In 2020, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes raised an astonishing $4.6 million in crowdfunding and was ultimately the top video game of Kickstarter for the year. Since then, excitement surrounding the Suikoden spiritual successor has only grown. 505 Games signed on as Eiyuden Chronicle's publisher, a prequel game named Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising launched, and the game is starting to truly come together. As evidence, a new trailer for Eiyuden Chronicle has been shared at Gamescom.
The new Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes trailer shared at the ongoing Gamescom convention in Germany includes a variety of gameplay clips and in-engine cinematic footage from the upcoming RPG. The trailer is split into three different subsections. The first section offers a glimpse of the game's world and some general exploration. It shows two of Eiyuden Chronicle's three protagonists, Nowa and Seign Kesling, with Nowa running through a variety of environments, including a city, an old mine, and a flooded abandoned town.
The second section of the trailer focuses on one of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes' biggest pitches, its huge variety of characters. Eiyuden Chronicle is planned to feature over a 100 different unique characters that can be recruited and included in the player's main party. Just a handful are shown in the trailer, including a woman samurai with long black hair, a humanoid wolf, and a woman in green with short red hair. Each character has their own unique sprite art and animations.
That unique character style carries over into Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes' third section of the trailer, which is combat. Characters are shown using fire abilities, magical heart lasers, and other attacks. There are also more characters shown, including a shark with a giant spiked ball at the end of a chain, and a kangaroo with a broadsword that Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising players will recognize as Garoo.
The closing sequence of the Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes trailer is particularly exciting. It shows a face-off between both Nowa and Seign Kesling amid a major battle. Needless to say, this hearkens back to the very personal conflicts amid epic wars that made the Suikoden franchise so dramatic.
While the brief glimpses at gameplay in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes may leave JRPG fans hungering for more, the trailer does deliver one clear message. Development of Eiyuden Chronicle is moving forward. Robust sections of the game are clearly nearing completion, as the developers are ready to start showing them publicly. It's exciting, but will make the wait until launch that much more frustrating.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes releases in 2023 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
