9.75

Taking major inspiration from the classic JRPGs of old, German developer Mattias Linda has crafted a modern classic of his own that manages to take the best pieces of some of the greatest games of all time and combines them with some fresh ideas that make Chained Echoes an experience for the ages. First and foremost is the game’s brilliant battle system, which essentially requires players to go all out in every single battle and balances this brilliantly by automatically healing the party at the end of each encounter. While this may seem like it would take the intensity out of the game, instead it increases it exponentially by making virtually every fight an all out, turn-based war. However, players are also required to balance their tactics to not burn out the team too quickly. When giant mechs get involved later in the game and turn the battle system on its head again, things only get better.

The large, varied, and strong cast is reminiscent of Final Fantasy VI, which I think probably serves as the single biggest inspiration for this title. While the storytelling overall can’t quite match that level, it is still a fascinating tale filled with twists, betrayals and intrigue. Linda’s imagination is running wild to such a degree here that it can be a challenge to keep track of it all. It’s clear this universe is more than big enough to spawn a sequel and more if Linda chooses to go down that route. If not, though, Chained Echoes will stand as one of the greatest one-offs in gaming history, one of the greatest RPGs of all time, and one hell of an impressive effort for a singular developer.