In this week’s episode, Justin and Matthew sit down to talk about the heyday of 16-bit JRPGs and what it takes to make a successful nostalgia grab in 2023.

The Watchers take a deep-dive into the 2022 indie darling: Chained Echoes. They discuss what makes a successful 16-bit JRPG, how Chained Echoes innovates on tried and true genre tropes, and whether or not it is possible to capture nostalgia without feeling cheap.

The first half of the pod is light on spoilers, but the Watchers would recommend that you play the game first before you listen to the back-half.

In addition to Chained Echoes, Justin and Matthew give their early impressions of Fire Emblem Engage. Does it live up to the success of Three Houses? Where does it stack amongst the other games of the series? Will we see it through to completion, and is it okay to play on Casual mode?