The gorgeous pixel 16-bit RPG Chained Echoes finally has a release window! Developed by Matthias Linda and published by Deck13, who was responsible for bringing us the fantastic action RPG CrossCode, the game more than doubled its Kickstarter goal back in 2019, and one of the stretch goals included bringing the game to Switch!

We're finally going to see the fruits of this Kickstarter's success towards the end of the year, as Chained Echoes is projected to launch sometime in Q4 2022. The turn-based RPG already sported a gorgeous SNES-style visual flair back when it was announced, but it's really come into its own with a crisp, colourful world that blends a fantasy dragon landscape with Mechs! Not only can you travel the world in your robotic companions, but you can also engage in combat with them, just like in PS1 classic Xenogears, or the more recent Xenoblade Chronicles X.

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Here are some details on the game, straight from its Steam page:

Take up your sword, channel your magic or board your Mech. Chained Echoes is a 16-bit SNES-style RPG set in a fantasy world where dragons are as common as piloted mechanical suits. Follow a group of heroes as they explore a land filled to the brim with charming characters, fantastic landscapes and vicious foes. Can you bring peace to a continent where war has been waged for generations and betrayal lurks around every corner?

Chained Echoes is a story-driven game where a group of heroes travel around the vast continent of Valandis to bring an end to the war between its three kingdoms. In the course of their journey, they will travel through a wide array of diverse landscapes spanning from wind-tanned plateaus and exotic archipelagos to sunken cities and forgotten dungeons.

Key Features:
- 40 - 50 hours of playtime
- Fast-paced turn-based battles
- No random encounters; enemies can be seen running around
- Tons of items to be looted, stolen or crafted
- Complex skill and equipment system
- Customize your own airship
- Travel and fight by foot or in your Mech
- 16-bit SNES style graphics
- Music inspired by PSX RPGs

It sounds like Chained Echoes is a JRPG-fan's dream, with many of the genre's modern-day conveniences such as a lack of random encounters and complex equipment and skill systems, while it retains the spirit of the golden age of the genre. Especially that meaty playtime — straight out of the CRT days, that! You can watch the trailer at the top to get a good glimpse at the world of Chained Echoes. We're pretty sure we saw a giant mouse in there somewhere. We hope he gets a Mech, too!

We'll let you know when Chained Echoes has a more firm release date. But for now, we'll be salivating over that trailer and admiring just how gorgeous the game looks. Will this one be able to join the lofty ranks of the other fantastic RPGs on the system?

Will you be picking up Chained Echoes on Switch later this year? Let us know down in the usual spot.

[source pushsquare.com]