However, Chained Echoes’ Overdrive mechanic never really overstays its welcome. Astria Ascending had this issue with its Focus system, wherein I played the entirety of the campaign without ever using it’s focus once. Similarly, because these mechanics often lay on the cusp of feeling like gimmicks more than gameplay they feel easy to ignore. Oftentimes these are seen as fusions or some other special metric that justifies the player being given a boost in damage just because they can. JRPGs often rely on some sort of unusual gimmick to help differentiate combat, especially when it is reliant upon a turn-based system. Additionally, players can adjust the frequency with which enemies appear in the overworld via Chained Echoes’ settings menu. All enemies are represented clearly on the screen instead of being invisible or launching surprise attacks, and players must interact with them first before entering combat. Unlike a lot of retro JRPGs, however, players do not have to worry about randomly stumbling into combat while they’re exploring the overworld unless they actually intend to engage with an enemy. Players are able to explore the interiors of houses to find useful items like potions and armor hidden around on various shelves and tucked away in treasure chests.

Players can guide pixelated sprites of their party throughout a sprawling overworld map in order to explore a variety of towns, forests, sewers, caves and more locations. With regard to gameplay, Chained Echoes wears its 16-bit SNES influence on its sleeve.

This leads to a compelling narrative that really leans into the gray morality of its large cast of characters.

Some that hold those opinions may even find themselves amongst your party.

However, not everybody agrees that peace is the ideal option, while others still may believe that peace can not be obtained due to the corrupt governance currently in place. The various factions and families of Valendis have been embroiled in a bitter and bloody war for as long as anyone can remember, but an effort to bring peace to the land is put in motion early in the prologue. Chained Echoes - developed by Matthias Linda and published by Deck13 -puts players in control of a party of up to 8 characters each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and synergies as they travel about the beautiful but turbulent world of Valendis.

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