Chained Echoes is a pixelated RPG whose popularity has skyrocketed since its release in December 2022. This 16-bit adventure game is based in a fantasy world, where seeing dragons, piloted mechanical suits, and demonic monstrosities are all common occurrences!
Chained Echoes is perfect for anyone who misses the pixelated RPGs of their childhood and wishes they could play them on modern devices. If you haven’t played Chained Echoes, you’re definitely in the minority; if you’ve already played it however, and are looking for more games to play just like it, then you’re in luck! Keep reading for a full list of all the best games like Chained Echoes!
10 Best Games like Chained Echoes
Cosmic Star Heroine
Cosmic Star Heroine is an adventure RPG that’s so similar to Chained Echoes, you’d think it was made by the same developer! In addition to being an indie game just like Chained Echoes, Cosmic Star Heroine also features the same pixelated animation style that Chained Echoes is known for. In Cosmic Star Heroine, you get to journey to 3 exotic planets (like the 3 kingdoms in Chained Echoes) to help save the galaxy from the forces of evil! Cosmic Star Heroine has been described by many fans as the space version of Chained Echoes, so if you want to play something similar, then this game is definitely the way to go!
Tactics Ogre: Reborn
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is the enhanced, reimagined version of Tactics Ogre, which was the self-described “crown jewel of the tactical role-playing genre”. Tactics Ogre: Reborn has similar graphics to Chained Echoes, though there’s a lot more strategy involved. In this game, there are three factions that are competing for control over Valeria, a center for naval commerce. These three factions are all set to tear each other apart over control of the trade routes, it’s up to you whether their story ends in war or peace. Despite the amount of strategy that goes into this game, it’s actually one of the most in-depth RPGs on this list; if you want a game like Chained Echoes with a bit more strategy involved, then you need to check out Tactics Ogre: Reborn!
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is an action RPG with an open world full of monsters, magic, and adventure! Despite the “3” in its title, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is actually the sixth game in the series, though it can be played on its own if you haven’t played any of the previous games. Out of all of the Xenoblade games, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the most similar to Chained Echoes in the story and in gameplay. Although the graphics between these two games are much different, there’s not too much else that’s dissimilar between them. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is about stopping a waging war between two opposing nations and ending the long cycle of violence that has plagued them for centuries; like Tactics Ogre: Reborn, this game is a bit like a more strategic version of Chained Echoes.
Octopath Traveler
Octopath Traveler is one of the best games like Chained Echoes; if you liked playing Chained Echoes, then you’re almost guaranteed to love this game. Not only are the graphics similar, but the combat and gameplay are as well. This game features eight “travelers” that you can play as, in eight vast regions. Each character has their own story to tell and their own side quests to unlock, which means you get eight different adventures to embark on! As each character’s journey unfolds, more of the bigger picture is revealed, and more untold secrets of Ortserra are brought to light. If you want a game nearly identical to Chained Echoes, then you need to get Octopath Traveler!
This Way Madness Lies
This Way Madness Lies is the perfect Sailor Moon and Shakespeare crossover experience that we never knew we needed. This Way Madness Lies combines the classic works of Shakespeare with Magical Girl elements to create an absolute masterpiece of a game; this comedy RPG is similar to Chained Echoes in the sense that it’s pixelated, it’s a JRPG with turn-based battles, and it’s about a group of heroes going on mystical adventures to save the world. The only major difference between This Way Madness Lies and Chained Echoes is that this game is a comedy, it’s about a group of Magical Girls saving the classic works of Shakespeare from insanity-driven forces of evil (which, honestly, may seem even better to some people).
Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition
Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition is a criminally underrated game. This game is an open-world RPG set in the land of Ara Fell, which is a beautiful floating world that’s home to thousands of people. This beautiful floating paradise is in trouble, however; Ara Fell has been doomed to fall from the sky, and it will take all of its people with it! One young woman refuses to let this happen, however. You’ll have to join her and her ragtag group of friends to save their home and their families from total destruction! In this game, you get to fight horrible monsters, travel to vast alternate realms, and save the entire world while you do it!
Cthulhu Saves the World
As you may have gleaned from the title, this game is a comedy, though that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the best games like Chained Echoes on this list. Cthulhu Saves the World, like Chained Echoes, is an indie RPG set in a magical world full of monsters, magic, and insanity! In Cthulhu Saves the World, the Lord of Insanity himself is all set to plunge the world into darkness and mayhem when his powers are mysteriously stolen! The only way for Cthulhu to break this terrible curse is to become a “true hero”, which involves saving the world, going on journeys of redemption, and learning the true meaning of friendship! If you want a game that’s similar to Chained Echoes that doesn’t take itself seriously, you need to check out Cthulhu Saves the World.
Rise of the Third Power
Rise of the Third Power is so similar to Chained Echoes, it could be its twin. Rise of the Third Power is a retro-themed RPG that’s loosely based on the complex political climate of Europe in the 1930s. This may not sound exciting at first, but there’s a lot more to this game than just arbitrary politics. In this game, you’ll be a part of a group of eight adventurers that must embark on a suicide mission to topple the tyrannous Arkadyan emperor, Dimitri Noraskov. There’s not as much magic or mysticality in this game as there is in Chained Echoes, but the combat system and gameplay are nearly identical!
CrossCode
CrossCode is a retro-inspired 2D RPG whose story takes place in the distant future. Similar to Chained Echoes, this game features 16-bit graphics, a fast-paced combat system, and an engaging story. In addition to all that, CrossCode also features incredible puzzle mechanics similar to the Zelda games, so this would be a great game to play if you’re still impatiently waiting for Tears of the Kingdom to come out! CrossCode is a gripping game with one of the most engaging sci-fi storylines ever seen; if you loved Chained Echoes but wished it had more in-depth sci-fi, then you have to check out CrossCode!
Cthulhu Saves Christmas
This game is actually a prequel to Cthulhu Saves the World, but it can be played on its own if you haven’t played the previous game. Like Cthulhu Saves the World, Cthulhu Saves Christmas is a comedy, though it’s still one of the best games like Chained Echoes on this list. In this game, the Lord of Insanity himself has lost his powers (once again), and the only way to get them back is by rescuing Santa Claus from the League of Christmas Evil! Like Chained Echoes, Cthulhu Saves Christmas features fast-paced, turn-based combat and an engaging storyline full of richly complex characters. If you thought Chained Echoes didn’t have enough Christmas or eldritch gods in it, then you should definitely add Cthulhu Saves Christmas to your wishlist!
Related: Best Games like It Takes Two on Nintendo Switch
Chained Echoes was easily one of the most iconic indie games of 2022, though it definitely wasn’t the only one. If you love playing underrated indie games, then you should definitely check out Gamer Journalist’s guides for Project Zomboid, Escape the Backrooms, and I Was a Teenage Exocolonist.
