Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes Reviews
It’s tough to find criticism with Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes without leveling criticism at the genre itself. One thing that I found detrimental was the encounter rate of battles; at times I felt I hadn’t moved five steps without another battle occurring. There is an “auto” battle feature but I didn’t find it quite as helpful as it tended to select moves that wasted skill points or moves whereas I could have set it up to not even require half-a-turn. I wanted to learn more about the developing story but consistently had to wait for another battle to pass. And yet, I find it hard to critique that because experiencing random enemy battles is literally one of the cornerstones of the role-playing genre; it’s a benchmark. How does one fault that? It’s been said in the foodie world that to judge a pizza place, it all comes down to a slice of their cheese pizza. If that’s good, the rest will be too. Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes is the RPG version of a slice of cheese pizza. It was good then, and it’s good now.
Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes is a delight, with the Suikoden-inspirations perfectly implemented to make for a wonderfully memorable adventure. I loved recruiting characters, building up a homebase, and partaking in strategic showdowns with enemies, whilst the variety of mini-games that show up across the experience keep the action varied and exciting. Add to that the wonderful visual presentation and a stellar soundtrack, and you’ll quickly find that Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes delivers more than enough to keep RPG fans very, VERY happy.
Devoid of a lot of modern conveniences found in other RPG’s nowadays, your tolerance for the experience that Eiyuden Chronicle sets out to deliver will likely hinge on your love of Suikoden (II specifically) or other RPGs from that era. As someone who basically grew up playing RPGs on the PlayStation 1 and earlier, I was willing to look past a lot of the issues, but this might not be the best way to spend your time if you’re coming into this with a fresh set of JRPG eyes.
To say I’m surprised by how much I’ve been enjoying Hundred Heroes is an understatement. Truly, I cannot wait to not only finish this game. I’m also really hoping the passing of the great Yoshitaka Murayama doesn’t slow Rabbit & Bear Studios down because I would really love to see more RPGs in this vein.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a love letter for all Suikoden fans; it embraces the classic essence and doesn’t succumb to modernity.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is what classic RPG fans and especially Suikoden veterans are looking for. It has the gameplay, the soundtrack, and everything in between. It’s like reuniting with a long lost comrade and picking up where you left off, having a blast all over again. Welcome back, old friend, we missed you.
Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes is designed to bring players a modern take on a classic JRPG experience. Get ready to lead 100+ playable characters through a war-torn world only you can save. Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes. On a PC, I imagine Eiyuden Chronicle might generally be fine, but on the Switch it is a mess.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was clearly made with dedication to deliver an epic experience about assembling a resistance army in the midst of an inglorious war. The narrative cannot give importance to such a vast cast, but, overall, it does a good job with what it has at hand, telling an engaging, well-written and well-voiced story. Translation does not follow the same level and several systems seem to be too close to the old productions on which they are based, missing the chance to modernize to allow for more efficient management. The end result is a good JRPG that suffers from limitations, which can still be resolved with changes here and there to systems, options and menus, bringing with it the potential to really shine in its environment.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is an RPG that actively strives to go against the market's quality of life efforts in pursuit of an old-school ideal. However, the result is a game that closes in on itself and caters only to the most die-hard fans of the genre. It's a shame, because even simple adjustments, like a mission menu and occasional changes to the menu, would be enough to maintain the challenge without the part that is purely inconvenient.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It won’t take long to fall in love with Nowa and his initial teammates on the Watch, and the bittersweet story beats come achingly fast in the first act of the game. Those who played the prologue game, Eiyuden Chronicles Rising, won’t have to wait long to meet some familiar faces and learn the answers to some of the questions left hanging there. From there, the journey is a comfortably familiar but emotional one, where power-hungry villains separate friends and family under the banner of a war that threatens to grow out of control. It’s a beefy game, too, with backers who already got their copy claiming that they’re clocking 60 hours on a fast-paced playthrough, and I’m suggesting that around 80 is going to be a fair hour count for most players. Chock full of stuff to do, things to explore, and characters to meet and collect; for some of us, this is the game we wanted when we were teens and still enjoying our last free summers. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a fantastic JRPG, wearing its old-school quirks like a badge of pride, with even its deliberate annoyances feeling like a wool flannel shirt. I can safely say it’s a terrific game and one its backers will welcome home with delight.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes mainly delivers what the developers promised. It's a mostly very classical JRPG experience with beautiful graphics and great music. But while fans of the 90's JRPGs might get anything they love about these classics here, they also get nearly everything, that they might hate about them.
Review in German | Read full review
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes offers excellent content, especially for fans of JRPGs from the 90s, looks great and also keeps you engaged in the long term with the many characters that can be found. Only the story sometimes suffers from pacing issues and the current objective is not always completely clear. But that doesn't stop the title from being a great new start for an almost forgotten series.
Review in German | Read full review
Despite boldly declaring "the JRPG is back" and then doing absolutely nothing new with the genre, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a decent, traditional JRPG that will tickle anyone who adored the classic PlayStation titles of the late nineties. Its modern affordances in visual design and voice acting bring this nostalgic adventure into the present day, but it is let down by sluggish, repetitive combat and some missed opportunities when it comes to utilising its massive roster of characters. Fans of Suikoden will likely already have this pre-ordered - for everyone else, check this out if you're looking for a nostalgic romp and don't mind a few speed bumps along the way.
A love letter to classic JRPG fans' would be the perfect description for this game. It's filled with various elements that evoke nostalgia for JRPG enthusiasts. However, despite its efforts to recreate the nostalgia of the past, maybe the absence of convenience feaures was too much.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes pays homage to the beloved Suikoden series, which left an indelible mark as one of the most memorable JRPGs during the PlayStation 1 era. The game’s expansive design and nostalgic elements evoke fond memories for fans. However, nostalgia can be selective, often glossing over past flaws. The revival of dated mechanics, including random encounters, fixed savepoints, and lengthy world map treks, hampers the overall pacing. Additionally, new features like gimmicks, war games, and forgettable characters miss the mark. The resulting package falls short of the (unreasonable) highs set by its inspirational source material.
Eiyuden Chronicle is a fantastic first entry from Rabbit & Bear Studios in an attempt to bring back Suikoden. A by-the-numbers plot holds it back from truly achieving greatness, but a strong cast and exciting base building makes this a must-have for all fans of classic JRPGs.
I am shocked to my core; as a great lover of RPGs, this is one of the best ever. It's a must play for any genre fan out there.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a heartfelt homage to the Suikoden games, seamlessly blending nostalgia with fresh experiences. While it effectively captures the essence of Suikoden, offering familiar storytelling and visuals that resonate deeply with fans, the presence of bugs and occasional performance issues may detract from the overall enjoyment. Nevertheless, these minor setbacks do not overshadow the game's true strength—its ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia while delivering a new and captivating adventure. With its rich narrative and familiar gameplay elements, Eiyuden Chronicle feels like a true Suikoden game with a new title, making it a must-play for fans of the beloved series.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes perfectly captures the zeitgeist period of Japanese role-playing games of the late 90s, faults and all. [...] Players who yearn for the days of an epic fantasy story with solid turn-based combat & dungeon puzzle shenanigans most immersive will find a lot to love in this heartfelt tribute from the late Yoshitaka Murayama and his team Rabbit & Bear Studios.
Being a homage to the classic Suikoden series, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes contains a PS1-like nostalgic appeal, a decent story and varied dungeon designs throughout. However, it’s held back by tedious recruitment processes, lacklustre battle systems and pacing issues that drag down the potential level of enjoyment.