Initial Thoughts on Chained Echoes

I don't normally do stuff like this, but it's not often I see so much hype around a game like Chained Echoes.

I really like to try and finish games before I say anything about them, but my ex-journalist brain keeps yelling at me that "TIMELINESS IS IMPORTANT" and there is no way I am going to finish this game any time soon. So, I want to strike while the iron is hot and give some initial thoughts on Chained Echoes. For those who are unaware, Chained Echoes is an independently developed, old school style JRPG available on just about every modern gaming device. It was developed over the course of seven years by a single developer. Yes, you heard that right, one developer. From all accounts, developer Matthias Linda was a huge fan of 4th gen RPGs and wanted to create a game similar to iconic titles like Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy VI. Not going to lie, it definitely shows.

Before I continue, I want to clarify something very important about my reviews of indie games like Chained Echoes. There is a huge, huge difference between a game developed by a single or small team of developers and a game created by a huge company. Good is good and bad is bad, but you can't look at something that's someone's passion project that they do in their spare time in the same way that people created as part of their job. When I review a game like Chained Echoes or Cosmic Star Heroine, almost any criticism I have I want to be in some way constructive. It's going to be hard for a small team to test their game as rigorously or acquire market research data as to what customers want, if they can do it at all. As such, mistakes and questionable design decisions are far more forgivable, at least in my opinion. In addition, I want these kinds of people to keep making games, I always wish I had the skills to program my own video game and I have all the respect in the world for independent developers, even if the games they make aren't great.

Fortunately, that doesn't look like the it's going to be the case here. It's not perfect, but what I have experienced to this point is far more good than bad. I can see the influence of so many great old games and the overall quality of the game is shockingly high for a single person project. I always like giving bad news first, so I am actually going to start with a few criticisms. I haven't had too many issues thus far and most of these issues are relatively minor, but I did want to call them out. Some things I've noticed so far:

The screen shifting - I don't know what else to call this and it could just be me, but the way the camera shifts every time your party moves is extremely jarring and borders on giving me motion sickness. The best way I can describe it is that every time your party moves, you outrun the screen. The camera then quickly adjusts to follow your party as you move, causing a jarring shift. I have a feeling that this may just be me, but it's something I find really problematic.

The sheer size of the opening area - A lot of my negative comments will come with a "but," which is actually a good thing. I'm all for big, expansive worlds, with a lot of overland travel. But the initial area, Rohlan Plains, feels like it's a little too much, too fast. This is only the first area of the game and it's huge. If this were a mid-game area I wouldn't have batted an eye, but I feel like starting with something that was a bit more streamlined would have been nice. In general, Chained Echoes falls into one of what I consider a trap of modern game design where it throws a million things at you at once right away. You have the story and sidequests and a huge area and an adventurer's guild and a bounty board all these exploration bonuses, all at once with tutorials. I like that there is so much to do, it just would have been nice to stagger it a bit. Still, more content is better than no content and I will take this over navigating the overworld via menus any day.

Excessive Chrono Trigger influence - Look, we all love Chrono Trigger. And it's no secret that Chained Echoes was heavily inspired by 16-bit/4th gen JRPGs. But while the references to Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire and Secret of Mana are there, there were times early on where the game felt like it was just outright worshipping Chrono Trigger. The town fair section at the beginning comes immediately to mind. I guess my issue is here is that it feels like ideas were taken from Chrono Trigger rather than inspired by it. It's not a major problem or anything, but it stands out especially when you consider some of the things I am going to talk about in the positives section.  

English Translation/Localization - This is definitely one of those things that I don't want to belabor because of the whole "one guy developed this" thing. In a way, it's almost positive because it's so appropriate for games of this era. But there were a lot of localization and translation errors. I localize a lot of content written by native German speakers as part of my job and I could absolutely have told you Matthais Linda was German without even looking it up. Hey, his English is still a lot better than my German. This is a situation where I can totally understand why it's not perfect, localization is a full-time job in and of itself. It's honestly a situation where, if there is ever a Chained Echoes 2, it would be cool to see patrons or members of the community help out. I'll throw my hat in the ring.

Auto-healing after battle - This really bothered me at first. How could a game that pays homage to old school JRPGs include such a hand-holding modern gaming trope? I will talk a little bit more about it in the positives below. I still hate this idea in theory, though I quickly noticed the way the game is balanced helps it work in practice.

If those negatives largely sound like nitpicks, it's because they kind of are. I have really enjoyed Chained Echoes in my short time largely because:      

Presentation - Simply put, this game looks and sounds beautiful. The world is colorful in engaging and the music fits absolutely perfectly. The sprites are detailed and the animation is truly impressive. It's been a while since I played a game that made me notice something as trivial as how smooth rotating blades on a windmill turn.  Chained Echoes looks like it came from a big budget studio. But it's soundtrack thus far may be even more impressive. I don't know if Linda composed it himself, but if he did, just wow.

The original ideas all hit home - A lot of these indie "homage" games quickly turn into rip-offs. While I do feel like there is an outsized amount of Chrono Trigger Worship, there are plenty of really cool, original ideas and I think almost all of them work. The combat system is really cool and unique, I think it is a great iteration of traditional JRPG combat. There are a lot of interesting diversions that make you keep your eyes open while not asking you to go too far out of your way. The design of the towns make exploring a lot easier and less time consuming. It's rare that this happens with these kinds of games, but I think the original ideas it presents are the best part.

The combat - I really, really like the combat in Chained Echoes. I think it's a really refreshing take on JRPG combat that keeps the standard format intact while opening up new strategies. Basically, your goal is to keep your meter in overdrive mode, so you get added stat bonuses. You increase your overdrive by using your skills or taking damage. However, if you just keep attacking you will eventually overheat, which will debuff your party. Once you reach overdrive, certain skills will light up, which means they will now reduce your overdrive gauge rather than increase it. It sounds simple, but it really adds an element of strategy that I liked a lot. It also allows you to switch party members in and out Final Fantasy X style, which I always liked as a mechanic. Overall, combat has been a hit and I can't wait to start taking on some tougher enemies.

Balance - As I alluded to in my negatives section, I'm not sure how I feel about getting healed after each battle. I kind of feel the same way, though not as strongly, about being able to save anywhere. However, Chained Echoes is perfectly balanced around these mechanics. Every battle requires you to essentially go all out, using all of your skills, buffs, heals and other attacks. If you aren't careful, even trash mobs can take your party down. I still don't know how I feel about a major modern gaming convenience being front and center in an homage to 16-bit RPGs, but it's used here about as perfectly as it can be. It doesn't take the difficulty away, it just makes it more palatable to modern gamers while still offering gameplay that appeals to old school ones.

So, I am a ways away from giving Chained Echoes a proper review, but all signs thus far are positive. When your five negatives are nit picks and your five positives are major aspects of the game, things are looking pretty good. Here's to hoping it doesn't fall off a cliff as I move forward.