Kickstarter Spotlight: Chained Echoes

I'm willing to bet that you never expected to see this on here again. However, this is a special occasion, as it's a rare game which genuinely deserves a lot more attention than it has been getting.

Longtime readers will know that this blog has frequently delved into the depths of retro RPG clones on Steam. Often sifting through the worst of the banal to find the few exceptional releases, more than a few reviews have highlighted those which actually deliver on their promise of 16-bit fantasy epics of yesteryear. Today's article focuses on one of these by the name of Chained Echoes. In layman's terms, it's a game which promises to go beyond that, offering up a combination of fantasy powers, attack mechs and monstrous leviathans a-la Escaflowne.

Developed by Ark Heiral, the story behind this one delves into the world of Valandis and a war between its three kingdoms. The continent was devastated by a previous generation-spanning conflict which was only just brought to a halt with a new treaty, promising a ceasefire if not total peace. Yet even as celebrations ring out, a disaster awakens the fires of war once more, forcing the heroes to halt it once and for all.

The project's Kickstarter page outlines the bare basics to start with, breaking down its core elements into a list of intended mechanical and gameplay choices over desires. Along with a planned experience of twenty to twenty-five hours, a major element within the game is set to be its traveling mechanics. Players will have the choice to engage in battles on foot via attack mechs or even an airship, with mechanics varying depending upon your choice. While the airship itself is primarily a means of transport (but customizable - something that Final Fantasy has needed for a long time) you can see how approaches toward battle differ in various gifs offered on the main page. These display the exact manner in which abilities are selected and battles are staged.

The battles in question are promised as a fast-paced alternative to the typically more methodical approach, while the game will actively avoid random encounters. You won't bump into anything that you will not see coming first. In this regard, it sounds less akin to your typical Star Ocean affair than it does Chrono Trigger, and the few examples of gameplay offered thus far do support this. 

Yet what is interesting is a glimpse into themes of exploration and item construction. While open world games and series twisted to support them might have had audiences burned out on the same old open-world exploration and crafting themes, RPGs tend to do better in this regard. These are added in as bonuses to constant progression over a requirement, and even when it is a key feature of a well-made RPG game it lacks the more tedious grinding qualities which burn out audiences after a time. A primary method to get around this was through the use of chests, rewards and hidden items over killing a certain number of mooks and stealing their rear ends. The likes of Last Dream proved this along with a few of the franchises already mentioned, and it is easy to get into a more even balance of crafting items with gathering materials than what was offered in more open world games.

Part of what helps to have a bit more faith in this direction stems from what the Ark Heiral have already outlined, notably with an emphasis on "depth built on simplicity." While this might sound obvious, there is a habit among crowdfunded releases to try and run before you can walk, and even veterans have fallen prey to this in the past. Yes, Double Fine, that was directed at you. Many essential inspirations seem to spring from examining the basics of what worked with classics and a few more experimental series, and then finding a new dynamic to layer atop of that. As such, it's not trying to reinvent the wheel so much as add a new layer to what already works. Think of it as how Pokemon or Legend of Zelda typically experiment with their games, but always stick to a solid and very familiar core group of mechanics.

The inclusion of the mechs is obviously intended to be a major selling point as, after all, who doesn't like gigantic attack robots. However, what shows that some additional thought has been put into this stems from a brief explanation of how these will work. Along with using them in battle, these can be piloted to access entirely new areas of the map and traverse about locations which would otherwise be inaccessible on foot. It's an additional use which, if pulled off successfully, would make them more of a vehicle rather than the combat power-up more than a few games end up treating them as.

The obvious risks and challenges are present for these games, such as increased costs and development times for this release. There are a multitude of bonus items for backers, as you might expect, but there are a fair few more physical items than might be expected. While further information on how Ark Heiral intends to provide these, from printing companies to shipping costs on a worldwide basis, the Kickstarter does outline a detailed list of basic factors. Besides the pie chart which breaks down exactly where the budget will go into percentages, a section outlines the work already completed, the progress made and what much of the money will ultimately go toward.

The fact that the project has been in development for two years already does reinforce the fact that Chained Echoes isn't simply starting from scratch. The page offers multiple examples of the developers' work from a few extracts of the soundtrack to gifs of gameplay, and as such you're not risking everything on someone completely untested or work without real grounding.

There is far more to be found on the page of Chained Echoes itself, and I would highly recommend giving it a look if any of this interests you. It goes into vastly more detail about each point, from a more detailed narrative synopsis to the core mechanics. With just over £8,000 to go before it hits its target and one week left on the clock, it's a project which could do with a few more investors taking notice of it.