2-D RPG modeled after the 16-bit classics I used to love, like Chrono Trigger and such.  The storyline is a bit convoluted, but it involves three kingdoms on the brink of war, ancient stones that house world destroying monsters, mech suits, and a rag-tag team of adventurers who will end up saving the world.  It’s available on all current consoles and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.

You’ll view the action from a top down perspective and while the graphics are a bit better than 16-bit, you can tell they modeled them after that era.  You’ll travel to towns, fields, and dungeons gathering clues and treasures and fighting enemies in turn-based RPG fashion.  The battles are really where the game shines and employs a lot of neat ideas.  The main gimmick is a meter that goes up as you attack.  You’ll want to keep it in the green area so your attacks and defenses are at their highest, and try to keep it from going into the ‘overheat’ mode.  Sometimes you can use certain skills, or defend and use items to make the meter go down again.  This prevents battles from becoming button mashing marathons and keeps you on your toes.  You can also switch out party members freely, handy if someone gets paralyzed.  Later on you’ll even be able to don mech suits called Sky Armor for even bigger attacks!

Aside from the convoluted storyline, the battles are also this game’s biggest downfall.  After each battle, your HP and TP points used for skills are refilled, and they encourage you to go all out in each battle.  But this also means the enemies do too, so each fight is extremely challenging.  Thank goodness you can save at anytime and the game also autosaves, because you can easily get into a situation where you may not win.  I also really don’t like how you level up your characters.  You have to earn stars at certain points in the game to significantly increase your stats and learn new skills.  I wish there was an ‘easy mode’ for folks who just want to relax and enjoy the classic gameplay and story without every battle stressing you out.  It just wore on me after a while.  The game is still good and there’s a lot to like about it, but only get it if you want an RPG with a high challenge level and steep learning curve.

Kid Factor:

Chained Echoes is rated M for Mature with ESRB descriptors of Sexual Themes and Strong Language.  I really only noticed these things in the text, but the game is still best for older players because of the high challenge level.

Tags: Game Reviews