I've been hooked on Chained Echoes since my initial impressions post a few weeks ago. I've powered through the game, completing the vast majority of the content (everything besides a few mop-up Trophies), and came away with the feeling that this is one of the best turn-based RPGs I've played in years.The graphics evoke the 16-bit era the developer was trying to emulate perfectly. The combat system is simple and intuitive, but has enough unique mechanics built in to stay fresh throughout the adventure. There are tons of quality of life features that remove a lot of the common annoyances of the genre - skill points are given to all party members, even benched ones, and there's a speed-up toggle in fights so you're not waiting for the same animations over and over.

The story is hit or miss. It's broadly a pretty generic "group of heroes saves the world" plot, but there's some interesting sub-plots thrown in there and I was never bored with the cutscenes and never felt the need to skim. The characters are a little flat and tropey, but I don't expect a ton from video game writing. Some of the dialogue and exposition reads a little stilted and unnatural, but I think that's because the solo developer is German. Nothing egregious.

The introduction of the Sky Armor mechs was cool, but I eventually found myself tired of that combat type. I never found a good setup for my Armors and never got a good handle on the different abilities. Sky Armor fights were a bit of a drag, and the game relies on them heavily at certain points.

All in all, this was a really cool RPG, especially considering it was developed most by one guy. Super impressive, and manages to be a love-letter to the classics of the genre while at the same time innovating on them and modernizing mechanics that can feel outdated these days.