There’s Little Like It: Besides Eiyuden Chronicles
That distinctive love and taste might be the important thing to why the Eiyuden Chronicles Kickstarter hit the stratosphere. Franchise followers noticed in these early paperwork the closest factor we’ll ever must a Suikoden VI, and new JRPG followers who haven’t had the prospect to play these classics knew this was going to be a recreation to be careful for. It promised all these distinctive characters to like, a world in political and navy turmoil, and the identical close-to-our-hearts constructing of a group of outcasts.
That’s why it’s a tragedy that Yoshitaka Murayama died this previous February, on the age of 55. Dedicating the vast majority of his profession to Suikoden and its approach of cherishing each a part of the group, from chief to assist, and placing his coronary heart and soul into Eiyuden Chronicles, it’s a tragedy that he received’t get to see his grand finale attain the fingers of the folks that believed in the identical factor he did. {That a} grand journey wants a grand scale, and each hand that helps you alongside the best way issues.
At present, Eiyuden Chronicles is within the wild, and the promise it provided have been stored. From duels and big siege battles impacted by your recruitment numbers to random encounters and arduous saving your recreation at inns and checkpoints, it’s a return to the ‘90s, quirks and all. To make the tie to its heritage much more blatant, there’s an easter egg when it comes time to naming Eiyuden’s hidden fortress as a result of one of many choices you’ll be able to choose is Mount Liang. That’s the place the outcasts of Water Margin got here to name dwelling.
A few of these intentionally old-school decisions make arduous terrain for the trendy gamer, and some early launch bugs mood the curiosity of those that didn’t develop up with Suikoden’s “take-it-or-leave-it model.” Its plot can be somewhat nearer to the sparse first Suikoden in tempo and tone, which was foreshadowed by Murayama’s virtually totally environmental state of affairs work for the just lately remastered The Legend of Legacy. Nonetheless, many followers – together with me – are having fun with just about precisely what we anticipated to get.
As for Suikoden itself, we are able to solely hope that the eye Eiyuden Chronicles has shined on the old-school JRPG pushes Konami over the end line in remastering I & II for a brand new period of followers. No agency cause was given for the delay of the brand new bundle, introduced in Fall 2023, besides that it wanted extra time to be pretty much as good as its followers deserve. No different replace has been given since, and followers, frightened about Konami’s penchant to desert beloved franchises — Suikoden’s demise and rebirth is paralleled by Konami’s neglect of Castlevania, adopted the equally profitable Bloodstained revival, additionally by way of Kickstarter — proceed to observe, worriedly, for any signal of the remaster’s ultimate destiny.
Till then, dig out your PlayStation and its successor, and borrow no matter recreation you will discover. Or, properly, no matter technique you select. We received’t inform, as long as the online result’s you attending to check out a few of the best possible video games to by no means hit blockbuster standing. Go so as, for those who can, or for those who can solely choose one, choose Suikoden II. You’re about to expertise one thing particular.
