I'm 36 and also grew up loving old school RPGs. Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Shining Force, and on and on. This game nailed it. I legitimately find myself wondering if this is my favorite old school, top-down style RPG of all time. It's genuinely that good.
Total agreement. Soundtrack is amazing. I think my favorite thing is that there aren't a ton of battles to interrupt the exploration. And the battles are fun as well.
I've never touched any of the classics, and this is my first real dive into a JRPG-inspired game. I'm 37 and just picked this up on a whim because I'm going through a tough time and need something to distract me. I can't recall where I first heard about the game, but I've seen a bunch of people on Reddit giving it a hard time. Despite that, I'm really enjoying it-I just can't get enough! It's even got me excited to try out some older games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy.
Wow. LOVE this review, and LOVE what I'm hearing about Chained Echoes. It sounds like this game really makes you FEEL like you're playing a classic JRPG. Massive Bonuses on MY Reward Board, gets a MASSIVE rock hard THUMBS UP from me. 11/10, I'm finna buss fr fr
I can totally relate to the everlasting search for the perfect next game that maybe hooks me. I love your review. I knew Chained Echoes as a title but i had so many doubts if it can hold up to more flashy titles like Octopath (I played through Octopath 1 and started Octopath 2 but it didn't hook me like the first one back in the day). So your review is the main reason i immediatly downloaded the game and started it. And the game feels great! I can't describe it other but like it feels really "natural" and authentic. Very happy that i finally got into playing it. Thank you so much for your video!
The original kickstarter trailer was such a true sample of the game. Cool art, wonder, uniqueness, and music that captures all of those feelings. Loved the game.
Chained Echoes is the perfect game and this is the perfect review to go along with it. Are we the same person? This is absolutely everything that I myself could not put into words of why I LOVE this game. Up to and including not really finding games that hook me. I'm an aged gamer and this is my favorite game of all time.
I've thought about this game a lot, before playing it, while playing it and after playing it. I'd say chained echoes fits into my top 5 jrpgs of all time. Balance, like you said, is key here. Only downside is that it has ruined other jrpgs for me.
Nice review! Also, I recommend The Pathless if you did not play it yet. It is one of the best games of that niche ever made. I recently finished it and it was a blast.
Change one word in the video title, substitute “only” with “first” great review man! I started the game yesterday and is all I’ve been thinking about today, looking forward to invest a good amount of time in it during the weekend.
I love that you shared your honest opinions and experience. I get "review fatigue" from guys who want to tell a million jokes or say as much as humanly possible where I can't digest even half of it. Felt like you were just sharing your thoughts with a good friend and for me, that's enough. 👍
this is true. I can empathize your emotion and like you this is my very 1st comment in a UA-cam video and I'm a freaking adik yt viewr haha. but yeah I play and look forward playing Chained Echo than zelda tears 🤣
Chained Echoes is definitely on my backlog. I'm also excited about Sea of Stars Have you tried Rise of the Third Power? It's damn good. Ara Fell is pretty good too, it's Stegosoft's earlier work that got me to check them out. I'm like you when it comes to games not hooking me, but I gave Ara Fell a second chance and I'm glad I did Also, Time Break Chronicles if you like messing around with interesting party comps
The game is fantastic and I have to agree that it is incredibly close to the percfect game for all the reasons you mentioned. If there was one thing I would say that the game gives you "too much" at the end, you can skip the final bosses turns entirely with a simple debuff.
This game was such a surprise for me. I had read good things about it and thought I would give it a shot. I was blown away at how good this game was and that it was largely developed by one person. The worst part of the game was that it ended.
I myself have been putting off finishing the game. I am still playing it but doing everything in the world that I can do. Loving every minute of this game.
I've never touched any of the classic games, but this is my first real dive into a JRPG-inspired game. I'm 37 and just picked this up on a whim because I'm going through a tough time and need something to distract me. I can't recall where I first heard about the game, but I've seen a bunch of people on Reddit giving it a hard time. Despite that, I'm really enjoying it-I just can't get enough! It's even got me excited to try out some older games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy.
It's a great game. I actually finished this one and I'm notorious for dropping games around the 20-30 hour mark for no reason at all. It's definitely not perfect though. The sky armor combat just felt like a dumbed down version of on foot combat with bloated numbers. The crystal system was poorly executed and punished any kind of experimentation in the early game due to the degrading mechanism when removing the crystals from equipment. I very rarely needed to switch out characters (I really only swapped in Victor for boss fights due to his shields and heals). So I had 5 characters I actually played with and effectively ignored the rest. I can also count on one hand the number of times I needed to use items in the game, most of those being the Tadeye fights. Perhaps the experience is a little better on the Hard difficulty, but I probably won't replay it any time soon.
I’m currently playing a 2nd playthrough with all 3 difficulty settings set to the hardest. It really makes the encounters very tough and might change up your strategy a bit. Glad you liked the game!
Great game, I do agree with some of your points, by the endgame I also found infected poison/toxic wasnt worth it, compared to super buffing your powerhouses, this is a shame since I like game the implementation damage over time as an effective option, and early game it was helpful, but endgame rarely ever used. The 12 party members seemed aliitles wasted, I'm not saying they aren't all viable, but I few of them I really found no need to use. The overdrive system overall was fun, the mech fight as you said seemed like a simple version of the ground combat which i totally agree with, i didn't enjoy them all that much. The game definitely should inspire over developers to keep turn based fun, which I find many turn based rpgs can be so boring at times. I found dragon quest so crap from a combat perspective, because it is a bare bones basic JRPG.
Iv had to throw it on as easy as possible. Some of these bosses and mobs destroy me. I find the character development is a bit tricky to handle. I am enjoying the game, would be nice to see some of the characters change their armor or weapons when they are upgraded or find something new.
Absolutely. In fact the game allows you to save anywhere outside of a cut scene or battle. The only thing for me is I easily lost track of time playing cause it was so good.
Love this game. Haven't progressed very far yet, I'm some 12 hours in, and not even at the point where I get to use the sky armors again, but I'm taking it slow and exploring everything. It does have a ton of mechanics though, which makes it a bit overwhelming at times. I'm mostly ignoring weapons upgrades and the rewards board for now, as I consider those to be the more tedious aspects of the game. But as far as I understand, they're optional: there for those who enjoy such things, but can be safely ignored by those who just want to focus on the core gameplay. The only thing I disliked was the beginning, where you're introduced to the characters in turn. I don't like stories with multiple false starts. You get to play as a character, make some progress in their story, and suddenly you're starting all over again with a new, unknown character. And this repeats in rapid succession at the start of the game; might have been less jarring if it were more dispersed throughout the game, and the sessions where you play as the new character were kept short before they joined up with the main party. But that's a matter of taste. Glad I pushed through that though, because what's on the other side is quite rewarding.
the real issue why we grown ups cannot be hooked easily on newer games is because, new games have too much mechanics to memorize, too many buttons to control, to many buildings and npc to explore and to talk too.. its as if we dont have enough real life problems to deal with.. chain echoes brings us back to basic... while being unique and challenging in its own way
@@streamerboss4673 there is something to be said about simplicity. Currently I am playing black myth wukong and loving it. You just jump right in. No hour long set up. Just the right amount of exploration. Lots of meat low on filler.
Would you agree that people could have its own opinion? I'm 40+ and have played a lot of JRPGs, maybe too many. Maybe I'm just bored with this genre. My opinion about this game is: "it is overrated". IMO, if you are looking for a "fresh" XP then you should play "Tunic"
I really enjoyed Glenn. Especially about 75% of the way through the game or so. To me the interactions between the cast was the strong point of the game story wise
The game is garbage and you only like it because you're starved for something new. This game started halfway promising but disregards half it's characters halfway through. You are deceived.
Man I love this game so much as well! It is awesome, one thing I feel is the "No Grinding" since you get Grimoire Shards after specific battles and you can't "overlevel" for a Boss, so usually if you can't get past it then it means you should adjust your strategy and start to carefully unlock your skills (I suffered from it when the party disband at some point). I still need to finish this game but it is really one incredible RPG and amazing how it is done by one person. The story is incredible, someone said "not super good but decent" and I don't know what the heck was not good for him but I loved it from the start, the motivations on each character, the plot constantly changing, the situation that leads to each phase of the game is amazing, the need to know what is happening, and how you each character gets involved... what a great game.
I beat chained echoes a little more than a week ago. I’m trying to move onto another game, but just keep thinking about chained echoes. It really is perfect or nearly so.
I don't know you, but I liked your video. I have this game on my library, managed to get it for like 5$ because of regional price. I'll give it a try after 100% Crisis Core and Pathfinder: WOTR. Nice review btw. Wish you the best.
I love this game, same for me, it has been a long time since I really got hooked on a game. There are so many delightful touches such as when a new character appears and you take control, the game pauses, the screen darkens and a spotlight flips on, highlighting the character and a quick introductory text tells you enough about them to get you interested.
I've been wondering about this game for over a year. Everytime I went "man, I don't know, the characters look kinda bland" but I think I just have to get over that initial feeling because this game truly looks really fun I'll get it when it goes on sale
Fantastic game! Great review! Just finished it. Just out of curiosity, did you fight all the battles at the slowest speed? To be honest.. I only knew about the speed changes toward the end of the game oops... but luckily it was always on the fastest speed😅
I've 100% the base game. The game is indeed excellent. There are bugs and design issues sprinkled throughout the game. Such as a key location you're likely to revisit several times not appearing on your overworld map. Or the crystals being entirely unnecessary and the player being disincentivised to use them at all due them degrading upon reuse. But what this game does well is so good, it makes those issues just annoying quirks. I hope the dev continues to patch and polish things, but what's there already is quite special.
This game is easily the best RPG I've played in a very long time. I wasn't around for the first kickstarter, but if there's ever a 2nd one I'm all in.
I'm 36 and also grew up loving old school RPGs. Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Shining Force, and on and on. This game nailed it. I legitimately find myself wondering if this is my favorite old school, top-down style RPG of all time. It's genuinely that good.
I feel the same way. Glad you enjoyed it
I don't wonder. I've grown and loved all this games and this is better in every aspect. I'm still blown away that it was made by one person!
This game is amazing. I’m 42, grew up on the NES, SNES. This scratches every itch. I’m in Act III I think, and it just keeps getting better.
Same age, same genre taste. This tops all the classics like Chrono Trigger, FFs, Secret of Mana, etc
Total agreement. Soundtrack is amazing. I think my favorite thing is that there aren't a ton of battles to interrupt the exploration. And the battles are fun as well.
Did you like the ending?
Agree, the story was the best I ever played in a jrpg and just kept getting better, love this game!
I've never touched any of the classics, and this is my first real dive into a JRPG-inspired game. I'm 37 and just picked this up on a whim because I'm going through a tough time and need something to distract me. I can't recall where I first heard about the game, but I've seen a bunch of people on Reddit giving it a hard time. Despite that, I'm really enjoying it-I just can't get enough! It's even got me excited to try out some older games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy.
Wow. LOVE this review, and LOVE what I'm hearing about Chained Echoes. It sounds like this game really makes you FEEL like you're playing a classic JRPG. Massive Bonuses on MY Reward Board, gets a MASSIVE rock hard THUMBS UP from me. 11/10, I'm finna buss fr fr
I eagerly await your thoughts when you play the game.
I'm like 12 hours in and I love it. I am 36 and grew up on FF and Chrono Trigger.
I can totally relate to the everlasting search for the perfect next game that maybe hooks me. I love your review. I knew Chained Echoes as a title but i had so many doubts if it can hold up to more flashy titles like Octopath (I played through Octopath 1 and started Octopath 2 but it didn't hook me like the first one back in the day). So your review is the main reason i immediatly downloaded the game and started it. And the game feels great! I can't describe it other but like it feels really "natural" and authentic. Very happy that i finally got into playing it. Thank you so much for your video!
So glad you watched and are enjoying the game. I have been considering playing through it on hard mode again myself.
The original kickstarter trailer was such a true sample of the game. Cool art, wonder, uniqueness, and music that captures all of those feelings. Loved the game.
Loved this game! Left so many interesting storylines open for a sequel or sequels. Can’t wait!
Chained Echoes is the perfect game and this is the perfect review to go along with it. Are we the same person? This is absolutely everything that I myself could not put into words of why I LOVE this game. Up to and including not really finding games that hook me. I'm an aged gamer and this is my favorite game of all time.
Basically how I feel. I’m not a video game reviewer but I felt drawn to make this. Glad you enjoyed it.
Awesome review! I picked this game up on a whim only a few days ago and can't believe I didn't get it before. It's great
Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching.
Well, any and all doubts were cleared from my mind. Thanks for making this. You did pretty good with your format and extensiveness.
Wow thanks! And I’m glad I was able to help you with your decision to play. Enjoy!
I've thought about this game a lot, before playing it, while playing it and after playing it.
I'd say chained echoes fits into my top 5 jrpgs of all time.
Balance, like you said, is key here.
Only downside is that it has ruined other jrpgs for me.
@@eustace88 FF VI, VII, Xenogears, Chrono Trigger and now Chained echoes :).
It was a refreshing experience, loved this game. Couldn`t get myself stop playing until i hit 100% of everything.
Nice review! Also, I recommend The Pathless if you did not play it yet. It is one of the best games of that niche ever made. I recently finished it and it was a blast.
Thanks! Yea I’ll check that out. I’ve never heard of it
Change one word in the video title, substitute “only” with “first” great review man! I started the game yesterday and is all I’ve been thinking about today, looking forward to invest a good amount of time in it during the weekend.
Respect to the spinal tap reference
I will get this game because of your review, thanks brother.
I love that you shared your honest opinions and experience. I get "review fatigue" from guys who want to tell a million jokes or say as much as humanly possible where I can't digest even half of it. Felt like you were just sharing your thoughts with a good friend and for me, that's enough. 👍
Thanks for the awesome feedback. Check out my newer only review for more of the sharing thoughts with friends vibes. Have a great day!
this is true. I can empathize your emotion and like you this is my very 1st comment in a UA-cam video and I'm a freaking adik yt viewr haha. but yeah I play and look forward playing Chained Echo than zelda tears 🤣
Chained Echoes is definitely on my backlog. I'm also excited about Sea of Stars
Have you tried Rise of the Third Power? It's damn good. Ara Fell is pretty good too, it's Stegosoft's earlier work that got me to check them out. I'm like you when it comes to games not hooking me, but I gave Ara Fell a second chance and I'm glad I did
Also, Time Break Chronicles if you like messing around with interesting party comps
The game is fantastic and I have to agree that it is incredibly close to the percfect game for all the reasons you mentioned.
If there was one thing I would say that the game gives you "too much" at the end, you can skip the final bosses turns entirely with a simple debuff.
This game was such a surprise for me. I had read good things about it and thought I would give it a shot.
I was blown away at how good this game was and that it was largely developed by one person. The worst part of the game was that it ended.
I myself have been putting off finishing the game. I am still playing it but doing everything in the world that I can do. Loving every minute of this game.
10/10 - Justin Wong
God, I cannot wait to play this.
I absolutely love this game. Also love how I can make it super easy cause I like to enjoy and chill with easy games.
Thanks for watching! Appreciate you
I see everyone showing off their age, I'm 45 years old and I only have 5 hours of gameplay on my nintendo switch and I'm liking it
I've never touched any of the classic games, but this is my first real dive into a JRPG-inspired game. I'm 37 and just picked this up on a whim because I'm going through a tough time and need something to distract me. I can't recall where I first heard about the game, but I've seen a bunch of people on Reddit giving it a hard time. Despite that, I'm really enjoying it-I just can't get enough! It's even got me excited to try out some older games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy.
So glad to hear you are enjoying it. Not everyone likes the same things. That’s what makes us unique. Hope you are in better times now friend.
It's a great game. I actually finished this one and I'm notorious for dropping games around the 20-30 hour mark for no reason at all. It's definitely not perfect though. The sky armor combat just felt like a dumbed down version of on foot combat with bloated numbers. The crystal system was poorly executed and punished any kind of experimentation in the early game due to the degrading mechanism when removing the crystals from equipment. I very rarely needed to switch out characters (I really only swapped in Victor for boss fights due to his shields and heals). So I had 5 characters I actually played with and effectively ignored the rest. I can also count on one hand the number of times I needed to use items in the game, most of those being the Tadeye fights. Perhaps the experience is a little better on the Hard difficulty, but I probably won't replay it any time soon.
I’m currently playing a 2nd playthrough with all 3 difficulty settings set to the hardest. It really makes the encounters very tough and might change up your strategy a bit. Glad you liked the game!
Great game, I do agree with some of your points, by the endgame I also found infected poison/toxic wasnt worth it, compared to super buffing your powerhouses, this is a shame since I like game the implementation damage over time as an effective option, and early game it was helpful, but endgame rarely ever used. The 12 party members seemed aliitles wasted, I'm not saying they aren't all viable, but I few of them I really found no need to use.
The overdrive system overall was fun, the mech fight as you said seemed like a simple version of the ground combat which i totally agree with, i didn't enjoy them all that much.
The game definitely should inspire over developers to keep turn based fun, which I find many turn based rpgs can be so boring at times. I found dragon quest so crap from a combat perspective, because it is a bare bones basic JRPG.
Iv had to throw it on as easy as possible. Some of these bosses and mobs destroy me. I find the character development is a bit tricky to handle. I am enjoying the game, would be nice to see some of the characters change their armor or weapons when they are upgraded or find something new.
Made by one dude, this is the best rpg ive played since crosscode.
i is on my steam wish list. Is is possible to play 2h a day of this game or do I have to commit to a long gaming session over the weekend?
Absolutely. In fact the game allows you to save anywhere outside of a cut scene or battle. The only thing for me is I easily lost track of time playing cause it was so good.
i have the same problem with buying to many games, the last one that hooked me was Elden Ring
Looking forward to the next review.
Love this game. Haven't progressed very far yet, I'm some 12 hours in, and not even at the point where I get to use the sky armors again, but I'm taking it slow and exploring everything. It does have a ton of mechanics though, which makes it a bit overwhelming at times. I'm mostly ignoring weapons upgrades and the rewards board for now, as I consider those to be the more tedious aspects of the game. But as far as I understand, they're optional: there for those who enjoy such things, but can be safely ignored by those who just want to focus on the core gameplay.
The only thing I disliked was the beginning, where you're introduced to the characters in turn. I don't like stories with multiple false starts. You get to play as a character, make some progress in their story, and suddenly you're starting all over again with a new, unknown character. And this repeats in rapid succession at the start of the game; might have been less jarring if it were more dispersed throughout the game, and the sessions where you play as the new character were kept short before they joined up with the main party. But that's a matter of taste. Glad I pushed through that though, because what's on the other side is quite rewarding.
I could not put this game down. Damn near perfect
I felt the same way. Looking for the next game to scratch that itch for me. Thanks for watching!
Looks like I have to play... CHAINED ECHOS
Heck yea! Lmk when you stream it
This is the best jrpg since Chrono Trigger
I felt very similar
I never played it because the way the guy holds his shield is the dumbest thing I have ever seen.
the real issue why we grown ups cannot be hooked easily on newer games is because, new games have too much mechanics to memorize, too many buttons to control, to many buildings and npc to explore and to talk too.. its as if we dont have enough real life problems to deal with..
chain echoes brings us back to basic... while being unique and challenging in its own way
@@streamerboss4673 there is something to be said about simplicity. Currently I am playing black myth wukong and loving it. You just jump right in. No hour long set up. Just the right amount of exploration. Lots of meat low on filler.
Here I am, playing through the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters on my Switch and having a blast 😊
Would you agree that people could have its own opinion?
I'm 40+ and have played a lot of JRPGs, maybe too many.
Maybe I'm just bored with this genre. My opinion about this game is: "it is overrated".
IMO, if you are looking for a "fresh" XP then you should play "Tunic"
I feel it’s overrated as well, there are many incredible RPGs out there. And there is no such thing as a perfect game.
Hmmmmm for the cycle have you tried getting tested for ADHD
It's a solid game but far from the game everybody say it is. It shows its low budget in too much areas for it to be called so.
Your opinion is valid. And I really appreciate you watching. Have a great day!
Which rpgs do you think is better?
@@AlbertoMonroy-lq2vw i didnt play a lot of them honestly. The last one i enjoyed is octopath traveler 2.
When I looked it up on how long to beat, I removed it from my wishlist.
Rpg games usually are longer and you get more game for your $
@@grxurza8804 I can't remember to take my meds, let alone what I did last week in a 90hr RPG.
Without spoiling much is Glenn a interesting protagonist? How's the development of the characters In general?
I really enjoyed Glenn. Especially about 75% of the way through the game or so. To me the interactions between the cast was the strong point of the game story wise
The game is garbage and you only like it because you're starved for something new. This game started halfway promising but disregards half it's characters halfway through.
You are deceived.
Yup.
Man I love this game so much as well! It is awesome, one thing I feel is the "No Grinding" since you get Grimoire Shards after specific battles and you can't "overlevel" for a Boss, so usually if you can't get past it then it means you should adjust your strategy and start to carefully unlock your skills (I suffered from it when the party disband at some point). I still need to finish this game but it is really one incredible RPG and amazing how it is done by one person.
The story is incredible, someone said "not super good but decent" and I don't know what the heck was not good for him but I loved it from the start, the motivations on each character, the plot constantly changing, the situation that leads to each phase of the game is amazing, the need to know what is happening, and how you each character gets involved... what a great game.
I beat chained echoes a little more than a week ago. I’m trying to move onto another game, but just keep thinking about chained echoes. It really is perfect or nearly so.
I don't know you, but I liked your video. I have this game on my library, managed to get it for like 5$ because of regional price.
I'll give it a try after 100% Crisis Core and Pathfinder: WOTR.
Nice review btw. Wish you the best.
Thanks for the kind words! I hope you enjoy the game as much as I have
Not my favorite game , but there's fun in it.
Appreciate you watching.
This and Sea of Stars are going to have a battle Royale for rpgoty 2023
Playing SOS right now really enjoying it. Can’t wait to finish it and start CE 🙂
I love this game, same for me, it has been a long time since I really got hooked on a game. There are so many delightful touches such as when a new character appears and you take control, the game pauses, the screen darkens and a spotlight flips on, highlighting the character and a quick introductory text tells you enough about them to get you interested.
Awesome! Yes the introductions was a very nice touch. I hope you like my next video. Should be finishing it soon!
I just played Ara Fell and loved it. Both are great, loved the story, and crafting in Ara Fell. Playing this 11 hours in on game pass ATM.
There are some very disturbing things in this game that no one talks about, like the guy eating a baby in his house. WTF!?
Same! This game was amazing and gives me hope for future games!
Masterpiece 10/10
Sea of Stars just came out
Yea I got to play it for a few hours yesterday. I will consider making a video if the game is very solid.
@@grxurza8804 can't wait!
This is me totally
I've been wondering about this game for over a year. Everytime I went "man, I don't know, the characters look kinda bland" but I think I just have to get over that initial feeling because this game truly looks really fun
I'll get it when it goes on sale
That same feeling hit me too. I promise the writing will overcome that.
I trust you @@grxurza8804
Fantastic game! Great review! Just finished it.
Just out of curiosity, did you fight all the battles at the slowest speed? To be honest.. I only knew about the speed changes toward the end of the game oops... but luckily it was always on the fastest speed😅
I've 100% the base game. The game is indeed excellent. There are bugs and design issues sprinkled throughout the game. Such as a key location you're likely to revisit several times not appearing on your overworld map. Or the crystals being entirely unnecessary and the player being disincentivised to use them at all due them degrading upon reuse. But what this game does well is so good, it makes those issues just annoying quirks. I hope the dev continues to patch and polish things, but what's there already is quite special.
Im just waiting to find my physical copy in the summer I hope. Should have preordered
Loved the nuke angle as well. It really was an amazing game. I wanted to finish this game first even when I was mid way in elden ring.
If you ever have an RPG itch again, definitely try the Trails series. scratched that itch for me and haven't found anything better than it since.
Oh Ys is also pretty cool. Currently playing through Ys 8.
I have all the trails games and am almost to the 2nd one. Thanks for the recommendation!