Some of the attack animations during combat can get dragged out and repetitive, especially after hours of gameplay, with no option to skip or fast forward through them.

While this is true for the most part, there are still some moments where enemies may pop out of nowhere and gank you, which pretty much equates to a random encounter. The game markets itself as one that features no random battle encounters because enemies can be seen running around on the field. A nifty visual timeline is available to you at the top right hand corner of the screen that shows you whose turn is next.

Gameplay plays out in stereotypical turn-based fashion, where your party members and enemies take turns whacking each other. Don’t worry, you’ll meet tons of characters that you can recruit into your party as the narrative progresses. Matthias Linda has created a live and thriving fantasy steampunk world here with an incredible backdrop for a narrative filled to the brim with lore. The other four characters in your party of six include the sly but kind hearted thief Sienna, an undercover princess Lenne and her bodyguard Robb, and a noble lord Victor. He is accompanied by his mentor and friend Kylian as they venture out to find the source for a weapon of mass destruction. But I guess you can say the “main” main character is Glenn, a red haired boy adopted into a group of mercenaries who just happens to also be an excellent mech pilot. Since you end up gathering a team of multiple characters, there isn’t one central main one. No random encounters enemies can be seen running around Chained Echoes. The game is set on the continent of Valandis, where a raging war ensues among three kingdoms, and super cool advanced mech battle robots and dragons exist in the same reality. The characters fatefully cross paths in a narrative set piece that ultimately forms your starter party for the rest of the game. You play as several different characters, with different backgrounds and motivations, in various parts of the game world. I’ll just say it now: Chained Echoes starts off very slow and quite confusing, but stick with it.

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