SUIKODEN is one of the best JRPG series, but it had its heyday back when the PS One was king.
Eiyuden Chronicle is the spiritual successor to the Suikoden series and it almost lives up to its incredible legacy.
More than anything, Eiyuden Chronicle is a tribute to the fans, and a new entry to the series in everything but name.
It offers a fresh take on the Suikoden games, while offering everything that gave the classics such a huge fanbase.
You’re a young commoner that is given the task of building a resistance farce to fight against an imperial army with crooked nobles.
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As the name Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes suggests, you can recruit up to 100 people to take part in turn-based battles.
These come in three types: your traditional combat, duels, and wars. It also has other traditional Suikoden features like base-building, minigames and a virtual economy.
You might have 100 people in your army, but you can only take up to six characters in traditional battles, though large allies will take up more than one slot.
This means you can make good synergies within your team by adding heroes who buff, heal and deal physical or magical damage.
Every character has their use, and you’ll find that missing a piece of the puzzle will significantly reduce your chances of success.
Then you need to consider who sits in the front or back row based on how much damage they take and deal, and it adds a further tactical layer.
Some won’t like the way Eiyuden Chronicle approaches random encounters, where even basic fights can be a grind.
However, you can auto-battle these and save your strength for the gruelling boss fights.
The focus - as with all Suikoden games - is on building your base and your army, and this is where it shines.
You collect resources as you travel, and different partners will use specific skills to build up your base.
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Wars play out like most strategy games where you build small units to take on the opposing army.
Then it switches things up again by introducing one-on-one duels for specific conflicts and rivalries.
The strength of having this huge amount of characters is that there are dozens of compelling ones, so everyone can find a favourite.
The minigames aren’t as compelling as you’ll remember from games like Suikoden 2, and the war battles are relatively simple when you have the strength in numbers.
Fans of Suikoden will certainly enjoy Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes as a worthy successor, but it may be a little inaccessible to modern players.
If you want to read more about upcoming games, check out our Hades 2 preview.
