As fans of the Suikoden franchise will know, Yoshitaka Murayama's games are renowned for their vast character rosters. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising offers fans their first proper look at a handful of the 100 characters promised in the upcoming Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes – the Kickstarter funded JRPG to which Rising serves as a prequel.
Over the course of Rising, it is not only the three playable protagonists who grow, but also the town of New Nevaeh and its colorful cast of citizens. While the game does have a complete plot arc of its own, it makes sure to leave plenty of loose ends to keep appetites whetted for the upcoming game, teasing the huge world which exists beyond the town's walls.
9 How Common Is Magic?
As the game progresses it becomes apparent that the town of New Nevaeh has been hiding a sinister secret all along. A curse, known as The Barrow's Blessing, was placed upon the town so that select children are born with innate magical abilities. Regular citizens can use magic by harnessing rune-lenses that they find, but those born with the Blessing have a lens already inside their bodies.
Outside of the trio of playable characters, only two others are shown to have possession of magical abilities, the evil Sorcerer who serves as the game’s villain, and the magical girl Mellore. Are there others outside the town who were born with lenses inside them, and will all the playable characters in Hundred Heroes be able to use rune-lenses?
8 What Happened In The Old Times?
Throughout the game, there are repeated mentioning’s of ‘The Old Times’. The monstrous final form of the sorcerer and the ancient runes which make up the forgotten language of this time have strong Lovecraftian vibes, but there is little context given as to what this lost civilization was really like.
There is certain to be some connection to the magical rune-lenses, as well as why so many monsters inhabit the land. It's hard to imagine the Barrows being the only ruins of this forgotten culture.
7 What Secrets Does The East Reach Hold?
Another land is mentioned frequently throughout the game, The East Reach. New Nevaeh’s samurai-sword wielding guardsman Lugo is a native of these lands, and he gives hints as to what we can expect to see when we inevitably visit it in Hundred Heroes.
By all accounts, it sounds like the usual Far Eastern-themed location which is a staple of the genre, but in the Eiyuden franchise, it appears that the land is renowned for its magical fireworks, lucky gourds and bathhouses for children.
6 Where Are The Beastmen From?
Garoo, one of the three playable characters in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is an anthropomorphic Kangaroo. He hops rather than walks and has a magical pouch which can fit a giant sword inside it.
Beyond Garoo there is also a wolfman, a gentlemanly birdman, and a cowboy lizardman casually hanging out around New Nevaeh. Anthropomorphic races are not an uncommon aspect of fantasy world building, and nobody in the game seems terribly surprised that such beings exist. Hopefully Hundred Heroes will let us find out a bit more about the various beastmen races and their cultures.
5 What Happened To Garoo’s Eye And Does It Have Anything To Do With His Pouch?
Listen, you can’t go giving an anthropomorphic kangaroo an eyepatch and expect us not to want to know why he wears it. Similarly, it is never fully explained how he got his magical pouch. When questioned by CJ he claims to have gotten it “from some old blue furball”.
The color blue seems linked to magic in the Eiyuden-verse so that would possibly explain how the pouch has magical properties. Perhaps a later reunion between the two will shed some light on Garoo’s mysterious past.
4 Who Is The Blue Apron Carpenter?
Apparently, just one guy is responsible for completely rebuilding the town of New Nevaeh. As he’s wearing blue, maybe it isn’t a reach to suspect that it’s some magical ability that helps him get so much done so quickly.
Probably not, but after all that hard work the blue apron carpenter deserves a bit of time in the limelight. He’s already proving to be a hit with fans of the game, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him return in Hundred Heroes.
3 What Happens Next To The Game’s Three Protagonists?
Throughout Rising, a lot of mystery is built up around all three of the game’s playable characters. As the game’s main character, CJ’s story arc is the only one which feels truly concluded. Isha and Garoo meanwhile have unresolved problems.
Due to the rune-lens inside her body, Isha is destined to die before adulthood, while Garoo’s daughter, Allaby, is similarly suffering an illness which seems to be terminal. CJ vows to save them both at the end of the game, thus giving her a new goal after having found out the wholesome truth about her own father.
2 What Is The Empire’s Plan?
Rising’s story is decidedly smaller in scope than the one promised in Hundred Heroes. It isn’t until the very end of the game that the Galdean Empire are revealed as the architects behind all the bandit activity in the ancient Runebarrows.
It’s apparent that the Empire have designs to harness the magic within the Barrows, but to what ends? In the game’s final moments, the voice of Mighty Dux, who may or may not be the leader of the Empire, makes mention of other worlds. Is this another hint that the civilization referred to as ‘The Old Times’ has extra dimensional links?
1 How Will Rising Link To Hundred Heroes?
The game’s Steam description claims that “There will be some perks for players that link the game with Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.” So far though there have been no clues given as to what these perks may be. As the game gives you the ability to name your weapons, these will surely carry over, but will that be all?
Being an entirely different genre it’s unlikely that the games will share the same stat system so that would make carrying over character progress and customization difficult. Still, you can hope that all the hard work spent rebuilding the town will offer a unique experience when it comes to revisiting it in Hundred Heroes.
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