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Empires locked in war, magical runes, complex JRPG mechanics—all three have a home in the Suikoden series, and they’re all coming to a new spiritual successor helmed by Suikoden’s creator Yoshitaka Murayama. Under the new umbrella of Rabbit and Bear Studios, Murayama is teaming up with series artist Junko Kawano for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a new RPG project that’s set to launch a Kickstarter campaign soon.
To drum up interest in Eiyuden Chronicle ahead of the Kickstarter’s July 27 launch, Rabbit and Bear have done an interview spree to spread the word on what the game’s all about. Like Suikoden before it, it’ll be a turn-based JRPG, but it will embrace a more modern high-resolution 2.5D art style. The team tells RPGamer that Octopath Traveler is something that “really excited” them for the title’s visual style. A short teaser provided to IGN Japan gives a look at how Eiyuden Chronicle will look in-motion.
In terms of mechanics, the similarities with Suikoden will run quite deep. Eiyuden Chronicle will boast a cast of 100 different heroes that the player can recruit (so, a few short of 108 Stars of Destiny), basic combat parties will be capped at six members, and the team stresses that getting to know all Eiyuden Chronicle’s heroes is a “core goal” for the project.
All of this, of course, is set in a world steeped in magic and political maneuvering. Here’s how Rabbit and Bear establish Eiyuden Chronicle’s world on its official site:
In a press release obtained by Gematsu, Rabbit and Bear also reveal that several other well-known creators are working with Murayama and Kawano. Osamu Komuta (Suikoden Tactics) is working on system design and direction, Junichi Murakami (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow) is handling art direction and production, and composers Michiko Naruke (Wild Arms), Motoi Sakuraba (the Tales series) are contributing music to Eiyuden Chronicle.