Chained Echoes, 2022's biggest surprise for me. This was my "first" JRPG ever, at the time I had only played 20-30 minutes of Chrono Trigger and FFVI in the past, got bored and never touched them again... And I'm not sure if Pokémon or Fire Emblem count as JRPGs (Maybe Fire Emblem does, but it's not traditional like Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy). I found out about it while checking what games were joining game pass. It looked nice, it was very well regarded, and I was looking for an excuse to play a JRPG. And what a journey it was.
The story is great, with some "WTF" moments, unexpected twists and, without spoilers, a bittersweet ending that leaves an opening for more. And hopefully there is more, since the worldbuilding is very well done, and present enough to leave you curious to what's happening in other regions of Eldrea. The whole setting is actually very interesting, it being a mix of fantasy with advanced steampunk technology (Varying from flying ships, staples to such genre, to literal Iron Man-esque armors, bordering full blown mechas). All the characters are interesting, and while some aren't likable at first, you'll get to know them enough to understand (And change) them.
For a game to get me hooked into it, it needs good gameplay. My previous experiences with JRPGs were poor, so I didn't have high expectations when it came to enjoyment, but I was willing to try anyway for reasons already mentioned. And luckily, the battle system is great, with many different mechanics, some familiar to JRPG fans such as status effects and attack orders, and some new such as the overdrive bar, aggro system and sky armor. And while it is rich in content to learn, it's not at all overwhelming and hard to understand, making my experience as a beginner much better. Also, get ready because it's gets a lot harder later on, there's a big difficulty spike on the second half of the game.
This game is an audiovisual treat. The 16-bit art style is gorgeous and colorful, full of details everywhere, but to me, even better than the visuals was the OST. The game's soundtrack is superb, a lot of times I literally stopped what I was doing just to listen to the songs. Every single one of them is fitting to where it plays, there's a lot of variety to them and their themes, and they get into your head easily.
While I don't have any major complaints to make about the game, there are a few nitpicks of mine not allowing me to give this game a 10/10. The crystal system was kinda useless, it didn't do much for me for most of the game and it felt like a gacha roll every time I got new crystals. I also think that there should've been more side quests, and while the ones that were there were almost all great, I still would've liked some more. Another thing, maybe a little more variety in equipment would be better, which if I had to guess unfortunately wasn't a thing because it counted on the crystal system to make weapons and armor feel and act different. Speaking of weapons and armor, maybe next time same weapon types could have different sprites, instead of just being stat upgrades.
My last "two" (I don't know if the last one counts) issues with this game are accessibility issues: To me, it felt like the characters moved really fast. I did get used to it, but it can be a little dizzying at first, maybe making them a tad slower would fix it. And the other problem is localization, with the only languages available being English, German (Dev's native language, makes sense), French and Korean (...Why?). I feel like at least Japanese should've been there too, all things considered, and I would also recommend Spanish and Portuguese (My native language) to be added. I know it's a niche title and the costs may be worse than it's worth, but in cases like this at least allow for community translations.
Overall, I'd recommend this game to pretty much everyone, be them new to JRPGs like me or veterans. A fantastic journey that took me 70-80 hours, so you better get some spare time to play. Too bad it was overshadowed by other games, and released after the awards season.
SCORE: 9/10
The story is great, with some "WTF" moments, unexpected twists and, without spoilers, a bittersweet ending that leaves an opening for more. And hopefully there is more, since the worldbuilding is very well done, and present enough to leave you curious to what's happening in other regions of Eldrea. The whole setting is actually very interesting, it being a mix of fantasy with advanced steampunk technology (Varying from flying ships, staples to such genre, to literal Iron Man-esque armors, bordering full blown mechas). All the characters are interesting, and while some aren't likable at first, you'll get to know them enough to understand (And change) them.
For a game to get me hooked into it, it needs good gameplay. My previous experiences with JRPGs were poor, so I didn't have high expectations when it came to enjoyment, but I was willing to try anyway for reasons already mentioned. And luckily, the battle system is great, with many different mechanics, some familiar to JRPG fans such as status effects and attack orders, and some new such as the overdrive bar, aggro system and sky armor. And while it is rich in content to learn, it's not at all overwhelming and hard to understand, making my experience as a beginner much better. Also, get ready because it's gets a lot harder later on, there's a big difficulty spike on the second half of the game.
This game is an audiovisual treat. The 16-bit art style is gorgeous and colorful, full of details everywhere, but to me, even better than the visuals was the OST. The game's soundtrack is superb, a lot of times I literally stopped what I was doing just to listen to the songs. Every single one of them is fitting to where it plays, there's a lot of variety to them and their themes, and they get into your head easily.
While I don't have any major complaints to make about the game, there are a few nitpicks of mine not allowing me to give this game a 10/10. The crystal system was kinda useless, it didn't do much for me for most of the game and it felt like a gacha roll every time I got new crystals. I also think that there should've been more side quests, and while the ones that were there were almost all great, I still would've liked some more. Another thing, maybe a little more variety in equipment would be better, which if I had to guess unfortunately wasn't a thing because it counted on the crystal system to make weapons and armor feel and act different. Speaking of weapons and armor, maybe next time same weapon types could have different sprites, instead of just being stat upgrades.
My last "two" (I don't know if the last one counts) issues with this game are accessibility issues: To me, it felt like the characters moved really fast. I did get used to it, but it can be a little dizzying at first, maybe making them a tad slower would fix it. And the other problem is localization, with the only languages available being English, German (Dev's native language, makes sense), French and Korean (...Why?). I feel like at least Japanese should've been there too, all things considered, and I would also recommend Spanish and Portuguese (My native language) to be added. I know it's a niche title and the costs may be worse than it's worth, but in cases like this at least allow for community translations.
Overall, I'd recommend this game to pretty much everyone, be them new to JRPGs like me or veterans. A fantastic journey that took me 70-80 hours, so you better get some spare time to play. Too bad it was overshadowed by other games, and released after the awards season.
SCORE: 9/10