I had the chance to interview Matthias Linda about his upcoming RPG, Chained Echoes. Inspired by classic RPGs from the SNES to the PlayStation era, Chained Echoes (which you can check out on Steam) features gorgeous pixel art graphics, turn-based gameplay, no random encounters, and more. Chained Echoes releases for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on December 8th.
“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,” reads the game’s synopsis. “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.”
What inspired you to make an RPG specifically?
I grew up in the right times I guess. As a child I played JRPGs and RPGs on the SNES and the PlayStation. And this was my favorite genre. So at a young age I already started doing fangames in the RPG Maker. I never released them, did them more for myself. Not that I finished one. But you know, that was the time that shaped me and where I knew that one day I wanted to create something to honor these games.
Are there any game developers you are especially inspired by?
Yes. As I said, I grew up in the golden era. I fell in love with games such as Xenogears, Suikoden 2, Breath of Fire, Terranigma, [and] the Chrono series. And many more. And they all influenced Chained Echoes. Not to forget Final Fantasy VI. But I guess especially Xenogears had a huge impact on the game. It doesn’t stop there, and I still play games these days, so there are obviously things inspired by more modern games, from Xenoblade Chronicles to Elden Ring. That may sound weird but on the other side, everything influences us and I can’t really say if there was any game which didn’t influence me.
What were some challenges that came with doing so much of the development on your own?
Bringing everything together. On paper, everything sounds great and awesome and the mechanics are cool. But then you start developing your game and you design this mechanic and that mechanic. And they work as intended. You build some levels, pixel some characters and everything is fine. Until you try to combine everything and suddenly the whole thing falls apart. Making everything work out and work together is probably the hardest thing despite actually finishing the game.
What do you think is the most interesting part of Chained Echoes’ gameplay?
I actually hope that there is more than just one super interesting part. While I personally can’t really stand it anymore… but that’s quite common after 7 years I think… I hear from the feedback that the story is great. That is not so much gameplay relevant, but it is what connects the gameplay. From the gameplay itself I think the combat system sets Chained Echoes apart from other games in the genre.
Are you considering supporting the game after launch with new content, or will you be starting development on a new game?
I still have to add some mechanics later on, like airship battles. That’s something I wanted to have since the Kickstarter but which is still missing. I will probably also need to patch a few things here and there. No matter how hard you test your game, there will always be a user who breaks just everything. And once all of that is done, I’m going to think about what’s next. May it be additional content or a new game. Who knows? I sure have some ideas in mind but right now I’m too focused on polishing the game to really think about that.
Is there anything you’d like to say to people who might want to check the game out?
Yes. Even if you know that you won’t like Chained Echoes, may it be because it is a turn based game, it has pixelarts or you just dislike RPGs in general, do me a favor and listen to the soundtrack. That’s one thing I didn’t do myself and Eddie is a master of music. A godlike creature who has created something truly unique. While I don’t really want to play through my own game anymore (and trust me, as a developer you have to do that way too often to make sure everything still works as intended), I still can listen to it. It just doesn’t get old.
