Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant

I have to try really hard to find anything to critique about Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant. It’s a turn-based JRPG, with an innovative combat system that hits all the right nostalgia buttons. It doesn’t answer many of the questions left at the end of Chained Echoes, but it keeps me excited for the inevitable sequel. Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant is 20 more hours of the Chained Echoes some of us know and love. Hopefully, this DLC helps the main game transcend the JRPG community. Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant stands atop the JRPG genre, alongside modern classics like Undertale, Sea of Star...

Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant is sublime DLC that gives you a fantastic reason to play one of the greatest RPGs in recent memory some more.

Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant may have its flaws with its execution, but if you liked the combat and the characters, then it is worth a look.

As most DLCs go, Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant is recommended for the more hardcore fans of the original. It does a decent job expanding the lore of Valandis and even dropping hints of a potential sequel. But if you're looking for answers to the base game's unresolved questions, you'll be disappointed. The gameplay loop is essentially the same, and the only variation is the addition of a new party member and the Talent board. If you're not that keen on learning more about Chained Echoes' mythology, maybe you should give this DLC a pass.

Chained Echoes is a vibrant, retro-styled RPG that impressed with its intriguing combat system when it released in 2022. Like its cast of characters, however, the Ashes of Elrant DLC may be a bit too stuck in a time warp for its own good.