Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a crowdfunded title through Kickstarter, looks to become the spiritual successor of the classic Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) series, Suikoden. After playing the beta version of the upcoming game, it’s safe to say that those words are on point. It truly feels like a new Suikoden game.
Having played a few hours of Hundred Heroes, battles pit the party of up to six against enemies on a battlefield. It’s like controlling a small army of fighters where you can initiate head-on attacks, magic, and yes, just like Sukoden, special tag-team combos. The game has a medieval setting with politicians playing a big part of the story, while you recruit tons of fighters to join your cause.
Character designs are done in a highly detailed, 2D style that evokes sprites from the ‘90s. Meanwhile, enemies and the environment in Hundred Heroes are in 3D and look beautiful. Battles are turn-based, and each character and enemy appears in a lineup of when they will attack. Some battlefields have a unique layout where you can utilize the field itself to avoid heavy attacks or set up heavy attacks against enemies. The combat system provides enough variety so that you aren’t always repeating commands for your fighters. You can have up to six combatants on the field, and they’re controllable or you can set them to auto battle. Auto battle can be adjusted in the game’s settings to how you want your characters to fight. Fighters can be placed in the front or back row. In the front row, you’ll take more damage than in the rear. Plan accordingly.
Each character has their own set of skills, strengths, and weaknesses. For example, Garr, a humanoid wolf, is strong and built like a tank—perfect for the front lines. However, his speed is slow, so you’ll have to plan accordingly in terms of when to attack or what skills to use. Nowa, one of the main characters, seems to have an average set of stats to where you could place him just about anywhere on the battlefield. Long-range attackers or those with weaker defenses like healers are better in the rear. Hundred Heroes utilizes the basics of role-playing tactics but gives more options to players to command.
Basically, Hundred Heroes is a gift to JRPG lovers. From the design, the storyline, and the music, it all feels and plays like a new Suikoden game. It’s no surprise the game looks and feels much like the classic JRPGs since the minds behind Hundred Heroes, Yoshitaka Murayama, Osamu Komuta, and Junko Kawano, once worked on the Suikoden series for Konami. Additionally, Junichi Murakami, who worked on Suikoden V as well as Castlevania titles for the PlayStation, has joined the party to make Hundred Heroes even more special. It’s truly a shame Yoshitaka Murayama passed away in early February 2024 before getting to see his latest creation launched.
In short, those who’ve played Suikoden are in for a treat. Even if you missed out on playing the classic JRPG series, it’s not too late to jump into Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes releases on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on April 23, 2024.
A Steam beta version of the game provided for this article and gameplay footage.