Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising Review – A Fun Opening

If you haven’t heard of Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes, it is an upcoming turn-based RPG inspired by the classics of yesteryear and created by former Suikoden developers at Rabbit and Bear Studios. When the game launched on Kickstarter, it managed to smash its goals in record time and 505 Games became the game’s publisher. While the development of Hundred Heroes is still in progress, the developers have gifted us with Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising, a prequel to introduce us to the world of Allraan.

When I first learned about Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising, I wasn’t quite sure what I would be getting into. As the prequel to Hundred Heroes, a side-scrolling action RPG just sounded like an odd pivot. Even though it has some minor issues, Rising, proved to be a fun game that subverted my expectations and offered far more than I had initially expected.

Developer: Rabbit and Bear Studios w/ Natsumi Atari
Publisher: 505 Games
Release Date: March 12th, 2022
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series
Played on Xbox Series X

The Simplicity of Combat
I played my review copy on the Series X and the controls were easy to learn. A was for jumping, X was to make CJ attack, Y for Garoo, and B for Isha with each character having their strengths and weaknesses. Garoo for instance can smash through walls and shields but he’s slow and can’t jump as high. Isha works as the group’s ranged option by firing magic orbs and can glide. Chaining attacks together by timing your hits to when they land performs powerful “Link Attacks” that deal even more damage than regular attacks will. Movement at times felt a bit clunky and I took a liking to playing as CJ. She just overall felt like the character that offered the most where the others were more situational. CJ is the fastest, has a dash, and can also do a double jump which offered the most in terms of exploration.

Where equipment is concerned, the game is pretty light on options. Weapons and armor can only be upgraded at their respective facilities but players can equip a variety of accessories and runes. Runes will add elemental effects to your attacks, increasing damage against enemies of the opposite type and in Isha’s case, change the way she attacks entirely. For instance, an Earth Rune will cause Isha to lob chunks of rock at an arc that bounces once they hit the ground. Lightning runes will make her attacks launch forward before coming back like a boomerang and then orbit around her. 

If you want to do the most damage or increase the rate at which you farm materials, you’ll quickly discover how tedious constantly swapping out your equipment becomes. The same can also be said for side quests since they aren’t all marked on your map at one time. Navigating the menus is simple but towards the end, it just feels like a chore as you go through each of your quests one by one. It only feels even more drawn out when you’re turning in those quests, and the game provides your rewards, one item at a time.

If You Build it, They Will Come:
The main focus of the game is New Naveah. When you first arrive, the town is in rough shape, having been devastated by an earthquake that uncovered the “Runebarrows”. It ends up falling on CJ, who cannot outright buy the license she needs to explore the ruins, to help fix up the town and earn it by completing a stamp card. In the beginning, it starts off with players simply repairing the inn and tavern, and eventually, you’ll have rebuilt the entire merchant districts. By doing so, you’ll have access to various facilities which you’ll need to use to improve your party’s equipment. As you progress through the main questline, side missions will open up allowing you to further improve those facilities thus expanding the services they offer.

In order to rebuild the town and upgrade your gear, you must delve into the game’s handful of dungeons, collect resources, and complete side missions. The dungeons aren’t deep and very linear. You might run into a barrier here and there that needs to be broken but you mostly move through one of two rooms. One longer room that acts like a hallway and another that offers up to three other paths to take. Some paths lead to helpful treasures while others will take you to the dungeon’s boss.

Thankfully, Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising provides a very useful fast travel system. New Naveah is a large town and you’re allowed to travel anywhere instantly so long as you’re not in a dungeon. If you are within a dungeon, you’re restricted to using Signposts (that also act as save points) to fast travel around. These really do take away from the tedium of the side quests as you’ll be journeying back into the dungeons quite a bit to fill out your stamp cards and then some. Some of the side quests are designed to just waste your time so having the option to quicken the pace is great.

The Sights and Sounds of Allraan:
When I played Rising at PAX East, it was billed as a game that was going to give players some background information on the world before you dove into Hundred Heroes. Unfortunately, however, I do not feel like the game really does that job very well. The story is mostly a lighthearted romp through various dungeons as CJ searches for a large “rune lens” as a rite of passage. While you do familiarize yourself with the town and the world’s reliance on rune lenses, every other story element feels like a very quick introduction. There are 30 main quests to do and the end comes on rather abruptly.

I do look forward to visiting New Naveah again but otherwise, I don’t feel like I learned much. There are moments within the story where progress basically halts and your party meanders around doing chores. These usually occur when you’re due for a mandatory town expansion. Most of the big twists don’t come until the end of the game. To make matters worse is that they’re painfully obvious twists. CJ, Garooo, and Isha were great characters for what it’s worth,  I did like the story. I just don’t feel like I was given much insight into the world of Eiyuden Chronicles.

The 2.5D art style is rather gorgeous but the visuals do have their ups and downs. When you’re in areas like the Great Forest, the visuals shine far more than they do in caves and mines. For instance, in the Forest area, there are areas with water in the foreground and its little details where the visuals stand out more. There’s only so much the character models can do in the way of animations however and they don’t lend themselves to the cutscenes well enough at times.

New Naveah also goes through its own evolution over the course of the game and it’s honestly a joy to watch unfold. By completing the stamp card, CJ essentially improved the town enough to attract more people. This in turn causes the town to grow and more NPCs begin to appear throughout the game. Buildings will start off with cheaper materials but change into something sturdier and NPCs wandering the streets will be seen visiting the shops in the area. Even in dungeons, you’ll witness a growth of adventures as they begin to gather around the signposts and entrances to the dungeons. It just makes the game feel more alive which I feel is a tough feat for a side-scrolling game to pull off. One small complaint I do have though is that as you upgrade your equipment, there’s no visual change to your party’s armor. Normally, I’d let it slide but there is a visual change to CJ and Garoo’s weaponry. Isha’s changes depending on the type of rune lens equipped.

Worth the Adventure:
I put in about thirteen and a half hours by the time I beat the game and that includes doing everything I could along the way, minus farming materials. After I beat the game, I put another two hours in to do the post-game side quests and get closer to maxing out my weapons and armor. I still haven’t completed all of the quests that have opened up since beating the game. Another thing worth pointing out is that when you beat the game, you unlock hard mode as well.

For what it’s worth, I enjoyed all the time I’ve been spending with Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising. On the surface, the gameplay really is quite simple and although it never really provided a real challenge, the game’s simplicity worked in its favor. While it may have plenty of little hiccups, it is a fun side-scrolling RPG with a strong focus on town building. However, if you expect much more than that out of it, you might find yourself disappointed. Should you be a Gamepass subscriber, I highly recommend giving it a try.

Review Disclosure Statement: Eiyuden Chronicles: Rising was provided to us for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy for more info.

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