Back in 2022, Deck13 and Mathias Linda tossed me a copy of what I can only describe as a masterpiece in Chained Echoes PS5 Review. Fast forward a few years, later they offered me a copy of the DLC Ashes of Elrant. I took my own advice from my review of Echos and ran to say yes. But could lightning strike in the same place twice?
Well, let’s get the facts out of the way: it costs about $10, which falls in the middle of DLC prices. It costs less than most season passes or expansions, but more than most cosmetic packs. This price point nails it perfectly. You can easily spend 10 hours on the DLC just taking in the sights, trying to finish up the new board, and playing the new mini games.
I won’t say much about the new character, not because I don’t enjoy him, I love this dude. I won’t say much because it would spoil the story, and I can’t think of a way to explain him without doing so. What I will say is that he never left my party, he is relatively simple to use, has some great abilities, and his character arc itself is fantastic to see play out.
Speaking of the story, this is another one that is hard to speak about. It takes place before the very end of the main story, and you select it from the title screen. You can just hop right in if you want. It involves the Crimson Wings being hired for an important mission that also happens to pay far too well to pass up. (Small spoiler alert, for once in this situation, you actually do get the money)
The story primarily focuses on certain characters over others, making some of them sort of just feel along for the ride, but the lore we get is great. Many of the in-game changes this time around are much appreciated as well. No more searching for crystals out in the wild; monsters just drop them. They are all just one level now and can just be equipped at will from your inventory screen.
Another interesting addition is that you can increase stats from these sorts of glowing wells, and every area pretty much has one or two for you to find. This, combined with the new Party Point (PP) system, lets you unlock things like a fishing minigame or the chance to do damage before the battle starts.
There are a few downsides this time around. Part of that PP system, for example, lets you increase the size of the green overdrive bar. If you took your fully leveled characters into the DLC, you can basically just destroy everything when you start in overdrive mode. It is nice to feel like a god however. Which brings me to my next point: the DLC is self-contained, the new character and the changes stay in the DLC, away from the base game. So if you love the new character, you won’t be able to bring him back to the game and enjoy him there. The same goes for all the weapons and stuff you gather there, since you lose anything you have in the main game when you load it over. (don’t worry, it’s still in your game over there)
So did lightning strike in the same place twice? Chained Echoes is still my highest rated game ever, and the DLC is a respectable 8/10. The lore is great, and while I’m not a fan of all of the mini games, or that it is a self-contained experience, it did give me more of what I wanted at a fair price. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
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