Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising (PC) Steam Key

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a spin-off prequel developed by NatsumeAtari, set in the mining town of New Nevaeh and meant to serve as an on-ramp for the mainline Suikoden-spiritual-successor, Hundred Heroes. It is a 2D action-RPG with light town-building mechanics, and if you come in expecting a deep CRPG you will be mildly disappointed. If you come in expecting a cheerful, low-stakes adventure with satisfying enough combat loops and a cast you will genuinely enjoy spending time with, you will have a good weekend. The combat system rotates between three playable characters: CJ, the ruin-diving treasure hunter; Garoo, the axe-swinging kangaroo mercenary (yes, really); and Isha, the magistrate's daughter with a staff and long-range magic arrows. Swapping between them mid-fight is the mechanical centrepiece. Each character covers a different range and damage type, and the game's enemy design nudges you to actually rotate rather than just mash with your favourite. It is not a complex system, but it clicks. Combos chain cleanly, there is a satisfying crunch to Garoo's heavy attacks, and Isha's charged shots feel rewarding to land. The boss fights are highlight moments, even if they never push into genuinely demanding territory. The town reconstruction loop is where the game bets its identity. You gather materials from dungeon runs, bring them back to New Nevaeh, and fund the rebuilding of shops, facilities, and NPC storylines. It sounds like a filler system and it occasionally is one. Fetch quest frequency is high enough to notice and mild enough to groan about once, then forgive. Where the loop earns its place is in the NPC side-stories unlocked by rebuilding. These short character vignettes are the writing highlight of the game. They are warm, occasionally funny, and do more worldbuilding work than most of the main quest dialogue. Fans of the Suikoden series will recognise the DNA immediately: recruitment-adjacent storytelling, a headquarters that grows around your effort, a cast where even shopkeepers get arcs. The narrative connecting all of this is thin by design. Rising exists to introduce lore, set the tone, and get players emotionally invested in a world they will explore more fully in Hundred Heroes. Judged as a standalone story it wraps up a little too cleanly and a little too quickly. Judged as a prologue, it does its job well. The three leads have genuine chemistry, their banter during dungeon crawls is consistently entertaining, and CJ in particular is the kind of protagonist you root for without being told to. The writing is not Disco Elysium. It is not trying to be. It is a Saturday morning adventure cartoon with a very good ensemble, and that is a legitimate genre. Playing this without any interest in Hundred Heroes is a viable choice but probably not the optimal one. The game's emotional payoff scales with attachment to the broader world. Solo, it is a pleasant, mechanically decent 2D action-RPG that runs around ten hours and never outstays its welcome. As an entry point to a larger universe, it is genuinely effective. The Steam review score reflects a playerbase that largely knew what they were buying. If you want build depth, branching choices, or narrative weight, look elsewhere. If you want to rebuild a ruined town with a kangaroo and a teenager who absolutely will find that treasure, this delivers exactly what it promises.

Monika · Scout Team

RPGs

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