Analysis Chained Echoes, a small JRPG masterpiece

Chained echoes are solo project Mathias Linda, who has spent more than seven years advancing his work, kicking off 2019 for real with a successful ad campaign Starter. In this title, Linda wanted to capture What were JRPGs like in the 16-bit era?and not only has he succeeded by far, but he also offers us a formula that works wonderfully.

A classic JRPG story

Chained echoes takes us into the world of Valandis, a revisited medieval-fantasy universe steampunklike the mechanized armor that we will see during the game. The plot unfolds in a time of peace after centuries of war between the three factions that populate Valandis. this peace It won’t last longbecause for the interest of some, the war is something which must be perpetuated.

Thus, during the first hours of play we jump from character to character, all protagonists in some way in this conflict. The characters are very well defined. each having a very marked personality, as well as their abilities, but with a rather original touch, since there are races and classes of all kinds.

After the first few hours, we reached the point where all these characters gather in a group with a common goal. Even so, the game keeps introducing us to new characters and locations at a furious pace. It can be a bit confusing at first, but once you get past the first stretch we will be hopelessly trapped in this universe and empathetic with all its protagonists.

Chained Echoes, an updated classic JRPG

The plot is good enough to get us completely addicted to this title, but its gameplay and mechanics are the best ever lately in the genre. Really, without exaggeration. Chained echoes manages to evolve various aspects of JRPGs classics like the rhythm of the game, balance between exploration and combatand the combat mechanics themselves.

The first thing that jumps out at you is the speed at which the characters move by the stage, which gives a dynamism to the exploration that is rarely found in this type of proposal. On the other hand, the encounters with the enemies are “scripted”, that is to say that there are no random fights. Going through certain scenarios where the story takes us, these groups of enemies will appearso forget the “farming” sessions to raise the levels and be able to face this boss that is choking us.

Here the points to level up, called Grimoire Shards, are given to us according to the requirements of the script, usually after finishing a boss fight Or a long mission. Another aspect to take into account is that at the end of a fight, full “life” and “mana” are restored, as well as the companions who died in this fight will be resurrected. This makes each fight, we must make the most of each character’s abilities succeed, by exploiting each other’s techniques. For this to work, the game uses the so-called Overdrive system.

Overdrive combat system

All fights Chained echoes is based on the Overdrive system, which is represented by a bar of three colors (yellow, green and red) and a progress indicator in the upper left corner of our screens. For every action we take with our group, the indicator goes up or down along the bar. This system requires us to think carefully about our next move. Depending on the action we perform and when we perform it, the indicator can go up or down, contributing a strategic touch with a lot of weight in the fights.

The main idea is that this indicator stay in the green part, since our attacks will be more powerful. If the indicator reaches the red part, we will be in trouble, since our attacks lose effectiveness and enemy attacks are boosted. Outside this system, we find very typical JRPG elementsturn-based combat, weaknesses to certain elements or negative or positive effects that one can or can cause, and “ultra” moves.

A visual and sound aspect that dazzles

We are in front of a title which enter without a doubt through the eyes. The pixel-art he claims Chained echoes is directly inspired by 16-bit JRPGs, but with a very successful facelift to adapt it to current times. Great sets and great characters, separate animations and effects for each combat skill, the portraits of the characters during conversations, or the fluidity with which everything moves. The care that Mathias Linda gave to his work it shows in every pixel on the screen.

On the other hand, the title has a soundtrack worthy of the greatest classic JRPG. Whether exploring scenarios, in combat, in dramatic conversation, all themes have that classic JRPG charm, with melodies that stay with us even after leaving the remote control. One more time it’s hard to believe that this title was developed by one person. Although they have no voice, the rest of the sound effects remain at the same level, bordering on exceptional.

Chained echoes, final conclusions

Chained echoes are a real and pleasant surprise for this end of the year. A title that takes everything that made the success of the JRPGs of the 16-bit era and gives it a facelift in all its aspects to adapt it to the current public. There are a lot of things that fall in love with the title, its combat system, pacing, and balance in every aspect. Its visual and sound section is also good on its own, but we put all these aspects together we have before us a little masterpiece craftsmanship. Its duration is not far either, since we can leave until thirty or forty hours if we offer. As a negative point, and quite notable, is that the game is not translated into Spanish, a fairly significant handicap for some players.

Chained echoes can be liked by any player who gives it a chance, but fans of the classic JRPG have a must-have here. The title went on sale on December 8 for $24.99 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch. Of course, remember that if you are a Gamepass subscriber, you can try it now, which I invite you to do now. If you want to read more reviews like this, be sure to visit our website, Xbox Area.