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Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising was released as a way to help satiate fans who cannot wait for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. Unfortunately, the buzz has not been strong with this spinoff as it is sitting around the 60s and 70s for reviews. That doesn’t mean there is not something worthwhile in this action RPG. Let’s look at both sides of the argument.

8 Best: Non-Square Enix HD-2D

The sprite work in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is like a dream. The character models don’t look pixelated like typical retro throwbacks. However, if players zoom in on a screenshot or something, they can start to see the artistic design. The characters and enemies are all unique. The background also deserves a nod as they help make these models pop.

It’s like one of Square Enix’s new HD-2D RPG adventures but without the big-name backing it up. It proves that anyone can attempt the HD-2D style if they work hard enough. The only downside is that the accompanying animations can look a bit puppet-like. That might only bother a small sect of fans though.

7 Worst: An Unimportant Story

Gameplay comes first in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising and that is great. However, for those that like their RPGs with a little story, this game is lacking in that department. It’s a very basic tale involving the main character, CJ, on her quest to find treasure in a new area she discovers.

As she helps the town grow, she’ll build a community with the NPCs. There is a vague ancient mysticism involved in the ruins she explores and there are bandit pursuers but none of these elements are compelling. It’s tempting to urge players to mute the game, skip cutscenes, and listen to a podcast while grinding.

6 Best: Link Attacks

Players have one attack button when they begin Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. CJ can attack with the Y button on the controller, for those playing on a Switch. Eventually, she will recruit Garoo.

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His attack is bound to the X button. Instead of having players swap between characters fully, attacks are dedicated to buttons to create more interesting combos called Link Attacks. It’s still a fairly basic action RPG but this one element does help keep things more lively. Being able to replay bosses infinitely is also a huge plus on the combat side of things.

5 Worst: No Difficulty Levels

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a fairly easy game. There are no difficulty options or assist features to speak of. As long as players level up promptly, boost equipment in town, and eat regularly to increase stats, they shouldn’t have a problem finishing the game.

However, there is a problem for the hardcore players out there. Difficulty levels and assist features are more than tools for beginners. Often they can help increase the challenge as well. Since there is a lack of a challenge in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, that alone may have the hardcore audience lose interest in the game quickly.

4 Best: Crafting Vs Buying

One of the big elements in the game has CJ rebuilding the town building by building. Taking on side quests will help unlock shops from a smithy that can make weapons to a cafe that serves food to increase stats like HP. It is standard RPG stuff.

However, one of the more unique elements about shops is that they offer players purchasing choices. Players can craft something for free just by using materials. They can also buy items and upgrades outright for cash. It is a small feature but one RPG fans will surely appreciate.

3 Worst: The Repetitive Quests

The quest system lacks diversity. They all boil down to fetching an item or killing something. Sometimes the two ideas get intertwined. This should not be surprising for most RPG fans.

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There are no interesting tales in these quests which should not be surprising since the story’s lackluster drama was already mentioned. The grind can become serious fast in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising as players backtrack on a constant level. Overall, the game has a slow start before things pick up.

2 Best: Fast Travel

Even though the grind can be tedious with backtracking, there is one positive. The game offers a lot of fast travel options. Once an area is unlocked in town, players can warp to it freely. There is no need to use an item or an object in town to warp around either. It’s all free. An object is needed for the dungeons though.

Signposts will allow players to fast travel between points and allow them to save manually. It would have been nice if there were more ways to warp in a dungeon and if certain shops could be warped to in town. Small complaints aside, the fast travel is great as is in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising.

1 Worst: Technical Issues

An RPG with Metroidvania-like elements is perfect on a handheld like the Switch. The grind can seem less tedious if players are multitasking with something else in the background. However, the Switch does come with a price. It runs slower than the other consoles meaning that loads can be a problem.

They’re not the worst on the system by any stretch but they aren’t good either. On another technical slump, there are only three save slots. More would have been great to see.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising was released on May 10, 2022, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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