The creators of the beloved 90s JRPG Suikoden, are coming out with their new title, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, and it’s on everyone’s radar in the community.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is an up and coming JRPG and is billed as a spiritual successor to the Suikoden series. So far, the development has been nothing but a great success, and here’s why this one shouldn’t dodge your release radar either.
A Kickstarter campaign was started on 27th July 2020 that initially asked for $500,000 to fund the development.
The gaming community felt compelled to support it that soon all records were broken. The crowdfunding drive reached a total of $4.5 Million and was backed by more than 46K supporters.
Since the funding goal was adequately overshot, developer Rabbit & Bear studios added multiple extra goals to the development timeline to produce a well-polished RPG experience.
So far, all these milestones have been met, and the release looks very promising, But what does the release have in store for us, and what do we know so far? Let’s take a look.
1. Eiyuden Chronicle Release Date
The new RPG will be coming out in fall 2022. The developers have not released an exact date yet, but given the more than hopeful Kickstarter campaign, we will soon get an exact timeline.
Till then, the team has some gameplay footage to showcase what’s in store for us.
2. Is there Gameplay Footage?
Even though a short one, the footage gives a glimpse of actual gameplay mechanics and what we can expect from the game.
It is clear that the title would be following 2.5D visual style and will be of the form of a JRPG. All this will, of course, be supported by a solid plot, and we have some information as to what that will be.
3. Hundred Heroes Storyline
The story and dialogue of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will be handled by Yoshitaka Murayama, the master storyteller that wrote the scripts for both Suikoden I and II. Their Kickstarter page describes the plot as:
“Our story begins in one corner of Allraan, a tapestry of nations with diverse cultures and values By dint of sword, and by way of magical objects known as “rune-lenses,” the land’s history has been shaped by the alliances and aggressions of the humans, beastmen, elves, and desert people who live there.
The Galdean Empire has edged out other nations and discovered a technology that amplifies the rune-lenses’ magic. Now, the Empire is scouring the continent for an artifact that will expand their power even further.
It is on one such expedition that Seign Kesling, a young and gifted imperial officer, and Nowa, a boy from a remote village, meet each other and become friends.
However, a twist of fate will soon drag them into the fires of war, and force them both to reexamine everything they believe to be right and true.“
It is clear that there will be deep lore behind the plot and characters, so be ready to dive deep. To know what else you can expect from the gameplay and combat mechanics, read on.
4. Gameplay and Combat Mechanics
Eiyuden Chronicle will feature a classic JRPG exploration-based experience featuring battles in high-resolution 2.5D visual graphics with pixel-based characters, as is evident in the above footage.
What’s more, there will be hundreds of characters to choose from. No information about their abilities is out as of now, though.
Players will also be taking part in a fortress-building system to grow their army with this diverse character selection.
Thanks to the Kickstarter campaign’s added budget, many more features will be implemented on top of the classic RPG offerings; players will be able to partake in battle defense modes, asynchronous modes, and card battles.
Their Kickstarter page also describes these features in details:
- Exploration – Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has a vast world to explore, full of lush biomes, bustling towns, creepy caves, and quiet villages. Talk to townsfolk to learn more about the region, explore remote locations and fight secret bosses, or maybe just enjoy the gorgeous scenery.
- Turn-Based Combat – Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes employs a traditional turn based RPG battle system where players take command of up to six individual units against either an army, or a single large creature. Choose commands for each of your characters, then watch them carry out your orders in full motion combat. Over time, your heroes will also learn special AI abilities that they will perform on their own in battle, adding to the strategic element of combat. Characters will learn more AI commands as they grow stronger, and some characters will even link their AI commands together for added effects. Players will also be able to customize which AI commands their characters use in battle.
- Enemies – As you explore the world of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, you will encounter all manner of creatures, whether it’s an ancient rune golem, suddenly awakened from its long slumber, or a noble dragon, protective of its territory and ill-gotten gains. You and your forces will have more than just an opposing army to worry about on your adventure. These creatures will come in all types, and will have incredible abilities and skills, for all of which you will need your wits and allies to overcome.
- Recruitment – Through your adventures in the world of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, you will meet people from all walks of life, looking for something more. Whether it’s a fisherman, or a baker, or a brave warrior, each new addition to your army will bolster your ranks, making a worthy addition to your town.
- Rebuilding the Fortress Town – The Fortress Town, the player’s base of operations throughout the game, serves as the main character’s military base, but also their home. When the player first acquires the fortress town, it will be rather small, but you will be able to grow it over time by recruiting other characters and putting them to work for you. Players will be able to customize the fortress town:
- Build sturdy castle walls to protect from enemy invasions
- Expand military equipment to develop weapons and recruit more troops
- Cultivate fields for farming and creating granaries.
- Create specialty products to trade in order to develop businesses such as the blacksmith, builders, souvenir shop, and restaurants.
- Cats – Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes isn’t just a classic-style JRPG. It’s also full of adorable cats. Cats as far as the eye can see. Cats meowing, cats napping, cats exploring the world. Cats, cats, cats. CATS! Meow!
Indeed that is a whole lot of RPG fun to look forward to, but the waiting period till then is quite long.
To bridge the gap, the developers have announced a companion game that will keep you occupied until the main game’s launch.
5. Town Creation Companion Game Announced
Rabbit and Bear will be partnering with Natsume-Atari to develop a companion town creation and management game that will be released before Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and will hopefully keep the players engaged till the main release.
The companion game will have multiple “lifestyle” mini-games that will give you the options to gather a wide variety of inventory in your town/farm/house.
The main incentive would be that the players be able to transfer these materials over to Eiyuden Chronicle, giving players a head start. Fans will even be able to interact with a few of the characters from Hundred heroes ahead of the main launch.
However, the developers have clarified that this companion game would not be free, and it will cost them an extra $7 pledge.
The team has announced that there will be future chances to get the companion app even if fans choose not to get it using the pledge system.
Wondering if you need to go out and buy a new console to play this upcoming JRPG? Read on to find if your current-gen system is supported or not.
6. Minimum System Requirements for Hundred Heroes
The publishers haven’t released the system requirements, when any such specs are released the post will be updated accordingly.
7. What Platforms will Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes Release On?
The developers, Rabbit & Bear, have announced that the new JRPG Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will be coming out to PC, Xbox One, Xbox X, PS4, PS5, and the next generation Nintendo console.
When exact details about the release are released, updates will start rolling out, so stay tuned.
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