{"id":130962,"date":"2023-01-02T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-139306"},"modified":"2023-01-02T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T16:00:00","slug":"best-of-2022-mecha-and-memories-how-16-bit-nostalgia-influenced-snes-style-jrpg-chained-echoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2023\/01\/02\/best-of-2022-mecha-and-memories-how-16-bit-nostalgia-influenced-snes-style-jrpg-chained-echoes\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Of 2022: Mecha And Memories – How 16-Bit Nostalgia Influenced SNES-Style JRPG ‘Chained Echoes’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n
\"Chained<\/a>
Image: Matthias Linda<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over the holidays we’re republishing some choice features<\/a> from the last 12 months. A mix of talking points, interviews, opinion pieces and more from NL staff and contributors, you’ll find our usual blend of thoughtfulness, expertise, frivolity, retro nostalgia, and \u2014 of course \u2014 enthusiasm for all things Nintendo. Happy holidays!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

A world where dragons exist and people pilot mechs? Not the most common of combinations \u2014 despite both elements often appearing in RPGs frequently over the years \u2014 but for SNES and PS1-inspired JRPG Chained Echoes<\/a>, this is completely the norm. Revealed back in 2019, the game blasted through its Kickstarter campaign<\/a> and secured a Switch version as part of its stretch goals.<\/p>\n

This turn-based RPG is due to release in 2022 \u2014 cheekily, the Steam page lists ***ber 2022<\/em>. And from its incredibly detailed pixel art to its snappy combat, it’s looking like another fantastic retro-inspired RPG that will feel right at home on the Switch. And that’s exactly what the game’s lone developer, Matthias Linda, thinks, too.<\/p>\n

With a list of inspirations including Xenogears<\/a>, Chrono Trigger<\/a> and Cross<\/a>, Xenoblade Chronicles<\/a>, and Suikoden<\/a>, it’s clear that Chained Echoes is a love letter to the genre \u2014 with a particular nod to the classics. But the combination of mechs, dragons, and steampunk help to set it apart from the plethora of retro RPGs on the system.<\/p>\n

We had a chance to speak to Matthias Linda about Chained Echoes, why the Switch is so good<\/em> for the classically-inspired RPG, and how a recent Monolith Soft game almost caused Linda to delay the game because he was so engrossed…<\/p>\n

\n
\"Matthias<\/a>
This is what seven years of game development does to you. \u2014 Image: Matthias Linda<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nintendo Life:<\/strong> Congratulations on nearing the release window for the game! Making any kind of video game largely on your own is a daunting task, but a 30-40 hour RPG is on another level! What is it about the genre that inspired you to make your own?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthias Linda:<\/strong> I grew up with JRPGs on the Nintendo and PlayStation systems. It\u2019s as simple as that. I even created Final Fantasy VI<\/a>-likes and Chrono Trigger<\/a>-inspired games in RPG Maker<\/strong> as I fell in love with the genre. So it was natural to one day start working on my own RPG. And, here I am, after seven years of game dev. The game is mostly done, just a few polishing topics and getting it run on each and every system.<\/p>\n

Did you always have the Switch, or a Nintendo console, in mind for Chained Echoes? What do you think it is about the Switch that makes it such a great home for classically-inspired JRPGs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I love the Switch. And yeah, from the very beginning I wanted to have the game running on it, obviously. It\u2019s a perfect match, isn\u2019t it? I\u2019m not even sure why it is the perfect match, it just feels like that. Somehow the indie scene managed to make the Switch into something really, really special.<\/p>\n

When the Switch appeared on the market, due to the fact that you had a blend of a portable and stationary console, you already had something special. But in the end, games shape a console. And, for some reason, the retro-inspired JRPGs and RPGs and action-adventures feel super natural on the Switch. They’re a perfect match.<\/p>\n

\n

…the indie scene managed to make the Switch into something really, really special.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s a real blend of classic SNES visuals and style with PlayStation sound and traversal options. Did you have any particular games in mind while working on Chained Echoes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Quite a lot. Suikoden II<\/strong>, the Chrono games, the early Final Fantasy<\/strong> titles, Terranigma<\/a>, Xenogears and so many, many more; basically, all of the games that were part of my childhood. But, in Chained Echoes, they influence the game more in how I remember them, not so much in the way they actually were. There is that psychological effect that you remember things differently and you will always glorify things you experienced as a child. And whenever I created something, I did it how I remembered it, not how it actually was.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re in love with the idea of a world where mechs and dragons both exist. Not many RPGs use mechs as transportation or combat \u2013 we\u2019re thinking Xenogears and Xenoblade Chronicles X<\/a>. Why did you want to bring mechs in particular?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My inner child will always love huge robots. Who, at my age, didn\u2019t love Mechwarrior<\/a><\/strong>? But yeah, Xenogears, definitely. And yes, Xenoblade Chronicles<\/a>\u2026 my god, Xenoblade Chronicles 3<\/a> recently delayed Chained Echoes by at least a week!<\/p>\n