Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes trailer nails the Suikoden vibes
Rabbit and Bear released a new Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes trailer ahead of the RPG’s April 2024 launch, and the Suikoden vibes are strong. That’s unsurprising, perhaps, since the core team worked on Konami’s classic Suikoden games for the PS1 and PS2, but Hundred Heroes also seems like more than just an excuse to indulge in nostalgia.
The Suikoden basics are here. You’ve got your political intrigue, people fighting for their homelands, and dozens of heroes – hence the name – with an empire at the center and no shortage of interpersonal conflict. What seems different, in the trailer anyway, is that most of these characters look like they’re tied to specific story beats. The talking sharks show up when you’re in the coastal region, a magical girl trio turns up in a specific city – you get the idea.
That’s normal for most RPGs, but Suikoden games, especially Suikoden 2, have a habit of not doing a lot with their 100+ heroes. Some have limited involvement in narrative moments and don’t come back, but others hang around and just… don’t do anything until the credits roll, like a Fire Emblem character you hoover up just to have them.
Another difference is that it looks like Rabbit and Bear want to say something with this motley band of weirdos. The trailer makes it a point to mention how special it is that so many different people from varied backgrounds can come together without hating each other or erasing their differences, a timely message indeed and one I’m interested to see if Hundred Heroes does anything with.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes launches for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and Nintendo Switch on April 23, 2024.
