At PAX East 2022, I got to try out Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising from Rabbit & Bear Studios and published by 505 Games. If you have yet to hear about the up and coming JRPG inspired games, Rising is a prequel title to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a turn-based RPG coming in 2023. Hundred Heroes achieved massive success on Kickstarter and according to a representative from 505 Games, made the game’s prequel a possibility.
Unlike Hundred Heroes however, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is not a turn-based RPG. Instead, it’s a side scrolling action RPG set in the same world. As a young treasure hunter by the name of CJ, you are on your way to the town of New Neveah on the continent of Allraan. Earthquakes have revealed hidden barrow’s around New Neveah and adventurers are coming from all around to explore the newly discovered ruins.
However, CJ runs into a roadblock, being that she can’t afford an exploration license. The town’s mayor, Isha, is charging a pretty penny for one and CJ doesn’t have 100k to spare. So instead, Isha suggests another way for CJ to earn her license and it comes in the form of helping the townsfolk. Isha gives CJ a card and informs her that if she can fill the card with stamps, she’ll have more than earned her license.
The World, Characters and Combat:
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising sports a beautiful 2D art style. Traversing the world felt smooth and it was immediately apparent how much work went into detail. However, I didn’t get very far and spent most of my time traversing the Great Forest dungeon located in the outskirts of New Neveah. One cool detail I noticed was the audio. The last quest I did took me through the forest and eventually through a cave. As I drew closer to the cave, I could hear the wind howling through the cave and I thought it was a nice touch.
I like the character models as well. In the thirty minutes I spent playing Rising, I met the three characters you’ll play as CJ, Isha and Garoo. There’s a wide variety of characters in terms of design. The two merchants I met were a lizardman and a cockatiel. Garoo is more of a generic swordsman type but the fun twist is that he’s a one eyed Kangaroo.
Each character also has their own special perks players will want to utilize to chain together attacks, apply buffs and debuffs and traverse the world. For instance, CJ can use her pickaxes to climb up ledges, Isha can apply debuffs with her magic and Garoo can take down an enemy’s shields much faster than the others.
I have no real complaints:
In all honesty, there wasn’t much that I didn’t like about Rising. It felt great and as far as sidescrollers go, it feels like it’s ready for launch. Combat is fun but in the demo, it didn’t exactly feel fast paced. The one thing that I truly felt was lackluster, was CJ’s dash ability, which the game boasts that it’s a good ability for closing distance between enemies. While it does work, it just travels a short distance and it feels too short.
Other than those small complaints above. I’m very much looking forward to the release of Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. If you’re interested in Hundred Heroes, Rising is the appetizer before the main course that shouldn’t be missed. You can pick up Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising for Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation and Xbox on May 10th, 2022.
