Yoshitaka Murayama didn't just make games. He built worlds where politics, tragedy, and 108 distinct personalities crashed into each other like a slow-motion car wreck you couldn't look away from. When Rabbit & Bear Studios launched the Kickstarter for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the collective internet went into a fever dream. We finally had it. The Suikoden successor. The game Konami seemingly refused to make.
But here’s the thing.
It’s not 1995 anymore. Building a modern JRPG with old-school DNA is a tightrope walk over a pit of nostalgia and modern expectations. Some players found exactly what they wanted: a cozy, sprawling epic. Others? They found the friction of the past a bit too abrasive for 2024 and beyond. It’s a complicated game. It’s messy. It’s beautiful.
Let's talk about what really happens when you try to recruit a hundred people to save a world that feels like it’s built of paper and ink.
The Weight of the 108 Stars Legacy
If you never played Suikoden II, you might not get the hype. Basically, Murayama-san perfected a formula where you weren't just a hero; you were a leader. You had a castle. You had an army. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes leans into this so hard it practically breaks its own back.
The story follows Nowa, Seign, and Marisa. It’s a classic "war is hell but we have friendship" setup. The Galdean Empire has found a way to amplify the power of Rune-lenses, and things go south fast. It feels familiar because it’s supposed to. Honestly, if you’re looking for a subversive deconstruction of the genre, you're in the wrong place. This is a love letter written in the ink of the 90s.
That Art Style Though
The visual presentation is genuinely striking. It uses a 2.5D aesthetic that reminds me a lot of Octopath Traveler, but with a bit more "Saturday morning anime" energy. The sprites are expressive. The backgrounds are lush. Sometimes the depth of field gets a little aggressive and blurs out things you actually want to see, but overall? It’s a vibe.
It isn't just about pixels. It’s about the way the camera sweeps during a "Hero Combo." Seeing two characters you've spent hours leveling up perform a synchronized beatdown is deeply satisfying. It’s the kind of visual payoff that makes the grind feel worth it.
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The Recruitment Grind: A Blessing or a Curse?
You're going to spend a lot of time talking to NPCs. A lot. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes features—as the name implies—over a hundred recruitable characters. Some join because the plot says so. Others? They want you to go find a specific type of egg or win a high-stakes cook-off.
It’s polarizing.
I’ve seen players complain that the recruitment requirements are obscure. They’re not wrong. Without a guide, you will miss people. But isn't that part of the charm? There’s a specific kind of magic in stumbling upon a magical girl in a random forest and realizing she’s the key to unlocking a better pharmacy in your home base.
Your castle—your headquarters—is the heart of the game. Watching it grow from a drafty ruin into a bustling fortress is the best progression loop in the game. You aren't just gaining stats; you're building a community. You see the characters you recruited walking around, living their lives. It makes the stakes of the war feel personal.
Combat: Traditional to a Fault?
The battle system is a six-character turn-based affair. It’s snappy. It’s fast. However, it relies heavily on the "Auto-Battle" feature for a reason. Most random encounters don't require much strategy. You just whack things until they die.
The real meat is in the boss fights.
Bosses often have "Gimmicks." Maybe there’s a crane you can operate to drop a rock on a dragon’s head, or covers you need to hide behind to avoid a wipe-out attack. These moments force you to actually engage with the mechanics.
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- Use Hero Combos for high burst damage.
- Pay attention to the turn order at the top of the screen.
- Don't ignore support characters; they can change the flow of a fight without even being on the front lines.
Technical Hiccups and the "Old School" Friction
We have to be honest here. Upon release, the game had some rough edges. Loading screens on the Nintendo Switch were... let's just say "leisurely." Performance across the board has been patched, but that initial friction left a sour taste for some.
Then there’s the menuing.
Managing the equipment and runes for a hundred people is a logistical nightmare. There is no "optimize all" button that actually works the way you want it to. You will spend a significant portion of your playtime in menus. If you love spreadsheets and micro-management, you’ll be in heaven. If you want a streamlined, "pre-chewed" experience, you’re going to get frustrated.
Also, the inventory space is weirdly limited at the start. Why? Because there's a character you have to recruit to expand it. It’s a design philosophy that rewards exploration but punishes casual play. It’s unapologetic.
The Murayama Legacy
It’s impossible to talk about this game without mentioning that Yoshitaka Murayama passed away shortly before the game’s release. It adds a layer of melancholy to the whole experience. You can feel his fingerprints on every line of dialogue. There’s a specific brand of earnestness in his writing that feels rare in modern gaming.
The game doesn't try to be "gritty" for the sake of being "mature." It deals with heavy themes—betrayal, the cost of empire, the loss of innocence—but it does so with a sense of hope. It’s a very "human" game.
Why People Get It Wrong
A lot of reviewers compared this to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth or Persona 5 Royal. That’s a mistake. Those are high-budget, cinematic blockbusters. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is an indie game with a massive heart and a mid-budget soul. It’s trying to capture a very specific feeling of 1998, not reinvent the wheel for 2026.
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If you go in expecting a AAA cinematic masterpiece, you’ll be disappointed. If you go in expecting a spiritual successor to Suikoden that honors its roots while looking pretty, you’ll be delighted.
How to Actually Enjoy Your First 20 Hours
Don't try to do everything at once. You'll burn out. The game is long—easily 60 to 80 hours if you're going for the "True Ending" (which, yes, requires all 120 characters).
- Focus on the Headquarters: As soon as you get your base, prioritize the Resource Depot and the Smithy. Keeping your weapons sharp is more important than leveling up.
- Talk to Everyone: Seriously. If a character has a portrait, they are likely recruitable or important.
- Don't Fret Over Missables: While there are some time-sensitive things, most characters can be picked up later. Just enjoy the ride.
- Use the Map: The fast travel system unlocks relatively early. Use it. Backtracking through low-level areas is the fastest way to kill your momentum.
The Actionable Verdict
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes isn't perfect. The encounter rate can be annoying. The dialogue can be cheesy. The "war battles" (the tactical grid-based segments) are a bit simplistic compared to the main combat.
But it has something most modern games lack: a soul.
It’s a game that knows exactly what it is and who it’s for. It’s for the people who miss the smell of a new PlayStation 1 manual. It’s for the people who want to see a ragtag group of misfits take down an empire.
To get the most out of your playthrough, follow these steps:
- Check for Patches: Ensure your game is updated to the latest version. The developers have been very active in fixing the loading times and "teleporting" bugs that plagued the launch.
- Recruit Lian and Garr Early: They are your bread and butter for the early game. Lian’s speed is a lifesaver.
- Invest in Runes: Don't just stick with the default magic. Experiment with "Power" and "Armor" runes to see how they stack.
- Embrace the Mini-Games: The spinning top game (Beigoma) and the cooking battles are more than just distractions; they offer unique rewards and character unlocks that are essential for the late game.
The journey to recruit the hundred heroes is a long one, but for those who grew up in the golden age of JRPGs, it’s a journey that’s been twenty years in the making. It’s time to go home.