I started Chained Echoes but nearly uninstalled it within the first hour or two. Luckily, I persevered, and I’m glad I stuck with it.

The Good:
∙ The characters are superb and fun to follow through their adventures
∙ The story is really great overall (but had some stretches here and there)
∙ I love the combat system overall
∙ The dialogue is mostly alright, and the world feels believable for the most part

The Not-So-Good:
∙ I’m not keen on the overdrive/overheat feature, and the crystal system is clunky to use—I had to fiddle with it way too often because weapons and armor drop constantly (though I don’t mind the drops themselves)
∙ Some textures are difficult to read—it’s hard to tell where to climb up/down, traverse, etc.
∙ Mixed feelings about the Sky Armors, but that’s just my taste; I’ve never been a fan of mechs

Final Verdict:
Overall, a really great game with some weaknesses (in my opinion). I managed to finish it despite not fully engaging with the crystal system and overdrive mechanics.
Definitely recommended! Especially on Steam Deck!

There is a magic that happens when someone loves an era of gaming so much that they want to commemorate it and pen their own love letter to the feelings they experienced back when they first played these games. Chained Echoes is one such love letter.

It doesn't matter what era of gamer you are, the games you played when you were young and free of responsibilities and burdens (or at least had far fewer of them to deal with) will always hold a special place in your heart.

The feeling I got from the first day I started playing Chained Echoes, to the feelings I'm experiencing now, having rolled credits and completed all achievements just an hour ago are essentially a tribute to what the creators of this game almost certainly intended: Capturing the nostalgia and feeling of that era without being a copycat of the games that inspired it.

It can be hard to create an homage without becoming derivative, but Chained Echoes stands on its own. It may have the styling of games from the 16-bit golden era of RPGs (mostly the Super NES era), but this story, these characters, and the mechanics of this game are modern and original. There is no sense of derivation or duplication of the biggest pillars of the genre (namely, Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger) other than the fact that Chained Echoes has 16-bit pixel graphics.

The mechanics of the game feel original. The story is original. The music is modern and orchestrated. The characters are deeper and the writing doesn't rely on any exposition or tropes. There is a gravitas to this epic tale; the stakes are higher, the characters more relatable and believable. It doesn't take itself too seriously, though; the hallmark of excellent writing in games is that you can still experience levity and see bits and pieces of joy even as the world is falling apart around you and the gods themselves are intent on destroying you.

Read my full review, including the good, bad, and ugly on Infinite Backlog[infinitebacklog.net].

This was one of (hopefully) very few instances where the secondhand hype for a game ruined it before getting to enjoy it. Basically, because of online discussion about it i got to speedrun the "This is awesome and new!" nostalgia. I just started it and... uh this isnt at all what people made it out to be. This cant be the same game is it? Yes, it is, but letting everyone be a critic when most of them could barely handle a basic criticism aimed at themselves personally is not the way.
This is a game you should play. Im almost saying that just because I feel bad the developers made this and then the fanbase overhyped what could clearly be an enjoyable game.
People need to stop acting like they know everything and let people live for themselves. Ironic on a review sure, but im just being honest. Play it and write your own review.