6 reviews liked by fisherpricebat


Unironically this has brought me a lot of joy and helped me keep an eye on when I go to sleep. Progress is very slow (I ve been trying to evolve this shiny Pupitar for months), but I really enjoy interacting with it 3-4 times a day

There are two Pikmin 4s. There's the cozy, kid-friendly potter around gardens that lasts until the initial credits sequence, and then there's the game that creeps up afterwards. Adding full camera controls, a lock-on system, Splatoon/New Horizons character editor and a host of cuddly, chattering NPCs may worry traditionalist GameCube/Wii/Wii U fans, but they just have to hold their horses and push through the relatively brief introductory campaign.

Look, I welcome them opening up the franchise to new players. Nintendo want to explore the full potential of these mechanics and the depth of strategy that they offer, but the most important members of the audience have always been the kids. In his time as a kindly member of his local community, Miyamoto has encountered children who like Pikmin, which is evidence enough to convince him that there is an appeal for the under-8s. The harsh, ecological subtext is one of the main qualities I love the series for, and I think it's important for kids to start thinking about this stuff from a young age. I don't want them to be put off by complicated controls and stressful resource management, and if it takes a credits sequence to persuade them that they're worthy Pikmin fans, so be it.

I do want to stress that the old guys should stick with it. This is the biggest Pikmin game ever made, with the most stuff for those people. They're not littering the game with GBA and N64 references for Generation Alpha. They know we're here, and we want to play the game that Eurogamer's been teasing since September 2015.

You get a hint of this early on. Pikmin 4 somewhat obnoxiously adopts the mantra of "Dandori"; a suggestion that players should prioritise efficient planning and quick strategy in their approach. That's how Pikmin's design has always encouraged players to approach the game, but they're making it text here, and it's a fancy foreign word/compound kanji for kids to glom onto. Putting it in such focus has given the designers the freedom to explore some really taxing challenges. The Dandori Challenges themselves start out fairly easy, but there's rewards for doing them as efficiently as possible, with Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum rankings for meeting certain criteria. They're as hard as you want them to be, and the post-credits ones are often pretty bloody hard to start out with. If you want to meet every challenge the game has for you, you're going to be playing Pikmin 4 for a very long time.

The entirely distinct "Dandori Battles" are another beast altogether. Pitting you against an opponent, you have to fight them to acquire the most resources within a time limit. There's random power-ups and a lot of fluked victories. They're playing with Pikmin stuff, but they don't really feel like part of a Pikmin campaign. They feel like a silly multiplayer mode that you can play against a bot, because that's what it is, except they're mandatory parts of the main levels. I don't mind too much. They're not too much work. Just a little out of step with the surrounding design.

Again, this is a game that wants to appeal to veteran fans. 4 pulls so much from the previous games. Often in an "oh fuck, that's back??" way. Not the genuinely bad stuff, mind. 2's multi-level dungeons are back, but they're not tedious, randomly generated guff anymore. They're consistently clever, inventive and attentively designed. Series fans will be aware of how distinct each of the first three games are, and there's been real effort to incorporate as much of their appeal into one game as possible. Personal favourite, 3, gets the least attention in this regard, and I do miss just how much you were able to get done at one time with three Captains actively performing tasks at the same time, but you do get a hint of that gameplay with the big new doggy partner.

This isn't a retread, though. Acting as part of an expanding rescue operation, as opposed to fragile survivors, changes the vibe. It's not so lonely or harsh, there's no strict deadlines, and you don't feel the same gutpunch when you lose thirty Pikmin to a cackhanded decision. It's just a number that went down. It'll go up again after a bit of harvesting. Maybe that's stripping something out of the series that I love, but it makes me thankful that Nintendo are keeping the previous games relevant with Switch rereleases, and not shying away from making this a - somewhat intimidating - numbered sequel. If you want that harsher tone, play the earlier ones. They're just as easy to access. We don't need to hold the series back and keep it to ourselves. Let it expand. Let the new people in. Let it be the thing that gets new generations captivated with nature, space and science. Let it be the friendly face that subversively worms these thoughts into households that might be dismissive of them. Let it save us.

It's still a ton of Pikmin, mind. If you like that, you're in for a feast.

I don’t like the sentiment that this game was “What Xenoblade 3 Should Have Been”. This game feels largely like a nostalgia-fest-y victory lap while also trying to be a full fledged game (and it succeeds in that!), and quite honestly I feel like wanting this first would have gone very much against Xenoblade 3’s message of moving on from the “Endless Now”. Thankfully aside from that one gripe with the sentiments, I’m by no means immune to nostalgia-fests! Every little reference and location and nod warmed my heart, and speaking of heartwarming SHULKDAD!!!! God I loved seeing the parents interact with their kids, even Rex who I’m not especially fond of elsewhere, I was pretty fond of in this game. Matthew and A are a fantastic duo as well as great characters individually, I love how Matthew is this sorta dumbass (lovingly) hyperactive guy, love him so much. A is my genderfuck monarch and I love A with all my heart, perfect char. Nikol and Glimmer as said earlier, in addition to being great in their own right, I loooove their relationships with Shulk and Rex so damn much. Great story of course as well, even if I feel like it could have used a bit more room to breathe. Combat I feel is pretty alright as well, they did a pretty good job differentiating it from 3’s, which was something I was a bit worried about. Major issue with it is that the defense classes can’t keep aggro for shit, especially with how overpowered Rex is (SPIN TO WIN). But yeah! Overall I loved this dlc, it stands pretty well among its peers in the series and despite how I felt for a bit in the middle, it worked its way into my heart pretty dang well. Love you, Xenoblade <3

"Even in times of peace, one is not spared from the cruelty of man.”

Every time I play a game I always ask myself if this game is the one that will wow and impress me. And most of the time I'm usually left with good, great, all right, meh and other regular platitudes to describe my experience after the end of a game. Chained Echoes is none of that. The game strives to become something bold and new all while standing tall on its own and merely showing what it has to offer. Matthias Linda who created the game and Eddie Marianukroh who composed the soundtrack have remarkably impressed me to a degree I haven’t seen since I played Omori. So yes this is one hell of a bar they raised.

The game doesn’t boast to wear its proud laurels touting the best of the best jrpgs of the past. Instead, the game simply describes itself as a “16-bit SNES style RPG set in a fantasy world where you follow a group of heroes traveling around the continent of Valandis to bring an end to the war between its three kingdoms.”

Not the most exciting catch to pull every consumer, but I feel it gets the job done. Because right off the bat, it is not saying they’re going to be the next classic since the time of Chrono Trigger or whatever RPG that is simply the best. Nor are they comparing their game to the JRPGs of old like other games on Steam. The devs are merely detailing what their game is going to be about. And that’s it. The game will show what it has to offer through the gameplay, story, music, characters, and more. And so the question remains. Does the game deliver? And is there a lot of content?

Chained Echoes does have a lot to offer. You have mecha gameplay. A big colorful cast of party members. The gorgeous visual style and soundtrack are worth listening to. An engrossing story, with a plot that is grounded and paced well. And scenes that left me shocked and unpredictable throughout. All of these hit me in such a way, I couldn’t stop myself from seeing one more scene, one more battle, and one more secret to find. I lost myself in the game and was chained, not willing to let me go.

Before I start, I need to preface this with some critique of the game. While excellent and remarkable in its own right, I feel the game could’ve used a bit more scenes to flesh out the characters. Not bad mind you. About three moments in the game, I feel could’ve transitioned better. Possibly, been padded a bit more to allow players to digest what happened from moment to moment between party members. It wasn’t jarring or abrupt. I just felt some scenes needed a bit more oomph in a way to let players digest a bit more context and exposition. Although, I find myself battling this point because if there is too much or too little it could break the pacing or remove the player from being immersive in the game. I equate this to deleted scenes in movies. While not strictly necessary, some additional scenes could've explained or refocused the scene differently.

Secondly, several villains except for some since they’re brilliant. Could’ve been fleshed out a bit more to make them more compelling. I noticed in their dialogue they would be in their role to be evil and explain motives and more etc. Except, during their final moments. Their character shifts in a way that is acceptable and decent, but I feel can be perceived as a tad abrupt. Not horrendous or bad. But my mind couldn’t help but consider alternatives if the scenes were rewritten or tweaked a bit. It's not a knock on the character as a whole since they performed as expected and in some cases unexpectedly, but the dialogue felt off and forced in a way. So more scenes to flesh them out really.

That’s all I can name off the top of my head.

Now let's dig into the real good stuff.

The story, caught me off-guard because I expected a standard JRPG trope affair full of references non-stop along the lines of Ready Player One. Instead, I got something the likes of Xenogears except much more grounded and taking me on a roller coaster ride. As if Chrono Trigger devs blessed the team to perfect the formula of introducing scenes to intrigue players, quick meaningful battles, excellent usage, and placement of antagonists scenes with well-placed humor sprinkled here and there that is fun and not forced.

The gameplay is fun and fresh and not all that complicated. Get into overdrive and stay there. Don’t overheat. And as I continued to gather more party members and when the game introduced mech gameplay, oh boy my grin was ear to ear. Plenty of bosses and unique enemies to fight, along with encountering a host of different creatures and beasts and humanoids here. Whereas, other games would usually change the color of an enemy and call it a day. None of that lazy stuff is in Chained Echoes. Each enemy fits their environment. Hell, there is a reward board ala FF12 style. So you can complete tasks while out on the field and get rewarded for doing so. None of the simple fetch quest and kill ‘x’ creatures stuff here. You have sidequests, buried treasure, hidden caves, unique requirements to finish off a group of enemies, defeating unique monsters, and more. Heck, the game doesn’t even have a level system so you don’t need to grind!

The game felt balanced since there are options to manage skills and upgrade them. And options to reduce enemy health and aggressiveness if you so desire. Overall, I didn’t feel tired from the combat system since the whole package of the game from reward boards, mecha gameplay, and unique enemies and bosses made the experience all the more satisfying to complete.

Visually the game is stunning and the art style works to its favor, a great deal. I was constantly impressed not seeing copy-paste areas and looking for templates where Mathias cut corners and I could not find one! Every environment is unique with a gimmick to earn your way out through small puzzles or clever switches and hidden areas to traverse. And these puzzles are implemented in such a way I wasn't truly frustrated. A nice change of pace and a breather from the regular travel and battle. Enemy design is terrifying and cute in some ways. The scenes throughout the game felt natural with animations not too sudden or too rigid. Smooth is key here and I can’t for the life of me recall a bad scene or egregious bugs.

On the soundtrack, I am just in awe of Eddie's work. It’s not the greatest thing since Mitsuda or Okabe. But holy hell does Eddie demonstrate MAXIMUM EFFORT here. I felt so much passion and emotion in Eddie’s soundtrack. Field themes that left me breathless and where all I wanted was to listen to the track on a loop. Catchy battle themes I never got tired of listening to these. Feeling pumped and invigorated to hear this again and again. And appropriate themes in cutscenes leave me shifting my mood to what is currently happening in the game. Serious scene. Cue slow track. Sad scene. Cue sad track. Funny moment. Cue funny track, and so on. And these cases were placed with such care I couldn’t predict what was coming next. Yet, transitioned well to match what is shown on the screen. Brilliant synergy to know what scene and track to use and display that to the player enhances their experience. Excuse me as I go back to listening to Iron Scraps for Breakfast and Flower Fields of Perpetua and so much more on repeat.

It is this pacing I want to talk about next. There is a great deal of freedom given to the player in the middle of the game that doesn’t ruin the pacing of the game at all. I feel Mathias managed to balance player freedom with nudges here and there on the main plot to give you just enough to be satisfied with your optional content and then focus back on the real task at hand. And this is exemplified again and again when I was played like a damn fiddle. Since I wasn’t exposed to constant exposition or repeated reminders of what to do, nor were there scenes where villains regurgitated lines they said previously. Character development was the answer here. Nothing too crazy and none too ambiguous or slow to manifest. Instead, used in such a way I found myself nodding. The cast struggles and learns, fails, succeeds, tries to learn to be better, fails again, and yet keeps trying is admirable and moving. It's not exactly what happens in the game, but just a rough estimate. Other elements can be injected of course like other cast members' motivations, feelings, history, and current relationships can tip the scales quite a bit to create drama or more. Keeping you the player invested in what happens next.

And this is what Chained Echoes demonstrates to an excellent degree. The pacing coupled with character development balanced it with optional content.

Before I forget, I have to give praise to the characters. Since, I doubted every single one of them and by the end of the game came away very impressed by how far each has come. Some more so than others, but for the most part, I felt attached to my characters. I hated one character quite a bit for a good chunk of the game. And yet by the end after seeing said character's struggles and scenes I couldn’t help but begrudgingly admit how hard they suffered and what they had to go through to see what becomes of them in the end. And this extends to my other party members who more or less undergo remarkable development throughout. In a manner, I found realistic without taking my suspension of disbelief to a whirlpool and flushing it down the ocean. There is a heartwarming amount of care Mathias has done to create characters with feelings that are so human and in the opposite spectrum create characters, so twisted and disgusting I can’t help but feel conniptions towards them.

Still what remains is a loveable cast of quirky characters and antagonists who are more than a simple villain here and there. A riveting story the likes I haven’t seen since Chrono Trigger and Xenogears and other wonderful JRPGs of old. Very fun and satisfying gameplay loop taking me over 40+ hours to 100% the game without being tired. Visuals aesthetically pleasing with no copy-paste artwork and unique enemies/characters/environments everywhere. The soundtrack is very satisfying to listen to, taking my breath away every time I listen to the main theme and more. Pacing and character development are balanced and excelled with nothing coming to my mind that felt forced or unnatural. And while it could’ve been improved on some villains and moment-to-moment scenes, I can forgive that since the game as a whole more than makes up for those very minor critiques.

Chained Echoes isn’t trying to become good nor does it profess to become one of the greats as classic well regarded JRPGs have done in the past of which we hold them fondly as favorites and more. Chained Echoes is one man’s vision with the help of a fantastic composer to bring to life an indie RPG with a story they want others to experience.

It’s a humbling, heartwarming game in homage to old JRPGs of the past. With enough content to stand tall with the greats. If you love JRPGs, Indie RPGs, or have a desire for a starter in the genre. And wish to be wowed like I did, to a point where you hold your favorite games close to your heart. Perhaps Chained Echoes will be that one game to impress you just as it had with me.