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Considering the fact thatEiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroesis a massive RPG featuring over a hundred playable characters, it isn’t particularly surprising that they wedged a few Easter eggs in here and there. These run the gamut from referencing classic anime to famous horror movies. And, naturally, a few of them a directly tied to classic Konami games.
We’ll show you some of the Easter eggs we encountered during our time exploring the world of Eiyuden. We are certain that this list isn’t comprehensive, but nonetheless, we’ve got some fun ones for you.
Suikodenis obviously an important part of the Eiyuden story. So, it isn’t surprising that there are a number of Easter eggs specific to that series. We’ve compiled our favorites and grouped them together with a little context for those who haven’t played these excellent games.
The Surprisingly Subtle Suikoden References
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a Suikoden game. It just is. So, there are a ton of structural elements that are shared between Eiyuden and the many Suikoden games that came before it. But I feel like noting how Eiyuden has a narcissist-type character, castle building, and a million other shared elements shouldnotcount as Easter eggs. We want the references to be more than just structural. However, there are some direct references, even if some of them are surprisingly subtle.
Schtolteheim Reinbach III Would Be Proud
Let’s start with one of the more front-and-center examples. Nowa has his own version of the running gag where a Suikoden hero would claim to be “Schtolteheim Reinbach III”. Though, here, Nowa will claim to be “Albert Munchausen III” instead. It is nice to see the legacy of this joke live on.
Naming Your Digs
Another example creeps up with the castle names available to the player when choosing what to call their headquarters.While there are a ton of great names to pick from in general, some are very clearly referencing past Suikoden titles. Castle Orange is likely in reference to the Orange Army, one of Jowy’s suggestions for your army name in Suikoden 2. While Mount Liang, another name you can pick, is an important location in the Water Margin novel, which was the loose inspiration for the Suikoden games. See what we mean when we say these are surprisingly subtle? What a deep cut!
Salted Ice Cream?
One more classic nod is Nanami’s Ice Cream making an appearance. To jog your memories, Nanami’s Ice Cream was salted ice cream that literally only Nanami liked - it would get a great score from her in the Iron Chef-style minigame, but everyone else hated it. Well, Nanami’s Ice Cream is back, bearing the Suikoden 2 heroin’s name and everything. Though it is a less contentious dish this time around.
We could also put the cooking game down as an Iron Chef Easter egg, we suppose, but that connection has everything to do with Suikoden 2 and almost nothing to do with Iron Chef.
The Cats! My God, The Cats!
So, this Easter egg isn’t a direct reference to anything that we know of (outside of the cats of various members of Rabbit And Bear studios confirmed to be in the game), but we just have to point out that Eiyuden not only featuresdozensof unique cats, often with completely different sprites, but these cats have a ton of unique animations as well. They roll over, they perch, they sprint around the place… there are dozens of unique animations present. The amount of work that must have gone into animating these cats makes my head spin.
And there are hidden cats, too. Like in Arenside, in the building where you first meet Seigb, there is a cat hidden up in the rafters. You’ll find them running around dungeons too. There are other animals present as well, of course. But the world of Eiyuden is unquestionably cat-heavy. Keep an eye out for them and go cat-watching. You’ll see something new every time!
You’re Going To Need A Bigger Boat
If you have been following this game at all, then you know that Yuferis is a bit of an icon in the Eiyuden fandom. And why wouldn’t he be? He is a charming shark man. Of course, everyone knows the most iconic theme associated with sharks. You see where this is going, right?
Yuferius’s special skill does, in fact, feature a legally distinct (if just barely) version of the Jaws theme. You’ll have exactly two opportunities to hear this iconic tuba-centric piece: during Yuferius’s special attack, and during his Heroic Attack with Scarlet (the other shark who you can take to battle).
Spin To Win And Be The Best There Ever Was
Of all the Easter eggs in Eiyuden, this one is easily the most front and center, but we’d feel silly skipping it: there is an entire Beyblade game named Beigoma included in the game.Not only that but there is a campaign to go alongside it.So, not only do you get the thrilling, top-spinning action of Beyblade, but you also get an anime rival to accompany it. What else could you possibly ask for? Well, what about just apinchofPokemon?
That’s right, while Beigoma is all Beyblade mechanically, you are given a quest to collect more Beigoma for a zany professor, and you are even given the option to choose a starting Beigoma. If that isn’t a Pokemon reference, then I don’t know what is.
Sonic Wolf’s Gotta Go Fast
Look, at first, we thought we may be stretching things. Sure, this shaggy wolf moves blindingly fast and is blue. And yeah, those are the primary characteristics ofa certain hedgehog… but that could all be coincidental, right? Well, upon looking into his bestiary entry we saw two things…
Why put that bit of lore about this super fast blue wolf, named Sonic, being from another world in unless you are implying a crossover of some sort? No. Sorry. We’re calling it. This deranged-looking wolf is absolutely a reference to SEGA’s Hedgehog. We’d bet a chillie dog on that!
Magical Girl Mania!
From Sailor Moon to Card Captor Sakura, there are a number of very deliberate homages to the whole magical girl genre. While we think that Mellore being a blatant Sailor Moon reference will likely be recognized by everyone playing, I have a sneaking suspicion that Carrie’s Cardcaptor Sakura-inspired getupmayend up flying under the radar. Rounding out the group, we have Momo, who we are less certain of, but gives us some Pretty Cure vibes.
To tie it all together, the three of them just happen to get a magical girl-themed Hero Combo: complete with Magical Girl transformations and poses. It is glorious. Needless to say, if you aren’t giving these three a place in your party, then you are clearly not a defender of love and justice!
Rabbit And Bear Making A Cameo
As most people are probably aware, Eiyuden was created by a whole new team composed primarily of ex-Konami employees and named Rabbit And Bear. However, this may not have been front of mind when you ran into the Bear Rider enemy. The rider in question is a rabbit, of course.
This is clearly a cute little reference to the company’s name. Well, it’s cute right up until the moment when that bear takes a mighty swat at Lian and drops her like a sack of potatoes.
Spooky Bloodlines
When you get to the Castle Harganthia, which is literally floating in the sky, only tethered to the earth by giant chains, it is hard to deny the immediate similarity to the classicCastlevaniacastle. But maybe you think we’re jumping the gun. Surely it is just a giant, Gothic castle? That could just as easily be an homage to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, right? Well, once you get into the guts of that castle, and start running on giant cogs, it’ll sink in that it is absolutely a wink and a nod to Castlevania fans.
Given the fact that Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow’s director was one of the lead creatives responsible for Eiyuden, we probably shouldn’t be surprised that Castlevania was given such a prominent nod. The boss you fight at the end of the castle even throws her wine glass at you while sitting on her throne. What is a Castlevania reference? A miserable pile of memes!
As an aside, the banging track for Castle Harganthia’s boss fight with The Countess would berightat home in a Castlevania title. Who knew the harpsichord and electric guitar paired so nicely?
