Lostlorn
Chained Echoes 2022
Log Status
Completed
Playing
Backlog
Wishlist
Rating
Time Played
--
Days in Journal
1 day
Last played
August 17, 2023
Platforms Played
This game was frustrating (not in difficulty), but overall I'd say it was an enjoyable experience. For every good part of this game, there was an equally bad part to sour the mood.
I've always been a fan of the classic turn based combat system, and I think if done right, it is fun enough to last a 30+ hour experience. The overdrive system is very clever and adds a substantial level of depth to the game. There are serious consequences for not managing your gauge, especially in human battles. However, I felt that the system ended up being very obnoxious during mech battles since you have to balance so many aspects that I ended up basically ignoring the overdrive system during mech boss battles. Otherwise, characters have clear archetypes, and there is a class system that allows you to mix and match builds, but there is quickly a problem with character bloat and certain characters that blatantly outshine others. The crystal system to enhance weapons is horribly unintuitive and unfun to use, and I abandoned it for most of the game.
Music is quite good, and takes inspiration from the Mana and Dragon Quest series. As a small nitpick, the button sound during any confirmation or clicking was mixed so loud compared to other sound effects that it became very annoying for the first 10 hours until I got used to it.
My biggest problem with the game was the story and character writing. Out of the 10+ main characters in the game, about 2 get any sort of development at all, and the ending itself was unsatisfying and felt unearned. I think this can be partly attributed to the fact that the writing itself was just not that good. Understandably this was a solo developer, but I think this game could have benefited a lot from an experienced editor or writer. Every story arc's message is so spelled out for the player that there is no room for interpretation, killing the imagination and feeling more like a picture book than an emotional story.
This game had more content than I expected, but lacked polish in many fundamental JRPG features that made it feel very shallow overall. However, I am optimistic that this developer's next at bat will be greatly improved, as their ideas are definitely solid. Still a worthwhile experience for any JRPG lover.
I've always been a fan of the classic turn based combat system, and I think if done right, it is fun enough to last a 30+ hour experience. The overdrive system is very clever and adds a substantial level of depth to the game. There are serious consequences for not managing your gauge, especially in human battles. However, I felt that the system ended up being very obnoxious during mech battles since you have to balance so many aspects that I ended up basically ignoring the overdrive system during mech boss battles. Otherwise, characters have clear archetypes, and there is a class system that allows you to mix and match builds, but there is quickly a problem with character bloat and certain characters that blatantly outshine others. The crystal system to enhance weapons is horribly unintuitive and unfun to use, and I abandoned it for most of the game.
Music is quite good, and takes inspiration from the Mana and Dragon Quest series. As a small nitpick, the button sound during any confirmation or clicking was mixed so loud compared to other sound effects that it became very annoying for the first 10 hours until I got used to it.
My biggest problem with the game was the story and character writing. Out of the 10+ main characters in the game, about 2 get any sort of development at all, and the ending itself was unsatisfying and felt unearned. I think this can be partly attributed to the fact that the writing itself was just not that good. Understandably this was a solo developer, but I think this game could have benefited a lot from an experienced editor or writer. Every story arc's message is so spelled out for the player that there is no room for interpretation, killing the imagination and feeling more like a picture book than an emotional story.
This game had more content than I expected, but lacked polish in many fundamental JRPG features that made it feel very shallow overall. However, I am optimistic that this developer's next at bat will be greatly improved, as their ideas are definitely solid. Still a worthwhile experience for any JRPG lover.