Murayama started his career in game development upon joining Konami in 1992, where he would go on to create and oversee the Suikoden franchise until his departure in 2002. He later founded Rabbit and Bear Studios, and through Kickstarter, in 2020, successfully funded the development of upcoming Suikoden-inspired RPG Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, on which he also served as the main scenario writer. A prequel, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, was released in 2022.

Rabbit and Bear Studios’ statement reads as follows: “It’s with a heavy heart and deep sadness we must inform you that the scenario writer and head of Rabbit and Bear Studios, Yoshitaka Murayama, has passed away on February 6th due to complications with an ongoing illness.

“Murayama first began this journey of the creation of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes in 2020 through the support of his very loving fans on Kickstarter. Throughout the three-plus-year-development of the game, it was always the passion from his fans that continued to drive his creative vision and motivate him to put his all into the project.

“His hard work on Eiyuden Chronicle as scenario writer was finished but as his co-workers and friends, it saddens us to know that he won’t get to see the reactions from his fans.

“However, even with those feelings we need to accept the reality that he is no longer with us and continue to push his dream forward by releasing Eiyuden Chronicle to the world.

“We want to maintain his legacy and vision with this game and know that he would have wanted the rich world he has created with Eiyuden Chronicle to live on.

“His family sincerely appreciates your prayers and support but asks for privacy and that no flowers, mail, or other offerings be sent.

“We will have more information on organizational changes to Rabbit & Bear as well as changes to some of the Kickstarter rewards in the near future.”

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is due out April 23 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Other titles, which will be available starting November 21st, include Superliminal and Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising will be playable on PS4 and PS5. There’s also Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme vs. Maxi Boost On, Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Taishi, River City Melee Mach!!, and Alternate Jake Hunter: Daedalus The Awakening of Golden Jazz on PS4, which are backwards compatible.

As for the classics exclusive to PlayStation Plus Premium, Grandia, Jet Moto, Up, and Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series are coming up, all playable on PS4 and PS5. PaRappa the Rapper 2 on PS4 is also included and backwards compatible like other previous-gen titles.

It focuses on honorable scavenger CJ who arrives in New Nevaeh to search for Rune Lenses. She teams up with the mercenary Garoo and eventually the town’s acting mayor Isha to explore the Runebarrows unearthed beneath the town. Various strange occurrences are underfoot, which could affect the very world itself.

Though not super-long, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising presents a solid introduction to the setting ahead of Hundred Heroes. It’s available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch along with Xbox Game Pass. For more details, check out our review here. As for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, it’s out in 2023 and serves as a spiritual successor to the Suikoden series.

As a “companion prequel” to Rabbit and Bear Studios’ upcoming Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, Rising takes place in New Nevaeh. Following a series of earthquakes that uncover Runebarrows beneath its quarry, the town attracts various adventurers and treasure hunters. CJ, the honorable scavenger, is one such adventurer and joined by Garoo, a standoffish mercenary, in the search for Rune-Lenses. Eventually, the acting mayor Isha joins them as well.

With Metroidvania and town-building elements along with platforming and hack-and-slash combat, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising packs quite a lot to do. You can check out our review here for more details. Meanwhile, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is slated to release in 2023.

There’s a decidedly retro-esque simplicity to it all, which is aided by one of the game’s best features – the visuals. The 2D character designs are distinct while the 3D environments (presented in 2.5D perspective) are crisp with nice texture work and lighting. There is a slight roughness to character outlines and their animations, both in and out of combat, can be somewhat stiff. This reinforces the retro aesthetic all the more but also takes some getting used to. Even the music carries a cheerful tune in town when it’s not mysterious and/or dangerous in the game’s various caves (though it can get a bit one-note at times).

"Oftentimes, you’ll get requests that necessitate revisiting The Great Forest and The Quarry to gather materials or slay fiends and recover items for the townsfolk."

The story takes place in New Nevaeh, situated in the remote frontier of Allreach. Mysterious earthquakes have caused Runebarrows to emerge near the town’s Quarry. Precious treasure, like Lenses, are waiting to be found but there’s also a number of monsters and fiends to contend with. The town’s already in a state of disrepair due to the earthquakes and the influx of adventurers seeking a fortune doesn’t really help. You initially begin with CJ, an earnest scavenger who’s left home to make a name for herself.

Upon meeting Isha, the town’s acting mayor, CJ embarks on a quest to…save someone’s cat. And also patch someone’s roof. And also gather materials to fix the clock tower. But eventually, eventually she obtains an Adventurer’s License and teams with a mysterious mercenary named Garoo to investigate The Quarry. But eventually, they get side-tracked into even more tasks.

The town-building and upgrading aspect will occupy a fairly big chunk of your time. Completing requests for the townsfolk earns Stamps – turning these Stamps into the eventual Trading Post nets rewards. You also get XP, Baqua (the game’s currency) and items while unlocking facilities like the weapon shop, armor shop, blacksmith, Inn, Apothecary, tool shop and much more. There’s a fair bit of stuff to do and materials to collect. Oftentimes, you’ll get requests that necessitate revisiting The Great Forest and The Quarry to gather materials or slay fiends and recover items for the townsfolk.

The requests themselves are all fairly simplistic though. Some require you to simply go somewhere, talk to someone and then return to the quest giver. At times, you learn more about each person’s circumstances. However, you’ll also just as often engage in throwaway conversations. The XP and Baqua makes them worth doing, and I’m not above simple tasks – I just wish there were more intricate side quests to do alongside them, potentially expanding on the world even more.

"While the pacing has its ups and downs, the combat thankfully becomes more involved as time goes on."

Being able to freely talk to anyone in town would have also been nice. Outside of requests and main quests, you can’t just go up to someone and strike up a conversation. Wondering how the prickly old man who you helped to rebuild the clock tower is doing, as he stands there as exasperated as always? You’ll have to keep wondering. Being able to venture inside some of the buildings you’ve helped construct as opposed to accessing their services via a menu outside would have also been nice.

It’s a shame because the dialogue in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising does shine at times. From Garoo’s arguments with CJ to his utter perplexity at her Stamp obsession, there are some genuinely well-written lines and interactions. But they’re also marred by start-and-stop pacing.

One minute you’re seemingly ready to investigate the Runebarrows and the next, you’re completing main quests to help the farm or retrieving a Whetstone. There are some interesting stories to be had, especially when it comes to the struggles that drive CJ, Garoo and Isha (not to mention the deal with characters Mellore, Gocteau and Hogan). You’ll just have to deal with a lot of fluff interspersed in between.

While the pacing has its ups and downs, the combat thankfully becomes more involved as time goes on. Each party member is tied to a single button press, which allows for quickly tagging them in. On top of unique exploration abilities (CJ can double-jump and clamber while Garoo can smash through boulders), this also enables Link Attacks. Upon attacking, if you tag in another party member at the right moment, they’ll attack immediately and deal more damage. Tag back to the first person and the combo keeps going, racking up more damage. Once you get the timing down, they’re easy enough to execute but not easily spammable since there’s a slight cooldown after the last Link Attack combo.

"However, the overall difficulty of the game tends to hold things back. A few upgrades and most enemies will fall without much struggle."

As you progress deeper into the game, observing different enemies and anticipating their attacks along with knowing their weaknesses becomes key. Shielded enemies are more easily handled by Garoo who can break their defense while CJ is more equipped to tackle airborne foes and Isha is suited for ranged combat. For as simple as it all looks, you can chain together some mean-looking combos and the addition of Elemental attacks with Rune Lenses also adds some depth.

However, the overall difficulty of the game tends to hold things back. A few upgrades and most enemies will fall without much struggle. The boss fights are better since they have more intricate patterns that require dodging, blocking and sending back projectiles. On top of being fairly easy though, there aren’t that many and you’ll spend a good amount of time fighting the same bosses again and again (get used to the Tree Fiend in the Great Forest – you’ll be seeing each other a lot).

Of course, this same backtracking also highlights a weakness with the gameplay aspect. Despite the number of cave settings, levels are fairly distinct whether it’s the calm yet uneasy peace of the Great Forest and lava-filled ruins of the Runebarrows. They’re not that complex in terms of layout though.

Also, while additional areas are unlocked as you progress, it’s not uncommon to have monotone sections with very little by way of hazards, platforming or intriguing secrets, as you hack away at any enemies in your path. I was thrilled to finally return to a Menhir, break through an Elementum Pillar and explore the Runebarrows…only to simply walk through four plain corridors before the next Menhir that teleported us somewhere else. Not even the “new” elemental enemies posed much threat.

"As such, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising fulfills its purpose, providing a solid if very straightforward experience that may or not make you averse to stamps when it’s all over."

This all sounds like Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising falls short in a number of key areas. And it does but that’s because what’s already here is fairly enjoyable, whether it’s the aesthetics or the mechanics. The controls are responsive and combat has a good sense of impact. The characters are likable with distinct designs and intriguing personalities. Plus there’s a zen-like appeal to simply accruing Stamps and watching any potentially amusing interactions that may occur. It would have also been nice to have more depth in aspects like farming and trapping and fishing as a break from the combat but alas.

In hindsight, “companion prequel” really does best describe Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. It comes across as the appetizer before the main meal, which unfortunately is a year away. There is an interesting setting here but it feels like the lore, characterization and environments beg for something more than the current scale. Like basically filled outlines for portraits that deserve more passes, accenting and finer details. Perhaps Hundred Heroes will expand on this world even further, delivering on the premise established here.

As such, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising fulfills its purpose, providing a solid if very straightforward experience that may or not make you averse to stamps when it’s all over. The combat and exploration won’t match up with some of the very best in the genre but it’s easy to get into with a decent amount of depth and some satisfying feedback. Overall, it’s a decent time-waster that may surprise some before they pine for what more could have been.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Trek to Yomi

Flying Wild Hog’s side-scrolling hack and slash title takes clear inspiration from the works of Akira Kurosawa. It focuses on Hiroki who embarks on a mission of revenge against those who destroyed his village. Light and heavy attacks are your bread and butter in combat but combined with directional inputs, it’s possible to execute thrusting attacks or slice enemies that are behind you. Of course you can also use a bow and arrows, bo-shurikens and environmental hazards to slay foes. With four different endings, a Cinematic mode with a lower difficulty and a tougher One-Hit Kill mode, Trek to Yomi caters to a wide variety of players. It’s out on May 5^th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and PS5.

Source of Madness

Roguelites have come and gone, some better than others. Then you have Source of Madness, a side-scrolling roguelite with Lovecraftian horrors born of procedural generation and powered by neural network AI. As a magic user, you venture through the Loam Lands and the Tower of Madness, battling these horrors with different skills and spells. Multiple classes and loot help keep things fresh while the art-style provides a surreal landscape to explore. Source of Madness is currently in early access on Steam but will launch on May 11^th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Flippin Kaktus

Flippin Kaktus is a side-scrolling action platformer that embodies that 80s punk aesthetic. After Kaktus, who happens to be a living cactus, has his home raided by the cartel and his foster family abducted, he embarks on a journey for vengeance. There are a surprising number of ways to approach combat, either using traps and the environment or relying on the power of rage (with some decent armor and dodging). With 11 locations and hand-crafted levels, not to mention the spirit of pulpy VHS action films, Flippin Kaktus promises a rollicking good time when it releases for PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox and PlayStation platforms on May 12^th.

Evil Dead: The Game

The Deadites just never know when to quit, but thankfully, neither does Ash Williams. Evil Dead: The Game sees Ash teaming up with characters from across the franchise in a PvEvP game of survival. Up to four players team together, each choosing a character from four different classes with unique abilities. Explore different maps and acquire more than 25 different weapons like the classic boomstick and chainsaw.

Meanwhile, a single player chooses one of three demons – the Warlord, Puppeteer and Necromancer – to slay the Survivors. This can be done by possessing Deadites, spawning powerful enemies, and controlling environmental objects (including cars and trees). The asymmetrical multiplayer genre has had more lows than highs over the years but maybe Evil Dead: The Game ends up being groovy. We’ll find out when it releases on May 13^th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC (via the Epic Games Store).

Deliver Us The Moon (Xbox Series X/S, PS5)

Deliver Us The Moon first released in 2018 for PC and after launching for Xbox One and PS4 last year, it’s getting an Xbox Series X/S and PS5 upgrade at last (that too for free). Set in the near future where Earth’s natural resources have been depleted, you play as an astronaut who must investigate a lunar colony with vital energy reserves after it goes dark. It’s a suspense thriller with puzzles, anti-gravity sections and even vehicles to control.

The current-gen versions will benefit from 4K support, ray traced shadows and reflections, and faster loading times. There’s even support for the DualSense’s adaptive triggers and speakers. If a creepy vacation in space sounds nice, then it’s worth checking out Deliver Us The Moon when it releases on May 19^th for Xbox Series X/S and PS5.

Sniper Elite 5

Rebellion’s definitive sniping experience returns with a brand new instalment. It sees protagonist Karl Fairburne venturing to dismantle the Nazis’ mysterious Project Kraken. Maps are larger than ever with multiple points of infiltration and traversal tools like ziplines, though a fair bit of platforming may also be necessary. Along with a campaign and multiplayer support for up to 16 players, there’s the new Invasion Mode where players can invade others’ games and hunt them. Of course, if you want to co-op the campaign with a friend, that’s also possible. Launching on May 26th, Sniper Elite 5 will be available for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising

If the wait for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a Suikoden spiritual successor from the original creators, is too long, then Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising may help. As a prequel set in the same world, the story sees CJ, Garoo and Isha all exploring the Runebarrows that have emerged beneath New Nevaeh for their own reasons. The 2.5D side-scrolling action RPG lets players switch between each character, performing Link Attacks in combat. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising releases on May 10^th for PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PS5 and Nintendo Switch.

My Time at Sandrock

Pathea Games’ My Time at Portia offered a nice little Harvest Moon-style adventure but faced its share of performance issues at launch. However, it received enough support to become a fun little life sim while paving the way for the sequel, My Time at Sandrock. Entering early access for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on May 26th, it takes place in a “wholesome” (their words, not ours), post-apocalyptic world where most modern technology has been destroyed.

You venture to Sandrock as the newest Builder and do everything necessary to fix it up. Gather materials, process them in your workshop, create structures and other unique items while handling various requests. Improvements to combat along with new weapons and mechanics are also promised. During open beta, players have access to some of the story’s first Act, though the exact range of content hasn’t been detailed. My Time at Sandrock will be in early access for a year and release for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S down the line.

Story

The story of Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising focuses on the unassuming town of New Nevaeh in the remote reach of Allraan. One day, an earthquake hits and reveals some Runebarrows located beneath the town. This attracts the attention of all and sundry, from adventurers to merchants, as they seek treasure and fortune. However, there’s also an artifact called the Rune Lens that our heroes are after for their own reasons. Your goal is to find it and ideally not die in the process. What caused the earthquake? What is the history behind the Runebarrows? It’s up to the player to find out.

Prequel to Hundred Heroes

That being said, there is a connection between Rising and Hundred Heroes (outside of the name, of course). Developer Natsume Atari promises that the events will be the catalyst for “a dark conspiracy that will shake the world and plant seeds that carry over into the main story of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.” This means that Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a prequel of sorts and while it’s unknown exactly when Hundred Heroes will take place, we will see some characters from Rising appearing in the strategy RPG (perhaps as recruitable party members). Said conspiracy also apparently has “shocking ramifications” for the series’ universe so it should be interesting to see exactly what terrible events our heroes unwittingly set into motion.

Setting and Locations

As revealed in the 28 minute developer gameplay video with IGN, New Nevaeh serves as your “base”, providing all kinds of facilities like a Smithy, Armor Shop, Weapon Shop and an Inn for taking baths (which can provide different temporary buffs like five percent increased attack strength or defense). You can talk to different NPCs and listen to their requests, check the Bulletin Board or venture out to the farm to harvest crops.

Along with various Lanes and Districts in the town, there’s the Runebarrows to explore along with The Great Forest (where a tree boss awaits) and a large snowy mountain, starting from the ascent all the way to its peak. All kinds of threats await though so it’s advised to choose your potions and buffs carefully before setting out.

Characters

You won’t be recruiting one hundred heroes to your cause here – the main cast is composed of three playable characters. There’s CJ, a scavenger who’s fairly respected and has a strong sense of honor; Garoo, a Beastman who works as a Mercenary and can be fairly headstrong; and Isha, the level-headed deputy mayor of New Nevaeh.

CJ and Garoo are after the Rune Lens for their own reasons (though the latter seems to have a hidden agenda) while Isha hopes to rebuild the town after the destruction wrought by the earthquake. And though you can’t add any more party members, other characters – like the magical girl Mellore who also pursues the Rune Lens – have fairly significant roles and provide some humorous interactions.

Gameplay

At its core, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is an action RPG. There are RPG elements like earning XP and leveling up to improve your stats; a 2.5D side-scrolling perspective with hack and slash elements. Certain characters lend themselves well to exploration – CJ, for instance, can use her dual climbing axes to clamber up on platforms while Isha can teleport to certain areas that are out of your reach.

There are also environmental interactions, like setting traps (though you also need to avoid hazards like lava). With the variety of foes available, there plenty of materials to collect all throughout.

Character Switching and Link Attacks

Each character has their own unique combat style, though combat in general looks fairly straightforward. CJ can attack quickly with her dual climbing axes; Garoo possesses a giant sword that deals heavy damage; and Isha can cast magic from medium range. It’s the ability to switch between each character during combat where things get interesting.

Though they can be switched manually based on the situation (like when switching to Garoo to deal more damage to shields or dealing with magical foes as Isha), scoring a Critical hit will start a Link Attack combo which can deal hefty amounts of damage.

Resource Gathering and Town Upgrades

Along with collecting Gold, nearly every defeated enemy drops some kind of material. Chilli Peppers, Red Slimejelly, Gold Ores, Ancient Trinkets, Fire Magic Vestiges, the list goes on. You’ll need to use resources to restore and upgrade the town, improving the effects of certain facilities (like strengthening the buffs from the Inn’s baths). But how you go about the process remains to be seen – can you use resources to craft items and upgrade weapons, for instance. Regardless, there should be plenty of reasons to revisit the various dungeons.

Xbox Game Pass

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising retails for $15, which isn’t an awfully high price of entry. Nevertheless, if you’re subscribed to Game Pass, then it will be available on day one for PC and Xbox consoles (as will Hundred Heroes when it launches next year). Whether you’re just trying it out or eager to collect and unlock everything, it’s a pretty good deal.

PC Requirements

For PC players, the minimum requirements are pretty forgiving. An Intel Core i3-3210 or AMD FX-4350, 4 GB of RAM and either an Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 or AMD Radeon R7 260X with 2 GB VRAM should be sufficient for running the game at 1280×720 resolution and 30 FPS at Low settings. Recommended requirements for playing in 1920×1080 resolution and 60 FPS at Standard to Very High settings include a Core i7-4770S or Ryzen 5 1700, 6 GB RAM and either a GTX 1060 with 6 GB VRAM or an RX 470 with 4 GB VRAM.

In both cases, 20 GB of installation space is required. Interestingly, 4K resolution is also supported though exact requirements for playing at this resolution at 60 FPS have yet to be revealed.

Crossover Content

Though described as a “companion prequel” to the main course that is Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, there are several items like special cosmetics, equipment and trade goods that can be transferred over from Rising to Hundred Heroes. You can also name certain weapons and dishes that will seemingly carry. Overall, these are decent touches and offer some incentive for getting invested in the universe. Who knows, you may end up creating a bizarre dish in Rising that becomes a major culinary hit in Hundred Heroes.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition arrives on May 10th for consoles, PC and cloud with native touch controls enabled for those gaming on mobile. Side-scrolling action RPG Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is out on the same day along with This War of Mine: Final Cut, the latter being remastered for Xbox Series X/S.

NHL 22 is available on May 12th via EA Play on consoles to close out the first wave of Game Pass titles this month. There are also a few games that will be leaving, starting with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition on May 10th. Check out the rest of the titles that exit the service on May 15th:

• Enter The Gungeon (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (Console and PC)
• Remnant: From the Ashes (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Steep (Cloud and Console)
• The Catch: Carp and Coarse (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• The Wild at Heart (Cloud, Console, and PC)

It’s been announced that Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is launching on May 10. The 2.D action RPG will feature a unique combat system, gorgeous visuals, a town-building system, and much more, with promises of content that will also cross over into Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heores when it launches next year, including equipment, trade goods, cosmetics, and more.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG). The game will also launch for Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass day one.

The side-scrolling action RPG focuses on three characters – JB, Isha and Garoo – will become the player’s companions in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. Starting out in town, which has several facilities like an Inn that provides temporary stat boosts, the trio ventures out to the Runebarrows for a quest. Only one character is controlled at a time but the others can be switched to and tagged in for Link Attacks.

A release date hasn’t been announced but it’s apparently coming “soon.” Stay tuned for more details and updates in the meantime, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is in development for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4 and PC along with the aforementioned Switch. As for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, it’s scheduled to launch in 2023.