The PS1 performed host to a staggering variety of memorable and influential RPGs, one in every of which was Konami’s Suikoden. After that sturdy debut got here a handful of sequels that ultimately puttered out in the course of the sixth technology of consoles, and Konami has nearly deserted the collection since. Not ones to be stifled, some key members of the Suikoden crew ultimately left Konami and based a brand new crew known as Rabbit & Bear, which began a profitable crowdfunding marketing campaign for this religious successor known as Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. After a four-year improvement cycle, Eiyuden Chronicle is lastly in our palms and whereas it has its share of points, that is total a deeply pleasing and nostalgic JRPG that we’re certain goes to get numerous love.
The story is ready within the fictional land of Allraan and begins by specializing in the rising tensions between the highly effective imperial nation of Galdea and a neighboring province known as the League of Nations. Although there are technically three protagonists to this narrative, your essential character to start with is Nowa, a chipper younger man from a quiet border village who joins a small peacekeeping navy unit for the League of Nations. Nowa and his band go about their enterprise quelling bandit raids and serving to individuals to the very best of their skill, however quickly discover themselves caught in the midst of a lot bigger political pressure that ultimately provides option to conflict between the Empire and the League. To reclaim his homeland and avenge his losses, Nowa thus units out to construct a resistance and defeat the Galdeans.
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Although it feels just like the pacing of the narrative can transfer in suits and begins in numerous locations, we admire the scope of the story right here. Any means you narrow it, correctly balancing over 100 distinctive characters and detailing all the assorted worldwide conflicts affecting them is a tricky ask for any writing crew, and no matter depth is misplaced within the overarching plot is discovered within the particular person characterization. Although not each member of the titular hundred heroes is equally fleshed out, there’s nonetheless a ‘core’ forged right here that develops naturally as they expertise the conflict collectively and develop nearer due to it. It’s a stable story throughout, then, if one which feels unwieldy on occasion.
Gameplay follows the standard JRPG template of visiting cities, clearing out monsters in dungeons, and slowly exploring a grand world stuffed with journey and potential. It’s nothing you haven’t seen earlier than, however the gameplay loop is executed nicely right here, buoyed by the continued character recruitment system. As flagged within the title, there are over 100 get together members you’ll be able to persuade to your trigger, and whereas not all might be introduced into battle, they add a lot of selection to the journey.
Some get together members are the reward supplied on the finish of their very own significant sidequests, akin to an early recruit who we helped by a dungeon in a short subplot so, collectively, we may defeat the monster on the finish, whereas others will be a part of just by triggering a short cutscene after strolling by them. Admittedly, those who fall into this latter group really feel a bit like leftovers from lower content material, however we nonetheless appreciated the comparatively brisk tempo at which you’re assembly and fascinating with this colourful forged. Although a few of the characters are a bit shallow and outlined solely by their gimmick, every one is memorable and provides one thing worthwhile to the rising ragtag bunch. Our favourite recruit was a candy, light healer you meet comparatively early who flies into an unfettered rage on the slightest provocation.
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As you crawl by the infinite dungeons scattered all through the land, you’ll typically get pulled into random battles that are the obvious homage to Suikoden. Right here, you command a crew of as much as six characters, three within the entrance and three within the again, in turn-based fight. A timeline on the prime of the display screen will all the time present you the order by which enemies and allies will act, and whilst you can’t fiddle with this like you can in one thing like Grandia or Octopath Traveler, it enables you to prioritize enemies throughout battle.
One thing we notably loved is the boss fights, which regularly characteristic a “Gimmick” that modifications the way you strategy them. Not solely are these battles a superb check of your team-building capabilities, however these Gimmicks can add an entirely distinctive dimension and an virtually puzzle-like component. One boss has a collection of rock partitions that focused characters can conceal behind whereas one other sees your foe working a machine that does massive harm however might be turned towards them in the event you interact with it on the proper time.
At key boss fights within the story, you additionally interact in dramatic one-on-one duels which function on an virtually rock-paper-scissors-esque system. Right here, you must rigorously plan when to press the offensive in your opponent and when to counter an impending strike, all within the hopes of constructing as much as a giant ‘Break’ assault to shatter their guard and drain their well being bar. These duels typically really feel simply as tense because the story paints them to be, and we notably appreciated how in addition they act as a kind of dialogue-filled cutscene happening between the dueling characters.
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Outdoors the standard JRPG gameplay loop, there are additionally a couple of different mechanics price mentioning. At main story factors you’ll typically end up pulled right into a large-scale battle in Battle Mode, which performs out like a mini-Advance Wars-style battle the place get together members every command their very own platoons that you just order round on a small grid. Routing foes this manner might be enjoyable, however the battles are too small for deep strategizing, and it may get a bit uninteresting watching all of the fight animations play out whilst you twiddle your thumbs and look ahead to the sport to offer you again management.
Moreover, there’s some town-building gameplay that acts as an prolonged sidequest incentivizing you to routinely return to base. Right here, you’ll be able to make investments sources and assign new recruits to construct up varied elements of the village, granting some gameplay advantages whereas additionally appearing as a enjoyable time sink as you resolve on the way to adorn the city. It’s clearly not the primary focus of the journey, however we appreciated having a ‘house’ to return to after finishing one other quest, and it’s rewarding to see it develop and flourish over time.
Eiyuden Chronicle was clearly created as a loving homage to JRPGs of yesteryear, however typically it feels prefer it adheres just a bit too a lot to a few of the extra tedious and archaic parts of the style. One early quest sees a personality asking you to journey to a particular dungeon to retrieve three boar skins earlier than he’ll be a part of your crew. After all, this dungeon is all the way in which on the opposite facet of the map and you’ll’t quick journey to it, so you must stroll all the way in which there after which actually run round in circles as soon as inside, hoping that the subsequent random encounter will characteristic the required enemy. What must be a five-minute errand at most thus turns into a 15-to-20-minute train in tedium, and there are numerous factors the place the sport drags issues out like this with out justifying the added size.
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So, from a purely design and mechanical perspective, Eiyuden Chronicle is a reasonably respectable JRPG, however one place by which the Swap model drops the ball fairly exhausting is efficiency. Sadly, this recreation merely doesn’t run nicely on the Swap, and also you’re reminded of this virtually consistently all through the journey. Although the body price targets 30fps, the one time you’ll truly see it anyplace close to that’s if you’re in a extremely small and static space, like an merchandise store. All over the place else, the body price will typically take monumental dives into a lot choppier territory, and it’s particularly noticeable in most dungeons and all the overworld.
We want body drops have been the extent of the technical points, however there’s sadly extra to cowl right here; the load occasions are uncomfortably lengthy and there are masses in every single place as you progress. For instance, you’ll be hit with a loading display screen of anyplace from 4 to seven (!!!) seconds each time a random encounter triggers, and also you’ll have to sit down by one other one simply as quickly because the battle is over. Generally the battle itself is shorter than the load occasions.
This drawback with loading even extends to features you wouldn’t anticipate it to, such because the menus. Each time you open the primary menu to tinker together with your stock or get together setup, you must sit by a brief, however noticeable load for actually every particular person tab on the menu and also you’ll must endure these little masses anew each time you shut and reopen the menu display screen to do one thing else. Over the course of 50-or-so hours, that would add literal hours to your play time.
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The technical points don’t cease there, both, as there are additionally occasional gentle locks which pressure you to shut the sport, praying that there was a considerably latest autosave. We encountered a very egregious instance of this the place the sport received caught in a loop on a loading display screen after finishing an almost 40-minute gauntlet of skirmishes, boss battles, and plot-heavy cutscenes with not a single save crystal in sight. After all, upon reloading, we found that the sport’s final autosave was solely simply earlier than all this kicked off.
Although we really feel it might be hyperbolic to name Eiyuden Chronicle a technical catastrophe on the Swap, its efficiency is definitely not good, and we’re hoping that the crew is engaged on patches to deliver it as much as a suitable stage. Not one of the points right here (with maybe the exception of the gentle locks) are outright game-breaking, however all of them mix to make for one thing that seems like a distinctly substandard expertise on Swap. Regardless of all the problems, we’d say that Eiyuden Chronicle is nonetheless nicely price your time in the event you’re a JRPG fan, however we’d encourage you at minimal to attend a bit previous launch to see if these issues get cleared out. They may very well be worse, certain, however they is also loads higher, and it’s moderately disappointing to see an in any other case fantastic recreation launched in such a state.
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Efficiency woes apart, Eiyuden Chronicle in any other case options glorious presentation. The visuals think of the artwork kinds of different trendy retro RPGs akin to Octopath Traveler II and Star Ocean: Second Story R, meshing extremely detailed 2D sprites with 3D environments and fashions. Although the 3D stuff feels a bit too blocky and murky, the high-quality spritework helps to distract from this, total leaving a superb impression.
The soundtrack is equally pleasing, that includes a satisfying array of music that adequately captures the scope of the journey whereas additionally leaving loads of room for its quieter moments. Whether or not you’re listening to the rousing monitor that first performs if you enter the overworld or the woodwinds-laced music of getting into one other village, it feels just like the music actually provides that wanted additional layer for enhancing immersion. Total, it is a very enjoyable assortment of tunes, however it suits the tone of the narrative nicely for essentially the most half.