Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Review – A SUIKODEN RIP-OFF?

It’s no secret that turn-based JRPGs are not as popular in this era of video games. Even more so without all the modern, quality-of-life additions in today’s market. But Rabbit & Bear Studios has risen in solidarity and said “Why not revisit the classic PS1 era of JRPGs and recapture some of that old-school, pixel-meets-3D aesthetic and gameplay?” That is exactly what Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is all about.

The A-Team

Starting as an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign in July 2020, this game has gone full-blown, no-shame Suikoden in practically everything besides the name. If you’ve experienced that series before, you’ll be right at home here. At its core, the main protagonist, Nowa, seeks to recruit any strange-looking character he comes across, to add to his ever-evolving castle and army of randos.

From Scottish-sounding miners to terrifying tsunderes, not all of these heroes wear capes. They’ll help Nowa generate materials, run certain vendors, grant handy support abilities, as well as fight alongside him in battle. Hence, it is worth seeking out as many potential heroes as possible. But just be patient—especially during the first half of the game—as finding these guys around the world map is a chore! Long story short, the recruitment drive usually descends into mindless zigging and zagging every corner of the globe, then completing a generic fetch quest afterwards.

Even though you can team up with a sizeable 6 party members at a time, a decent chunk of the characters are a little too similar to each other, gameplay-wise. Plus, having a large ensemble cast comes with the lingering issue of managing and upgrading stacks of equipment and abilities, as well as the inherent problem of no-screen-time-itis. The non-essential characters might make a snarky remark or two after you meet them, but don’t be sad if your favourite character starts to blend into the background.

Could I Have Fries with That?

The battle system gave me a pretty similar feeling as well. While it does harken back to Suikoden’s roots, the gameplay goes a little too far in that direction without offering anything substantial or unique. Think of the most generic turn-based JRPG out there, and this probably won’t be that far off.

Fans of the series might still enjoy the sequential input style of combat, but I routinely found myself resorting to auto-battling the random encounters way more than I should have. The big bosses sometimes feature a gimmick like an operable crane or cover for strong attacks which greatly affect the tide of battle, and planning out your actions to accommodate this can be fun. Albeit, I just wish there was something more succulent to savour. Is that too much to ask? Considering that Eiyuden Chronicle is around 35 hours in length, it’s only a matter of time ‘til the regular bouts will have you glaring a hole into the power button.

In an attempt to shake things up though, the devs implemented a few tactical, grid warfare battles, but these are even less exciting than the typical turn-based affairs. It’s just so visually dull and slow-paced. There isn’t a lot going on here either. Units move in 4 directions, 1 space at a time, while occasionally busting out a special attack or power-up. However, this only makes it slightly more interesting. Funnily enough, I found it hilarious how often an army leader would be like “I never saw this blatantly obvious event coming! Who are these people?” or “I can’t believe you would betray me at the worst possible time ever! How dare you?!” Not only do these story events break the difficulty into pieces, I just couldn’t help but laugh when they happened. It was so ridiculous at times, that I could literally stand still and win simply by pressing the ‘Begin Battle’ button. Talk about strategy, folks. Good luck finding it here.

Diamonds in the Rough

In terms of story, it’s the cliche, bringing-the-fellowship-together tale that’s been done better a bajillion times before. While it does have a few great scenes peppered in, as well as some strong voice-acting across the board, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ story won’t leave much of a mark. It also loves to make players meander around, making you walk to and fro for no apparent reason. Like marching all the way back to the inn at a town entrance for 5 seconds, and then returning again to the opposite end of the local map to advance. Sometimes twice in a row. Even when the fast-travel option is unlocked halfway through, it doesn’t do enough to alleviate the fluff. Time wasting at its finest.

The dungeon designs are pretty pleasant, however. Most of them don’t overstay their welcome and have cool, distinct puzzles or gimmicks to chew on, capped off with some solid tunes, slick art design and a finely balanced boss at the end. That being said, since you can only restore HP and MP at inns or with items and abilities, I did find myself utilising SP skills instead of MP ones. Since save points don’t restore anything and MP items are quite rare, almost all of my team’s magic was focused on keeping everyone alive, like a near-constant battle of attrition.

Decision

That sums up Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes quite well actually; a game of great moments spread far too thin. Only fans of the original Suikoden entries will reliably enjoy this because most contemporary turn-based JRPGs have a much more exciting gameplay loop and story. While the dungeons and boss battle variety help to keep things fresh somewhat, it can’t make up for the consistent meandering and dull battle systems that spoil the experience as a whole.

By Anthony Culinas – Reviewed on PC

Average

Being a homage to the classic Suikoden series, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes contains a PS1-like nostalgic appeal, a decent story and varied dungeon designs throughout. However, it’s held back by tedious recruitment processes, lacklustre battle systems and pacing issues that drag down the potential level of enjoyment.

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by 505 Games. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.