Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant is the highly anticipated DLC for the critically acclaimed RPG released back in 2022! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Review Overview
What is Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant?
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant is the highly anticipated DLC of the highly acclaimed indie RPG Chained Echoes. Taking place right before the end of the base game, Ashes of Elrant explores more about the past of Lenne and the origins of the Order of Leonar. The game features tons of additions like new areas to explore, enemies to vanquish, music tracks to listen to, equipment and items to find, and a completely new character.
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant features:
⚫︎ Expansion of Base Game Storylines
⚫︎ New Explorable Areas
⚫︎ 1 Playable New Character
⚫︎ Over 40 New Enemies and Bosses
⚫︎ Over 15 New Music Tracks
⚫︎ New Equipment and Items
⚫︎ New Mini Games
| Digital Storefronts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 Playstation |
 Xbox |
 Switch |
| $9.99 (Requires Base Game) |
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Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Streamlined Progression Systems Exploration is Still The Best Part Easily Accessible DLC Still Looks and Sounds Great |
More Worldbuilding Than Actual Conclusions Coming Back After Years is Overwhelming Non-Focused Characters Feel Left Out Building the New Character Is a Pain |
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Overall - 78/100
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant is a DLC made for fans of the game, especially for those who enjoyed the gameplay. It mostly expands on certain characters’ backstories and builds on top of its existing gameplay systems, which is what the game is known for. That being said, the DLC feels like it's a few years too late, as it solves issues that exist within the base game.
The additions are welcome, but most of them don’t feel as impactful or as massive as initially advertised. Also, don’t expect any resolutions to many of the story’s plot holes here, as it mainly serves to support the worldbuilding and add context rather than answer them directly.
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Story - 7/10
Without venturing into spoiler territory, Ashes of Elrant expands on the world of Eldrea and the origins of some of its many mysteries. It also sheds light on some of the backgrounds and motivations of certain characters, which adds more depth to some of the cast. Take note that this is only some, as not everyone in the bloated cast of characters gets the spotlight.
In addition to the additional context on the world and some characters, the additional character, The White Wolf, is also a character that fits perfectly into the team’s dynamic. Despite being introduced literally right before the end of the game with the DLC, their inclusion doesn’t diminish how much of an impact they have on every scene they’re featured in.
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Gameplay - 7/10
The gameplay remains the same for the most part, with the added benefit of streamlining some of its existing systems. Since the DLC is basically endgame levels, coming back to it is certainly daunting. Returning players will have to recalibrate themselves to their old strategies, while newer players immediately wanting to try the DLC will have to acclimate themselves to a massive cast that have all of their tools unlocked.
It’s clear that this aspect was the part given the most focus, as the exploration remains the best part of the game. While not all of the additions are a big hit, specifically the unrewarding Reward Board, boss encounters are still challenging enough that players cannot brute force them through grinding and will need to solve them through strategy.
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Visuals - 9/10
In terms of visuals, Chained Echoes remains one of the better-looking HD-2D games out there, and the DLC adds even more to it. New special effects and animations add more oomph to the game, even with the lack of voice acting and expressions. Additionally, the new areas reminded me just how good the game looks. It was never lacking in this aspect then and years later still holds up.
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Audio - 9/10
The soundtrack of the base game was already good enough, and the DLC just adds even more to it. As soon as you start exploring the new areas and fighting new enemies, the music is immediately the first thing that comes to mind due to how amazing it sounds. The only issue that the base game has in its audio aspect is the lack of voice acting, which is still relevant to the DLC, especially with how deep the narrative goes.
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Value for Money - 7/10
Priced at $9.99, it’s a worthwhile investment for those who wish to revisit the game due to its gameplay and its story. While it doesn’t exactly change anything for the base game, the DLC explores more details on the world of Eldrea, the past of specific characters, and more. It’s primarily for the fans of the game and not for those who just want to try the DLC. If anything, I’d recommend interested players play through the game first before diving into the portal to Elrant.
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Review: Time Travel Doesn't Fix Plot Holes
Back in 2022, there were a couple of standout indie RPGs that were inspired by classic JRPGs that made big waves. One of them was Chained Echoes. Heralded for its beautiful visuals, amazing soundtrack, and modernized battle systems, the indie game was part of and is still part of the reinvigoration of the genre that’s happening today as an obvious love letter to the classics. Let’s also not forget that this whole game was written and developed by a one-man team, which makes it even more impressive.
While it’s been three years since its release, the Ashes of Elrant DLC finally releases today, and with it comes additional content. That being said, is the DLC worth revisiting a three-year-old RPG for?
Already Looked Good, Now Even Better
The visuals of the base game back in 2022 were, in fact, one of the better-looking pixel HD-2D games. Ashes of Elrant doesn’t exactly add all that much to it, as it keeps the same design philosophy as the game has always had. However, you could tell that certain flourishes and animations are new, which makes it feel like the visuals have upgraded quite a bit since then. There’s not much else to say about how the game looks, as it always looked good then and still looks good now, even though it’s been years.
Speaking of an aspect that was already good back then, the audio aspect remains as one of its great pillars. The soundtrack, specifically, has always been highly regarded, and the added music makes it that much better. Same with the visuals, there’s not much else to rave about the audio without parroting what was already said years ago.
The main thing to take away is that both aspects were already good and have become a little bit better due to a few additions. There are a few nitpicks, like the lack of animated portraits and voice acting, but these are minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things.
Don’t Expect It to Change the Ending
The story of Chained Echoes is polarizing to say the least. Some would live and die by calling it one of the greatest narratives of all time, while others would say that the narrative dug itself a ton of plot holes as it progressed. If it’s any consolation, I would be a part of the latter, as the narrative of the game starts to become a lot more convoluted and confusing by the time the third act starts. Don’t get me wrong, there are some revelations and plot lines that I loved, but the amount of new characters, concepts, twists, and plot threads was massive.
Which brings us to Ashes of Elrant. With 12 different characters, the spotlight is on a few specific characters like Lenne, Raphael, Magnolia, and the new character, the White Wolf. Without venturing into spoiler territory even when the game is already taking place at the end of the actual game, Ashes of Elrant is a much more contained narrative that expands on the world of Eldrea. And honestly, since it’s already the endgame, the story doesn’t exactly have a lot to go anymore. Does it change anything about the base game? No. It just adds more context to some characters who feel like they should’ve had a bigger part in the story to begin with.
Going back to the massive cast of protagonists, it might’ve been better if only certain characters were playable in the DLC. The reason is that having all of them on screen makes it feel like most of them are extras in the scene. The effort for having each character have at least a piece of dialogue is appreciated and noticed; however, it probably would’ve had a bigger impact if there was more focus on the central characters instead of trying to add everyone else.
Fishing, Digging, Crystal Rework, And Other Changes
For the most part, the gameplay loop remains the same. Exploration is still the best part of the game, and the combat still relies on the ability to adapt to the Overdrive gauge while buffing and debuffing. However, there are a couple of changes and additions that significantly improved the game.
The fishing minigame is pretty straightforward compared to other RPGs that have tended to complicate it. Those aspiring to take a whack against the newly added superbosses will have to engage in this pastime since the rewards are materials for crafting and upgrading equipment as well as different items. The next one is the Sonar, which is primarily just a test of patience due to its trial-and-error nature. It’s not the most entertaining since it’s mostly trial-and-error, but it does at least break the monotony.
The crystal system was always confusing in the base game, and I didn’t understand it all back then. In Ashes of Elrant, it’s now a resource
that you pick up and find around the world in the new areas. These can be easily slotted in as well, where you only need to add them to a character’s specified equipment. It’s a solution to a problem that was introduced in the base game, which is a trend in this DLC.
Another added system is the Talent System. It’s an additional progression skill system that adds more stats and modifiers to the gameplay. You can learn a talent that extends the Overdrive gauge to the left so that it’s easier to activate. Other talents range from party-wide stat boosts and other individual ones as well. It’s not the most elegant skill system, but it does add more to the DLC’s new encounters since you’d have already maxed out the base game’s skills by then.
The Big, Bad, White Wolf
Let’s talk about White Wolf, the newest addition to the Crimson Wings. His memorable personality blends in well with the variety of characters, paired with an actually compelling story. The biggest issue is that his tale is concluded a bit too soon, and it does feel like a letdown that it ends as fast as it does.
But how is he as a party member? He is by no means a bad character, but the fact that you have to build him from the ground up as opposed to the rest is time-consuming. For context, there’s a total of 12 playable characters, and 8 of them are active in battle at a time. When you gain access to the DLC, a cleared save file means that you probably have all of the characters’ skills upgraded by then.
And even when you just choose to pick the free ride to access the DLC immediately with a fresh save, all of the party members have all the skills learned and just need them upgraded. So while the White Wolf is unique with his Bite skills and mechanics, it’s a considerable amount of effort to get him up to speed with everyone else. And even then, you might just stick with your original 4 instead of adding him in.
Play It For the Love of the Game
So, does Ashes of Elrant make it worth revisiting Chained Echoes three years later? I’d say so, but with level expectations. Do I recommend this DLC for people who have never played Chained Echoes? Absolutely not. I’d say it’s worth it if you want to play through the entire thing and access the DLC organically as opposed to just diving straight into it. Playing through it without any prior knowledge is equivalent to just running into an endgame area and trying to get through it. If you want an actual comparison of the DLC, you can think of it similarly to Final Fantasy XVI’s DLC and how it doesn’t change the ending but adds more content and context to the world.
Funnily enough, playing the DLC without playing the base game might even make for a frustrating experience. You see, Chained Echoes is an RPG that doesn’t let you just brute force it when it comes to boss fights. It’s part of the appeal of the game, but it’s not perfect. Not knowing these things and not knowing how to strategize against them will lead to a fruitless endeavor. That’s not to say that a new player can’t take their time and read through the tooltips; they can, but they might as well have played through the game instead.
To add to this, there’s also the fact that the writing and storytelling of the game are a rollercoaster. One that the recap doesn’t explain very well. Heading into it blind while being introduced to a ton of different story-relevant (and maybe irrelevant) characters will be overwhelming. You’re also going to be missing out on a large amount of context, details, and information about all of the characters, which is one of the reasons why people liked the game.
Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant builds on top of its highly regarded foundation with added content and more of what makes the game click. With its rework to the crystal system and new progression to what is already an endgame-level party, it’s a decent job to expand the gameplay aspect. However, if you’re looking for a resolution for all of the plot threads that the base game left behind, then you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Returning to the game or playing through it as a new player will also be overwhelming, as you’ll need to re-acclimate yourself to the massive cast of characters and what they’re best at.
It’s a game that will be appreciated by the fans and definitely not for everybody, which is perfectly fine for what it is.
Is Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Worth It?
Worth It For Those Who Enjoyed The Original
Anyone who played through Chained Echoes back in 2022 understands that it was a great game that had obvious flaws. One in particular was the storytelling, as it kept introducing more and more characters, factions, and twists, where it seemed as if the narrative itself couldn’t keep up with it as it went on. Unresolved plot threads and storylines remain unresolved in the Ashes of Elrant, as it takes place before the game ends. At least it does add more context and details to some of them, most importantly, Lenne. But if you were looking for answers to ALL of the plot threads, you won’t find them here.
It’s a DLC for the fans of the game who wish to explore more of the lore and the world of Eldrea. Not to mention those that mainly enjoyed the exploration and gameplay aspect of the base game, as they will surely enjoy taking their filling up the Reward Board again and challenging the new superbosses. If you enjoyed the base game, then no doubt, you’ll enjoy the added content in Ashes of Elrant. Just make sure you brush up on the characters and a bit of the narrative, as having a massive cast with a new plotline can feel very overwhelming.
| Digital Storefronts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
Playstation |
Xbox |
Switch |
| $9.99 (Requires Base Game) |
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Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant FAQ
Can I start playing Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant DLC with a fresh save?
While the requirement for accessing the DLC is that you should be right before facing the final boss, the developer has given the option for players to access the DLC immediately instead of playing through the entire game. However, we highly recommend that you play through the game first before accessing the DLC. The reasons are that you’ll be missing a ton of context and side content from the base game.
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Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Product Information
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| Title | CHAINED ECHOES: ASHES OF ELRANT |
|---|---|
| Release Date | August 7, 2025 |
| Developer | Umami Tiger (Matthias Linda) |
| Publisher | Deck13 Spotlight |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam, Game Pass), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Adventure, Strategy, RPG |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | M 17+ |
| Official Website | Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant Official Website |
