One Last Hurrah! - Eiyuden Chronicle Impressions!

Eiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes might not be for everyone. It's a love letter to fans of Suikoden. People like me.

[@feiwong3634]

I've been waiting for Suikoden 6 since 5 came out in PS2, being one of my all time favorite rpg series. The wait is over and i'm enjoying this amazing game! The downside is that Murayama-san passed away, we lost another amazing developer.

[@marklion250]

I feel you Derek. I'm one of those people whom this game was made for. All the problems it has don't bother me. But I still hope with all my heart that more people can look past the problems and see the beauty of this game. I wish the developers all the best to carry on Murayama Yoshitaka legacy

[@yakumorisuke9403]

I'm glad to hear that you're having such a wonderful time with it :D Just a quick warning that I've heard the Switch version of the game runs very poorly - so get it elsewhere or wait to see if they roll out any patches.

[@bencorrigan5915]

I can't wait to play this. I loved suikoden 1 and 2 when they came out and have wanted something similar for a long time. Also great video. I really enjoy the tone of your channel. Like two friends chatting about games. Can't wait till the review 👍

[@1RacerXer]

I've only played the first few hours and already I feel like its exactly what I wanted! Some people aren't going to like the "old fashioned" battle system but I love it. To each their own 🤷‍♂ Also, It looks WAY better on PC@4K than any other advertising I've seen of it.

[@bballwalli]

I have been playing the Suikoden franchise since I accidentally stumbled upon the first one back in the 90s as a kid. The concept is what got me hooked into rpgs to begin with. While it is clear it has its problem, it is truly something special and truly delivers and expands on what those titles did. I have lost myself in it since getting it arrived early and have not put it down since! Murayama left us a gem that I hope his team can build on in the future.

[@uppernimbus]

Great video man, I'm holding out for that hopeful physical version for Switch!

[@martinomagic9230]

I love this game! It blasts me with nostalgia and rises up to some new heights. Something I always loved about Suikoden is the variety in gameplay. So many RPGS just do the same thing from start to finish. Having those switches in gameplay always keeps things fresh and interesting. Also if you are playing with english voice acting please stop, unless you just despise listening to non english voice acting. The voice acting is night and day in quality between the two. My biggest gripe with the game so far if anyone from rabbit and bear studios is looking haha. It is the Auto Battle planning, it has a ton of options but feels like it's missing all the most important commands. For example, it needs an attack enemy with lowest hps and a bit more depth for other things. Like use 50% mana or only use this type of item, and just many other things that kind of miss exactly what you need for a good set up. On another note is it possible to win the first duel? If anyone has done it I would love to know. I am playing on hard and tried about 10 times, it seems impossible. In original Suikoden you could win if you leveled up, but in this game it didn't feel like my stats really effected the duel all that much if at all.

[@paladin_butterz]

I'm *almost* positive it's a plot automatic loss. I barely made a dent in Seign during the Duel on Normal difficulty, had little to no trouble with any of the battles leading up to it.

[@martinomagic9230]

@@paladin_butterz I leveled to 26, put on a health rune and a slash resistance accessory. I was able to make it through the third break point on hard difficulty. So I wonder if you could win on an easier difficulty with that strat or if Seign just insta kills you once you pass the third break point. I was satisfied past the third break point because all the cool action sequences played out haha! But I still can't help but wonder if he is beatable somehow.

[@cgunn2475]

I was very excited to get my hands on this game when I backed it. Firing it up a couple of days ago and playing it brought back so mean wonderful memories of my younger gaming experiences. I feel like this is an amazing game.

[@darkrulerbob]

Also i like the change in hair. Looking cool.

[@WateryStar]

Excited to get my copy! I actually thought yesterdays video was going to be more like this one, so I'm glad you made the video in addition to that

[@SuperDerek]

Thanks WateryStar! I'm also happy that I could make both! I wanted to release both on the same day, but KZbin sometimes doesn't play nicely with multiple releases in a single day for channels my size, so staggering was the way to go. Thanks for watching!

[@japanimationman4442]

Just starting out on this one, and it's been a good time. I do have some minor gripes about menu navigation and such, but overall, the game feels as if it were a remaster of some 90s JRPG I never played before. It sits right in my comfort zone as a type of game that I just haven't seen in a long time and have long wished we could get more of.

[@SuperDerek]

Dude I'm really glad to hear it!

[@jmporkbob]

Over the weekend I lost track and played for over 10 hours one day. Definitely was nervous at first as to whether it could live up to my expectations, but at 2-3 dozen hours in it has met and maybe even exceeded them.

[@10k-Noodles]

I watched 3 hours. I told myself I’d only watch 1. I’m gonna love this game.

[@h.reldyg]

​@@10k-NoodlesYou're not gonna regret it. :)

[@GeorgeZimmermen]

I just can’t do without the quality of life improvements anymore as a grown man. I dealt with it a kid but its to much now. Even back then it was frustrating

[@benwendel108]

It's made for me and I'm so god damn happy with it

[@blumiu2426]

I didn't think the issues with the translation went further than bad localization, but it does indeed go into the same territory as other Japanese games being altered by Western activists. An article by Niche Gamer goes into detail over the localizers involved and does indeed seem they are active in altering content of Japanese games to reflect Progressive ideology, noted in the words of a particular localizer, Brian Grey in an interview he did far back as 2012. I also saw more come out with what dialogue has been effected and it does lean into political territory with terms like "chud" being used, a very bizarre change with Nowa saying "got him!" about an enemy, and Mio saying "You sure it's a he?", which isn't remotely what the Japanese line says. This aside the bans on the Discord doesn't put the game in a great light unless one ignores what's beneath the surface. At least as far as the West goes, the Japanese have a clean release not mired in this. There is a mod out there that fixes the localization/translation issues. Hopefully this adds context to the issue people have with the Western release and people not seeing this as a big issue. Your politics shouldn't matter unless one is ideological and expect a quality release, if not, it's disrespectful to the memory of the creator that had clear intent for his last work. There were technical issues with the physical release, which isn't great, but nothing it can't recover from. So continues the battle of fan translations.

[@snoredizzle3242]

Great video, thanks

[@SuperDerek]

thanks for watching! :)

[@yellowstreetlight]

This game got me to go through the numbered Suikoden titles in preparation for its release and that's been a blast. Unfortunately, the ps4 pro version is as poorly optimized as the switch version. So I'll hold off for now. Hopefully patches will be swift and effective.

[@ty_sylicus]

Pro? I'm stuck playing on PS4 slim and the loading times and menus are slow.

[@Mintcar923]

It’s sad that he passed but with the timing you’d think they’d make a movie based on it.. I’m still waiting for mine.. Gearing up now with Suikoden IV, Sea of Stars & a little FF as a prelim..

[@ChrisVsRPG]

I am intrigued by this game

[@10k-Noodles]

Love and justice!

[@SuperDerek]

Magical Girl Mellore is just the right amount of insane! xD

[@luigimaggames7727]

My favorite jrpg of all time is suikoden 2 so I am having a blast with this game

[@Lemmingofdoom]

My one issue with Eiyuden is the text scroll speed ^^’ I can’t find any possible settings, it’s at ~1/3-1/4 of my reading speed, and pressing the button makes it skip, not fill; losing my mind waiting for every bubble to fill

[@jmporkbob]

If you turn off the auto dialogue progression, then it won't skip when you press the button. It will just autofill. Since you're pressing the button anyway to try and autofill, might as well not have auto advance at that point.

[@Lemmingofdoom]

@@jmporkbob thanks, solved it ^^’ I enjoy the voiced story moments running like cutscenes though, so I’ll just have to sacrifice that - would be great if there was a setting to have both, but at least I can read all the text without going mad now c:

[@ty_sylicus]

This is the SECOND title in the series. The fun side scrolling dungeon explorer came before: Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising.

[@SuperDerek]

True! I mentioned enjoying Rising at the end, and have linked to that game as well, but that tie-in title was a gaiden of sorts, a side-story, so this is the first main-line entry. :)

[@Mintcar923]

True but kinda feels like a side story.. It’s such an adorable title that gives me Trails in the Sky vibes.. Really need to go back & finish

[@oldmanretro949]

I’m going to try it on game pass

[@kayvanraamsdonk]

Hi man! Are you still going to do a video on Lufia II?

[@SuperDerek]

Yep! Soon as I'm done playing it! :)

[@Butterfly617]

It’s great to hear your views so far, thanks for the video. I just can’t stop playing the game, I’ve played for about 35 hours already. It’s going to be a game I just keep going back to replay. I agree, it’s for the Suikoden fan base, I hope they do a sequel

[@epicjuicebox]

Does it bother anyone else how close the text gets to the bottom of the text bubble when there are two lines of text? Or is it just me?

[@ModelJames13]

Eiyuden Chronicle aka the REAL Suikoden V. An instant classic.......... at least so far. 👍

[@ModelJames13]

.......And the so far has ended. I take back my positive comments about this game. It has completely ruined itself due to glitches and is worthless trash. 👎

[@agentoosnake5490]

Im curious about Eiyuden chronicle derek would you recommend this as a newcomer's starting point or go try the older games?

[@SuperDerek]

It's a bit early to say yet, but I'm _inclined_ to say this might be a good starting point. It's pretty accessible, the story is engaging, music is great, and has a lot of trappings of the Suikoden series, so it offers a clear path forward for players who enjoy the title. If you're not sure, maybe wait for it to go on sale? Or watch someone start the game on Twitch and see if it's for you?

[@agentoosnake5490]

@SuperDerek thanks for the reply I'm gonna wait for a bit cause apparently there are some bugs on pc and I'm going to try suikoden 1 again. Lol

[@Schwarzwald83]

@7:09 Great point you made their Derek. Not every game is for everybody. I wish people make or just understand that frame of mind. I appreciate all that you do! Great impression video!

[@TerraWare]

What i feel would be kind of an interesting approach to making a game likr this is instead of a 17 year old main character/s go with a younger dad or something. Or someone middleaged. Back than the games were targeting teenagers and those tenagers have grown up today to be in their 30s. I doubt people in their teens today are playing these type of games for the most part. I just feel something like that could be interesting.

[@shard_the_sage1320]

Im also the type that enjoys these games

[@alexclaton]

im enjoying the game a ton despite its flaws.

[@bigumamitaste]

Why was Koji Igarashi in that video? Lol

[@SuperDerek]

No idea, he was in that kickstarter video, and it was hilarious and I love it xD

[@feiwong3634]

Because for many Japanese developers, he was an inspiration for a succesful "insert classic series spiritual succesor* Kickstarter and Murayama and his colleages where friends with him, as they all worked on Konami back in the good days.

[@thephantomkiller8792]

wait there are 3 difficulty modes now? did they added on the day 1 patch?

[@SuperDerek]

Well, I _was pretty sure_ there were 3 but now you've got me second-guessing myself. This was all off-the-cuff ramblings trying to capture the big-picture feel of the game, so it's possible I got that wrong.

[@Nickhollows]

This game looks fantastic! I’ve never played a Suikoden and I wanna get into the series. Any suggestions on the best one to get into? Personal favorite? Etc

[@SuperDerek]

Absolutely! Suikoden I and II are currently getting remade, last I heard, and are _not_ cheap or easily acquired through official capacities, but by in large a lot of people refer to Suikoden II as one of the greatest RPGs of all time. If you're good with taking unofficial means of enjoying the games, I might start there, or consider waiting for the official remasters of I and II. I think that Suikoden V, while jank at times, is also a really phenomenal title on the PlayStation 2. Again, not cheap, and not easy to play elsewhere. I would advise you figure out a way to "try before you buy" if you can. :)

[@mahagnosis]

Definitely play 1-3. They are all connected and Murayama was involved in all of them

[@ty_sylicus]

2, 3, and 5 are best. 1 is very retro feeling but good. 4 is a mess but, I also skipped it.

[@SuperDerek]

...IV is an acquired taste. I enjoyed it, but it was also my first Suikoden. Having a cool pirate ship you build up instead of a castle was sick! :)

[@Nickhollows]

@@SuperDerek In the words of an elderly pirate “I’m getting too old for this ship.” 😜

[@tomoprime217]

what about Eiyuden Chronicle Rising? I found that game takes too long to get anywhere. Lots of dialog. Can I just skip that game and play 100 Heroes or do I have know more previous games in the old series too?

[@domranbernum]

PSA: According to metacritics reviews, this runs poorly on the Switch: framerate drops, long load times, crashes. Some reviewer even reported that he had to create a save file on an original switch and transfer it to his OLED switch because the game wouldn't even start otherwise. Also the file size is 30GB on the Switch, which is the same file size as PC and PS5. Because of this, it is very unlikely that the cartridge will contain the full game.

[@SuperDerek]

That's very unfortunate. Hopefully they get this sorted out. :-\

[@ModelJames13]

The game is ruined by glitches and crashes. You can play it for 100 hours only to get trapped with no way to continue. And it doesn't just run poorly on Switch, it runs poorly on everything. 👎

[@jb0258]

Been loving everything so far (about 5 hours in). At first, I thought that maybe having so many characters in battle at once would be a bit overwhelming, but it's actually not. Outside of battles, the writing in general has been excellent. The music has to be my favorite thing though!

[@eminturksezer9423]

It's called Gensō Suikoden with an U sound not the terrible attempt of mixing English with Dutch. The rest is a pretty video.

[@SuperDerek]

Here's a link to one of the older Japanese trailers with a time-stamp where they say "Genso Suikoden" out loud. The "U" is about as imperceptible as it often is in Japanese words: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpevkGmcgriXaposi=LjmueJeYK--CBPhz&t=24 It's the pronunciation upon which I base my own .

[@femtrooper]

Awesome review! I'm still not sold on this one...I know that is strange but I just feel hesitant about it haha

[@SuperDerek]

No worries, maybe try it out on Game Pass or something if you get a chance or wait for a sale. I'm still only a few hours in, but hopefully I'll be able to talk about it more later on. :)

[@ModelJames13]

@@SuperDerek When the game tells you to do something at the castle do it immediately. Otherwise the game will screw you over and trap you forever 100 hours in. Such poor, poor quality control.

[@zyver6784]

maybe ill appreciate the "tedious" battles more than suikoden 3

[@SuperDerek]

Yeah, I didn't love the combat of Suikoden III, but this was still wonderful. :)

[@quezcatol]

Im not attacking the developers, Im thankful for their honesty, but when you announce that the physical copy comes with game breaking bugs and need a patch AND three DLC will be added and to be bought at a later date- no. I dont want a physical copy of you anymore. I rather get it digitally on a sale. Derek mentioned a "love letter to suikoden" right, but you know what is also a love letter to established JRPGs? FF7 rebirth or Persona 3 reload. This game come out at the wrong time. I feel for the developers, but rather would have had this game later with some fixes and dlc included.

[@omensoffate]

Sorry but no rebirth is awful

[@quezcatol]

@@omensoffate ? I think rebirth and yakuza 8 has been so far the best games of the year.

[@taliefer16]

@@omensoffate Rebirth is easily one of the best games of all time for me, personally. sorry you didn't jive with it. I loved damn near everything it had to offer.

[@10k-Noodles]

Suikoden is a completely different vibe from FF and Persona.

[@Onlyxnonuktra]

@@quezcatol no

[@tomoprime217]

your audio is out of sync

[@lycanlube7484]

Ive played a couple of hours and im not very impressed yet, i was already concerned about the art style and character designs for a while. It looks like a generic anime kind of thing and obviously they couldnt get the original composer and the music is no where as good either. It has the mechanics of suikoden but feels like a shell trying to recapture the magic of first 2 suikoden games. I already see alot of references from suikoden 2 moments in the gsme but rushed and not executed as well. I hope it gets better but i dont think it will ever be at the level they were at in the past. I think alot of people are praising it because they are desperate to have another suikoden because when they were younger they had such a good emotional experience with suikoden gsmes and they are coping hard to feed into that memory.

[@blumiu2426]

The fact you don't realize the artist is the same one throughout the (mainline Suikoden) series...I have no words...

[@lycanlube7484]

@@blumiu2426 did I ever say that the suikoden main entries were from different creators? No. So what the hell are you talking about? I'm aware.

[@blumiu2426]

@@lycanlube7484 You made a comment about the artwork being an issue, when it's been done by the same woman all these years. That's what I'm referring to.

[@darkrulerbob]

Thr translation "problems" are a bit blown out of proportion in my opinion. Its no dragon maid or fe fates bad translation or even close to the worst.

[@blumiu2426]

It's not about translation, it's the localization. If it sounds like the writer is writing it with modern phrasing and not the characters talking, it takes people out of immersion. Different reviews have mentioned it, not always a big deal, but it was notable enough to stand out.

[@darkrulerbob]

@@blumiu2426 that's fair. It makes the game feel even more 90s and nostalgic for me. They used to do that with 90s rpgs all the time. I can see how some people would be upset, but it doesn't bother me personally

[@blumiu2426]

@@darkrulerbob You realize that's not remotely a justification. Games were done like that then because of inexperience of the West and Japan not realizing the quality effected their games. It was an issue then and why they put effort later into improving localization and translation, not considering it a staple as you're asserting. What read poorly then and made several translators infamous rather than respected is something that needs die with the past, not be point of nostalgia. This was an example of poor quality and lack of attention to the final product rather than than the prevailing issue being raised in West and recently taking note in Japan with what is being done with animation and games. Whether or not you've regressed to complacency isn't important. You don't need to care in order to see regression and wanting it improved for gaming in general, if not for the quality and intent of the creation of the supposed games you like be maintained. Or would you prefer Japanese games not be ported to the West and you depend on the free graces of fans translators when and if they get to it?

[@blumiu2426]

@@darkrulerbob I did a bit of research, and actually the localizer is political. Niche Gamer covered this and it does indeed seem it is more of the same politicizing of Japanese games by the West. Specifically Brian Gray is politically active in changing content of games for Progressive reasons. I also didn't know "chud" was used in one of the dialogues, which if one understands, is a political term and no way would be used in a Japanese game or have related context.

[@stinky_nut_blast]

8 hours in and loving it. All Suikoden trademarks are present. This and Unicorn Overlord are instant classics in my book. I recommend starting with hard mode. It's still too easy.

[@roseforyoubabe]

lufia 2 was great both games were excellent