There are several ways I could introduce Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. I could tell you that it’s a spiritual successor to the Suikoden series of JRPGs, which involve recruiting dozens of colourful adventurers to build the ultimate JRPG party. I could tell you that its developer funded the game’s creation through the most successful video-game Kickstarter of 2020. I could tell you that it’s been in development for four years. I could even tell you that it’s finally coming out.

But I think the best way to introduce it is to say that, two hours into playing, I unlocked an ability that let my party punch a warthog into space.

As someone who is only passingly familiar with Suikoden, I was surprised by just how quickly Eiyuden Chronicle won me over. Its opening hours deliver a breezy, exciting adventure while sowing the seeds for grander, more dramatic events farther down the line. Its fundamentally traditional RPG mechanics, meanwhile, are refreshed and renewed by slick presentation and the presence of its affable characters. Also, it lets your new friends work together to sock enemies into the stratosphere, which is a good way to get me on board.

SETTING OFF