At the end of 2022, one-man-developer-studio Matthias Linda releasedChained Echoes, a nostalgia-fueledJRPG-inspired gamethat hit all the marks of what it intended to do. I played it back at launch, got the platinum trophy, and had a blast with it, despite some minor gripes with the narrative and that divisive ending.
Then, years later, the DLCAshes of Elrantwas announced. Personally, it’s pretty hard for a DLC to win me over. Unless it follows theXenoblade Chroniclesmodel, which feels more like a full-fledged expansion rather than some extra content, I don’t give them the time of day. Ironically, this year I’vereviewedSea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker(a game often compared toChained Echoes), so anAshes of Elrantreview is also warranted.
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To sum up,Ashes of Elrantis more of the same, mainly in the gameplay department. The DLC delved deeper into the mythology surrounding the world of Valandis, as well as the backstory of the four optional party members, Raphael, Tomke, Magnolia, and Mikah, who had been overlooked in the base game.
Is it worthy of your time? If you’re a die-hardChained Echoesfan, absolutely. It took me 17 hours to complete all the content the DLC offers - but with a guide, you can cut that down to around 13 hours. Now, on the other hand, if you’re overChained Echoes, maybe it’s better to give this extra content a pass.
Without further ado, join me and Glenn as I share my thoughts onChained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant.
Thank God, A Recap
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrantcan be launched straight from the main menu. I’m not sure if you need to finish the base game for the option to appear, but once you select it, you’re able to either load one of your saves or start with a default setting. I loaded one where I had every character and skill at the max level. If you start from scratch, you’ll begin with every character, but their skills will be at level 2.
Then, the game offers a main story recap, something I gladly appreciated because I didn’t remember much after almost 3 years. It’s a summary of the events up until the final dungeon, suggestingAshes of Elranttakes place before Glenn and the group go to fight the last boss.
The DLC tries to introduce canonical story beats, but always cautiously, since they can’t interfere with the events of the original game.
As soon as the DLC begins, we’re already in the middle of a fight. I found myself whacking villagers holding wooden staves and makeshift weapons, wondering what the hell was going on. A few incredibly unprepared villagers down for the count later, and a flashback helped me get my bearings.
The Crimson Wings (our band of mercenaries) received a mission from a scientist named Talos. The man said he was investigating shards from an ancient civilization called Elrant when they discovered a magical rift. However, their research was interrupted by Tarynean soldiers, and since Glenn wants to prevent these insurgents from stirring up trouble, he decides to take the job.
Once they arrive at the location, though, things go south, and everyone gets sucked into the portal, ending up in the city of Elrant. At first, I thought it would be a parallel story with no ties to the main plot. But when the game introduced the White Wolf - whose name I won’t reveal to avoid spoilers - I got a little more excited, thinking it might be a canon story.
Canon Story, But Not So Much
As the narrative progressed, I realized that adding to the canon wasn’t quite the case, or the proposal. The best comparison I can make is anime movies. The DLC tries to introduce canonical story beats, but always cautiously, since they can’t interfere with the events of the original game. It results in awkward storytelling that skirts the edge of a plothole, because whileAshes of Elrantwants to share crucial information about the world ofChained Echoes, doing so would exclude all the players who don’t play it.
The thing is, if you’re looking for something that will improve the ending or justify various story beats that were left hanging, such as the Masked Man, you won’t find it here. However, if you’re a loremaster who devoured everythingChained Echoespresented, studied the past and the backstory of Valandis, and want to dive even deeper, then you’ll be pleased.
I was somewhat satisfied with the conclusion ofAshes of Elrant. As I mentioned, the new character was a great surprise, and I really enjoyed his addition to the group. Still, I wouldn’t claim every single player should feel compelled to play the DLC.
In short,Ashes of Elrantoffers approximately 8 hours of new main content. However, one-third of that is filler, another third is packed with classic game easter eggs, and only the final third delivers new information that is genuinely worthwhile. On a positive note, though, this DLC reinforced my belief that we will see aChained Echoessequel in the future.
Coming On Too Strong
Every JRPG DLC I’ve played always faces the same insurmountable wall: how to balance gameplay with the new content?Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmakerwent for an elegant approach, locking the power of our protagonists but teaching them new ones, which felt like a natural progression reset.
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrantdidn’t worry about that. As I’d loaded my save, I started with all my characters overpowered. I’m not kidding when I say I didn’t use a single healing spell throughout the whole DLC, and that many battles ended before the enemy even acted. Plus, the new character is so strong that it’s as if the developer wanted us to add him to the party, to give a fresh experience with his new skillset.
Ashes of Elrantoffers the exact same gameplay loop as the base game, so you know exactly what to expect
The DLC did try to throw a wrench into my progression by stripping all my gear, but that changed almost nothing. To be honest, it just made the whole progression feel a bit more artificial than intended. Instead of creating a new way to empower my party members,Ashes of Elrantstripped away my progress but kept the execution identical — collecting crafting materials and crystals both by exploring the map and defeating enemies. It played it safe, but I wasn’t a fan of that approach.
Overall, every battle was settled using my staple party and the same skills, including bosses. To give you an idea, the game features three secret bosses and a superboss after beating those three. Well, I defeated the superboss in exactly two minutes, and he only acted once. Maybe that was the result of having done everything in the game, crafting my weapons to the max, and unlocking every Talent.
Still, aside from the newcomer White Wolf, no character gets new skills - not even the Sky Armors. That was a sticking point for me, actually. I playedChained Echoesat launch and didn’t expect to return to it almost three years later. When I did, I was greeted by 12 party members, each with 16 skills. It was a bit overwhelming. I didn’t want to go over every ability again, so I ended up using the same group as always.
I lovedChained Echoes’sturn-based systemand its Overdrive mechanic, but I wouldn’t have complained if the DLC had shaken things up a bit. They did add Talents, a board where we spent Party Points to unlock a few perks. But its novelty gets old fast. I’m repeating myself at this point, but outside the new plot details,Ashes of Elrantoffers the exact same gameplay loop as the base game, so you know exactly what to expect.
New Minigames, Yay!
Among the additions, however, we have new minigames! As many marketing materials pointed out, we have a fishing and digging minigame – and apparently a memory game, but I didn’t find it.
The fishing minigame warmed my heart because it’s incredibly similar to the one inBreath of Fire 2, my favorite series. We pick a lure, hook a fish, and reel it in by pressing a button, all while being careful not to let the line snap. Fishing rewards us with materials to buy more equipment or improve them by smithing.
The digging minigame is really straightforward. We can only dig in three specific parts of the DLC, and it all boils down to pressing a button, identifying if we’re close to a treasure, and then smashing that button once we dig one. Once a Class Emblem is found, the digging spot disappears. There are three new classes, and they are way overpowered.
Are these two minigames groundbreaking? Certainly no. Did they keep me engaged and eager to see what bounties awaited me? Oh, yeah. And in the end, that’s what counts for me in an RPG. Not every minigame needs to be highly elaborate and strive to be a standalone game. As long as it serves as a palate cleanser between the main story and rewards me for my efforts, I’m good.
Side Contents Galore
Speaking of side content, there are a ton of them to complete inAshes of Elrant. I’d wager that your playtime will double if you scour every chest, find every Pool of Power, face all secret bosses, and strive to complete the outstanding Reward Board – it reminded me why it’s one ofthe best progression systems in JRPGs.
You can easily rush till the end and not struggle against a single enemy. That takes guts, though, because it’s insanely hard to ignore the interface telling you how many chests are left in a particular area. Since the exploration was so seamless, I caved in and always tried to do all the content in an area before leaving it.
Much like the base game,Ashes of Elrantwon’t hold your hand or fill the map with markers telling you how to unlock its secrets. You need to talk to NPCs, listen to their tips, and figure out the next step on your own. On the one hand, it can be frustrating. I had to scour every area twice to complete everything, and at one point, I was tired.
To add to my nagging, the DLC didn’t feature a new trophy or achievement list, which left me unmotivated - at least during the review period. I did everythingAshes of Elrantoffered me, but it feels like I got nothing. All I earned after defeating the superboss was a “congratulations.”
Closing Comments
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.
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