This week, I've been playing games most of the time and haven't worked much. I ate curry beef that I made last Sunday for almost half a week. Although it made me feel like I was turning into curry, I realized that I spent a lot less money when I looked at the bill. If I don't consider the price of beef, I would be happy to eat beef every day because it's delicious no matter how it's prepared, and it can even help with weight loss.
Chained Echoes#
I love this game so much that I have a lot to say about it, so my repo is a mess.
Let's start with the conclusion#
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BBQ Overall subjective rating: 9.5/10
- Plot: The plot is smooth and has some originality. It can be said that the motivations of each character in the game are reasonable. The plot is the biggest plus point. Although the ending may be subjective, I think it's pretty good. The grudges have been resolved, and everyone has become a better person, working hard to face the upcoming crisis.
- Character design: Unlike most JRPGs, there are no purely good or purely evil characters. Even the main antagonist makes normal choices from their position. It's not like Dragon Quest where the demon king is just the demon king, purely evil.
- Gameplay: The fast-paced turn-based battles are smooth, and the automatic recovery after battles and the unique overload gauge make the battles less monotonous (after all, the rewards from battles are really low).
- Chinese localization: There are many translations in the game like "I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush." I think they're pretty good. After all, the original dialogues may be quite plain, and these playful translations relieve a lot of boredom.
- Equipment system: I really find the equipment system in this game annoying, especially the crystal system.
- Puzzles: It's annoying when you're playing smoothly and suddenly encounter some puzzles that interrupt the game's pace. Although they're not particularly difficult, they're still annoying.
- Art style: The maps are quite beautiful, but I can't say the same for the character portraits.
- Names: This game was made by Germans, and the names are really hard to remember. However, the characters are easily recognizable. You can also give them nicknames like "Thief Sister" or "Father Wei".
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Some thoughts#
I tried sesame oil because it recommended this game. It took me a total of 28 hours to complete the game, and I didn't explore much in the later stages. I only obtained two job badges. I started playing the game for 3 hours as soon as I got it, and my eyes were tired. At the beginning, it felt a bit like Octopath Traveler, but everything being shared made it much more comfortable to play compared to Octopath Traveler. My favorite part is that my health is fully restored after every battle. In RPGs, I hate searching for items everywhere to relieve anxiety. Although the early plot seems a bit casual, it's still enjoyable.
This game has a fusion of Octopath Traveler and Trails series, a traditional yet modern JRPG game. It also has a feeling of the Final Fantasy series and The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. It's been a long time since I played a JRPG with such an interesting plot.
Who made it? It was made by Germans. Is JRPG a tradition in Germany?
There are many teammates in the game, but most of the late-game teammates are rarely used. The main lineup is already set, and there is no special need to change the team.
Although I haven't used the Owl Knight, it's so cute.
Echoes#
The game was originally called "Chained Echoes" before localization, and I think this direct translation is just average. When playing the game, you will have an epiphany of "Echoes of Destiny," and I have to say that I think this translation is really good. Of course, if you're good at English, you can directly understand "Chained Echoes."
Spoiler alert, the final villain is Moss.
Some tips#
- Skill points cannot be reset, so if you allocate them incorrectly in the early stages, you will face some pressure in battles.
- If you can't defeat an enemy, lower the difficulty. Lowering the difficulty can save more than 5 hours of gameplay time, but it reduces the enjoyment.
- Agility flow is very useful, and healers are not as important.
- Father Wei is very strong in various ways (he will be tested).
- Don't worry if you can't get some early-game treasure chests. Some of them require Tian Armor to obtain.
- After skills are developed, prioritize attribute points because there are only a limited number of skill slots, and having too many skills is useless.
If I were still a student, I might have played the normal difficulty on my second playthrough, but I don't want to grind when I think about the equipment and crystal systems (after lowering the difficulty, crystals become unnecessary, and you can easily progress by using whatever equipment you find).
A Friend's Little Story#
I have a friend who is an accountant. She used to resist the temptation every time someone gave her a red envelope, but today she made an exception.
She was caught in a dilemma and said she wouldn't accept it next time, and that would be the end of it.
Then she donated 5 yuan to a charity organization.
It's so similar to the scene of those corrupt officials recalling their first act of corruption.
Harassed by China Merchants Bank#
China Merchants Bank is still not good. They called me to recommend their services, and after listening for a while, it turned out to be a security service insurance. I thought I didn't need such a thing with my limited money, so I said I didn't need it at the moment.
The telemarketer's attitude suddenly changed, and they became aggressive. Isn't China Merchants Bank known for its good service? Did they outsource their telemarketing?
Well, I also understand the person making the call. They might get scolded by someone every day, and they have monthly KPIs. When they encounter someone like me who is indecisive and wastes their time, it must be frustrating.
Actually, I already guessed that it was a service sales call before answering. But their rhetoric is really cunning. They start by listing a bunch of benefits, making it seem like you deserve those benefits, and then they quickly mention the fees in an unclear voice, and finally ask if you understand both parts.
I asked if it was necessary to sign up for this, and she said that all their 20 million customers have signed up for it (meaning everyone has signed up).
How could I sign up for something that requires fees without reading the details? Just because you mentioned a few compensations and I only have to pay 10 yuan per month, I have to pay extra for property security while using my bank account in China? Then China Merchants Bank might as well not exist.
Snap#
Here's a little life hack: take a random photo with a camera, then use your phone to take a picture of the camera. This way, you'll get a Polaroid-like photo.
A Boring Little Story#
I was really thirsty just now, but there was no water at home, so I boiled water and made some hot tea. But it's so hot today, how could I drink hot tea? So, I took some ice cubes from the bottom of the refrigerator and put them in the hot tea.
I feel like I'm quite boring, staring at the ice cubes rapidly melting in the hot water, listening to the crackling sound of the ice melting.
My memory goes back to when I was a child. My classmate shared with me an interesting activity he found during the boring summer vacation. He would lower the temperature of the air conditioner and drink hot water outside the room until he was sweating, and then he would enter the air-conditioned room.
It's a pretty boring memory.
Input#
- How to Cook Soft, Chewy, Fragrant, and Shiny Rice | Tribute to Academician Yuan Longping - A video about how to cook rice.
- Dream Chef Home - I found an interesting website that teaches people how to cook. It seems pretty good.
- The Eternal Trails and the Fantastic Story of the Youth - Stories Related to "Trails in the Sky" - Playing Chained Echoes reminded me of Trails in the Sky.
- Playing 150 Anime Songs in a Medley - One of the earliest videos I added to my playlist on YouTube was by this YouTuber. It's been a while since I've seen his videos. YouTube recommended him to me, and it reminded me of him. I checked his videos on Bilibili, and the view count is quite low.
- Advanced Usage of Obsidian Plugin "Obsidian Leaflet" - Managing Your Travel Photos - I've always wanted something like this, but it looks quite complicated. Still, it's worth checking out.