Skipping Update 1\2 since they are basically just donation amount updates.
Update 3:
Today I want to explain to you the basic mechanics of the Chained Echoes battle system. They are the foundation you build your strategies on, in order to fight against your enemies effectively. Please note that the UI is not final and will include colorblind options.
The key features of the Chained Echoes' battle system - aside from the special encounter system - are the Overdrive and Tag Team system. But first of all, the basics:
Chained Echoes is an RPG with a turn-based battle system. Every character acts according to the turn order, which is shown in the upper right corner and is tied to the actor's speed stat. This allows the player the ability to strategize ahead for a few turns.
The characters have Health Points (HP) and Technique Points (TP). Technique points are important, as they serve as the resource for the character's skills.
In the bottom left window, the player can choose the current character's action. The skills on the right show a color representing the type of the skill. There are physical attack, magic attack, healing, buffing, debuffing and utility type of skills. This will be important in a second.
Let's start with the first unique feature of the Chained Echoes battle system: The Overdrive bar. This bar consists of (1) a multiplicator, (2) the "Idea Field" that can take the color of one of the skill types, (3) the current position cursor and (4) the bar itself.
The multiplicator shows the effectiveness of the characters in battle. The higher the number, the stronger the party's actions and the less damage they take from enemy attacks. This multiplicator is tied to the cursor on the bar. Every character's and enemy's action move the cursor to the right.
At the beginning of most battles, the party is cooled down and the cursor is on the left. The closer it gets to the green area, the higher the multiplicator, which means the party is getting warmed up. But watch out! The green area is followed by a red area. The party members might overstrain themselves, which means their actions are less effective and susceptible to more damage. It is important to never get into this area of the Overdrive bar.
To prevent this, you will need to move the cursor back to the left. There are 2 options to do this:
The Idea field will randomly light up a color corresponding to the skill types shown in the action window. If a character uses a skill of this color, the cursor will jump back to the left. This forces the player to assess the current situation and make the crucial decision on whether it is more important to use a specific type of skill (e.g., healing) or to control the overdrive bar so that the party does not overstrain themselves. Because the turn order is displayed, this helps the player to plan ahead and allows the next party member to manage the Overdrive bar.
Amalia switches in and triggers a health points regeneration skill
The other option to move the cursor to the left is the second main system of Chained Echoes: the Tag Team system. As you've seen in the screenshots, you will always take four characters into a battle. But every character in battle is tied to another character outside of the fight, allowing the option for them to switch at the simple press of a button. This costs nothing and only benefits the party; not only does it prevent the party from overstraining, it also gives your team more skills to choose from, in order to trigger the Idea field color. Furthermore, switching a character into the battle activates passive skills.
Update 4:
Hey everyone! One week has passed and we are now standing at over
29.600€ (49%).That's almost
half of the funding goal in only 7 days (and there are still 23 left). Thanks to everyone's support our numbers look really good! But still, half is only half and we need to do our best in order to reach the rest! Everyone who wants to lend a helping hand is welcomed to spread the word.
We really appreciate that.
Furthermore, we also want to reach those stretch goals. A
Nintendo Switch and
Playstation 4 version are waiting there for us. Many of you wanted to know the prices of some of the stretch goals. So maybe we can start by revealing the most asked for stretch goal:
Further stretch goals will be revealed at a later point.
Update 5:
Hi everyone,
My name is Eddie Marianukroh and I am the composer that is writing the original soundtrack for Chained Echoes. I am self-taught in terms of composition, essentially absorbing the music from many of the greats that I have and currently listen to, as well as from the games I have played growing up (e.g., Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Parasite Eve, etc.). This, coupled with constant trial and error and playing music with friends, was how I learned how to write music. It was during college that I began experimenting with orchestral music, eventually learning orchestration after reading Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Principles of Orchestration. Eventually, I was offered the chance to score video games through a fortunate meeting with Randy Buck of The Sound Department - Austin. Though many of the games I initially scored did not release, I am still deeply grateful to Randy and The Sound Department - Austin for the opportunities and am very happy to know such great people. After graduating college in Austin, Texas and eventually living in New York City, NY for a couple years, I currently reside in Dallas, Texas (my hometown) with my wife, dog and family nearby.
I started out on Chained Echoes after seeing Matthias' (Arkheiral) ad for a composer to score this video game. The beauty and high quality of the artwork was so immediately evident, followed by the description of the style of game it was, that I promptly stopped what I was doing and reached out to him. I received a response the following day and was given the chance to provide a demo. After spending a week writing some demos, I nervously sent them over. I recall being quite anxious on waiting for a response, fearing a bad answer. As luck would have it, he liked the music! Since then, I've been working with him on creating a score fitting for the game.
I have been sincerely humbled by all the kind words from the people who have listened to the currently released tracks for Chained Echoes. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to score this project and hope that you will support the Kickstarter to make this game a reality, as I promise that I will be putting my all into writing music that will be a memorable and emotionally moving experience for the player. I thank everyone for the chance.
Cheers!
- Eddie Marianukroh
New Track added and is available in the OP!
Today I'm going to introduce you to sky battles. Sky battles are fights between you and an enemy airship, a group of monsters or incoming enemy mechs. They will be triggered by story events, special airship "dungeons" or from engaging an enemy airship on the world map.
Many sky battles will be optional and it will be your choice if you want to dive into this system.
Let's start with our actors first: The mechs and the airships.
You will use your mech to travel across areas and reach isolated places. But it can also be used in both mech and sky battles. There are 3 types of mech models: light, medium and heavy. Every type offers a variety of customization options, such as 3 part slots, 2 augment slots and 2 weapon slots. Each weapon type comes with 4 active skills that your mech can use in combat. The currently integrated and planned weapons include swords, shields, morning stars, great swords, katanas, ether guns, ether canons and ether drones. Additional combat items may follow. If you are interested in designing your very own mech check out our Mech Pack pledge tier!
The airship is the central element of sky battles. There will be at least 4 different airship models for the player to choose from. An airship can be upgraded with different parts and tools, such as harpoons or cannons. Every station on the ship, such as the bridge, machine room or deck, needs a party member assigned. Choose the right character for each station based on their qualifications (e.g., a character with the appropriate technical skill in the machine room will speed up the energy relocation action). If you are interested in designing your own airship check out our Airship Pack pledge tier!
Sky battles are built upon a basic battle system with a turn order bar shown in the upper right corner. Your actors for the battle are the airship and your 1-4 mechs. When your airship is destroyed or its energy tank is empty, you lose.
Left: Enemy attacks the airship. Above: Mech in close combat. Right: Mech on stand-by
Contrary to normal battles, you are able to position your characters in sky battles. In this example of a sky battle against incoming monsters, there are 4 positions: above, below, in front and behind your airship. During the airship's turn, it can use a variety of moves, such as waiting, strengthening shields in a certain position, going into overdrive or starting save mode. It can also order the machine room to relocate energy to other stations, making them more efficient. Offensive-wise, the airship can choose to attack the enemies with its equipped weapons. Your party members on deck are also ready to engage in combat, in the case that an enemy tries to board your ship.
Mech fights are almost the same as non-sky battles except for the option to change positions, in order to engage incoming enemies. Mechs have long-range and melee weapons. If a mech attacks an enemy with a melee weapon, it will go into "Close Combat Mode." In this case, they have to fight until the enemy is either defeated or you attempt to retreat, which comes with the risk of being attacked. If you want a second mech to engage an enemy that is in close combat with your first mech, you will need to exercise caution; any long-range weapon that is equipped and fired has the chance to hit your own unit. On the other hand, you will be able to deal extra damage with a melee weapon, since the enemy is busy with your first mech. Your defeated mechs will return to your airship and will need to be repaired.
Always watch the position an enemy is in when they attack your airship. Aim to buff those zones while you have your mechs destroy mobile enemies as fast as possible. Let your tanky mechs get into Close Combat Mode, while you use your other mechs to deal extra damage through flanking the enemy. To win the sky battles, it is important to prioritize your actions.
Thank you for reading.
But we are not done yet!
Today we have a huge announcement to make, which many of you were waiting for. Additionally to the Nintendo Switch version at the 80.000€ stretch goal, we will also unlock another add-on: We have teamed up with a publisher and are able to proudly present to you
physical copies of Chained Echoes for PC/Mac/Linux and Switch (as well as for the Playstation 4, if we reach the corresponding stretch goal).
Not only that, in addition to the regular physical version of the game, we are offering a
Limited Edition release limited to 500 copies for the PC/Mac/Linux and 1000 copies for the Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4 version each.
Regular Edition:
- Game medium
- Case
- Slipcase
- Manual
- Silver collector's coin
PC/Mac/Linux: 42€ | Nintendo Switch: 50€ | Playstation 4: 45€
Limited Edition:
- Game medium
- Case
- Slipcase
- Manual
- Softcover artbook
- Poster with game's artwork
- Golden collector's coin
- Outer box to hold all contents of the limited edition, including an inlay
PC/Mac/Linux: 67€ | Nintendo Switch: 75€ | Playstation 4: 70€
Further details will follow once we reach the stretch goal.
