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As a preface to this article, I must confess that JRPGs are by no means my favorite genre of video games, but I completely understand why they are so successful and have so many fans all over the world: the vibrant worlds, the charismatic characters, the combat Strategic strategy and innovative graphics are ingredients that easily capture players’ attention.
Over the last few days, I’ve had the opportunity to experience a few hours of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the new RPG from Rabbit and Bear Studios; In addition to being directed by Suikoden’s father, Yoshitaka Murayama, it seems to function as a spiritual successor to the series and a tribute to classic JRPGs from the 90s.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes puts you in the shoes of Nowathe Patrol’s latest recruit: it is a group of mercenaries that performs all types of services, containing charismatic members such as the wolf Garr, the extroverted Lian and the mysterious Mio.
Create and manage your patrol of fighters
With my faithful companions by my side, this preview essentially tasked me with completing two very distinct tasks: on the one hand, locating the Rune Critpa recently discovered in the forest and recover the coveted Primeval Lens, an extremely important device that amplifies the characters’ powers; In the final parts of the preview, which takes place a few months after the events mentioned above, I went through the entire Eiyuden map from end to end in search of more recruits for the patrol.
As you would expect from a JRPG, the game is full of labyrinthine maps where they lurk in the most diverse corners, starting surprise battles that work in turns. The process here is quite simple if you have played similar titles in the past: on your turn, you can attack, use a rune lens, use an item, defend yourself, among other actions that may vary from character to character. These battles are frequent, with only a few minutes between them, which can be beneficial but exasperating in equal measure: they can be a good way to level up quickly but they also hinder relaxed exploration.
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At certain moments in the story, enemies will be replaced by a gigantic boss and powerful, in which curious new mechanics are introduced, something the game calls gimmicks; for example, in a boss fight against a huge Golem, you can use some debris on the battlefield to protect yourself from its attacks; when you face a type of giant mole, there are giant hammers that give you extra damage; and in a fight against three thieves, there is a crane that drops debris on the enemies.
These artifices they add an extra dimension to a combat that is already quite challenging, where intelligent management of your team is the recipe for success. Keeping an eye on your recruits’ hit points is vital, and even when your numbers are greater than those of your enemies, that doesn’t mean a guaranteed victory.
In combat, tricks add an extra dimension
Allied to strategic combat, there is a component form of exploration, sometimes imbued with hints of puzzles; in a very curious section of the game, I was challenged to go through a huge mine full of dead ends and interrupted paths, forcing me to walk around and around until I found the right path; In another part of the game, I explored a desert where enemies appeared at every corner, relentlessly.
From a general point of view, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes consists of a best of what makes JRPGs so popular, with special emphasis on their artistic style; Whether you like the genre or not, it’s impossible not to fall in love with its graphics, which mix beautiful 3D worlds with pixelated characters (something that vaguely reminded me of Octopath Traveler). When you leave the main cities and territories, you enter an open world whose camera you can control freely, creating an interesting dichotomy between 2D/3D.
The beauty of the game extends to its soundtrack, which is absolutely electrifying and perfectly suited to the moment in question: when you explore the cities and villages, you can hear a calming melody, which quickly changes to frantic tones when you start a battle. These types of games tend to have exemplary soundtracks and I am comforted to write that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes continues this tradition.
Extreme beauty
As I said before, a big part of the preview was recruiting more fighters for the Patrol; Starting with 4 people, it quickly grew to 7, thanks to the inclusion of “Sailor Moon” Mellore, the samurai Iugo and the dreamy Yusuke. The more fighters you have in your group, the more strategic opportunities are in front of you, and it’s up to you to choose which position to place them in and how to use them in battle. Considering that the game has more than 100 playable characters, the management possibilities are practically endless!
In fact, I feel like I’ve only played a very small fraction of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes – there’s so much more to discover, be it characters, territories, items, enemies, missions, among many other things. If I managed to have fun with the game and I’m not exactly a fan of this genre, I believe that those JRPG veterans will enjoy what Rabbit & Bear Studios created!
It is worth remembering that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will be released April 23 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S.
