Guilty Gear Strive on the Nintendo Switch is a heavenly port.
May 11, 2025
Author’s Note: You don’t need to play Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising prior to Hundred Heroes. The carry over bonuses are minimal and there are very few story moments that tie the two together.
I’m not sure what it is about the Suikoden series that has such an appeal to gamers; myself included. There isn’t anything groundbreaking about the series. Some concepts were unique, but nothing that had me chomping at the bit for more. Maybe they’re so appealing because there isn’t anything majorly or inherently appealing about them. When a kickstarter of a spiritual successor was announced, stans (myself not included this time) were watching the developmental process of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes with the utmost scrutiny. Personally, I’m glad I didn’t keep tabs on it and even gladder I didn’t pick the game up on day one. I heard horror stories of bugs and glitches that would ruin an otherwise pleasant RPG. Now, sitting here with over 100 hours and a lovely platinum trophy, I feel confident saying that Hundred Heroes is a fine game as long as expectations of the next big thing are kept in check.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes takes place in the land Allraan and begins in the tiny village of Arenside. We immediately meet our hero from Kyshiri Village, the eager-to-help and scrappy Nowa. Nowa has joined the Arenside’s watch to investigate ruins called the Runebarrows. Said ruins supposedly house a Primal Lens, a magical artifact of immense power. Alongside fellow watch members Lian, Garr, and Mio, Nowa joins members of the Galdean Empire in the investigation: Hildi and Seign. Nowa and Seign had different upbringings and experiences, but they immediately form a bond upon their meeting. Eventually, the journeys of Nowa and Seign lead them to a Guardian of Yarnaan named Marisa. This unexpected trio of heroes gets wrapped in a war in which everyone hopes to use the power of the Primal Lens’ as their own. Together, they form a small but mighty resistance of heroes from across Allraan. The story in Hundred Heroes has all the pieces to make it feel like it’d be Suikoden set in an alternate universe: Runes. Primal Lenses. A kingdom that seems to have its eye on the powers lying within. A small resistance army that gets built from the ground up by Nowa and his closest allies.
Sadly, the pieces rarely fit with one another. Something, somewhere along the way failed to put all the pieces together in a way that impacted the way Suikoden did. I think my biggest issue was that things were rarely taken seriously. Nowa was backed by a vast number of memorable allies, but nine out of ten times, he and/or his allies would say something goofy to totally nullify the magnitude of a situation. Due to the liberties taken with the translation, the jokes rarely landed. It felt like a callback to a Working Designs translation. I played the game with English voice acting (which was good), and heard whispers of the Japanese voice acting rarely matching the text on screen.
The story might be questionable, but gameplay is a different story. Hundred Heroes has the look of an HD classic that combines detailed, crisp 2D sprites with perfectly proportioned 3D set pieces and amazingly designed 2D and 3D enemies. You move Nowa (and sometimes Seign or Marissa) through towns, fields, and dungeons. Towns are lively with citizens milling about and lots of activity. Every town has a variety of shops for purchasing items, armor, and accessories. Runes and rune pieces can be purchased, too. Runes, which grant users magical abilities, can only be attached by certain folks in towns. This is something I never cared for in Suikoden because players obtain new runes regularly in their travels. It gets tedious having to go back to a town to not only equip the rune, but to make space in your item bag. Indeed, another issue carried over from Suikoden is a very limited item sack. Finally, a blacksmith has returned. Instead of buying new weapons, combat participants can have their favorite weapon sharpened. Players can power them up from level one to level fifteen.
For areas with enemies, you’ll build a party of six fighting characters and one support character. If a character is required to be include for story purposes, then they can be placed in the attendant slot so it doesn’t mess with your favorite team make-up. Some support characters have passive abilities for the field (quicker movement, more resource acquisition) whereas others help in battle. Those that do participate in battle have the usual attack and item options. Taking a closer look reveals unique difference among party members. Instead of a standard “Defend” command, some characters like Yusuke or Yuferius can build power. Francesca can create a magic barrier. Djikstra can increase everyone’s attack for the turn. Along with magic points to cast Rune Magic, characters will build Skill Points throughout combat to unleash personal skills. Finally, with the right team composition and enough SP built, you can unleash team attacks. The turn-based combat is swift and fun, but it often feels unbalanced. The “magic type” characters are flimsy as wet paper, even in the back row. A physical attack feels like a dice roll when hitting certain enemies. That aside, things become streamlined when you find your favorite party and levels are built. Also, boss battles are an absolute delight because they feature unique gimmicks.
Similar to Suikoden, there are two other types of battles: duels and tactical war battles. Sadly, neither have are anything exciting to look forward to. With the duels, the majority of them are scripted with the story. In other words, you’re meant to lose them. The ones that you’re not meant to lose are flashy and sleek, but there aren’t enough of them. Tactical war battles look like they’d really put your strategic know-how to the test. But, these grand war sims are slow moving and outstay their welcome. The strategy is usually the same: let the enemy come to you. The only time I had to think about positioning and strategy was when I was trying to earn a trophy in an optional one.
Speaking of optional stuff, I feel the need to talk about Hundred Heroes’ side-quests and extra content. Normally, I wouldn’t dedicate an entire section to side-content. But, Hundred Heroes is filled with it. And much to my surprise, most of it is fun. I say “most” because not all content was created equal. There’s a card game that is an absolute blast. To get its associated trophies, Nowa must win against every hero and collect all the cards. This might sound tedious to new players since card games in an RPG tend to be hit or miss. Take it from me: I looked forward to battling each new recruit because the core gameplay of the card game is simple, yet effective. Another fun activity is Beigoma: a complete and direct rip-off of Beyblades. This one takes a bit of time to start in earnest because better spinners aren’t available from the start. Two characters are locked behind Beigoma so those wanting everything will have to participate in this. Of course, there’s also fishing. This is as straightforward and relaxing as it gets. You can unlock fishing spots within your headquarters as you continue to build it. You rarely have to venture out on the world map to catch each fish.
Then, we have two other activities that needed more time to cook. One of those, funnily enough, happens to be cooking. The actual “cooking” is easy. Just give Kurtz, your resident chef, the required ingredients. However, there are way too many recipes to unlock, and the majority of them are either rare merchandise from shops or rewards from a tedious, luck based mini-game. Finally, there is Eggfoot Racing. Note that this the most optional of the optional when it comes to side-content. Nothing crucial is tied to this. However, completionists are going to have to endure an extra 10 hours of game time dealing with this due to its design. RPG fans of a certain age remember raising Chocobos in Final Fantasy VII back in the 90s. Think of that, but worse and not nearly as gratifying. The plus side for completing this? I was able to get caught up on some shows and podcasts. So, yay?
The optional content was enough to turn a 60+ hour game into a 100+ hour game for me. Once the world was saved from certain doom, and once I got the final trophies, I found myself surprised to want to play a bit more. There were problems for sure, but never enough to make me want to stop playing. I always looked forward to the moments when my schedule would allow me to return to my console to continue the journey. A friend of mine described the game as “cozy” and I think that’s a good term for it. It’s not going to be as fondly remembered as Suikoden, or other RPG colleagues, but it did what needed to be done and filled a void for something classic, something contemporary, and something with longevity.
Overall, 8/10: Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes won’t replace Suikoden, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad game. Quite the opposite; this was some of the most fun I had with a new RPG in a while.
