My Eiyuden Chronicle Journey

“Please tell me the answer: is fate unchangeable? Even in his powerlessness, man’s existence is never without meaning.”

“True rune of the wind! Gather the power of the wind sylphs! Become a blade that can slice the earth! Slay all my enemies!”

“Then your definition of freedom is having the ability to walk in a cell with an invisible leash around your neck.”

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Hey there! Since I’ve got time to kill and been graced by the spirit of vivaciousness, Ayana is here again with another entry!

So, you might be wondering what those quotes are for. No? It’s okay. I’m going to spill the beans anyway. But if you know what or where those quotes are from, here’s a high-five for you! That means you’re a fellow fan like me!

But anyway… to those who don’t know yet, those quotes are some of my favorite lines from the Suikoden series! Specifically Suikoden I & II. In case you haven’t read my Suikoden II appreciation post yet, this game is my most beloved game of all time. Sure, I’ve gushed and fangirled over Code Vein and Final Fantasy IX as well. But Suikoden II has a special place in my heart. Nothing could and would ever dethrone it. After all, this game lured me into the world of video games and jump-started my descent into creative writing!

Anyway, since I just finished Eiyuden Chronicle last night, dubbed thee the spiritual successor of the Suikoden series (or more like Suikoden II, TBH), this post will be about it.

So, what is Eiyuden Chronicle? Eiyuden Chronicle (let’s call it EC) is a game that was kickstarted in 2020 and created by Rabbit and Bear Studios. As of this writing, 46,307 people backed this game, for the sum of 481M yen.

Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes

I first got wind of the news about EC from a friend who showed me a battle clip for the game. Excited, I checked the Suikoden Revival Movement group on Facebook for more information. Everyone in the group was talking about it. And I, myself, was ecstatic! No new Suikoden game has come out in the past decade or two, and I was hungry for new Suikoden-like games! Plus, the game will be produced by the same team that worked on the original Suikoden series, helmed by the brilliant mind of Yoshitaka Murayama (may his soul rest in peace) and character designs by Junko Kawano. Again, dubbed as the spiritual successor of Suikoden, I WAS IN! 

Fun Fact: Although it was my first time hearing of Kickstarter back then (or even the idea of kickstarting a game), I signed up and made my pledge to back the game. Yes, I’m one of those 46,307 people who backed this game, lol. I had the meme moment of “Shut up and take my money!”

If I remember correctly, the game’s release was originally planned for 2022, but it got delayed to what I assumed was due to COVID-19. Then the game was recently officially released on April 23rd, 2024. But since I was a backer, I got the game (72) hours before the official release date. Final Fantasy 16’s Rising DLC, which came out on April 18th took a backseat for a while as I jumped into EC. That’s how much I was excited about anything Suikoden-related/ish, lol.

Disclaimer: This may end up as a rant. If you’d rather skip it, feel free to do so and skip past the line below. If you’ll keep on reading, thank you so much for keeping me company. 🙂

I didn’t have high expectations of this game, TBH. In fact, even though they said this is a spiritual successor, I didn’t expect it to be entirely like Suikoden 2 – more like Suikoden 2 inspired. But then again, since it is a spiritual successor, I couldn’t help not to draw comparison to Suikoden 2.

These are purely my OWN opinions and thoughts of the game. This is NOT sponsored nor paid. 

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Now, I’ll break EC into different sections and compare it to Suikoden 2 (S2). 

Story:

EC follows the story of a young “meddler” (self-proclaimed, lol) named Nowa, who joins and becomes a member of the Watch. On his first gig, he, along with the other members of the Watch, Garr, Mio, and Lian, join forces with the Galdean Empire’s up-and-coming young Lieutenant Seign Kesling and his underling, Hildi, on an expedition to search for Primal Lenses. Nowa and Seign become fast friends, but with Seign working as a soldier of the empire, well… these two will cross paths again on the battlefield. 

S2 follows the story of childhood friends Riou and Jowy, who were the Highland Unicorn Brigade members. On the night before they were supposed to go back to their hometown of Kyaro, a “surprise attack” was launched by the City-State of Jowston, thus breaking the peace treaty between the two nations. Their survival of the massacre would be the start of their long journey as both of them got embroiled in a “holy war.” (I would stop here now because I could go on and on about S2, lol.)

Story-wise, S2 is hands down the better story for me. S2 was an epic journey of friendship, betrayal, life, and death. I remember tearing up in some scenes, such as when both friends made a promise to reunite at the “spot” if ever they get separated before deciding to jump on the cliff. Or that time when Viktor and Flik came to Riou and Jowy’s rescue when they were to be hanged back at Kyaro town. Heck, even when Pohl died by Luca’s hand as he protected Pilika was sad.  I love my friends dearly, so anything that shows friendship or anything where people unite to fight for a common goal would certainly tug on my heartstrings.

EC had moments like this too, such as when Nowa and Seign had to fight because the latter was blocking Nowa’s path to freedom. But I wasn’t that deeply invested in their friendship, unlike Riou’s & Joey’s. The story’s not as dark and grim as S2 either. EC has an antagonist that would do anything to gain power, whereas S2 has Luca Blight, a madman who is on a quest to “cleanse the land” of its filth. Luca Blight was terrifying because he wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone just for the mere pleasure of it and he wreaked havoc upon the land, thus showing the horrors of war. Heck, there was a moment when Luca Blight made a villager act like a pig before offing her. I knew as a kid that the person was killed off, but seeing that scene now as an adult hits a different note. The world of EC is embroiled in war too, but it doesn’t have the same feeling as S2. It has its own charm too.

There were some parts in EC that reached a high point for me, such as the final war battle, only for it to drop down again into a lull. It waxes and wanes, lol.

Oh, one more thing. There were some instances where the writing consequences seemed to be nonexistent. This ties into the recruiting process as well. While I understand that we have to recruit over a hundred characters, it felt weird that I could still teleport to places “occupied” by the enemy. Grum country was supposed to have fallen into the empire’s hands. I was expecting that since they were enemy-occupied, I wouldn’t be able to return to those areas until we liberated them. But no, I was still able to come and go like nothing happened and recruit characters. When Radat got occupied by Highland in S2, Riou got chased out by Highland soldiers, lol. Heck, when Muse City fell to Highland, I couldn’t even travel back there. The border guards wouldn’t even let me take a step into that territory, lol.

I’ve heard about the localization issues with EC about being too political or gender whatsoever, but I wouldn’t comment on this since I absolutely didn’t understand it. However, there was one scene in the game’s early moments that I thought was odd… a character made a joke about the gender of the Golem boss. GOLEM. I had a brain fart moment when I read that. Like… “since when did Golems have genders??” moment.

Graphics:

Not gonna dabble too much about this. Both games are vivid and such a joy to look at! I loved the 2D sprites because it invokes nostalgia upon me. Sure, EC looks a little better than S2, but that’s because of today’s game engines, I think. I dare say that if S2 was made with EC’s engine, it would be better than EC! But then again, I wouldn’t change anything on S2. The game’s aesthetic is still up to par more than two decades after it’s released!

Oh, but there’s one thing that bugs me, lol. Nowa’s hometown was burned down, but when I got back to it, it didn’t look like it got burned. When Karaya Village was burned down in Suikoden 3, I could see the remains of village houses that were burnt down and being rebuilt when I passed by there. I don’t know… perhaps I was expecting some sort of graphic/scenery changes to make it believable.

Music/Soundtrack:

EC was produced by Motoi Sakuraba. As much as I respect Sakuraba (due to Eternal Sonata & Valkyrie Profile), there weren’t that many OST that I liked in EC. I’m not saying they’re entirely bad, just that there weren’t that many memorable OST for me, unfortunately. Except for the Opening and the Flags of Brave by Sarah Alainn. Man, Flags of Brave was epic when it played on the bridge duel and the final war battle (this one I have on repeat because music like this gives me goosebumps!). The random battle is okay and slowly growing on me, but it’s not something I would have on repeat for days.

S2 was produced by Miki Higashino, and maaan, I could listen to these tracks for days on repeat! The opening theme was epic, and the name entry screen was whimsical. Random battle gives you that sense of dread at the start, but it turns into something… empowering. Reminiscence was so… soooooo good too! Watching the opening credits roll that shows Riou and Jowy’s journey since they were kids with that music had me emotionally invested. The boss battle theme was even more foreboding! When I heard it on my first playthrough, I remember getting anxious and tense, like… “Oh, boy, I hope I can get past this boss!”

There’s a lot more to mention, and it’s not only limited to S2, per se. But my absolute favorites were La Passione Commuove La Storia (this is where I borrowed the tagline for this website!) This song makes me tear up most of the time and makes me feel like I’m on an epic quest! Then there’s also the chill Orrizonte. Oh, and Gothic Neclord and The Chase (where you had to fight the most epic villain with three separate parties!). And the Victory song. And… and… Ahh… I could go on and on about this too, haha.

Mini-Games:

Gah! I’ve fallen into a rabbit hole!! Lol.

EC had a lot more mini-games than S2. Most of them were okay, though it can get tedious. It has the following:

• Card game. I didn’t understand how it was played before, nor how the points worked. But it’s just a matter of who gets a higher point. Can easily win all of these by buying a bunch of cards with different skills.
• Theater. You can watch some famous scripts played out by different characters, though it’s in a paper theater style. I prefer the theater in Suikoden 3 where you can actually see them act on stage, lol.
• Eggfoot racing. Nothing fancy, no need for you to race or press any button. You just watch the Eggfoots race and listen to the commentary. I basically let this run when I need to take a break while waiting on some guild missions to finish, or if I want to check my socials or text a friend.
• Fishing. It’s the same as Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You cast your line, wait for the fish to take the bait, and press the button to hook it in.
• Beigoma. Their version of Beyblade, lol. I still don’t understand most of this, and I just end up choosing a high-level top and button smash all the way.

I didn’t think I’d enjoy these mini-games as much as I wanted to. But I get distracted by these a lot of times that I don’t get to advance the main story, lol. In addition to these, they also have a Studio where you can create artwork/furniture and design your HQ.

S2 has the following: 

• Chinchirorin. The dice game. I play this when I’m strapped down with cash.
• Dancing with Karen. Pretty basic. You memorize a sequence of buttons and viola.
• Rope game. Only when they have a god-tiered equipment/item as the prize, lol.
• Whack a mole. Again, only when they have a god-tiered equipment/item as the prize, lol.
• Fishing. You wait for the fish to bite, but you actually have to button-mash and keep within the gauge to prevent your line from breaking, lol.

Oh, they also have the Iron Chef mini-game!! But Iron Chef of S2 is WAY better than EC! EC’s Iron Chef was so frustrating that I almost threw my controller down due to the low scores that I got from the judges, haha. It doesn’t matter how many recipes I had, though, ‘cause I would get a much better score by choosing the same (3) recipes over and over for every cook-off. Apparently, there’s still a bug in EC’s Iron Chef mini-game. Oh, well. Maybe once the bug has been rectified, perhaps this could become on par with S2. Oh wait, scrap that. S2’s cook-off was more fun because we got Hai-Yo and ACTUALLY GET JUDGED BASED ON THE RECIPE THAT I CHOSE! xD

Characters:

Oh, oh… the characters! EC has three principal characters: Nowa, Seign, and Marisa, and you can play as them during their specific routes. Both games have over (100) characters to recruit! S2 has 108 stars of destiny, while EC has (120). While EC had many more characters than S2, most of them hardly made any impression on me, unfortunately, except for CJ, Isha, and Garoo (the EC: Rising gang!). There’s only a handful of characters that I like, unfortunately, and most of them were pretty… forgettable (or is this a sign of my age showing?!). I couldn’t even remember how/where I got them; most of the time, I just talk to a character that stands out from the rest of the commonfolk when I visit a new town. 

The absence of a cute, male magician was a downer! Isha made up for it, but eh… I still prefer to have a cute male magician like Luc or Sasarai in Suikoden for eye candy!! Seign is passable because he has the trademark look I’m looking for for a cute character, but he’s not a mage, lol. Valentin was so-so. Hildi was a good support character whenever I played on Seign’s route.  General Elektra is like Valeria, but I like that one cute moment between her and Maxim. Some characters are insufferable. Lian, for one, considering that she’s like a major character. I thought she’d grow on me, but ugggh… she’s too noisy for me. Not to mention that her defenses were so terrible I ended up swapping her out of my party.

Oh, Ymir! He’s cool, yeah, and he would have been better if he was the game’s tactician (since he already looked like Shu, with their character poses almost the same). Instead, the game gives us Melridge as the tactician. Out of all the tacticians I’ve encountered on a Suikoden game (including the granny one in S4), there’s something about him that doesn’t completely scream “tactician.”

Combat:

Last but not the least. Dang, this is a long entry! I hope you’re not tired of reading this. I’ll make this quick.

EC’s battle keeps the same formula as S2 where you have six characters in your party to issue commands to. Combat is broken for me EC. I mostly ended up attacking because attacks deal more damage than Heroes Combos (unite attacks). There’s an auto option for battles, but you have to set the tactics you want that character to do. Sadly, even though I’ve set them up to only attack, some characters would still use magic or items.

Oh, the importance of the rune lenses was not elaborated at all, except for the fact that they’re powerful! But rune lens attack magics were pretty useless because of the low damage they inflict and high MP usage. Healing magic takes a lot of MP to heal, which you have a limited amount. One group recovery spell costs 90 MP, and the character only has 200 or so MP. When I got access to better healing and magic items, I stopped using rune lenses altogether.

Oh, some characters’ defenses are just terribly weak. And how is it that my magicians hit a lot more than my melee characters?! 

In Suikoden 2, even characters that don’t have a strong affinity to magic can at least still use magic. And the mages’ spells pack a lot of firepower too! 

Then there’s the one-on-one duel between characters. EC’s duels are visually appealing, not gonna lie. There’s also a breakpoint and tension gauge. You can unleash a powerful attack once the tension gauge has filled up. Sometimes, I think the enemy lines do not give a clear indication as to what their next actions will be. Some duels in EC had me second-guessing based on the line they spoke. Some lines were misleading, and I thought they’d attack, only for them to defend themselves. 

Unlike S2, when you can tell if the enemy will make a regular attack, defend, or make a desperate attack that deals heavy damage.S2 duels were straightforward. 

And of course, there’s the tactical war battles. War battles in EC are just weird. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was a downgrade. There’s no need to worry about your characters dying in battle or being even wounded when they’re defeated in battle, so most of the time, I just charge in and not worry about strategy and all, lol. No stakes for me to win the battle gracefully, aside from advancing the story.

Characters can die in battle in S2, so strategy is needed to make sure that no one dies. When a character dies in battle, it affects the ending you get so there’s one stake there. I remember that Gilbert died in battle in one of my playthroughs, and I lost my shot at the best ending. 

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And that’s about it. That concludes my thoughts on EC. I finished the game because I backed it and didn’t want to leave it hanging. And besides, it’s Murayama’s final work; the genius behind my beloved game. Don’t let my thoughts deter you from playing the game, either. Again, EC has its own charm. I would play it again, sure, since we still have the DLCs coming.

I would still recommend this game to anyone who wants to play it. Though if you’re still on the fence, my advice would be to wait for it to go on sale or until the bugs have been patched up. I still want to support this series because I still have hope that they could do better in the next one.

If you want to play Suikoden 2, I believe it is still available on the PS store. Or if you’d rather wait for the remake/remaster that Konami announced since last year.