Suikoden

• Release Date: 1996
• Genre: Role-Playing
• Style: Third-Person 2D RPG
• Similar Games: Vandal-Hearts (PlayStation), Wild Arms (PlayStation), Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation)

Game Description

Betrayal, revenge, love, camaraderie -- all these elements are bound together in Konami's 2D role-playing epic Suikoden. You assume the role of a young boy whose father, Teo McDohl, is a distinguished general in the Scarlet Moon Empire. The hero of the story, your character, is coming of age and going through trials and tribulations about being the son of a decorated general.

After Teo left to head up north for official business, it was up to your character to take care of everything in his absence. The hero joins the Imperial Guard but then realizes things aren't as they seem -- very shady dealings and characters. In a rebellious fashion, you take heed under a woman named Odessa and join the Liberation Army, a group of ragtag individuals who are adamant about overthrowing the Imperial Guard.

In Suikoden, you are presented with a vast world to explore and lots of mysteries to solve and fighting to do. As you journey around to various towns, you will come across adventurers who want to join the fight. There are 108 total companions (the Stars of Destiny) to find and recruit, though you can only have a handful in your party at one time. Some are actually needed to progress throughout the game, and some are there for the sake of being there -- for the cause at hand.

You will also come across 27 Runes of Truth, mysterious stones that give the wielder great power and ability. Among the various runes is the Killer Rune that doubles your chances of executing a critical blow; the Hate Rune shoots off a searing fire projectile; and the Dragon Rune allows dragons to coexist with humans. Each one is almost essential to find.

In addition to regular party battles (against a collection of nasty monsters and enemies), you'll engage in one-on-one duels and full-scale wars, a struggle against the Liberation Army and the Imperial Guard. When fighting in one of these battles, every single Star of Destiny you have found so far will come out and fight for you. Each character is then grouped together and when they have attacked, they sit the rest of the battle out until the end of the turn. It plays in this fashion until either the Liberation Army or Imperial Guard is defeated.

Roots & Influences

Role-playing games (RPGs) have been around in some form or fashion since the 80s. Prior to the release of Final Fantasy VII, they were often met with minimal success, only appealing to a small portion of game players.

Suikoden attempts to blend a lot of various role-playing elements into one game. It takes some ideas from RPG 101 (mainly in the way of story) and allows you to choose your own party and find and recruit over a hundred companions. This was mostly started back in the early days of PC role-playing, and was later introduced in Final Fantasy III.

Review: Overall

Prior to the release of Suikoden, Konami had been skeptical about releasing Japanese role-playing games in the United States (due to their lack of popularity). Taking a risky financial chance, Suikoden was ported over to the States, hoping it would find a following to justify its translation. Konami couldn't have picked a better title. Building upon an already strong background, Suikoden excels as an RPG in every respect. From the opening title screen, you are presented with strong layout that draws you into the majestic gaming world.

As the son of Teo McDohl, an elite general of the Imperial Guards, you realize the crooked ways of the force and join the Liberation Army. The latter is on a crusade against the evil powers of the Imperials and wish to stop their reign of corruption. Because the task at hand is massive, you will need to recruit a wide variety of warriors, thieves, mages and even inventors to help dethrone them.

Getting down to the gameplay, Suikoden offers a vaguely challenging quest, though it is possible to complete the entire game without dying. That said, it does seem to help the flow of the game -- it never seems frustratingly difficult to progress and journey on. As further fact of this, Suikoden's story and events are linear and to the point. There is only a few times throughout the game where you are given a choice as to how to approach something, but for the main part, you're lead down a prepared path. As you delve deeper and deeper into the game and visit town after town, you begin to realize that the storyline is no pushover -- it's very complex and well told.

If you're looking for a title that will captivate you with a well-orchestrated soundtrack, then you MUST try Suikoden. It offers some of the best music found in any game out there (circa 1996) -- period. The soundtrack is made up entirely of foreign-sounding melodies and some acoustic guitar strumming. Suikoden will not only satisfy gamers with its enticing gameplay, but with its rich aural experience.

Additionally, the controls are executed nicely. While this isn't one of the biggest factors in a role-playing game, they are done remarkably well and provide nice, responsive control. Menus are easily accessible and your characters move around smoothly. Searching and talking to various townsfolk is very easy to do and it feels comfortable.

The look of a game usually has no effect on the gameplay or storyline, especially in a role-playing game, but those looking for eye candy in Suikoden will be disappointed. It uses a traditional 2D-sprite based graphics engine and will fail to attract gamers looking for another Final Fantasy VII or Wild Arms. But with any role-playing game, consider this age-old expression, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Suikoden could work as the poster child of that statement.

Konami has always provided great games, such as the now classics Contra and Castlevania. It seems that they can develop great role-playing games, as well. If you're looking for a fantastic story with rich characters and lots of options, Suikoden will not disappoint.

Review: Enjoyment

While it may be a tad short, Suikoden conjures up a wonderful adventure with an intriguing storyline that will keep you in front of your PlayStation for hours.

Review: Graphics

The sprite-based characters and rendered backgrounds are nice to look at and the 3D battle scenes are greatly done.

Review: Sound

You will more than likely be inspired to importing the soundtrack because the game's music is absolutely fantastic. The sound effects are decent as well.

Review: Replay Value

Though its not a long game, trying to find all 108 Stars of Destiny will keep you busy for a good, long while.

Review: Documentation

In addition to a very informative game manual, a walkthrough is available at {@Konami}'s homepage.

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