Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Review (PS5) | Push Square

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Every time you boot up Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, you're met with a dedication that reads: «With our appreciation to all JRPG fans», which we take as a declaration of intent. Hundred Heroes is a triumphant return to the golden age of esoteric PS1 JRPGs; equipped with a few modern conveniences but designed for an old-school mindset. Visually stunning, with an incredibly vast cast of voiced characters to collect, the game nails the tension of a political thriller and epic of war, but the pace of play, and — at times — lack of direction, can sometimes grate.

From the mind that gave us the Suikoden series, the late Yoshitaka Muriyama, Eiyuden Chronicle is a Kickstarter success story, and the wait has been long for those invested since the onset. Developed at Rabbit & Bear Studios (founded in 2020) and published by 505 Games, it adheres strictly to precepts established in Suikoden and Suikoden II specifically, the titles Muriyama directed. But building on that already strong foundation, the developer has crafted an incredibly confident first effort, delivering on the premise of the project and offering what a particular segment of the audience has been craving.

Set in the incredibly diverse world of Allraan, the discovery of mysterious objects known as Rune-Lenses brings the simmering tensions between various peoples to the fore. The Galdean Empire, in collaboration with the League of Nations and on the pretext of peace, organises a joint expedition into the mysterious ruins of a lost civilisation known as the Runebarrows, setting in motion a chain of events that will set the world ablaze.

Hundred Heroes is primarily the story of Nowa, a classically heroic young man from a frontier village, but there are plenty of opportunities for the game's vast cast to come to the fore. Other core characters include an enigmatic Guardian of the Runebarrows, Marisa, and Seign, the second-born scion of House Kesling and a promising graduate from Galdea's military academy. They