is a 2024

role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

developed by Rabbit and Bear Studios and published by

505 Games 505 Games S.p.A. is an Italian video game publisher based in Milan. It was founded in 2006 as a subsidiary of Milan-based Digital Bros. History 505 Games was founded in 2006 in Milan as a subsidiary of Digital Bros. The company found its earl ...

. It has been called a

spiritual successor A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous product or work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue th ...

of lead developer

Yoshitaka Murayama was a Japanese game designer, game director and game producer. He was best known for his career at Konami, where he created of the '' Suikoden'' series of role-playing video games, for which he produced and directed major installments until ...

's previous series, ''

Suikoden is a series of role-playing video games developed and published by Konami. Created by Yoshitaka Murayama, the games are loosely based on the classical Chinese novel '' Water Margin'', whose title is rendered as in Japanese. Each individual g ...

'', which he made for

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

Development and release

The development of ''Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes'' was led by

, the creator of the ''Suikoden'' video game series by

. Murayama had directed ''

'' and ''

Suikoden II is a role-playing video game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation video game console and the second installment of the '' Suikoden'' video game series. It was released on December 17, 1998, in Japan; on September 29, 1999, in No ...

'' during his time at Konami, but left the company in 2002 shortly before the release of ''

Suikoden III is a role-playing video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 video game console, and the third installment in the ''Suikoden'' video game series. It was released in 2002 in Japan a ...

''. The fundraising campaign for the ''Eiyuden Chronicle'' project was conducted through the

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

platform

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

. The campaign exceeded all of the original stretch goals and met its base funding requirements after surpassing $500,000 within 3 to 4 hours on July 27, 2020. It ultimately raised $4,541,481 with 46,307 backers, making it the third highest funded video game in Kickstarter history behind ''

Shenmue III is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by Ys Net and originally published by Deep Silver for the PlayStation 4 and Windows. Like the previous ''Shenmue'' games, it consists of open-world environments interspersed with brawler battles and qu ...

'' and '' Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night''. ''Hundred Heroes'' was featured at

E3 2021 The Electronic Entertainment Experience 2021 (E3 2021) was the 26th and final E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products. The event, organized by t ...

for

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

and

Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...

, and was originally slated to be released worldwide in October 2022 before being delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The game was then set for a 2023 release, but was delayed to 2024. It was later confirmed to release on April 23, during their presentation on the September 2023

Nintendo Direct Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentations or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began ...

. A prologue, '' Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising'', was released for the same platforms in May 2022.

Reception

''Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes'' received "generally favorable reviews" on Windows, Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, according to

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. In Japan, four critics from ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' gave the game a total score of 33 out of 40. ''

Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...

'' awarded it an 8/10, saying "archaic structures makes those first impressions tough to look past, but a creative battle system, extensive party customization, and top-notch writing make up for the retro jank." ''Game Informer'' however criticized the gameplay for being outdated at certain points, such as having an empty open world and some tedious dungeons to go through. Godisageek praised the game, saying that "Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a truly memorable experience that absolutely will stick with you when it's over." Gameskinny said the game is "an Experience That Revitalizes JRPGs." ''IGN Japan'' gave the game a 90/100. On a more mixed review, ''

PCGamesN ''PCGamesN'' is a British website with articles about PC gaming and hardware. History Parent company Network N was founded by James Binns (formerly of Future Publishing) in late May 2012. ''PCGamesN'' launched the following month. PCGamesN ...

'' said that "whether or not you're a fan of ''Suikoden II'', ''Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes'' is just about worth your time. Unfortunately, almost every high point in Nowa's adventure is met with a painful low, making for a disjointed experience bursting with forgettable minigames and characters."

References

External links

*
Official wiki
{{Suikoden series 2024 video games 505 Games games Crowdfunded video games Kickstarter-funded video games Nintendo Switch games Role-playing video games Single-player video games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation 5 games Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Video games scored by Michiko Naruke Video games scored by Motoi Sakuraba Windows games Xbox Cloud Gaming games Xbox One games Xbox Series X and Series S games