Chained Echoes Has a Serious Game

Jun 28, 2023

Critically-acclaimed turn-based RPG Chained Echoes suffers from a serious game-breaking bug that can ruin players' saves.

Chained Echoes has been hailed as one of the absolute best video games of the year, but unfortunately, it suffers from a very serious game-breaking bug that players will want to avoid at all costs. Chained Echoes launched as a day one Xbox Game Pass game earlier this month, and it's been overlooked for many year-end awards because of how late it released in 2022.

Chained Echoes reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with the game earning acclaim for its mature story, layered characters, engaging combat system, rewarding exploration, and challenging battles. It stands as the one of the highest-rated new video game releases of 2022, but that doesn't mean it's not without its flaws. One particular flaw has been causing headaches for a lot of Chained Echoes players who are hoping that a fix comes sooner rather than later. In order to explain the bug, it is necessary to reveal some Chained Echoes SPOILERS. The bug happens during the quest "Searching for a Princess," which is in Act 2, so players may want to return here after finishing Act 1.

Chained Echoes Spoilers Follow

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It went unnoticed by many Chained Echoes reviews, but the bug in question happens in Phyon Oasis. After players wrap up a rather challenging fight against General Matthye using their Sky Armors, they then have to fight him again. This time, however, they are without their Iron Man-like mech suits. Chained Echoes gives players the opportunity to save, level up, or do whatever else they need to do before the fight starts, and this is where the bug is happening.

Since phase 2 of the General Matthye boss fight in Chained Echoes is so difficult, some players are using it as a good stopping point where they save their game, take a break, and plan to come back later with a new strategy. However, upon loading their saves, they find themselves seemingly trapped in a waterfall, completely unable to trigger the boss fight or continue the game in any way. This bug where players find themselves "trapped" in a weird location after loading a save has reportedly happened in some of the game's other areas, but can usually be fixed by fast-traveling. Unfortunately, fast-traveling is disabled at this particular moment in the game, which is why this waterfall glitch has gotten so much attention.

The bad news is that there is not currently any kind of work-around for Chained Echoes players who are trapped by the waterfall bug beyond loading an old save. At minimum, this will require players to repeat the first phase of the General Matthye boss fight, which many be unwilling to do, and in more extreme cases, it could mean losing hours of progress. The good news is that a fix for this nasty Chained Echoes bug is on the way with the update rolling out some point next week. It will be a long wait for those who are invested in the game and can't wait to see what happens with Chained Echoes' characters next, but at least those impacted by the bug can rest assured that a fix is on the way.

Chained Echoes is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

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Dalton Cooper is an editor for Game Rant who has been writing about video games professionally since 2011. Having written thousands of game reviews and articles over the course of his career, Dalton considers himself a video game historian and strives to play as many games as possible. Dalton covers the latest breaking news for Game Rant, as well as writes reviews, guide content, and more.