Chained Echoesprefers to keep its story tight without many sidequests to delve through, making playing the game feel like a more catered experience. It also allows most of the sidequests it does have to shine narratively and fleshes out each of your party members in a way that endears them to you. Well, at least for most of them.
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The quests chosen for this list were the standouts among them, and either gave dimension to a character or came about in the most random of ways. Whether you’re a former villain looking for redemption, or a sentient carrot looking to throw hands at whoever comes close, these quests are worth looking at.
8A Little Vacation
The beginning of A Little Vacation is just as random as its ending. See, you’re minding your business in the woods near Basil, and outpops an anthropomorphized carrotthat meets your gaze. No words are exchanged before he decides you’ve seen too much and runs off. Naturally, the instinct here is to chase him to see what exactly is going on, only it leads to a two-part secret boss battle. If you complete it, you’ll receive a Spear for Lenne, but no explanation as to what the hell just happened.
When your party finally makes it to New Wyrnshire, that’s when you’ll spot a merchant more than willing to have you hunt down the strange rumor of a familiar-sounding carrot. Here, the truth finally comes out about the humanoid veggies.
7Two-Winged Angel
The timing of this quest happens close to the end of the game, but it’s worth seeking out to finish. For starters, there’s a door that has remained closed all game in New Wyrnshire that you’ll now have access to. Once through the door, you’ll find yourself at a ‘secret’ black market — how it stayed secret is anyone’s guess as the entrance is right there in the open. Buckle up.
Once you find out that your target is ultimately inside the Kortara Mountain Range, it becomes increasingly clear that you arenow going to do a stealth mission. In a JRPG. After sneaking your way through a thief base and swiping the key, it’s off to get the prize. At least until you’re caught.
6A Goblin’s Dilemma
Chained Echoes,despite the beautiful, brightly-colored visuals, is a dark game that explores the morbid realism of what it is to exist in a world that doesn’t want you to. Early in the game, there are themes of human experimentation and violence that will make you double-check the rating at least once.
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A Goblin’s Dilemma hits the same. There’s always conflict going on, and on the surface that’s all it seems to be. The further you get in the quest, however, the more you come to realize that the bad blood between the humans and goblins runs deep.
5For The Love Of Food
The reason this quest appears on the list is a simple one: you get Mikah to join your party. She is one of the strongest physical fighters in the game, and she has a unique combo system that makes her fun to play. You just have to complete Tomke’s quest to unlock it.
It’s a short quest and there isn’t any fighting, but there is a giant sandworm involved.Mikah is Tomke’s adoptive grandfather, who she’s punched, and the story gives them a chance to be fleshed out and watch how they bond with each other. It’s fluff, but it’s a rare moment of light in a game full of dark themes.
4Falfalaran Sings The Fairy
Determined to remain isolated from the rest of the world, the fairies have made a pact with the humans to keep them away from the fairy lands. Thus, they are highly distrustful of everyone, but especially humans. Magnolia,a psychic witchyou meet earlier in the game, makes a surprising appearance. As cargo.
Without spoiling it, you come to understand the fairies and why they respond to outsiders the way they do. The quest does a good job of showing the duality of Magnolia’s personality,andyou get her overpowered abilities as a party member. It would have been the icing on the cake to see reconciliation between tribes, but Valandis isn’t a forgiving world.
3The Gates To Nhysa
Initially, the Gates To Nhysa quest can seem tedious. After helping quest-giver and scholar Maddeline reach the depths of the Ograne Grottos,there’s a gate that is sealed shut.The only way to get through is to unlock it using three levers hidden in various partsof the world.It’s tempting to want to skip it, but honestly, the lore you come to find out through the quest kind of makes the quest worth it.
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There are seven Great Kings who are revered as gods, but who are similar to extraordinary phenomena that occur in nature and have immense power. A giant ape who’s been meditating for thousands of years and became a mountain. A boar who plows his way through even the hardest of earth. Even the watchful second moon itself. Each of these entities has in common both terrifyingly strong power and being an enigma that only a few unraveled.
2A Will To Live
Probably the most human of side quests, A will to live follows Raphael, a former member of the ‘Church’ who had led their whole flock astray with its lies.The betrayal of faithleft Raphael a broken man with no will to move forward, It makes him ready to accept whatever fate has in store for him.
Fate had dealt him a different hand, as it turns out. He finds himself trapped in a cave with a little girl, and he does his best to keep the two of them alive. Raphael gives all he has and more, and in the process, realizes that he isn’t ready to give up just yet. He now understands that things have to be set right in the world. It’s a beautiful story of redemption.
1No Place For Happy Endings
When first introduced, Robb rubs you the wrong way. He’s rude with a superiority complex and ahatred for anything that doesn’t have to do with Princess Lenne. Outside of that, there isn’t a lot of growth for the character, even after he softens up toward the party. It’s almost criminal how underdeveloped he seems to be.
Until this quest. Not only do you find out what his deal is, but you come to understand where he comes from and why he acts the way he does. Not to mention you get to raid an entire castle and attempt to fix the wrongs the kingdom has done. Robb’s story wraps nicely, and he deserves a lot more love than he gets.
