“Don’t decide a guide by its cowl.” A small little one dressed as legally distinct Sailor Moon chirped this trite little phrase at me about an hour into Rabbit and Bear’s Suikoden successor Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. I’m unsure once I realized the adage applies to Hundred Heroes itself as a lot because it did to regardless of the little one was speaking about. It would’ve been after I met a cleric whose vices included violence and foul language; however at any time when it was, it inspired me to miss the misgivings Hundred Heroes’ poor first impressions raised in me, and there have been loads. Hundred Heroes adheres a bit too intently to outdated design conventions, however the energy of its writing and characters makes up for its short-sightedness.
Rabbit and Bear had been severe once they promised a contemporary Suikoden-like. You play as Nowa, a member of the Eltisweiss Watch mercenary corps dedicated to retaining the peace. What begins as a piddling collection of errands for close by villages quickly turns into one thing extra severe as Nowa and the Watch get drawn into conflicts that threaten their beliefs and the whole world. Additionally, like Suikoden, Hundred Heroes divides its time between world exploration, the place you choose up quests and new characters, battles, and dungeon crawling, the latter of which is mainly an excuse for extra battles.
Hundred Heroes additionally sticks fairly near Suikoden 2’s fight with just a few refreshing expansions. Your workforce contains as much as six energetic characters with abilities you may increase with runes, which grant totally different talents and buffs, and every character will get a number of rune slots that permit for in depth customization. The system is satisfying in itself however comes into its personal when you begin linking character assaults and forming distinctive combos.
Because the identify suggests, recruiting the sport’s 100-plus heroes performs an enormous function. Some be a part of routinely, however the extra fascinating ones have a quest related to them that offers a bit extra perception into their persona and place on this planet. They typically play a minor function within the story after that, however their detailed sprite animations and voiced strains nonetheless make them really feel like a part of the story and never an afterthought.
The setup sounds too acquainted, however regardless of author Yoshitaka Murayama drawing clear inspiration from his earlier works, Hundred Heroes by no means feels by-product and ultimately surpasses its supply materials. It owes a lot of its persona to that sturdy forged of brilliantly written characters and a willingness to embrace humor and the ridiculous as a approach to minimize deeper with its severe themes of autonomy and fairness.
In addition they save Hundred Heroes from itself. Gradual traversal, an empty world map, and tedious dungeons make Hundred Heroes extra irritating than it needs to be, however the promise of a brand new character vignette or extra plot development was at all times sufficient to maintain me urgent ahead.
Hundred Heroes expands Suikoden’s base-building characteristic with new guilds and teams on your celebration members to type. At a look, that looks like busywork, and it’s. However it additionally represents one thing deeper. Your fortress is a microcosm of Hundred Heroes’ themes, a small society of people that look, act, and suppose nothing alike however who respect one another and battle for the fitting to dwell freely, with out hate.
In battle, a strong AI system allows you to program instructions and let your celebration cope with weaker enemies primarily based on the way you’ve custom-made their runes. Boss fights are simply advanced sufficient that they demand your full consideration, although, thanks in some half to the gimmick characteristic. These dwell as much as their identify, for higher and worse, corresponding to making you guess the place an enemy will transfer or forcing you to assault a selected object. They’re a pleasant change of tempo at first however shortly outstay their welcome.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is an effective reminder of why the RPG style left some components of its Golden Age behind. It’s additionally a sworn statement to what makes the style particular and the facility of fine storytelling to maneuver and encourage. Admittedly, inflexible adherence to archaic buildings makes these first impressions powerful to look previous, however a artistic battle system, in depth celebration customization, and top-notch writing make up for the retro jank.