Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is the non secular successor to a traditional JRPG referred to as Suikoden, and it got here to be because of a really profitable Kickstarter marketing campaign. As somebody with little information of Suikoden, I went into Hundred Heroes pondering it was going to be a dense, old style, and barely impenetrable time. And sure, a few of it’s annoying and obtuse and can nearly actually go well with veterans who get pleasure from these quirks, nevertheless it has a surprisingly simple going nature. Hundred Heroes accomodates new gamers like me with fight that is easy to understand and a narrative that is emotional and sprawling and completely price your time.
For those who’ve not performed Suikoden, or Hundred Heroes’ prequel Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, there is not any want to fret. The sport’s story stands by itself as a sprawling continent-wide struggle that is not solely welcoming to newcomers, however instructed in a means that is manageable for folk like me who wrestle to maintain up with who’s preventing who and for what.
There’s this land referred to as Allraan, proper. And there is these people referred to as the Galdean Empire led by a conniving king referred to as Dux Alric. He is not very good. Why? As a result of Allraan is residence to those issues referred to as Rune Lenses (highly effective magic issues) and he needs to harness their energy for evil. You play as Nowa, a member of a band of beneficiant mercs. Nowa will get caught up in Dux Alric’s evil plans and decides – a pushy chief who nearly actually has a crush on Nowa will get concerned, as properly – to place a cease to it. To dismantle Alric’s plans, Nowa should journey round Allraan amassing a military of highly effective heroes. One-hundred-and-something, to be semi-precise (the sport’s title, regardless of sounding definitive, is inaccurate).
I do not need to spoil the story, however I’ll make the spoiler-free remark that Nowa’s journey folds into two others: an Empire lad referred to as Seign, and a forest dweller referred to as Marisa. Whereas it’d sound overwhelming, it is all delivered by the use of smaller, extra private tales that allow you to perceive the larger image. As an example, you be taught extra in regards to the origins of the Rune Lenses not from a prolonged spiel, however from an precise swap in perspective and a hands-on quest that rigorously complicates issues with out ever straying into tangle territory.
The principle story is what steers you to new locations with quest markers, so you’ve got ceaselessly acquired someplace to journey. For probably the most half, exploration sees you progress via areas of Allraan, the place you will bounce between bustling cities stuffed with Chinese language-inspired structure, cutesy ice villages, and Shi’arc infested desert oases. Like say, the unique Last Fantasy 7, these locations exist as blocky bits on a condensed 3D map, which you will run between as titan-sized Nowa avatar to present off the impression you are overlaying nice distances.
A sample does set up itself pretty shortly, within the sense that you will go to some cities, become involved in that area’s story, then inevitably end up travelling to a dungeon. Right here you both navigate some corridors to get from A to B, otherwise you navigate some corridors with bonus puzzling. Hooray!
Early on there are a number of forest paths that lie between you and thriller issues, and these are largely high-quality, with some chests to crack open and sources to reap. Some dungeons, the place you have to activate glyphs to rotate paths, or discover keys to open colored doorways, can grate a bit, although. I discovered their mixture of empty corridors and traditionalist puzzles a bit of tedious, made all of the extra irritating when my to-and-froing was interrupted by fixed random encounters.
It is to be anticipated, proper? Eiyuden is old-fashioned: you have to save at particular factors (there’s an autosave characteristic, though it is rare sufficient to make me distrustful); you are ceaselessly dragged into fights wherever you go. JRPG stalwarts will not thoughts these items, and can little question get pleasure from scraps that crash onto your display screen like YouTube advertisements. I’ve grown used to them, however I want there was a pace up button to whizz via the easier duties throughout journey.
Fights themselves are turn-based, with a bar stuffed with each pleasant and enemy portraits letting who’s subsequent. Initially of your flip, you cycle via your celebration of six and choose every of their strikes one after the other. Click on “end” and fight commences, with everybody doing their factor; rinse and repeat. It is clear and simple to understand, with added technique in the way you place your celebration members. Three members go on the entrance, whereas three go behind them (one additional exists as a help buff that does not battle), so it is essential you pop burly lads on the entrance, for instance, whereas squishier rangers or spellcasters can do their factor from a comparatively secure distance.
As soon as I arrange my celebration, although, I go for the “auto” button – which simply lets everybody do their very own factor – for 90% of the fights. Even together with some bosses. Truthfully, I respect the auto operate’s energy in making it simpler for the story-oriented participant who need to crack on with minimal fuss, however I’ve discovered its efficiency exposes the fight’s limitations.
Communication is what it comes right down to, I believe. Except for when your heroes take their turns, you possibly can’t inform who the enemy goes to focus on and with what. Your choices are to spam the identical few strikes again and again, sometimes ready on your SP bar to replenish so you possibly can carry out a flowery Rune Lense-powered transfer. Generally your characters leap to take hits geared toward another person, seemingly of their very own accord. Generally they’re going to stun enemies, seemingly out of nowhere. Results and the like aren’t communicated sufficient both, if in any respect (most are buried in an in-game menu), so even with out the auto system fights tackle an auto-battler really feel: a double shot of attrition with a splash of randomness.
There’s additionally no system the place you exploit enemy weaknesses to construct up additional turns like Shin Megami Tensei 5, or in-depth buildcrafting to offset some turn-based fatigue like Last Fantasy 8’s Junction system. As a substitute, Hundred Heroes’ equal is hero combos, the place sure matey celebration members can carry out tremendous duper strikes, like Nowa and the plucky Lian who can expend 2SP every to rinse enemies with a slash and a punch. They’re splendidly animated and seeing giant numbers pop up is nice, however man, it does not add some other dimension to fight in addition to, “I suppose I will wait a bit so I can use it once more”.
The distinction with Boss battles is that they usually have “Gimmicks” that take higher benefit of your turns. One battle in opposition to an enormous crab has you expend turns to hit its legs, toppling it and exposing its pale stomach for a spherical of extra highly effective smacks. Others have you ever wrestle over a lever that causes an unlimited boulder to crash onto whoever it looms over on the finish of the flip. A handful make for probably the most memorable fights within the recreation by inserting extra weight in your actions.
Fight is switched up a bit by altering your roster. In your journey throughout Allraan you will recruit plenty of friends, primarily by exploring areas till you bump right into a extra vibrant character mannequin than everybody else round, a bit like while you spot a cosplayer getting off the tube. Some do not take a lot persuading, whereas others demand you battle them, or fetch them issues. It is endlessly thrilling while you add somebody new and rejig your optimum setup. As an example, I’ve a selected fondness for a beer-bellied man who calls me “COUSIN!!” and hurls cannonballs. A shinobi who hurls shurikens is my ranged go-to, as she’s in a position to evade assaults like no-ones enterprise. And I’ve levelled one healer from the beginning who’s able to raging, which turns her from a healbot to an authorized Tyson Fury.
However whereas having tons and many heroes means nice selection in who does 90% of your auto-battling, it’s kind of of a disgrace that selection can solely be injected at inns or save factors (at save factors if you’ve got acquired a particular seventh help character geared up), the place swapping mid-combat – even from a small pool, versus everybody – would possibly’ve made adaptation extra fascinating. Usually you decide to a setup, then remorse your choice, otherwise you decide to a setup and keep on with it, as a result of some heroes are clearly higher than others. I’ll say that the sport handles levelling your heroes properly, as underleveled people get tons extra EXP till they’ve caught up, so new heroes aren’t instantly written off.
Climactic story moments are sometimes decided by a unique kind of turn-based battle that additionally encompasses your heroes, albeit in a means that is not all that clear. Issues go a bit Fireplace Emblem in Struggle, a mode set on a grid the place you attempt to anticipate your opponent’s strikes by positioning your chief chips in advantageous spots. As soon as the flip begins, the digicam zooms in on an automatic battle the place you see dinky troops swipe halberds and tussle with fireballs. It is unclear, as a result of regardless of with the ability to swap battalion leaders to confer advantages to your troopers, there’s little or no data on how your varied different heroes really contribute to the battle because it’s taking place. I discover I simply form of transfer some items and the battle resolves itself, or it goes a sure means as a result of the story predetermined it.
As somebody who’s not the largest technique head, so I recognize the sport’s relaxed nature in letting me press a button, watch the motion unfold, and, infrequently, take the reins. However, as with the turn-based fight, some people who like pure, complete management over the stats could rue its relative simplicity.
Off the battlefield, Heroes discover a residence in your Fortress, which exists as a centerpoint on your military, and a settlement you put money into over the course of the sport. It is an unlimited factor, a bit like Yakuza’s Dondoko Island, that might have its separate mini-review. However I’ll say that it is a pretty place to see your friends get collectively, a simple solution to harvest sources extra reliably in a while, residence to enjoyable minigames (cooking, racing, Beyblade) and its growth acts as an embodiment of your progress.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has some old-fashioned habits, and they are often tough to dwell with at first, however as soon as you compromise into these quirks, it is a story you will wrestle to place down. The sense of journey is magnificent, as you march throughout snowy valleys, lush jungles, and dusty deserts, sweeping up buds alongside the way in which. And also you repeatedly partake in moments that’ll genuinely shock, ceaselessly preserving your quest from getting stale. Anticipate one-on-one fights, cinematic tune, and races of some description. For those who’re a fan of Suikoden, it is a no-brainer. And if you happen to’re a fan of JRPGs or wrestle a bit with old style issues, I might nonetheless urge you to present it a shot. It is a actually pretty cling.
This evaluation was based mostly on a evaluation construct of the sport offered by the builders.
