Unveiling the PG-Treasures of Aztec: A Complete Guide to Ancient Artifacts
When I first booted up Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, what struck me most wasn't just the gorgeous pixel art or the engaging combat system—it was how powerfully it transported me back to that magical era of late-90s JRPGs. Having spent over 80 hours exploring every corner of this world, I can confidently say this game stands as a beautiful tribute to the Suikoden legacy while carving its own unique identity. The development team, led by the late Yoshitaka Murayama, didn't just borrow elements from the legendary series—they understood its soul, its very essence.
What fascinates me most is how the game masterfully adapts Suikoden's signature mechanics while introducing fresh innovations. The recruitment system, which forms the backbone of the experience, feels both nostalgic and revolutionary. Unlike many modern RPGs that focus on a small cast, here you're constantly building your community, with each new member bringing unique abilities and storylines. I found myself genuinely invested in these characters—when I recruited my 30th ally, it wasn't just about filling a roster slot but about understanding their motivations and watching their relationships evolve. The political intrigue unfolds through these personal connections, making the stakes feel incredibly personal rather than just another save-the-world narrative.
The rune system deserves special mention, as it's arguably one of the most sophisticated magic mechanics I've encountered in recent years. Rather than simply being combat tools, these artifacts weave directly into the narrative fabric, with certain runes unlocking story branches that completely change your perspective on events. I remember discovering the "Truth-Seeker Rune" around the 15-hour mark, which opened up an entire subplot I'd completely missed during my initial playthrough. This branching narrative structure creates remarkable replay value—my second playthrough revealed about 40% new content simply because I made different alliance choices and pursued alternative character loyalties.
Where the game truly shines, in my opinion, is how it balances its epic scale with intimate character moments. The war narrative could have easily become another generic conflict between good and evil, but instead presents a morally complex landscape where former friends find themselves on opposing sides. There's one particular scene around the 25-hour mark where your closest ally from the beginning confronts you based on choices made earlier—it's genuinely heartbreaking and stayed with me long after I'd put down the controller. These emotional beats work because the writing maintains that distinctive Murayama touch: warm, witty, and full of surprising twists that feel earned rather than arbitrary.
The town-building aspect deserves its own praise, evolving from a simple base of operations into a living, breathing community that reflects your choices and alliances. Watching my headquarters grow from a modest outpost to a bustling fortress with over 50 unique facilities provided a sense of accomplishment I haven't felt since the original Suikoden games. Each building wasn't just cosmetic—the blacksmith I upgraded at the 12-hour mark remained crucial until the final boss battle, creating this wonderful continuity between investment and payoff.
What surprised me most was how the multiple viewpoint system enhanced rather than fragmented the narrative. Switching between characters didn't feel like a gimmick but provided genuine insight into the broader conflict. There's a brilliant sequence around the 35-hour mark where you experience the same battle from three different perspectives, each revealing crucial information the others lacked. This design choice creates this rich tapestry where no character has the complete picture—including the player—making revelations feel more impactful when they finally click into place.
Having completed the main story in approximately 48 hours (though completionists can easily double that), I'm left with profound appreciation for what the development team accomplished. This isn't just a love letter to Suikoden—it's a meaningful evolution of its concepts, refined through modern design sensibilities while preserving that classic JRPG soul. The political intrigue maintains complexity without becoming convoluted, the character relationships feel authentic and earned, and the recruitment system provides that wonderful collector's satisfaction while never reducing characters to mere numbers. For veterans of the genre, it's a homecoming; for newcomers, it's a perfect introduction to what makes these games so special. In an era where many RPGs prioritize spectacle over substance, Eiyuden Chronicle reminds us that the most powerful magic often lies in the connections we forge and the communities we build.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
