With the initial announcements of the DLC expansions for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, I admit that Seign’s didn’t spark my curiosity as much as the other two. That’s nothing against Seign’s character, of course! He’s one of the game’s more fleshed-out and interesting people. Instead, my lukewarm feelings regarding The Chapter of Seign stemmed from the fact that the story expansion covers the period during the events of Eiyuden Chronicle as opposed to being a prequel like Marisa’s or focusing on a less covered character like Markus. It’d need to be a stronger DLC than The Chapter of Marisa to justify its time frame and my investment.
Imagine my surprise discovering that The Chapter of Seign manages to be a stronger DLC outing, if only slightly. I ended up more invested in this expansion’s overall plot than the first DLC’s and genuinely enjoyed the all-too-brief time playing it. This enjoyment stems from the DLC not only delving into a story event only alluded to in the main game but also introducing new characters to further flesh out Eiyuden Chronicle’s world-building. Plus, The Chapter of Seign brings a tangible reward back to the main game upon completion.
As with The Chapter of Marisa, you must be relatively far into the main game and complete the Recapture of Eltisweiss event to access this DLC. Head to where Seign and his Galdean compatriots usually hang out and interact with the noticeable glowing urn there to start the story properly. Seign and company will then regale Nowa with the tale of their second adventure in the Galdean Empire that helped turn the tide of battle for our heroes. Once inside the DLC, you can use save points, peruse shops, or rest at inns when available, just like in the base game. You can also opt to leave the DLC at any time via glowing urn, though, given how short the expansion is, I don’t see the point unless you want to stock up on better gear or items for your party. Those things carry over from the main game, along with your party’s character levels.
The Chapter of Seign sees the titular character traveling back to enemy territory within the Galdean Empire with his trusted compatriots Hildi, Pohl, and Valentin. Their mission is to work with the underground resistance, fighting the tyranny of the usurping Dux Aldric’s forces. They want to rescue Ishmal, the newly crowned child emperor the Dux holds hostage to ensure the cooperation of the Galdean citizenry and soldiers (such as the honorable General Goldwyn and his forces). Seign’s contact for this operation is resistance fighter Grace, a capable woman with a military history and a past connection to Seign’s deceased older brother. Grace herself joins the party for the DLC as a temporary ally at roughly the same level as Seign’s group. She’s a solid addition to the party lineup and a surprisingly likable character, given her hilarious tendency to get lost easily and her compelling backstory. Likewise, the young emperor Ishmal, mentioned but never shown in the base game, gets some memorable moments in the DLC despite only appearing in its later half. Given this DLC’s narrative time frame within the scope of Eiyuden Chronicle, it occasionally references other characters and events from the base game, helping the story feel connected in a way that The Chapter of Marisa didn’t.
That isn’t to say the DLC’s plot is flawless, mind you. It still has a lot of “tell but don’t show” exposition, such as Grace being the only resistance member the group comes in contact with. The DLC implies they’re a decent-sized outfit and that several members even sacrificed their lives for the sake of the mission, but since you don’t see that yourself, it loses narrative impact. This story also mentions that the masked members of the Conclave of the Dawn have nefarious connections behind the scenes, but only in passing, as if an afterthought. Save for Grace’s character arc and the little bit we see of Ishmal, any other character’s development is stagnant, providing no new insight into Seign or his friends. Truthfully, the most significant plot weakness of the DLC is that it’s so short. If you’re like me, you’re looking at around two and a half hours or a max of three if you try to explore every nook and cranny of the two dungeon areas to get every uncoverable shiny item.
Unlike The Chapter of Marisa, there are no “puzzles” to solve in the dungeons, though the first one does have a maze-like design quality when traversing it. Instead, you keep pushing forward until you hit a story point while fighting enemies along the way. By the time you can access the DLC, you should be familiar with the setup of the Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes’ gameplay component, and there are no new surprises or additions here. There’s only turn-based party combat, so there are no strategy battles or duels to contend with.
At least there isn’t much to complain about regarding gameplay since The Chapter of Seign has a solid foundation. Battles are slightly more challenging and more strategy-oriented given the limited number of party members at your disposal—five instead of the max six—and Grace having fixed equipment. I honestly felt like I paid more attention to what I was doing during fights in this expansion, and enjoyed its dungeon traversal and combat. Like The Chapter of Marisa, this DLC provides no trophies or achievements. However, unlike its predecessor, you get a tangible incentive to complete the story expansion, as Grace carries over into the base game as a fully-fledged party member recruit to use in battles afterward. As I was rather fond of Grace throughout the DLC, I thought this was a nice touch, but because she’s such a late addition to the cast, you might consider it a nice yet ultimately unnecessary reward.
The DLC’s visuals are taken straight out of the base game. The pixel character sprites are colorful and expressive, and I love the vibrant art used for the more plot-relevant characters. Grace, in particular, has a neat design! The lack of enemy variety is a shame, as the monster designs are pretty interesting. The script flows nicely during story scenes, and the English voice acting is hit or miss, depending on the character. However, I enjoyed most of the performances overall. I also found the background music to be pleasant while dungeon traversing.
Overall, there are not many negatives regarding The Chapter of Seign. As far as the current two Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes DLC expansions are concerned, it’s the stronger one if only by a slim margin. I enjoyed it more than I initially thought, enough to lament it being far too short. Grace, in particular, is an excellent addition to the cast, even though it’s disappointing that she joins the main game so late. While I’m still unsure if it is worth the current price, The Chapter of Seign is one DLC I could see picking up at a discount. It’s certainly a step in the right direction for Eiyuden Chronicle‘s story expansions. I can only hope that the third and final one will be even more of an improvement.
