Hey there heroes!
It’s a new year and we’ve got tons of new information that we can’t wait to start sharing with you, so we’re kicking things off in style with a sneak peak of Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising – the companion game to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes that is currently in development thanks to everyone's tremendous support during the campaign!
Before jumping into the juicy details, we’d like to take this opportunity to answer a couple of questions we’ve received regarding Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising.
First, we would like to assure those who have purchased the companion game, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, at the 7 USD backer exclusive price will not be expected to pay any additional cost (woohoo)!
Additionally, we understand there are backers who have asked how to change or finalize their platform of choice for Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. In March of 2022, right after the March update goes live, we will be sending an email to the same email address backers provided in the official backer survey that we sent out a few months AFTER the campaign concluded. Backers will be asked in this email to select which platform they would like to receive their copy of Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising on, and that platform of choice will then be locked in. This cannot be changed later as we need a point in time to secure and confirm orders due to the large number of keys that need to be ordered from each platform. We appreciate your understanding.
In addition, we will send out a reminder email to backers we do not receive responses from. In the event that a response to either email is not received, then we will send a key for the platform version they specified in the survey. Please note, we cannot guarantee copies of the game will be sent ahead of general release to backers who do not answer the survey. Again, we thank you for your understanding.
These aren’t the only questions we’ve received about Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, however, and so we are also preparing an FAQ for a future update which will address them. We hope you look forward to it.
And worry not Eiyuden Chronicle enthusiasts, we still have plenty of tantalizing core game goodies that we look forward to sharing in not-too-far-off future updates!
**EIYUDEN CHRONICLE: RISING**
The Story - Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising combines a thrilling adventure through ancient ruins with the tale of one town’s rise from the ashes.
Drawn by lenses and other treasure in the nearby Runebarrows, our heroes learn that the town is struggling to rebuild after an earthquake, and decide to help. Along the way, they’ll resolve disputes between eager adventurers and wary locals who don’t think the Barrows should be disturbed. And they’ll learn more about each other’s reasons for seeking treasure, deepening their bonds in the process.
As you will learn, these Runebarrows hide a great secret that has fateful implications for one of the characters. What begins as a simple treasure hunt turns into a dark conspiracy that will shake the world and plant seeds that carry over into the main story of Eiyuden Chronicle
Murayama's Monthly Development Report
I was asked "What games have you played that have had an impact on you?"
Let me see if I can remember the things that have had an impact on me in one way or another. I can think of a few novels. One is a famous sci-fi/cyberpunk light novel called Neuromancer. I was at the bookstore and picked it up because the front cover and the title caught my attention. I was only going to flip through the first few pages, but I became so absorbed in the fascinating world and writing style that I read through the first third before I knew what hit me.
I've reread it numerous times since then.
But what about movies?
There's only one movie that I've seen at a movie theater more than 3 times. Shaolin Soccer. I was obsessed with its perfect blend of laughter and action.
In this same vein, aside from titles like Civilization, there's one game that I've completed 3 times from beginning to end: Deus Ex.
For those who don't know, Deus Ex is a stealth game set in a cyberpunk world. Of course, the atmosphere is excellent, and the game has multiple options for how players can solve a single problem: you can utilize the puzzle-like devices in the game, smash through all guns blazing, find a key somewhere else, hack things, or just grind until you're strong enough to brute force everything.
Of course, games can still work even if there's only one solution to each problem.
But with that game, I could imagine the developers smiling and challenging players to solve the problem however they like, using one of the many well-balanced solutions that had been prepared.
Those are the kinds of games I like.
A Word from the Team
Happy Mew Year and Good Eveming! Komuta here.
Let's make this another great year.
I spent the new year’s holiday playing with the cats and suddenly got into making braised pork on New Year’s Day. We entered January 2022 rejuvenated and ready to go, and now it's already coming to an end.
(All I’ve talked about since the end of last year is how pressed for time I am...lol)
People say that time flies when you're having fun. But it also flies for me when I decide the next steps I need to take, find issues in the process of actually creating each part, then realize it didn't turn out the way I want to, forcing me to go back to the drawing board.
Since the beginning of this year, I've been running at top speed trying to tighten up how everything works, and all that extremely dense time has flown by so fast that I didn't even notice it until now.
Recently, we cemented the setting for Eiyuden: Hundred Heroes - its terrain, climate, and natural features. Our once-symbolic world map made up of nothing but sketches and photographic references has finally become properly visualized, which gave everyone an immediate boost of excitement.
We're also working on the dungeons that lead to the deep forest region and the desert, as well as locations that Nowa and his companions will visit on their adventure, such as the desert village.
I know everyone's anxious for more info, but unfortunately we can't show you any mid-production screenshots, so please hold on a little longer.
When I was able to find a small moment for myself, I went to see Spiderman: No Way Home! I won't go into any spoilers, but it was tons of fun.
If they can cram so much story into two and a half hours, I should be able to do more with my time too! Well, now that I've fallen into some weird logic loop and started screaming 'Nope, no way, nuh-uh!' to my own brain, like I'm one person playing both parts of a comedy duo on stage, I think I'll call it here.
Hey there heroes,
We're already approaching two months into 2022 and we've got more to reveal for Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. This game is shaping up to be a really exciting instalment into the Eiyuden Chronicle universe and we're eager to show everyone what's in store!
EIYUDEN CHRONICLE: RISING FAQ
Before we jump into the juicy details, we wanted to share answers to some questions we’ve been receiving about Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising and how it's going to connect with the core game, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. So, we've collected them here for everyone's reference!
Q1: What is the process for selecting my platform of choice for Eiyuden Chronicle Rising?
A1: In March of 2022, right after the March Update goes live, we will be sending an email to the same email address you provided in the official backer survey that we sent out a few months AFTER the campaign concluded. Backers will be asked in this email to select which platform they would like to receive their copy of Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising on, and that platform of choice will be locked in. This cannot be changed later as we need a point in time to lock down orders due to the large number of keys that need to be ordered from each platform. We appreciate your understanding.
For any backers who do not respond we will send out a follow up E-mail once. In the case that we do not receive a response we will send a key for the version listed in the survey. In the instance that we don’t have a survey from a backer we cannot guarantee that a backer will receive their game before release.
Q2: Will I be able to change my platform of choice after I make my final selection in March of 2022?
A2: Unfortunately, that will be the final selection and we cannot alter codes once we purchase them.
Q3: The original goal was to have both games connected, is that still the case?
A3: Absolutely, but due to hardware policies and limitations you will need to play them both on the same platform (e.g. PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation). Additionally, you will be able to upgrade your PS4 and Xbox One Versions to the PS5 and Xbox Series X respectively and then carry that data over to Hundred Heroes on the same hardware (PS5/Xbox Series X) but you cannot downgrade Rising Data from PS5/Xbox Series X to PS4/Xbox One and then carry it over to a PS4/Xbox One copy of Hundred Heroes.
Q4: Will Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes be released on the Nintendo Switch?
A4: While the release of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has not been confirmed for the Nintendo Switch, we are currently undergoing a technical investigation into development for a Switch version of the game.
If you purchase Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising for the Nintendo Switch, then you will be able to enjoy the crossover content in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on any Nintendo console version confirmed in the future.
Q5: What content will cross over between games?
A5: Great question, and one we can't answer just yet! But we promise we will as soon as we are able.
Q6: I'm not a fan of action JRPGs and aren't particularly interested in Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. Will this diminish my experience playing Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes?
A6: Eiyuden Chronicles Rising is a supplemental experience to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. While it provides additional back story for certain characters, you'll still be able to enjoy the full adventure waiting for you in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes!
Q7: How much will Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising cost?
A7: For those who purchased the game via this crowdfunding campaign or the Legacy Backer store, the game will cost 7 USD. The price for non-backers looking to purchase the game on release day will be announced at a later date.
Q8: Will I be able to play different languages on my selected version?
A8: These are the following versions per platform and the language selections you can make on them:
Switch:
・Europe – Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese
・US – Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese
・Japan – Languages: English & Japanese
・Asia – Languages: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese
・Australia & New Zealand – Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese
Playstation 4 & 5:
・Europe - Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese
・US - Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese
・Japan – Languages: English & Japanese
・Asia – Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese
・Australia & New Zealand – Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese
Xbox ONE & Xbox Series X:
・All Regions – Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese
Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG:
・All Regions – Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese
Q9: Where is the legacy backer store?
A9: Right here!
Hey there heroes,
Spring is nearly upon us again and we've got another update packed with insights into the upcoming companion game, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising! But before we jump in, we'd like to cover a few things on the Kickstarter campaign side of things:
First thing we'd like to cover is the e-mails we mentioned in our last update regarding platform choices for Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. We've run into a small scheduling hiccup which has caused a delay in getting these sent out. We would like to thank everyone for their patience with this, and promise they will be going out soon to your Kickstarter registered email addresses!
Next, we'd like to reiterate the versions and their region languages for Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising as we did in last month's FAQ:
Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG:
・All Regions – Languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese
And lastly, it is time to bid farewell to the Yetee Legacy Backer Store (for those who initially backed the campaign), as it will be closing on 03/29/2022, 9PM PST (30/03/2022 1PM JST). Closing the Legacy Backer Store will allow us to ensure that backers who purchased Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising through it will get their copies on time and shift our focus to its smooth launch.
This does mean it will be your last chance to purchase any add-ons (including Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, itself) as a legacy backer, so click the link here*https://yeteeproductions.com/collections/eiyuden-eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes-new-backer-add-on-store to check out the Legacy Store and complete your purchase if you haven't already.
*Backers will need to have registered to the Legacy Backer Store in order to access it
Backers who have filled in the Kickstarter survey but haven’t yet registered to the Legacy Backer Store can still do so via the email with the subject line “Eiyuden Chronicle: Backer Store Invite” that should be sitting in your inbox. Please search for this subject line with your registered e-mail address to find your invite and access the store.
If you cannot find the invite e-mail, then please contact The Yetee customer service at eiyuden@theyetee.com to verify your account and have a new invite sent out to you. We will support any store invite requests via The Yetee customer service team up until the store closes.
J Murakami’s Comments
This time, I'd like to show you some rough sketches of the Mine Dungeon area. Doesn’t this look exciting? Like it’s some secret underground passageway.
I used to love movies like The Goonies and Indiana Jones when I was younger because they’re filled with action and adventure. The minecarts were always the most exciting part for me. Just once I want to go dashing through secret mine passages in a minecart before I die.
Actually, that would be pretty scary... I've always wondered if there's a theme park somewhere out there that would make a ride like that. Or maybe I should just make one myself?
To any theme park owners out there, you know who to call!
I know I’m not really explaining much about the images here, but think about it. Why are Nowa and the others in these run-down old tunnels? Where do the tunnels go?
This is going to be a very large dungeon and I hope you’re looking forward to playing through it.
Murayama's Monthly Development Report
Development for Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising has entered the final stages.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising has been created as a companion game set in the same world as Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. The story was written by Tadashi Satomi and the development is being handled by a different company from the main game: Natsume Atari.
The concept of creating a companion game was actually devised by the Kickstarter Project Team. However, as a member of Rabbit & Bear Studios, I had my doubts.
I imagined a companion game as something like the successful Kickstarter game Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and the 8-bit game Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon that accompanied it.
But Eiyuden Chronicle is an RPG, so I couldn't visualize what a companion game with a limited budget and a low price tag would look like. Fortunately, after some chance encounters, the name Natsume Atari arose as one of several candidates to produce this game.
I have always thought of them as a successful development team, and their plan to make an Action RPG where you rebuild a town was something I could see working. And thus, this companion game was taken from an idea into reality.
We will soon see how it all turned out.
Of course, we were able to playtest the game and give them some opinions and ideas, and as far as game feel goes, both Tadashi Satomi and Natsume Atari have met all of our expectations.
A Word from the Team
J-Diary Vol.5
Hey there, heroes. It's J Murakami.
Some gameplay footage for Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising was broadcast the other day. Did you all get a chance to see it?
That's right, our partners in the Eiyuden Chronicle project, Natsume Atari, are nearly finished with the companion game Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, and I've been taking a break from the main game these last few months to work as supervising director for it. It's been a while since I last worked on an Action RPG, so getting to do so was a thrill, and really took me back to my time working with IGA as director on the Castlevania series.
Back then, any one team member would be juggling multiple roles within development, and we had to devise ways to keep the development process fun and enjoyable despite how tough it was being a small team working against tight deadlines. I definitely felt that same atmosphere of fun and positivity with the Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising team.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising was originally intended to be a small project, as a little something extra for the backers. Yet it's gone so far beyond that I almost feel like my expectations were betrayed, but in a good way.
With Natsume Atari's hard work and enthusiasm, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising has become a high quality game that everyone should get their hands on, and I can't thank the team enough.
Since it is an Action RPG, we've gotten some feedback from RPG fans who think this game might be too difficult. But rest assured, it isn't.
To tell you the truth, myself and Murayama are both...totally terrible at Action games! lol
(At least I think Murayama is...? He might get mad at me later).
Some of you might find yourselves thinking, "but you guys made Castlevania!"
Seriously, we're terrible at those kinds of games.
So, while it does have action elements, remember to look closely at the genre name. It still says "RPG" right? And what’s an RPG, if not the kind of game that you can progress in with a little hard work.
If I remember right, it was the RPG elements that made the Castlevania series so popular in the first place. We’d get so mad when we died playing NES-era Castlevania that we’d throw our controllers. But when Aria of Sorrow was made, it was so well-balanced that even I could beat it. And that's why it was so well received, I think.
Honestly, I doubt there are many people who are that good at those old Action games (although this statement may prove controversial). Nonetheless, if those people are out there, they can enjoy this game too. That's the joy of an Action RPG.
So, everyone can rest assured that they will enjoy this game.
There are two more big points I want to make about Rising:
The first is how reliable the combo action between the three main characters is. It’s seriously exhilarating, the way the three unique protagonists come together. I felt reassured by how well the party follows you, like I could push my way through even the hardest dungeons.
This reminded me of The Sword of Etheria, which was another action game I worked on. It ran on a similar concept of having your party fight alongside you as a trinity. Seeing that sense of dependability again made me really happy.
You can even make these combos happen automatically, so players who aren't great at technical controls can use it without issue.
The second point I wanted to touch on is that the story is so good it'll keep you coming back for more.
This was the big role we wanted the companion game to fill, as it would connect to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes in a lot of ways. This aspect will make players want to keep moving the story forward and see the city develop. It will serve as a greater motivation for players and level grinding won't be such a chore.
This is a part of what it means to be an RPG, and it’s these two things that should help both casual players and players who aren't great at Action games enjoy Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising.
Well…this segment became all about Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, but rest assured that the main game is moving along at full steam as well. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising will be released first, and if it makes even one new fan interested in the characters and world of Eiyuden Chronicle, then I'll be happy.
Ah, and for all of you fans out there, please take a special look at Garoo and how he’ll appear in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. He’s still just as cool as ever.
Bye for now!
Thorin_Saeba escribió:Ostia, no había confirmado la plataforma del Rising. Por curiosidad he entrado y se ve que no hice el último paso. Con razón no me llegaba la clave.
3hours or 22hours (more or less) to release of Rising?
Nanami — hoy a las 21:06
We’re certainly hoping the former for us at least!
![[jaja]](/images/smilies/nuevos2/otrasonrisa.gif "otra sonrisa")
![[carcajad]](/images/smilies/nuevos/risa_ani2.gif "carcajada")
![[amor]](/images/smilies/nuevos/enamorado.gif "enamorado")
Kikokage escribió:Aquí de momento nada de nada, yo no entiendo porque han repartido las keys ellos mismos y le han dado ese tema de logistica a yetee. Entiendo que para cosas físicas vale que Yetee se va a encargar pero para keys digitales? No es mas sencillo para ellos crear las claves y repartirlas a los backers?
![[decaio]](/images/smilies/nuevos2/decaido.gif "decaido")
xecollons escribió:Bueno, he estado jugando al juego estos últimos días:
https://portal.33bits.net/analisis-eiyu ... le-rising/
Suelo decir que si tenéis alguna duda o pregunta, hacedlas, pero en este caso casi todos los interesados tendrán ya el juego por el KS o, si no, en gamepass, así que mejor jugadlo directamente
Aún así, si alguien quiere preguntar algo, que pregunte.
javitoto escribió:Joder, me aburrio.
![[bye]](/images/smilies/nuevos2/adio.gif "adios")
Lázaro escribió:El único problema que tiene el juego es que se vuelve repetitivo y monótono. Es mejor ir poco a poco con él y no pegarse la engorilada o acabas hasta el nabo de él. También va por gustos, claro, pero repetir 40 veces la misma mazmorra en da igual qué punto de la historia te encuentres y con cero desafío, termina por tocarte los coj*nes.
Dura unas 15h y tanto la historia como las conversaciones es bastante ameno todo. La localización está muy conseguida. Eso sí, ni su combate, ni la gestión, ni los puzzles ni nada similar es complejo así que... es eso, un aperitivo descafeinado pero divertido. Para lo que cuesta está muy bien.
xecollons escribió:Kikokage escribió:Lo he jugado unas 4 horitas y nada de lo que haya comentado el compañero que puso su análisis mas arriba.
A mi también me gustaría saber que es lo que se traspasara al juego principal. @xecollons sabes algo? O en este juego no se aclara este tema?
Según la guía que me venía para el análisis:
-Si has jugado a Rising (y tienes un savegame), recibirás ítems cosméticos en la base en One Hundred Heroes.
-Si lo has completado, recibirás ítems con más chicha, como armas por ejemplo cuyo efecto sea ganar más puntos de experiencia. No se detalla más.
-En Rising hay momentos en los que puedes darle un nombre a las armas de los 3 protas, o a algunos objetos. Esos nombres aparecerán tal cual en el juego principal si importas el save de Rising.
![[360º]](/images/smilies/nuevos/vueltas.gif "como la niña del exorcista")
Thorin_Saeba escribió:Pues se ha montado un pitoste de la ostia con las keys para los backers. De hecho, yo aún no he recibido la mía. Están teniendo problemas. Así que aún estoy esperando
Hey there Heroes,
We know there have been a lot of updates recently but feel we need to send one more addressing the current situation surrounding Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising.
While we have been able to fulfil a majority of the Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising codes, there are still a significant number of people who did not receive their code in time for launch. This is incredibly disheartening as we understand that it takes a lot of faith from people to believe in a Kickstarter project and without that faith we wouldn’t currently be able to make the game of our dreams.
We received a larger number of orders than expected and have had to order additional codes from the various first parties. This is our highest priority and our only focus.
While not the best solution, for anyone that we can confirm has purchased Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising but did not receive a code, we will be offering a free Steam code so they have an option to play the game now. We know some backers will not have a PC so this isn’t a great solution but this is currently the best option we have until the new batch of codes arrive.
In closing, we understand this has created anxiety about the main game’s fulfillment and that it has created a lot of frustration and disappointment. It’s a mistake that we own and will use to improve all of our processes for Eiyuden: Hundred Heroes. We sincerely appreciate your patience on this matter while we do our best to solve it.
EIYUDEN CHRONICLE: HUNDRED HEROES IS COMING TO NINTENDO SWITCH
That's right! Given recent speculation over the Nintendo Switch and potential next generation Nintendo iterations, we wanted to play it safe and investigate what options we had before fully committing to a Nintendo Switch version.
But now the wait is over and we're delighted to confirm that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will also be landing on Nintendo Switch!
**Production Updates**
Murayama's Monthly Development Report
A lot of different characters appear in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes–not only those with big parts to play in the main story, but also those with a variety of other roles to fulfil.
Party members who are capable of fighting have different characteristics, while other characters have unique abilities that will allow you to employ a variety of different strategies in the battle system. There are also 'general' type characters who will really shine on the field of battle.
We also have characters whose roles are to manage facilities. Some may be store owners, while others will supply the player with convenient services. On top of that, we've also prepared a slew of characters whose jobs are just to provide fun for the player, such as through a simple combat-oriented RPG-style mini-game and more.
This motley crew of characters will all be living in the same town, which acts as your home base. We'll also be preparing simple events and dialog that allows you to catch a glimpse into their daily lives.
Therefore, in order to make all that happen, we're currently exchanging ideas and figuring out how the different characters' relationships will work.
Do these two go out fishing together? Do these two have fun talking about love? Are these two rivals? And so on, and so forth.
It's too much of a job for me to handle all by myself, so I'm collecting ideas from my staff members as well. They're coming up with a lot of fun ideas and combinations that I would never have been able to come up with on my own.
The surprises are a lot of fun to discover, and I truly feel like this is an important step that will allow us to pour even more depth into the world and its characters.
I hope you're all also having fun imagining things on your own!
A Word from the Team
Hello everyone! Komu-nichiwa and komu-banwa!
This month's word is brought to you by Komuta!
Last month, you got a glimpse into the team’s daily life, so I should probably give you a glimpse into what’s happening on the development side of things, huh…
Walking around the map that connects the world together, checking out towns and dungeons, fighting enemies, buying things in shops, dueling and sparring, fishing and playing with tops, etc. There's a lot to do in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, and through working on the prototype, we've been able to pinpoint the issues and things we need to work on, as well as define what the player 'can' and 'can't' do in the game.
What must we keep, and what must we drop in the limited time we've got left?
Is it really okay to just drop and cut the things we can’t make?
Every day, we're faced with hard decisions about a variety of things. Sometimes we're not sure what decision to make... And in times like that, we try to focus back on what the core concept of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is.
I personally believe the concept of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is giving form to the unique aspects of each character. This doesn't mean the player can customize each character any way they want, but rather we need to set limitations for the role of each character. We need to purposefully give characters weaknesses and limitations in order to give a unique identity to each and every one of the 100+ characters in the game.
Naturally, with the battles we've planned and worked on, we have strived to give individuality to the animations and abilities for each battle-ready character. I've spent a lot of time planning out each character so that they function and fight the way we envision them to.
Murayama-san thinks up the characters, Kawano-san gives them form with her illustrations, J-san and the character team allows them to move using pixel art, the planner team gives them roles within the game...and then, finally, at least one character is born. (And we have to do this over 100 times! LOL)
Despite not knowing a lick of magic, Maureus has decided he's a mage. The "staff" he swings around—a hunk of steel that's thicker than he is and that most observers would correctly call a mace—is strong enough to smash through solid rock. And folks, if that's not magic, what is? (Answer: actual magic.)
Maureus works hard at "attuning himself" (really, he's just pumping himself up) so he can "wield advanced spells" (break more of his enemies' bones with each strike).
"Behold, the wonders of magic! By channeling destructive energy into a single point, I have reduced this boulder to rubble. Are you not amazed? Follow me, and these powers could be yours!"
Kawano’s Comment:
A meathead wizard...is what led me to the character image you see here. I wanted to give the impression that he somehow built huge muscles despite having no intentions of actually working out, so I had a lot of fun designing a really heavy cane and wristbands for him (heavy enough to shock other characters if they tried to pick them up themselves).
Is the source of his power magic or muscle...?
Personally, I can’t wait to see him in action!
Murayama's Monthly Development Report
Not long from now I’ll probably be able to write something more specific about the systems we're implementing in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, but for now please bear with me as I keep writing about my personal life.
I personally believe that game creators should be knowledgeable about games. To that end, I try to stay connected to games in any way I can. It's not easy though, when I'm busy with development. Especially when I'm devoting a lot of my time and attention to working on the story. I don't want to use too much brain power worrying about other things.
An amazing story written by another human being can often be a great source of inspiration, but it can also be a source of distress for me when I'm working on a script of my own.
So when that happens, I have fun playing quick games or games that don't linger longer than they need to. Right now, I'm mostly playing...
Hexcells, which is a puzzle game you can play in short bursts and has a function that automatically creates new puzzles. I try to solve one puzzle per day which gives me a nice sense of accomplishment.
One Finger Death Punch is another action game with really simple rules that is good for relieving stress in a short gaming session. It feels really good to mow down all the enemies.
Heroes of Hammerwatch is a game about grabbing money and resources hiding in dungeons. In a short amount of time I either clear a dungeon or die, and it even has a village builder in it.
Enjoying games in short sessions is how I’m enjoying games at the moment.
A Word from the Team
Hello everyone. This is Kawano and it looks like it's my turn.
I can't believe it's been nearly two years since the Kickstarter campaign! I dread to think about how much time has passed, but I'm still working on character designs to this day.
Hypothetically, if it took me three days to finish one character illustration then I should be able to complete more than 100 in a single year. But of course, I'm not that fast and I get time off every week, so the designs remain a work in progress.
Nonetheless, I think we're finally seeing the light at the end of the character design tunnel. (In regards to the development of the game, there is a lot of work that needs to be done after the illustrations are completed, so I need to finish the illustration work a bit faster than other tasks.).
Once the bulk of the illustrations are done, I will keep working on finer extra details and expressions as necessary. For now though, I want to focus on coming up with ideas for the remaining characters. I'm almost done with all 100 heroes!
Until next time!
eL PiRRi escribió:Actualización #46 Sólo para patrocinadores
July 2022 UpdateHey there heroes,
First let’s get to a very important topic - Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising.
We have finished our Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising post-mortem and wanted to be transparent about how we plan to address the many issues that occurred during the Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising code distribution process.
It’s clear we need to lock down backer platform selection sooner. The goal is to send out final backer platform selections within the next few months. This will allow us to send an extra month or two to fill in any gaps for backers who haven’t responded/have used different Emails/haven’t filled out their surveys.
There was some confusion where Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising was believed to be free or that it was actually the main game Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. But now that Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising has been released, we won’t have that confusion moving forward.
The customer service team has been increased to handle the larger than expected number of customer service tickets.
We plan to order more codes as a buffer. This should guarantee we do not run out of codes which would cause a delay in fulfillment timing.
These resource changes should help us navigate the massive undertaking of fulfilling Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. We plan to move faster to have enough buffer to avoid these issues in the future and hopefully earn back your trust.
If you have any ongoing issues with Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising feel free to contact us at pr@rabbitandbearstudios.com
Premium Backer Rewards
We are very close to finalizing the specific criteria of each premium backer reward and process for confirming identities for each backer. All premium backers will be contacted over the next 2-3 months. We will mention that contact Emails have been sent out via updates so that you’ll know they have and can ping us if you haven’t received an Email.
Thank you very much for your understanding and patience.
**Two Year Kickstarter Anniversary**
Murayama: It’s already been two years since the madness of the Kickstarter campaign. We’re still moving forward now, thanks to the power and courage that everyone’s support gives us.
Kawano: We’re in our second summer of this project now thanks to everyone. We just released Eiyuden Rising, so I tried drawing the characters of Rising this time around.
Komuda: Over these two years, we’ve been using your support as our fuel as we work together and move full steam ahead. I hope we’ll be able to show you what we’re working on little by little as time goes on.
Murakami: We're in our second summer of working on Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, but it's still at the front of our minds and we're working hard to deliver a game that everyone will love.
We might even be able to show you some of it soon!
Murayama's Monthly Development Report
This season, every new day in Japan is a hot one, but we’re still working and managing all the twists and turns that come our way.
One of my hobbies is playing board games – games that use wooden pieces and paper boards, versus the ones you can play on a computer. My personal favorite game is Carcassonne, a game where you build towns and roads.
My policy toward game systems is that they should be as simple as possible while also allowing for as many variables as possible. This may be due to the experiences I’ve had playing board games.
When you add complicated elements and systems to computer games, the computer can easily do the calculations and operations needed to support them. With board games, however, humans are the ones who need to do the calculations and manage the rules, so the more complicated the calculations needed to prep a strategy, the greater the stress it puts on the players. Therefore, board games require the creator to cut away needless elements and refine the system as much as possible.
In the end, you’re left with an extremely refined board game with what I would call a beautiful game system. This is very obvious in the games designed by Alex Randolph, a very famous board game designer, which include games such as Ghosts!, DOMEMO, and especially Venice Connection.
I wanted to make sure the mini-games in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes inherit that flavor, so I’ve been discussing this sort of thing with the team daily. As we continue talking to each other and doing trial and error with various things, the final version of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is slowly coming together. We can’t show you all of it just yet, but we’ll be sure to show you what we can first as thanks for all your support.
A Word from the Team
J-Diary Vol. 6
Unrelated to anything, but recently I finished watching Season 4 of Stranger Things on Netflix.
Hi, I'm Murakami J. It's been a while. That scene with Eddie was so crazy, I've been listening to Metallica every day as I work.
Sorry for starting off with a very niche topic. Has anyone else watched that show? It's a story about kids that takes place in a rural American town, and was very appealing to me as someone who loves Goonies and Stand By Me. It's also set in the 80s, which was perfect for me, so it pulls at my heartstrings every time I watch it. The level of detail they put into the fashion, music, and culture from the time period is really amazing.
Recently, a lot of monumental works across various genres of the 80s have been getting revivals, such as the movies Top Gun: Maverick and Ghostbusters, the Cobra Kai TV, etc. Work has been so busy that there's a lot I haven't been able to see yet.
But it's really fun to watch these things, as you can tell that the creators have deep passion for the works that influenced them. And love creates new masterpieces.
I believe that masterpieces can be enjoyed forever. We learn from them and yearn to revive the happy parts of our memories in fun new forms.
It's been a while since I reported on what's going on in the studio, so here goes. Currently we've reached the peak of our mass graphic production phase, so every day we're super busy and always wishing we had more people on our team.
The field is almost completely full of areas. We aren't reusing a lot of assets for Eiyuden, so every time we finish creating something, we find ourselves with yet another challenge to overcome.
As for the pixel art, our main members just keep getting older and older. (LOL) It was really hard for us to find people who were young, good at drawing pixel art, and who actually WANTED to draw pixel art, so this is just what we ended up with when we searched for the best of the best.
Veterans are truly reliable, though. We just need to make sure our pixel art staffers take proper care of their health. (LOL) As of now, people who can draw pixel art are valuable treasures of the game industry. Let's take good care of them!! Thanks to all their passion, the game is slowly coming together.
I think we'll be able to show you some progress or an event scene or two in a little bit, so I hope you're excited.
Oh, there's one thing I wanted to mention. We've also reached the point where we need to start working on the in-game backer assets for those backers who helped us achieve victory in our Kickstarter campaign. We deeply value all the support you gave us, so we're going to work hard on this. Soon, we'll need to get some info from you all in order to start working on this (we're preparing for it now), so please help us out when the time arrives.
That's it, really. As usual, I have a ton of things to do, and I'm just trying my best to scratch them off one as one while putting up with the heat. That reminds me... It seems like this year's summer is going to be filled with extreme heat and irregular temperatures all around the world. (And we still have covid to worry about... But I'm more worried about that for the time being)
Please make sure to stay safe and healthy, everyone!
Sorry the message isn't longer this time around, but I've got a lot of work to get back to. See you next time!
