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.

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.

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.

Natsume and Natsume Atari have announced Wild Guns Reloaded, a new take on the classic SNES shooter of over 20 years ago, for the PlayStation 4, which will be debuting at E3 2016 next month.

“Wild Guns was an instant cult classic when it launched a little over 20 years ago, and fans have continued to love the franchise on Nintendo platforms over the years,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume Inc. “We’re very excited to be working with Natsume Atari Inc. and the original development team to bring the game to the PlayStation 4 audience.”

“With our 30th anniversary this year, it’s the perfect time to revisit one of our classic and most beloved titles,” said Takashi Matsumoto, CEO of Natsume Atari Inc. “The original programmer, designer, and sound creator of Wild Guns are excited to have an opportunity to revisit their game many years later, and bring it to a modern Sony audience.”

The new game will two playable characters, up to four players playing in multiplayer, remastered classic stages as well as new stages, and new bosses and special weapons. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more on the game.