The last time Konami made a proper Genso Suikoden RPG was 14 years ago for the PlayStation 2. That game was Gensou Suikoden 5, released a few years after Yoshitaka Murayama, the creator of Gensou Suikoden, left the company. Since then, not many games have borne Murayama's name, but next week he plans to add another: Eiryoden Chronicles, a Kickstarter project created by several core members of the original Gensou Suikoden team. [Murayama is trying to follow in the footsteps of other well-known Japanese creators like Keiji Inafune and Koji Igarashi to create a spiritual successor to the old game he knows so well. It features high-resolution 2.5D graphics, pixel-based characters, a story of war and friendship, a diverse cast of 100 unique heroes who join the hero's efforts, and a fortress construction system to grow the army". There will also be battles with six party members. As one would expect from Suikoden.

The story will be written by Muraya, and a new indie studio called Rabbit & Bear will include Suikoden veterans: character designer Junko Kono and Osamu Komuta, who directed the spin-off Suikoden Tear Cry and Tactics. The music will also be composed by composers who have worked on popular JRPG series such as "Wild Arms" and "Tales".

Rabbit & Bear sent us some early screenshots of "Chronicle of Heroes". The character illustrations are classic Gensou Suikoden, a style I haven't seen in other modern JRPGs, and the screenshots have a fun 2.5D look from the PS2 era. It's not cutting edge technology, but the mix of sprites and 3D backgrounds is something that looks cool when done well. Of course, we don't know how a few prototype screenshots will translate to the full game.

As a spiritual successor, I hope that "Heroes" is more "Bloodstained" than "Mighty No. 9". That is, if they can raise the necessary funds to produce it; the Kickstarter campaign kicks off on Monday, July 27.