Time travel can be tricky, especially when it involves you and those you care for. That’s the central dilemma of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes‘ third DLC story expansion, The Chapter of Markus. When the fabled Skeleton King Markus and other party members are inexplicably thrown back three hundred years to Castle Harganthia amid a fierce calamity, what choices will they make? Could they potentially alter their present? Sadly, the answers to those questions might not be worth the price of admission.
Since The Chapter of Markus is allegedly the final story expansion for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and because it features interesting characters like Markus and the indomitable Momo (easily one of the cast highlights and a mainstay in my party through the endgame), this DLC was admittedly one I had high hopes for. The fact that The Chapter of Seign was slightly more substantial than the preceding The Chapter of Marisa also made me hope that the third DLC would follow an upward trend. Unfortunately, this short expansion is the weakest of the trio, closing out the DLCs on a whimper rather than a resounding bang.
To start The Chapter of Markus, you need to be pretty far into the base game, at a point after the Recapture of Eltisweiss event. You also must have recruited both Milana and Momo into your ranks. If you meet those requirements, one of the telltale DLC glowing urns will appear on the first floor of your headquarters close by the entrance. Interacting with it begins a story scene with main character Nowa finding teleportation “expert” Carrie, necromantic lover of the dark mystic arts Milana, the magical powerhouse of cuteness Momo, and the Skeleton King Markus cryptically discussing some kind of sensed magical disturbance that the hapless Nowa gets roped into coming along with the group to investigate.
Carrie’s teleportation lands the newly established party three hundred years earlier in what will become Castle Harganthia, just as a swarm of undead revenants lay siege to it. As the surviving soldiers under the banner of a very much human king, Markus, try to carry on the fight, Nowa quickly volunteers the party to help by venturing past a magic seal only they can inexplicably traverse through. It isn’t too long after that when the party, guided by a surprisingly insistent Markus, finds themselves drawn into other conflicts so that they can potentially preserve their present timeline.
I honestly wish that the DLC expanded on this story, because on paper, the premise is rather intriguing. Unfortunately, there’s a rushed sense to this DLC’s narrative. The expansion relies a lot on the “tell but don’t show” storytelling mechanic, which was a critique I also had with the base game. Soldiers lament the deaths of their loved ones, but because we arrive in the aftermath of the more significant conflict, the reveal doesn’t have any emotional impact. The DLC only mentions Markus’ initial friendship with Diradhe in passing, so Diradhe’s already well-established betrayal also doesn’t have as much oomph to it since we already saw that facet of his character in the present timeline.
Perhaps the most endemic character representing the flaws in storytelling in The Chapter of Markus is Salie. The love of Markus’ life and even subsequent undeath, Salie is meant to be a tragic figure both in this past timeline and in the present one where we only see her briefly as a fierce boss fight. She didn’t get much personality or backstory in the present timeline and, sadly, while The Chapter of Markus could’ve opted to correct that, it inexplicably doesn’t. Salie has only a handful of lines, most of them simply lamenting how things turned out due to Diradhe’s betrayal of Markus. There’s no real story revealed about the great love between her and Markus or how that spurred Diradhe’s jealousy and subsequent betrayal. Instead, The Chapter of Markus simply tells you these things that were already well-established lore droppings in the base game. It’s a shame, as I think the potential for an altogether epic story exists but never quite solidifies.
Even some of the more substantial aspects of the story in The Chapter of Markus are hampered by the weakness of the storytelling. As mentioned previously, Momo is one of my favorite characters who steals almost every scene, which is also true here with an interesting character reveal. However, said reveal is something that the base game already flat-out tells you, so while I appreciate the further inclusion, it also seems wholly unnecessary in the plot’s grand scheme. Nowa, Milana, and Carrie just feel like extra tagalongs to the story with no real purpose for being there. At least with Nowa and Milana, they serve as additional party members since Carrie doesn’t even get to do that! The one memorable scene highlight for me is the reasoning behind how present-day Markus chooses to face his past. I think it highlights his surprisingly noble and self-sacrificing spirit, but again, it feels like it is also something we didn’t need the DLC to convey.
From a gameplay stance, The Chapter of Markus is easy to pick up if you’re familiar with how Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes plays, which is a given due to how late in the game you must be even to access the expansion. I’d recommend upgrading Milana, Momo, and Markus’ gear and weapons before playing the DLC. That keeps you from returning to the base game after starting up the expansion, which you can do at any glowing urn throughout it.
You only have traditional turn-based battles to contend with. However, with three primarily squishy magic users in the group and Nowa being your only physical fighter, fights do take some strategizing to get through, especially if you’re trying to conserve your more powerful magic and restorative items for the final boss. However, you can quickly navigate through the DLC’s random encounters once you get into a rhythm.
Unlike the previous DLCs, The Chapter of Markus has no puzzles to solve. It’s a straightforward run from one point in the castle to the next, which helps explain why this expansion is easily the shortest of the three at around two hours — and that length includes trying to get every chest and explore each nook and cranny. It’s disappointing, as I imagine there could’ve been some interesting “magic” type of puzzles given all the mages in the party. You also don’t get any tangible rewards or achievements for this DLC.
Graphically, the backgrounds and pixel sprite work remain pretty eye-catching. I love the character artwork for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, which remains the same for this DLC. Enemy designs are also quite neat, though you’ll face variations of the same enemies repeatedly during the castle run. My least favorite graphical asset of the base game was the “revenant horde” graphic work, which unfortunately makes a noticeable comeback in this DLC, much to its visual detriment. The English voice acting is decent enough, with special mention of Diradhe, Markus, and Momo’s voice actors. The music fits the expansion and is appropriately emotional, like the theme “Castle Harganthia,” though the DLC simply reuses tracks from the base game. The script work is also nicely done, with no errors to mention.
When all is said and done, I can’t help but feel disappointed with The Chapter of Markus since it is what closes out the three DLC story expansions for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. I wouldn’t say it’s exceedingly terrible, as at the end of the day, it’s more Eiyuden Chronicle, but it doesn’t live up to its inherent potential either. If you’re already getting the DLC by backing the title, I’d say it’s worth playing. But if you’re debating purchasing the DLC separately, I’d recommend waiting for a hefty discount. As it stands, I just can’t recommend paying the steep full price of around $9 USD for what you get here.
