In the modern gaming industry, Kickstarter has become a popular outlet for many developers to seek funding from interested fans for their games. The crowdfunding platform has seen plenty of massive game projects funded through the donations of fans from long-awaited returns of classic franchises like Shenmue 3 to new titles from beloved creators like Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9. Among the biggest of these projects to see success through Kickstarter was Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a spiritual successor to the classic Suikoden RPG franchise, with the game's development recently seeing a major update.
Started in July 2020, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was billed as an homage to Suikoden, which hasn't seen a new entry in over a decade, with franchise creator Yoshitaka Murayama spearheading the project. The 2D RPG saw massive success becoming the third-largest video game project on Kickstarter, later being picked up by popular publisher 505 Games. Now, with Rabbit & Bear Studios releasing a companion game earlier this month in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, the newest update to the project has confirmed Hundred Heroes will come to the Switch on release.
The news about a Switch port comes with Rabbit & Bear Studios' most recent update to the game's Kickstarter page with the developer officially confirming a Nintendo Switch version is in development. The post also introduces a new character coming to the game in Yaelu with artist Junko Kawano teasing big plans for the character to come. The companion game, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, also came out on the Switch when it released earlier in May with versions of Hundred Heroes also planned for other major consoles.
The post also includes an update from creator Yoshitaka Murayama explaining the difficult task the team has faced with managing the large amount of characters players will be able to control. The game features both active party members with different fighting styles as well as characters with more overworld-focused purposes like shopkeepers, mini-game characters, and more with the developer reportedly exploring different ways for characters to interact with one another in the game's hub town. Director Osamu Komuta also gives his thoughts on making each of the game's large cast of characters feel unique.
With Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising releasing as a companion game, the highly-anticipated RPG has already seen plenty of opportunities for players to see what all the buzz is about. Rising saw a Day 1 release on Xbox Game Pass on its May 10 launch, and Hundred Heroes has already been confirmed to come to Game Pass when the full game releases next year. With a Switch version now confirmed as well, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will look to carry on the legacy of the classic RPG franchise that inspired it.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is scheduled to release in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
Source: Kickstarter