The creators behind the beloved JRPG series Suikoden have announced a new JRPG development project on Kickstarter, titled Eiyuden Chronicle.
The team, which consists of industry veterans Yoshitaka Murayama, Junko Kawano, Osamu Komuta and Junichi Murakami, will work on the project, which is intended as an ode to classic JRPGs from the era of the original Playstation, and will feature “classic JRPG exploration and battles in high-resolution 2.5D graphics, pixel-based characters, a story of war and friendship, a diverse cast of 100 unique heroes to join the protagonist’s endeavor, and a fortress building system to grow their army.”
The game will also feature a guild system that allows players to change their fortress attributes depending on their guild. Battles will be turn-based affairs (the best RPG battle style, fight me about it) with parties of up to six members, and will feature boss battles that change camera angles and rotate depending on the environment.
The game’s story will be written by Suikoden I and II scenario writer Yoshitaka Murayama (Suikoden I, Suikoden II, The Alliance Alive), while Junko Kawano (Suikoden I, IV, Arca Last) handles the character design, system design and direction by Osamu Komuta (Suikoden Tierkreis, Suikoden Tactics, Arca Last) and art direction and production by Murakami (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, OZ).
For the soundtrack, the game will feature compositions by famed RPG composers Michiko Naruke (Wild Arms series), Motoi Sakuraba (Tales series), among other artists.
To work on the project, the team has put together a new development studio, called Rabbit & Bear Studios, which is based in Tokyo, Japan. Eiyuden Chronicle marks the first time the four developers have worked on a game together, and the first collaboration between Murayama and Kawano in over 25 years.
“The first thing we decided when our members came together was, ‘It’s about time we made a really interesting game that we ourselves want to make.’ We chose Kickstarter in order to make an interesting game with the players in mind, hold the rights to the planning, world, and story of the game, all while keeping the fun of the project. Please lend us your support in this new challenge of ours! We promise to create something that heeds the call of your voices,” states Yoshitaka Murayama, the project leader of Eiyuden Chronicle.
The Kickstarter will run from July 27th to August 28th, and will allow backers the chance to support the production of the game through a wide array of rewards with various tiers.
