After experiencing the grandeur of the recently released Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes, a JRPG renowned for its compelling political narrative, a large cast of memorable characters, and strategic gameplay, it’s only natural to seek out similar gaming experiences that captivate the imagination and immerse players into rich, fantastical worlds.
Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes is a turn-based role-playing game developed by Rabbit & Bear Studios, a studio founded by the original creators of the Suikoden series, of which Eiyuden Chronicles is the spiritual successor. The game follows the protagonists, Seign Kesling, an imperial officer of the Galdean Empire, and Nowa, a boy from a remote village in the League of Nations who befriends Seign. In the world of Allraan, Seign and Nowa will travel across the land, meeting and recruiting many characters, all with unique backstories and playstyles, and unravelling the growing tensions between the various nations within Allraan.
For this list, I decided to settle with the five recommendations below for players looking for something similar to Eiyuden Chronicles. The recommendations will be based on similarities in gameplay, such as recruiting a large cast of playable characters or offering a story that delves into political intrigue, diplomacy, and war.
Chrono Cross
Starting this list off is the sequel to the beloved JRPG series Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross. The game takes its story across space and time, unlike Eiyuden Chronicles, which focuses more on the political landscape of the world of Allraan. I chose to put Chrono Cross into this list over Chrono Trigger because both have a focus on recruiting a large variety of party members throughout the game.
While Eiyuden Chronicles has more playable characters, 100+ at that, Chrono Cross has 45 playable characters that players will meet throughout the story, with the caveat of it not being possible in the first playthrough. For players looking for something less grounded, Chrono Cross will offer something similar but a complex narrative with philosophical undertones, exploring themes of identity and destiny across parallel worlds.
- Auto-battle function.
- Change screen resolution.
Disgaea Series
If someone is looking for something less serious and dark narratively, then the Disgaea series is definitely the game to recommend after playing Eiyuden Chronicles. Disgaea, just like Eiyuden Chronicles, also offers the ability to recruit many playable characters throughout the game. The difference here is that Disgaea is a tactical RPG with gameplay taking place on a large grid for units to move around instead of the stationary turn-based gameplay offered in Eiyuden Chronicles.
In terms of story, Disgaea is less mature and more focused on the humorous interactions between its large cast of playable characters. The setting is also much more different than Eiyuden Chronicles, which focuses more on war and conflict throughout Allraan, while Disgaea takes place in various Netherworlds ruled by demons where players get involved in some of the most absurd storylines that will sure to make you laugh and cry as you go through them.
- Combat to the MAX: Loaded with new content including Hell Mode, Item Reincarnation and Jumbification, which lets your characters grow to supersized proportions and inflict larger than life damage!
- Allies in Arms: The combat potential is limitless with over 40 character classes including four brand-new additions: Maiko, Bandit, Zombie Maiden, and Big Eye!
Final Fantasy Tactics – War of the Lions
Another tactics game in this list is from the massively popular Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy Tactics, like Eiyuden Chronicles, has a very politically-charged narrative with its worldbuilding rivalling George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice novels. Final Fantasy Tactics is set in a medieval-inspired world known as Ivalice, and its story involves bloodshed, war, betrayal, and so on. The story is less character-driven than Eiyuden Chronicles, which goes out of its way to develop its large cast of over 100 playable characters while also offering a story within a similar setting.
Like most tactics games, players engage in grid-based battles with a diverse cast of characters, each with unique job classes and abilities. The game’s emphasis on tactical positioning, terrain effects, and job systems allows for deep customization and strategic depth in combat. Eiyuden Chronicles, on the other hand, has you recruit a massive roster of characters, each with their own backstory and abilities, to build an army and engage in strategic battles against enemy forces in turn-based combat.vvvv
The Legend of Heroes – The Trails Series
The Trails series of games is known for its massive amounts of worldbuilding. It is an amalgamation of storylines that intersect with one another from its longstanding narrative of over 20 years now and still no sign of ending. This series started with the Trails in the Sky trilogy back in 2004 and has released numerous games since, with each game continuing the narrative left over by its predecessors. The most recent game released in the West is Trails into Reverie.
While there isn’t a huge roster to recruit like in Eiyuden Chronicles, the sheer magnitude of worldbuilding that developers Falcom have presented is unrivalled in the genre of JRPGs with almost nothing comparable to it. For those looking to invest hundreds of hours into one of the longest JRPG series to date, then look no further than the Trails series.
- A Trio of Trails: Experience three different story arcs and switch between them any time with the Crossroads system. Plus, discover side episodes to fully flesh out the characters and world of Zemuria.
- Reverie into Reality: Enter the True Reverie Corridor, which allows you to encounter and recruit new characters from across Zemuria, enter randomly generated dungeons to test your mettle, and play a variety of mini games.
Suikovden II
Well, it was bound to show up, but obviously, I have to recommend the game that Eiyuden Chronicles is a spiritual successor to, and it’s the most iconic title in the Suikoden series, Suikoden II. From the same creator, Yoshitaka Murayama, who unfortunately passed away last February, Suikoden II is very much like Eiyuden Chronicles in almost all ways, with Eiyuden Chronicles essentially being a homage to Suikoden.
It offers the ability to recruit over 100 characters, of which over 40 are usable in combat. The story is more mature than many RPG series, and its narrative also focuses on the political landscape between the many nations in the world of Suikoden, such as those in the Dunan region where Suikoden II takes place. If you haven’t played Suikoden before, then this is also a great time to jump in, as Suikoden 1 and 2 are getting an HD Remaster that will be released sometime in the future, or you can just play the originals if you don’t want to wait too long.
