14 DAY TRIAL // 
Rooted deep into every JRPG fan’s ADN sits one of the biggest series of all time, Suikoden. Debuted back in 1995, Konami’s franchise seems to have been buried, just like many other important IPs owned by the Japanese publisher.
Thankfully, people who work on such beloved franchises can’t be stopped by big publisher that only care about money. And so, the creators of Suikoden took it upon themselves to continue the series, even though they don’t work for Konami any longer and they certainly don’t own the IP. They call themselves Rabbit & Bear Studios and have been working on a brand-new JRPG called Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a game that benefited from a very successful Kickstarter campaign.
More importantly, the folks behind the new IP thought it would be appropriate for fans of Suidoken and those who haven’t played any of these games to be introduced to the new Eiyuden Chronicle universe in a more comfy and stress-free way.
Eiyuden Chronicle – Rising is the name of the studio’s second, much smaller project, which was specifically designed to introduce Suikoden and JRPG fans alike to the new IP before the much bigger Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes releases.
Despite the fact that it’s supposed to make the Eiyuden universe known to JRPG enthusiasts, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is not a JRPG, but more like a side-scrolling action RPG. But that’s quite alright considering the scope and purpose of the game.
In Eiyuden Chronicle – Rising, players step into the shoes of CJ, a treasure hunter that reminds me of Lara Croft, not just because of her chosen profession, but also due to her likeness with the Tomb Raider protagonist. The outfit and the weapons seem to me that have been inspired by the iconic treasure hunter, but that’s where the similarities stop.
CJ left her hometown and is now on a pilgrimage to find a bigger, more important treasure than her father. It’s some kind of initiation ritual meant to prove that she’s ready to make her on her own. And so, our heroine leaves for the town of New Nevaeh where a mine collapsed and resurfaced all sorts of treasure.
However, in order to be allowed to enter the mine by the local mayor, she’ll need a permit which she can obtain by either paying an astronomical amount of money or by simply helping the locals with some chores. Poor as she is, CJ opts for the second way to get her permit and so her adventure starts in New Nevaeh, a town that’s not ready for the massive wave of treasure hunters that are looking to make a fortune.
But that’s where CJ comes in, as most of the quests given to her by the locals and the mayor involve building and upgrading the town’s facilities. CJ must gather resources from the nearby regions to rebuild the tavern, inn, blacksmith, apothecary, rune shop, pawnshop, and a few other amenities that not only help the town’s inhabitants, but also allows her to upgrade her gear.
It’s a smart gameplay loop that doesn’t really become boring because you’re always looking for ways to upgrade your weapons, armor and combat moves to overcome any of the challenges the game throws at you. Speaking of the challenges, Eiyuden Chronicle – Rising is not a difficult game at all. The control scheme is quite simple and doesn’t require too much skill. CJ’s climbing axes can be upgraded not just to inflict more damage, but also to use a specific element like fire, ice, wind, and earth. You attack with a single button and as you progress and upgrade various facilities you learn new combos that involve tapping the square button more than twice. It’s that simple.
The combat becomes really interesting when you add more characters to your party. Although you actually control just one character, each has a corresponding attack button. Unlike Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, in this game you can’t have a party larger than three characters, which makes combat quite manageable.
Each character has their unique skills, weapons and attack types, so depending on what enemy you face, you can use different attacks. Switching between characters happens automatically once you tap the corresponding attack button, and transition between them is pretty smooth.
The game also allows you to execute combo attacks using multiple characters for massive amounts of damage. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising doesn’t have too many bosses, but most of them respawn and drop upgrade materials, so sometimes it’s worth killing them more than once, especially since they’re not hard to beat at all.
I wouldn’t say that Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising looks gorgeous, but the game is definitely very pretty. Although the gameplay formula is very akin to Metroidvania, there are very few puzzles and they’re very easy to solve.
The Good
- Simple, lightning-fast combat
- Nice visuals
- Charming characters
The Bad
- Combat is too basic
- Needs more soundtrack
- Most of the side-quests feel like filler
Conclusion
Although exploration is quite limited and combat is very basic (at least in the beginning), Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising stands on its own despite the fact that it was released as a prequel to one of the most anticipated JRPGs of 2023. I strongly recommend playing this if you’re into side-scrolling action-adventure games, even if you don’t plan to pick up Rabbit & Bear Studios’ Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes next year.
Review code provided by the publisher.
