Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Deep Look

Missing Link

What is the goal of a successful DLC? To provide a substantial new adventure for beloved characters to embark on? Maybe to introduce new gameplay elements, or tweak the established formula in creative ways? Or perhaps expand upon the existing narrative while also weaving new elements into it? To be clear, Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant does all of the above, some more successfully than others, resulting in a worthwhile addition to the overall package that is as entertaining as the base game was. However, it also struggles a bit to expand the base game in a relevant way and coming back to Matthias Linda’s retro-inspired RPG three years after its initial release causes an awkward disconnect that even the DLC’s ten-hour runtime doesn’t quite bridge.

Right out of the gate, Ashes of Elrant lets the player know that it is a largely standalone experience. Rather than being inserted into the main campaign, the new adventure takes place after the events of the original story and is initiated from the game’s main menu, using either a previous save or utilizing a custom file specifically provided for this purpose. There is no jumping back and forth between DLC and base game, nor does character progression made here carry back over into the main campaign. The DLC features the entire roster of characters from the base game, optional ones included, and it can be a little bit jarring to find a strange face or two popping up on the party screen. The established cast of characters, however, has no such issue, as they talk and carry with the newbies on as if they’d known each other for a long time already.

Welcome to scenic Elrant! Prepare for total annihilation by the Harbinger.

Ashes of Elrant sees the Crimson Wings mercenary band roped into a new conflict, hired to investigate the discovery of mysterious ancient artifacts that appear to have originated from the fabled lost city of Elrant. Established as a safeguard to keep the Harbinger from breaking free of his bonds, Elrant has long been forgotten, wiped out by the Harbinger in the distant past. However, these new discoveries are proof of a portal to the past, sending the Crimson Wings back in time and allowing Lenne to rediscover a long-forgotten part of her past. Along the way, a number of further plot twists await, along with a new villain whose plans must be foiled.

Although Lenne’s backstory is most directly connected to the city of Elrant and the events of the DLC, other characters also get a bit of TLC in the character background department. This is largely handled via optional dimensional rifts that players can find while exploring the new maps. Coming into contact with one of these rifts triggers a story scene to play out, each one focusing on a particular party member’s past life. Using these literal plot devices, the developer addresses certain aspects of characters’ backstories that were either not expanded upon previously or kept under wraps. While these are certainly nice touches to include as part of the overall package, none of them add anything of critical importance either, being completely optional as well as wholly unconnected from the DLC’s main plot. Of course, the lengthy gap since the game’s release may mean that some players may no longer feel as attached to these characters, lessening the impact of these backstories.

Exploration remains as entertaining and rewarding as ever, with lots of hidden secrets to uncover.

Whereas the main cast takes on more of a supporting role this time around, players are in return introduced to an all-new playable party member, and none other than General Leonar, also known as the White Wolf, commander of Elrant’s troops and caretaker of the city in Lenne’s absence. Leonar is a powerful physical combatant and cursed with an insatiable drive to eat. As a result, he utilizes an all-new Bite battle mechanic that allows him to afflict enemies with multiple bite marks, which his remaining move set takes advantage of in various ways. Leonar is a powerful and fun addition to the battle squad, making it a shame that players can’t carry him back into the base game. However, like the remaining party, Leonar’s skillset can be fully upgraded and customized while he’s around, and the DLC’s runtime provides ample opportunity to cultivate his talents to their full extent.

Combat itself remains otherwise unchanged from the base game. It’s a turn-based balancing act, where each attack and ability cause an on-screen Overdrive gauge to either increase or decrease, with players aiming to keep the gauge in the green “sweet spot” for the best damage output and character defense. Similarly, select areas offer the party access to their Sky Armor mech suits, both to use in combat against far more powerful enemies and during exploration to allow access to new areas. However, enemy units tend to be rather tanky, with large health pools, requiring drawn-out battles and likely a reliance on a core party with particular skills that will make many standard mob battles play out quite similarly.

Ashes of Elrant’s combat is a familiar beast, with the addition of a literal beast to the battle party.

Where the DLC does mix things up a bit is in the side content. While the overworld still features an on-screen chest counter in each area for a bit of treasure sleuthing and a couple of optional bosses to take on, the most noteworthy addition here are a number of new mini-games exclusive to the DLC. The most prominent one of these is a fishing mini-game with a slight puzzle element that introduces a lure wheel where players must work out which lure a fish responds to via their reactions. There’s also a new digging mini-game that functions a little like Hot or Cold, where players must find and unearth a valuable treasure within a given time limit. The reward board that shells out prizes for thorough exploration returns, and there is a fully separate Party Point currency that can be spent on a number of exclusive new upgrades. Along with a plethora of secrets scattered around each of the DLC’s new maps, there’s enough variety here to fully satisfy players looking for a break from grinding through the story.

Ashes of Elrant ably builds upon the base game that came before it, while being an otherwise rather standalone adventure for the game’s cast of characters to embark upon. Because of its distance from the established narrative, it’s difficult to sell anyone who rolled credits a couple of years ago to return to it now, even though all of its disparate elements are as entertaining and worthwhile as one could want. The passage of time may have widened the gulf a bit too much to make a return trip worthwhile at this stage, but those experiencing the (now) full package for the first time will find an enjoyable bonus adventure well worth the time it takes to complete.

Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the expansion provided by the publisher.