‘Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ Review: Is It Really Worth The Price?

‘Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes,’ developed by Rabbit & Bear Studios and published by 505 Games, has a clear vision of what it aims to achieve. Paying homage to the Suikoden series while incorporating modern technology sounds promising, yet in practice, it presents a mixed bag of experiences with some frustrating decisions hindering an otherwise decent game.

The team behind ‘Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ includes director Yoshitaka Murayama, the mind behind Suikoden. The game’s Kickstarter campaign exceeded expectations, raising over $4.5 million against a $500,000 goal. After a few delays, the game finally launched in 2024, carrying the weight of high expectations from fans invested in its success.

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Set in the world of Allraan, the game follows protagonist Nowa’s journey from a rural village into a politically charged environment. However, the initial hours of gameplay feel drawn-out, raising doubts about the quality of writing, particularly in the introduction of characters like Seign, which comes across as generic and lacking depth.

Despite its shortcomings early on, ‘Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ shines in its sprawling narrative, showcasing Nowa’s journey while introducing over 100 memorable characters. The game excels in character development, offering a diverse cast with unique voices and backstories. The rebellion narrative adds excitement to the gameplay, but it’s the intimate moments between key characters like Nowa and Seign that leave a lasting impression.

Visually, the game impresses with its 2D-pixel art, featuring eccentric character designs and visually striking enemies. Combat in ‘Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ is enjoyable, with a Priority Action system allowing for strategic planning and diverse gameplay experiences, including duels and army skirmishes.

However, the game suffers from two significant flaws in its mechanics. Firstly, it takes too long to establish competent party structures and auto-battle settings, resulting in tedious early gameplay. Secondly, the micromanagement of teams and equipment is overly complicated, detracting from the overall experience.

The Switch port of ‘Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ faces performance issues, including long loading times, laggy menus, and inconsistent frame rates during battles. While patches have addressed some problems, the core issues persist, making it difficult to recommend the game on Switch.

Despite its potential, ‘Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ falls short due to outdated RPG mechanics, slow pacing, and technical issues. With major updates, it could become more accessible and enjoyable. However, as it stands, it’s challenging to recommend to anyone other than die-hard Suikoden fans, and even they might find more satisfaction in revisiting past classics.