Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising
A 2D side-scrolling action RPG prologue to Hundred Heroes.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, an action role-playing game from 2022, was developed by Natsume Atari and published by 505 Games. It marks the debut entry in the Eiyuden Chronicle series, which is considered a spiritual heir to the Suikoden franchise. The project was first revealed in June 2020, involving several veteran Suikoden developers, most notably series creator Yoshitaka Murayama, who took on the director role. Rising originated as a stretch goal tied to the Kickstarter campaign for *Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes*, with Rabbit & Bear Studios, the main studio behind that larger title, providing support to Natsume Atari during development.
The story takes place a few years before the events of *Hundred Heroes*. A young ruin hunter named CJ arrives in the town of New Nevaeh. She receives permission from the town’s young mayor, Isha, to gather herbs in the Great Forest and mine ore in the Quarry. In exchange, CJ earns stamps from townsfolk and passing adventurers. A few months before the game begins, an earthquake struck, revealing the Runebarrows. A half-kangaroo mercenary named Garoo decides to assist CJ on her journey. Raw lenses and Rune-lenses begin appearing underground, becoming linked to the ancient ruins. The heroes find treasure in these ruins, which revitalizes the town, but a world-shaking struggle lurks behind the treasure hunt. As the three main characters explore the ruins, they also help rebuild New Nevaeh, which suffered damage from the earthquake and faces economic hardship. Along the way, they mediate disputes between those who oppose exploring the ruins and those who support it. Gradually, the ruins’ secret becomes central to one character’s fate, while a scheme that will soon shock the world slowly unfolds.
Gameplay is presented as a 2D side-scrolling action RPG. Players navigate labyrinthine rooms in a platform-game style, with backtracking to previously inaccessible areas as the narrative progresses—a common Metroidvania convention. The player controls CJ, a teenage girl who arrives in New Nevaeh seeking adventure and treasure. She meets other characters who join her party, and the player can switch between them instantly at any time. In addition to fighting enemies, characters gain experience points and level up by completing quests for non-player characters, with stamps given as rewards for CJ’s services.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Natsume Atari
- Publisher
- 505 Games
- Released
- WW · May 10, 2022
- Genre
- Action role-playing, platform
- Modes
- Single-player
- Director
- Hirohisa Ota
- Producer
- Yasuichiro Shimbo · Kunio Suzuki
- Writer
- Tadashi Satomi
- Artist
- Junko Kawano
- Composer
- Hiroyuki Iwatsuki
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Windows · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S
- Engine
- Unity
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a companion title and prologue to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. The game follows CJ, a teenage ruin hunter girl who arrives in the town of New Nevaeh a few years before the events of Hundred Heroes. She receives permission from the young mayor Isha to gather herbs in the Great Forest and mine ore in the Quarry, and in exchange she may earn stamps from townsfolk and adventurers. A few months before the game begins, an earthquake led to the discovery of Runebarrows, and a half-kangaroo mercenary named Garoo joins CJ on her journey. Raw lenses and Rune-lenses begin appearing from underground, becoming entangled with ancient ruins. The three main characters seek treasure in the ruins while assisting in the recovery and growth of New Nevaeh, which was damaged by the earthquake and faces economic difficulties. They must settle disputes between those who oppose exploring the ruins and the explorers, and the ruin's secret becomes tied to one character's fate, with a scheme that will shock the world slowly moving behind the treasure hunt.
Reader's Guide
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is notable as the first release in the Eiyuden Chronicle series, a spiritual successor to Suikoden. It was proposed as a stretch goal for the Kickstarter campaign for Hundred Heroes, intended as a smaller-scale project with fast-paced combat, town-building mechanics, and 2.5D platforming. The game was announced during E3 2021 for a 2022 release after Rabbit & Bear Studios delayed Hundred Heroes to 2023. It launched simultaneously worldwide on multiple platforms and was included with Xbox Game Pass upon release. Reception was mixed-to-positive according to Metacritic. Critics noted that while the rote dungeons, slow pacing, basic combat, and linear structure might underwhelm newcomers, the personal character moments, visual style, and low price were strengths. Others faulted the dry story, undeveloped characters, bland combat, mandatory side quests, and hollow progression. Some praised the satisfying town-building elements, solid multi-character action gameplay, and good worldbuilding with fun characters and dialogue, but disliked filler dialogue, backtracking, and jerky animations. The game's limited scope caused long stretches of backtracking, though some found it more than the sum of its parts. The combat was criticized as overly simplistic and easy early on, with repetitive mission structure, but the dynamic cast and townbuilding mechanics were praised. Overall, the game was seen as having charm that required too much work to access, with some reviewers finding it tough to recommend due to heavy reliance on town-building at the cost of engaging story or compelling action gameplay.
Did You Know?
- Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising was developed as a stretch goal for the Kickstarter campaign of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.
- The game's director, Yoshitaka Murayama, is the creator of the Suikoden series.
- Rising was released simultaneously on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on May 10, 2022.
- The game was included with the Xbox Game Pass subscription service upon its release.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising?
It is a 2D side-scrolling action RPG released in May 2022 that acts as a narrative prologue to the larger Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. The game is broadly regarded as a spiritual successor to the classic Suikoden franchise.
Who developed and published Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising?
Natsume Atari handled the development while 505 Games served as the publisher. The project originally came to life as a stretch goal during the Kickstarter campaign for Hundred Heroes.
What platforms is Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising available on?
The title launched simultaneously on May 10, 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC.
Who directed Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising?
Yoshitaka Murayama, the original creator of the Suikoden series, took on the director role. He was supported by several other veteran developers who had worked on that earlier franchise.
How does Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising connect to Hundred Heroes?
Rising functions as both a story and gameplay prologue, introducing the world and setting up events that flow directly into the larger Hundred Heroes experience. It was conceived as an extra reward tier tied to the Hundred Heroes Kickstarter before becoming its own standalone release.
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