Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Review
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Review
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is the much-awaited JRPG from the original developers of the classic JRPG Genso Suikoden. It is one of the fastest titles to be funded on Kickstarter in 2020 as a passion project from its original developers, including veteran character designer Junko Kawano and the late Yoshitaka Murayama.
During our previews, we’ve become increasingly excited to check out the full version of Eiyuden Chronicle. Collectively, we’ve had fond memories of the Suikoden series, and seeing a spiritual sequel come to life is a dream come true for long-time JRPG fans.
In Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, we follow the story of Nowa, a helpful albeit meddlesome youth, who in a twist of fate befriends an officer of the Empire, Seign. After claiming a Primal Lens from a derelict ruin, the threads of fate weave a tale leading to war, tragedy, and the fight for freedom from a stalwart rebel insurrection.
What fate awaits our heroes in their fight for justice? Gather only the best heroes because it’s time to journey into the heart of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes!
Smells Like Suikoden
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes stands out as a remarkable 2.5D spiritual successor to the beloved Suikoden 1 and 2 titles. Imagine a scenario where our 2003 selves time-traveled to the future, only to be presented with Eiyuden Chronicle and told it’s Suikoden 3 – we’d wholeheartedly believe it.
The game’s presentation is nothing short of exceptional. Junko Kawano’s exquisite artwork breathes life into the 2.5D style, evoking nostalgia for a bygone era while catering to modern visual sensibilities. Although the orchestration differs from the original music, the score is masterfully executed. Eiyuden Chronicle remains a genuine time capsule, capturing the essence of the Suikoden series before it despite the title change.
Eiyuden Chronicle dives straight into the action, bypassing lengthy fanfare and backstory. Our main protagonists, Nowa and Seign, mirror the classic Suikoden heroes – coming from different worlds and forging an unlikely friendship that foreshadows their destiny. They’ll meet and recruit other like-minded members along the way, each with their own story to tell.
Combat mechanics take center stage immediately through its familiar six-member party split into front and back rows, each character wielding a distinct combat style. Rune-lens magic and skills play a pivotal role, with magic consuming MP and skills building up via SP. Unique defensive modes abound, from counters to dodges and defensive maneuvers.
Furthermore, Hero Combos activate when specific conditions align: the right characters are in position, and armed with sufficient SP. These combos unleash powerful attacks, adding depth and excitement to the turn-based battles. Combat is recognizably Suikoden-inspired through and through, so your experience for something thoroughly old-school may vary.
That being the case, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes provides a twist to the classic JRPG combat experience with the introduction of Gimmicks, a novel feature that allows players to activate special objects during battles, offering strategic advantages such as boss battle benefits and the opportunity to access treasure chests mid-combat. This mechanic infuses battles with a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of the beloved Suikoden series, where strategic planning and each calculated attack are crucial for victory.
The game’s exploration aspect is equally engaging, with a world map that invites players to revisit familiar towns and cities, each equipped with shops that offer a more classic experience like purchasing various weapons and armor across all equipment slots. Players can upgrade their equipment at blacksmiths, acquire valuable items from tool shops, enhance their rune-lens at rune shops, and engage in commerce at trading posts.
A fan-favorite feature, castle-building, makes a grand return, now with the added layer of resource collection to construct your stronghold. Players will recruit a diverse array of heroes to form a formidable army, each character bringing unique skills to the ensemble. It’s always a treat to see the castle improving over time, especially seeing it being slowly populated
Warfare in Eiyuden Chronicle adopts a real-time strategy format, a departure from the original Suikoden’s approach. Players command their generals and strategists on an interactive chessboard, strategizing against the Imperial Army’s forces. Utilizing skills that trigger upon maxed Rage or Morale, players can sway the battle in their favor, adding depth to the game’s strategic elements
But wait, it’s not Suikoden without the one-on-one battles! Eiyuden Chronicle improves on this to make this iconic moment an epic showdown. While it is still the same rock-paper-scissors style where you choose Attack, Counter, and Break; it is to the tune of some epic music that keeps you at the edge of your seat.
Everything I Remember Including The Warts…
Nostalgia can be quite the drug, especially when revisiting classic titles that hold a special place in our hearts. However, rose-tinted glasses often overlook the flaws that come with remakes. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, while aiming for an authentic experience, reintroduces some of the frustrations associated with classic JRPGs in a modern context.
Firstly, random encounters are back. While this may evoke fond memories for some players, the novelty wears thin quickly. Dungeon runs become challenging to plan when your momentum is constantly interrupted by unexpected battles. As you delve deeper into the game, unprepared players risk being overwhelmed by relentless mobs. Modern JRPGs would telegraph the location of enemies allowing you to plan your movement making the classic random encounter an inconvenience.
The real issue with this setup is how dungeons have set enemy levels that will require level grinding to match their levels. While this was a welcome convention in classic JRPGs, modern JRPGs have allowed us to explore under-leveled with the proper skill and strategy. However, in Eiyuden Chronicle, enemy mobs are so over-leveled, making forced grinding a must, which halts momentum.
Secondly, save points make a return. Many modern JRPGs, like Persona 3 Reload, have abandoned this mechanic, allowing players to save almost anywhere. However, Eiyuden Chronicle adheres to the traditional approach, making exploration more demanding. Players must strategically manage their progress to avoid losing valuable gameplay due to a lack of save opportunities.
Thirdly, character management can be a time-consuming task. With a plethora of playable characters, players must individually grind and select party members. Equipping each character adds another layer of micromanagement, which can feel like a chore.
Additionally, certain characters are locked into your party for story purposes. Eiyuden Chronicle introduces a support and attendant system, allowing players to bring desired characters along. However, characters on the support and attendant sideboard don’t level up or heal alongside the main party, creating an imbalance.
Lastly, and maybe the most important one, is that the narrative initially falls flat. While reminiscent of classic wartime stories seen in countless JRPGs, Eiyuden Chronicle lacks standout characters to fully engage players. Despite following the Suikoden series’ flow, the game struggles to captivate players in its early stages, making the investment both emotionally and time-wise, a hard decision.
Attempting to Clear An Unreasonably High Bar Set By Suikoden
While Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes presents an engaging JRPG experience, a few aspects left me wanting more. Firstly, the absence of fast travel for a good half of the game proved frustrating. While this existed in the previous Suikoden, it persists until you acquire a teleporter character. Consequently, players find themselves traversing entire dungeons and large towns just to backtrack. At the price of consumable runes, this is a time-consuming aspect that really threw me off.
Furthermore, the game’s momentum suffers due to extensive backtracking. Although the story gains traction around the halfway point, players must endure these time-consuming aspects early on. The initial gameplay involves numerous fetch quests and uninspired side stories, which detract from the overall experience.
Another missed opportunity lies in the game’s gimmicks. While a few boss gimmicks prove interesting, the mechanic itself remains somewhat superficial. Although it facilitates treasure collection during combat, it lacks a substantial impact on gameplay.
Additionally, the war modes, reminiscent of the original Suikoden, disappoint. The interface for these battles in Eiyuden Chronicle lacks flair. Unlike the original, where character groups contributed significantly, this dynamic is underutilized in Eiyuden Chronicle, leaving room for improvement.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes presents a missed opportunity when compared to the original Suikoden. In the latter, the risk of permanently losing a playable character in war adds depth to gameplay and heightens the stakes. Unfortunately, this aspect is lacking in Eiyuden Chronicle, where the portrayal of war feels somewhat anemic and lacks impact.
Unlike its predecessor, Eiyuden Chronicle struggles to create memorable characters. While Suikoden boasted a dozen memorable figures, the new game fails to leave a lasting impression. Although there are intriguing side characters like Garr, Garoo, and Francesca, none of them truly stand out when compared to the characters of old.
The game’s side content also falls short of expectations. Many activities involve mundane fetch quests to collect the titular 100 Heroes. Even the fishing “minigame” lacks depth. A novel twist comes in the form of a Beyblade-inspired mini-game, but it eventually wears thin after a few rounds.
Performance on the PS5 is passable, and trying it out on the Steam Deck is equally as steady. Working on a 40fps limit on a TDP of 8 watts, Eiyuden Chronicle mostly sticks to the specified frame rate limit and the visuals are perfectly serviceable, so if you’re thinking of taking the game on the go, the Steam Deck is a perfectly capable machine to run the game.
Eiyuden Chronicle offers a substantial gameplay time of 30-40 hours, providing a meaty experience. While it reintroduces beloved elements, it doesn’t quite reach the same heights as the previous Suikoden titles. Even without comparing Eiyuden Chronicle to the Suikoden series, this modern take is a serviceable and very playable effort that makes a few missteps along the way, falling short of what could have been a fantastic outing.
Verdict: Wait for it…
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes pays homage to the beloved Suikoden series, which left an indelible mark as one of the most memorable JRPGs during the PlayStation 1 era. The game’s expansive design and nostalgic elements evoke fond memories for fans. However, nostalgia can be selective, often glossing over past flaws.
The revival of dated mechanics, including random encounters, fixed savepoints, and lengthy world map treks, hampers the overall pacing. Additionally, new features like gimmicks, war games, and forgettable characters miss the mark. The resulting package falls short of the (unreasonable) highs set by its inspirational source material.
Despite these setbacks, Eiyuden Chronicle remains a nostalgia-driven title that hits its stride later in the story. Castle building and dynamic turn-based combat still offer enjoyment, but I hoped the fresh mechanics would elevate this spiritual sequel to a modern classic status.
Kudos to Yoshitaka Murayama and the team for their hard work and passion, granting us another taste of the classic Suikoden experience we all longed for!
*Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was reviewed on a PS5 with a review code provided by the publisher.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Review Summary
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a competent homage to the beloved Suikoden series but the resulting package falls short of the (unreasonable) highs set by its inspirational source material because of uneven pacing and tedious gimmicks.
PROS
- A veritable spiritual sequel to the original Suikoden series
- Fantastic character designs and solid visual presentation.
- Dynamic combat preserving what made the original Suikoden combat memorable.
- Musical score is an exquisite treat
CONS
- Dated JRPG elements such as random encounters and fixed saved points that slow down momentum.
- Missed opportunities from the new mechanics such as gimmicks and war battles.
- Slow story and exploration especially in the first half of the game.