The weather is changing, outside! One thing that isn’t is our March Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes update is here! Rabbit & Bear Studios is hard at work as they continue to work hard to finish the game. Currently still slated for a release this year Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes promises to be the next latest and greatest when it comes to the JRPG genre. In our March update, we get a sneak peek at some UI, Murayama’s Monthly Update, and a word from the team.
UI Update
As Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes continues toward the end goal, we get little tidbits here and there. This month the team gave us a little sneak peek into what the UI may look like. As you can see this is the Japanese version of the UI for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. They did say the UI is technically still in development and is subject to change. A few things we can take away from this is that it’s the status screen. I do want to say the colors in this game, even with this screen look amazing. The status screen will obviously show basic information for the characters such as their stats, HP, and MP.
It also has the “SP” stat listed which will be interesting to find out what exactly it is used for. My guess is that has something to do with their skills maybe. From the Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes UI screen we can also see that there is a section for their weapons and equipment such as armor and items. From the image, the UI looks good and I can’t wait to see more.
Murayama’s Monthly Update
Murayama wanted to talk about the importance of the different systems in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes as well as the importance of UI and he said this:
An RPG is a collection of very diverse systems. There are systems for navigating towns and other maps. Systems for performing actions and talking to NPCs like townsfolk. Also systems for activating and replaying events, combat systems when you enter battles, trading systems when you enter stores, and leveling systems for upgrading stats. Not to mention that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will have war event systems for war scenes, solo combat systems for solo combat scenes, systems for the main city’s particular structure, and systems for minigames, etc. And that’s not forgetting the system behind party management, which we showed a screenshot of above.
Unfortunately, we can only show off the Japanese version at this time as it’s still under development, but seeing each of these systems being completed brings a special kind of joy. Regarding the UI, we believe striking a balance between high functionality and ease of understanding is important. When it comes to item management, for example, players might want to sort their items by multiple criteria. However, a lot of consideration needs to go into whether implementing such a function is a good idea or not.
More Detail On The UI
Murayama went into more detail on the UI for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and told us this:
An interface that always forces the player to choose multiple sort conditions is redundant when just one sort condition is enough. It’s unnecessary for a screen like that to appear all the time when you can switch between conditions at the tap of a button. Well in that case, should we make it selectable only when it’s needed? If so then we can add the new function to the system, but as more functions are added, the overall system becomes more difficult to understand.
Games aren’t tools, so a balance between functionality and understandability is important. I don’t think having a status screen that displays all the data in the game is a good idea. Having a screen filled with rows of numbers leans towards incomprehensibility. We want to present detailed information the players are looking for in a way that’s easy to understand. The status screen in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is structured according to those considerations.
A Word From The Team
Kuwano pops in here real quick to mention some stuff about characters and shared this:
Hello everyone, Kawano here. I’m in charge of the character illustrations. Development is at its climax and I’m working my tired body to the bone. I like to rouse myself when I’m feeling exhausted by looking at the development screens and thinking, “Everyone’s working hard, so I’ve gotta work hard too!” lol There have been a few occasions now where I’ve observed voice recording sessions. Then have been so overwhelmed by a performance for a character that I rush home before I have a chance to calm down and secretly add “they must pull this face when they say that phrase.”
I’m mostly working from home with Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. So getting to see what others have been up to from time to time is great stimulation. (This probably isn’t the time or place, but there are so many characters in this title, so the amount of voices and cast members is wild! Please wait until we can release more details…!) Until next time!
Wrap Up
After a couple of slow months, it’s nice to start seeing some screenshots from Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes like the UI. Even just from that you can tell how colorful the game aims to be. It’s definitely cool to hear Murayama’s thought process when it comes to the UI. As well as the implementation of different systems in the game. Of course, anytime Kuwano talks about character development you can tell how excited she continues to be when it comes to all of the characters. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes shows great promise as all the devs continue toward the finish line. The game will be released on all platforms when finished and will be in Game Pass on day one!
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