While Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes isn’t ready yet and will arrive next year instead, its companion game, Rising, has recently been released. This is a small project that introduces the universe of the series.
Throwback to July 2020, as a new development team kicks off its crowdfunding campaign to make its first game. Some of the members of Rabbit and Bear Studios are Japanese developers who were formerly members of Konami. The thinking heads of this project are important elements who participated in the creation of the JRPG Suikoden license. Their Kickstarter campaign promises a role-playing game very inspired by this particular series, a true spiritual successor. It will take barely three hours to collect the sum then requested of 500,000 dollars, and the enthusiasm of RPG fans will push the prize pool up to more than 4 million cumulative. If the project is planned for 2023, the enthusiasm around the campaign allowed the launch of today’s subject, a smaller project in the same universe, an action-RPG called Eiyuden Chronicle Rising available on PC and on all consoles, also on Game Pass.
In Eiyuden Chronicle Rising, we embody several characters who will return in Hundred Heroes. CJ, the heroine, is an energetic treasure hunter who arrives in New Nevaeh, a city very popular with adventurers since it is located right next to a tumulus and many mysterious ruins. She will soon be accompanied by Garoo, a beastman wielding an imposing sword, as well as Isha, the deputy mayor of New Nevaeh who has a gift for using magic. Together, the three protagonists will work to find treasures but also to rebuild the city which has suffered a lot of damage following an earthquake.
Eiyuden Chronicle Rising is a real-time RPG that is played on a 2D plane. We actually spend a lot of time walking around the neighborhoods of the city and answering the many requests of the inhabitants. These allow us to rebuild many buildings and then have access to stores and other very practical functions to help us in the exploration of the hostile environments that surround the city. Neither the scenario nor the side quests are particularly exciting, in particular because of the tasks requested which are very redundant, often requiring you to fetch materials from the dungeons. But the title has the good taste to make the progression very practical and to reward us gracefully for our efforts.
When we are not in the city, the gameplay takes an “Action” turn by letting us explore dungeons where treasure chests and monsters of all kinds are hidden. Each of the playable characters can jump and attack as well as use an ability unique to the active character. These actions can be improved to offer other subtleties, such as a system of more or less effective elements against certain types of enemies. There are two modes to manage our characters, a “simple” mode that leaves the game in control and a “normal” mode that assigns a button for each of them. It is then possible to change characters by simply pressing the assigned button. Even more devastating attacks can be chained together by switching characters right after attacking.
The gameplay is quite efficient and offers some interesting improvements throughout the game such as new attacks and other abilities. The title takes a little time before showing the qualities of its game system. The beginning of the adventure deprives us of many mechanics which are nevertheless important to enjoy the experience. The adventure begins by controlling a single character, which imposes slow and uninteresting gameplay. The first few hours also suffer from very heavy handling. Things that make the first contact unpleasant but improve over time. With the exception of a few boss fights, the game rarely demands to be very precise and the difficulty tends to be accessible instead. In addition, the alternation between short explorations in the dungeons and our visits to the village is a gameplay loop that has already proven itself in other games and which still works very well.
If Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was already selling its plastic very well during the kickstarter, Rising proves to us that the studio knows how to do it at this level. The title is particularly beautiful, mixing detailed 2D pixel art, a bit of 3D, good management of lights and scenery that offer a real feeling of depth. A very colorful and lively result. The balance is a little less flattering for the soundtrack of the game which is not particularly very memorable, but which effectively accompanies the action.
Very simple, Eiyuden Chronicle Rising can be played without any problem. It’s never particularly brilliant, but its mechanics, which have already proven themselves in other titles, as well as its practicality make it a light and pleasant little RPG to browse. Small also by its lifespan since it takes about ten hours to see the end of it and a little more to finish it at 100%. A fairly correct content density for this title offered for around fifteen euros on the various platforms. Eiyuden Chronicle Rising does not hide it, it is a little introductory adventure, a little game to wait before the main course that will be Hundred Heroes. A small production that still convinces thanks to its simplicity.
Conclusion
In July 2020, the developers at Rabbit and Bear Studios launched a crowdfunding campaign to develop a project that will catch the eye of many JRPG fans. The Japanese developers, some of whose members are at the origin of the Suikoden series, then proposed the financing of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a true spiritual successor to the Konami series. The campaign was a success and also gave birth to the topic of the day, a small companion game that introduces the universe of the expected title: Eiyuden Chronicle Rising. We embody several characters who evolve in the city of New Nevaeh. This one is close to mysterious ruins, which has the gift of attracting many adventurers. Eiyuden Chronicle Rising is an action-RPG game played on a 2D plane. If the first hours of the game give us very few possibilities and offer an unpleasant experience, the gameplay will improve over time and thanks to the multiple playable characters. Many round trips between the city and the dungeons will be necessary to advance in the scenario and carry out the very many side quests, these are unfortunately too repetitive. The title is nonetheless practical and pleasant to browse, it takes about ten hours to see the end of the scenario, and more to see all the content. Eiyuden Chronicle Rising benefits from a very nice artistic direction, mixing 2D and 3D in a very effective way. Without being brilliant, this little introductory adventure is rather convincing.
_
Follow Geeko on Facebook, Youtube et Instagram so you don’t miss any news, tests and tips.
Eiyuden Chronicle Rising
li {
font-family: FontAwesome;
}
.review-wu-bars ul li {
display: inline-block;
float: left;
width: 8%;
height: 6px;
margin-right: 2%;
}
.rev-option ul li {
margin-top: 0 !important;
margin-bottom: 0 !important;
margin-left: 0 !important;
padding-left: 0 !important;
}
.review-wu-bars ul {
width: 100% !important;
padding-left: 0 !important;
margin: 0 0 15px 0;
}
.review-wu-bars ul li {
background: #E1E2E0;
color: #E1E2E0;
}
.review-wu-bars ul.wppr-very-good li.colored {
background: #8DC153;
color: #8DC153;
}
.review-wu-bars ul.wppr-not-bad li.colored {
background: #FFCE55;
color: #FFCE55;
}
.review-wu-bars ul.wppr-weak li.colored {
background: #FF7F66;
color: #FF7F66;
}
]]>
WE love :
Scalable gameplay
Very nice decorations
A light and fun RPG
Convenient and satisfying progression
We like less:
Unconvincing first hours of play
Redundant quests
A very forgettable soundtrack