Shout Out / Chained Echoes

• To Chrono Trigger:
  • The Fake-Out Opening sequence references the game's famous opening by having Glenn being woken up by his mother, with the house having the same layout.
  • Glenn's name is very likely a reference to the true name of Frog.
  • Victor's section in the first chapter is one big reference to Millennial Fair, including a race, where you can bet on racers and take hints from an NPC.
  • A teacher in Marylea states that the three ancient Sky Armor models that all others were based on are named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, similar to Trigger's Three Wise Men (Gaspar, Melchior, & Belthasar). Which of course, are the names of the Biblical three wise men.
• To Final Fantasy:
  • Lenne's name may be a double reference—one to the character of the same name from Final Fantasy X-2, and another to the character "Lenna" from Final Fantasy V. This second reference is pivotal, because various translations of FFV have given Lenna's name instead as "Reina", and in Chained Echoes the Holy Mother who existed in the past is called "Reina", of whom Lenne is supposed to be the reincarnation.
  • The Crimson Wings were likely named after the Red Wings.
  • A fortune teller named Tehlla, likely named after the sage from Final Fantasy IV
  • Randomage, a late-game Optional Boss, is also very clearly a Red Mage, specifically the version from Final Fantasy XIV. Enchanted Combo is heavily inspired from that Red Mage's own melee combo.
  • There is an optional sidequest near the end of the game called Two-Winged Angel.
  • The Involuntary Group Split that happens after the battle with Row where you need to choose multiple paths was almost certainly inspired by a similar thing that happens after the fifth boss in Final Fantasy VI.
  • According to Word of God via a Reddit AMA, the name of the first boss in the fourth act "Behemoth", is a Shout-Out to Behelit from Berserk, as well as a play on words due to the fact that you're fighting a moth, in addition to the obvious Shout-Out to the common Final Fantasy enemy creature.
  • The enemy loot and "Deals" mechanic is lifted straight out of Final Fantasy XII, copying its loot system and the Bazaar, but with the improvement of showing you what kinds of loot you still need to unlock the item in question.
  • The Grand Grimoire functions similarly to nethicite from Final Fantasy XII, creating a massive explosion at the point of impact. However, where nethicite in XII causes an indiscriminate explosion when it absorbs too much magical energy, the Grand Grimoire spares anyone within three meters of the Grimoire when it explodes because it is a deliberate weapon.
  • Again to XII, A plot point features the party going to rescue a princess in the Resistance named Amalia, the alias Ashe went by in her first few encounters.
• To Pokémon:
  • The "Horn Lizard" enemy has an attack called "Tail Whip" that decreases your defense.
  • Boutrous' mount Al Ra'ad is very clearly a red Rayquaza, having the segmented body, the ball-joint arms, the sunken serpentine eyes, and the symbol body markings that mark the Pokémon lord of the heavens.
• To The Legend of Zelda:
  • Glenn, much like Marin, wants to be reincarnated as a bird, a wish that’s granted during the end credits. This may also reference the ending of Terranigma.
  • There is a location in Eldrea outside of Valandis called Vaati.
• To other video games:
  • The achievement for beating Act I is called "Act Racer".
  • The opening section of gameplay, showing four different characters (discounting Kylian and Robb, who act more as supporting characters in their given sections) and establishing how they eventually came to run into each other in Farnsport's newest church as a demon attacks, takes heavy inspiration from the Wild ARMs series. It's especially similar to Wild ARMs 3, given half of the party meets in the middle of a stand-off before teaming up to deal with an entity causing chaos. (Janus' gang in Wild ARMs 3, the Forgotten Mantis in Chained Echoes.)
  • Sienna's Ultra Move is more or less Baiken's Instant Kill from Guilty Gear X or XX.
  • The combat UI shares a lot of similarities with Octopath Traveler, including the bar establishing character turn order, and the combat 'loop' plays similarly to Octopath Traveler and its sister series Bravely Default, going out of its way to incentivize the use of the 'defend' command to empower the player; in this case, by allowing the player to work the Overdrive Bar's cursor back down to the lower end of the Overdrive section, which cuts down on skill costs, enhances damage done to enemies, and decreases damage done to the party. Both Octopath Traveler and Chained Echoes also have a boss whose main gimmick is screwing up a part of the game's UI; Simeon hides the turn order in Octopath Traveler (as does Roque in Octopath Traveler II), while Randomage hides the Overdrive Bar and later hits you with it.
  • One of Magnolia's attacks is called Chaos King.
  • Final Blossom, Mikah's strongest attack, is almost shot-for-shot Heavenly Peaks Descent from Live A Live, only lacking the part where Mikah circles around the enemy.
  • God King Gaemdriel bears more than a passing resemblance to Radahn in the latter's prime, most notably the massive mane of red hair, and like Radahn is considered a master of both melee combat and magic.
  • Two main characters who entered a cycle of reincarnations together prior to the game which is broken by the end? Apart from the fact that this reincarnation isn't romantic, that sounds like one of the big plot points of Xenogears.
  • Egyl's Speargun closely resembles the Gunlance from Monster Hunter in appearance, role, and operation.
• To other forms of media:
  • Lenne's real name is Princess Celestia.
  • The quest when stepping into Tormund for the first time is called "Killing in the Rain".
  • One of the bosses you encounter is named the Giga Drill Breaker.
  • One of the Unique Monsters is named Gol D. Waterfly.
  • Tomke's animation for successfully eating a monster and gaining their power is taken straight from Popeye, including a little jingle that plays each time Tomke does it. And given his yellow slicker and use of an achor, Tomke truly is a sailor man...
  • The Sky Armor frame Kerberos is basically Barbatos from Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. The great sword weapon having a unique sprite(a giant spiked mace) on it confirms it.
  • The Sky Armor palettes ADAM-00, 01 and 02 are the same set as EVA units 00, 01 and 02 from Neon Genesis Evangelion respectively.
  • The achievement for finding 6 Class Emblems is "Son of a Preacher Man."
  • In Rohlan Fields, you can find a man named Don Q who is bleeding on the ground after picking a fight with an invisible creature, aka a windmill. It turns out the windmill is a Mimic.