Suikoden - by Shady
Introduction:
Suikoden was released around 1996 by Konami, but I just got my hands on the game about a month ago. It turns out that Suikoden is now my favorite game of all time. Want to know why? Hopefully, my review will give you a good idea why.
Graphics (7.9/10)
Suikoden's graphics certainly aren't going to win any awards for best looking, but they definitely are not bad. The graphics are set in a 2D environment, and that is sure to get rid of some potential buyers. I, myself, have absolutely no problem with 2D graphics in role playing games. In fact, in some ways I like them better than the boring ol' 3D used in such star games as Final Fantasy VIII. One thing I like most about Suikoden's use of graphics is the attention to detail. The overall environment is excellent, and for the most part, the characters look great. For example, during a conversation with an important character (or the 108 stars of destiny), there will be a picture of the character in the upper corner of the text box. It gives you a good feel on what the character is really like. I love it. Another thing that I really enjoyed was the fact that like in Gregminster, there will be birds around the water fountain. Well, if you walk (or run) near the birds, they will fly away. It is that kind of detail that makes me like the graphics. But overall, I had to give the graphics a fair score of a 7.9.
Story (9.3/10)
I have heard many different opinions on Suikoden's story, and most of what I have heard is that it is just average. Well, that may be the case for some gamers, but for me it is excellent. Here is the background, taken from the manual:
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"Once there was a hero named Barbarossa - 'the Golden Emperor" - hero of the Scarlet Moon Empire. But the sun is now setting on the Empire."
"The day is silently drawing near. The 108 Stars of Destiny are gathering."
"The son of distinguished soldier Teo McDohl, one of the five great Imperial Generals, lives without want for anything, surrounded by his attendant Gremio, his father's servants Cleo and Pahn, and his best friend Ted."
"One day, Teo makes a trip to the north to protect his Empire. It is then that the boy realizes his place in the Empire and sees the world with his own eyes for the first time. A world filled with resentment toward the Empire awaits."
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Once again, the story is not for everyone, but I love it. I mean, you get to have your own castle during the game! That is where you will store the 108 stars of destiny that you can recruit. I don't know about you, but having my own castle is awesome. Also, as you go through the game the castle will get bigger and if you have recruited every character that you can, it will be at its maximum size. It's a great element to a great game.
Sound (9.0/10)
Classic. That one word describes Suikoden's music. The music is very memorable, especially in key points of the game like Gregminster and your castle. I also like the dungeon music. Some of the music did get annoying after a while, like in Kaku or Seika. In other places, though, it is just a masterpeice. For sound effects, they are nothing special but they do get the job done. Overall, an excellent job done on sound.
Gameplay (9.2/10)
Even though Suikoden is not the most in depth game in the world, it does have several key elements that make it great. In this gameplay section, I will attempt to break it down into several groups to give you a better idea of the game. Here we go..
108 Stars of Destiny
The 108 Stars of Destiny is what the game focuses on, and it stands for the 108 characters that you can recruit along your journey as a member of the Liberation Army. Check the characters and/or the replay value sections for more info..
Characters
Like I said in the little sub-section above this one, there are a total of 108 recruitable characters to be found in the game. Well, in this part, I will tell you some of my favorite characters, and why I like them.
*Gremio*
Gremio is my favorite character in Suikoden. He is the Hero's protector (or attendant like the manual says), and he has been around the Hero since he was just a little boy. He is just an overall great character.
*Viktor*
Viktor is one of the strongest characters you will have the chance to recruit in the game. Strength isn't his only asset though, he packs quite an attitude with him. He is involved in many great moments throughout the game.
*Pahn*
Pahn is also a protector of the Hero, and he has been protecting him ever since the Hero was a little boy, just like Gremio did. Pahn is also a strong character like Viktor, and he loves two things: fighting and eating.
*Stallion*
Stallion is an arrogant elf that is *very* fast. If you have him in your party, you can go around the world map much faster than you would without him. He is a fun character, but not one of the strongest to use in battle. His speed more than makes up for that, though.
Runes
Runes are what the characters use for magic. There are quite a few runes to be found in Suikoden. Each rune has their own strengths and weaknesses. You can attach one rune to each character, and they have the ability to help your characters out a great deal. It took me some time to getting used to, but once I got the hang of them, I found them to be of great use.
Minigames
I believe that there is a grand total of 3 minigames in Suikoden. First of all, there is the old cup & ball game where there are three cups and the ball is underneath one of them. If you can correctly guess where the ball is, you win however much money you bet. Secondly, there is a fun little dice game that you can win a great deal of money on. The rules may seem complicated at first, but they get easier as you go on. Finally, there is a card matching game where you try to beat time records. You can not win any money during that one, but it is a good time killer if you are bored.
The Battle System
Suikoden uses three different battle systems, and I will attempt my best to explain them:
Regular Battles
The regular battles are the most common, as they are how you will be battling the regular enemies and such. This battle system goes in a turn-based format, and you have four main choices as you approach each battle - Fight, Run, Bribe, and Free Will. Fight and run are obvious to what they do, but the other two may not be. Bribe lets you pay your enemy some money so you don't have to fight them, but make sure you have enough money with you. Free will lets the computer fight the battle for you. If you do decide to fight for yourselves, you can choose from attack, defend, rune, item, and unite. The first four are self explanatory, but the last one, unite, is something special. By choosing to unite, you can combine with other characters in your party to do more damage to your enemy. It is a very useful tool. Overall, Suikoden's regular battle system is great.
Duels
Duels are my favorite type of battles in Suikoden. They also occur the least out of the three possible types. Dueling is quite simple. It is a one on one battle, and you have three different things to choose from to use against your enemy - Desperate Attack, Attack, and Defend. It kind of goes in a rock, paper, scissors format - desperate attack beats attack, attack beats defend, and defend beats desperate attack. It is a very fun type of battle, and the duels usually occur when a major turning point of the game is happening.
Major Battles
Major battles are battles between the Liberation Army and the Imperial Army. What sets these battles apart from the rest is the fact that you control an entire army instead of just a party of characters or one character. This battle system also has a rock, paper, scissors format, but moreso than the duel battles. In this one, charge beats bow, bow beats magic, and magic beats charge. There is one more option on there, "other", and in there you can do other things like try to make the enemy turn traitor. Overall, I love the major battle system, as it is a lot of fun.
Controls (8.7/10)
This is a tough section to rank for RPGs. Nonetheless, I will try to give you a good feel on how the game controls. The basic controls for walking around are the directional buttons. Sadly, there is no analog support, and you can't move your character in a diagonal direction. If they would have included the option to move diagonal, I feel this section would have gotten a higher score. Other than the lack of a diagonal movement, though, Suikoden has easy to learn controls. The triangle button is not really used. The circle button (or L1) is used to cancel out of a menu or whatever it is that you are in. The X (or L2) button is used to select commands, talk to people, and examine items. Finally, the square button is used to open the command window, where you can use items & such. You should get the hang of the controls shortly after you start playing.
Replay Value (MEDIUM)
Do RPGs really ever have high replay value? Not really. Despite what some people may think, Suikoden does have a fair amount of replay value. I have played through the game two and half (yes, two and a half) times, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time. I am positive that I will play the game in the near future, probably after I finish Suikoden II. Anyways, the main feature that will keep gamers coming back to Suikoden are the 108 stars of destiny. See, if you have a game save on your memory card with the 108 stars of destiny at the final save point, you can upload that save into Suikoden II and unlock a hidden storyline. That is a very cool option, and it is worth playing through the original a few times just to get all of the characters.
Fun Factor (HIGH)
Yes, Suikoden has a very high fun factor. As a game overall, there is lots of fun to be had. I will admit that some sections of the game can be kind of boring (like in the dungeons), but for the most part Suikoden is a great experience. However, one thing that I didn't find fun (besides going through large dungeons) is battling weak enemies. Sure, you can let them go and not have to fight them, but it can be a tedious process. Thankfully, there is a rune you can get that will leave the weaker enemies hiding from you, but that doesn't even work sometimes. Don't worry too much, though, because it doesn't take too much away from the game.
Challenge (MEDIUM)
Unlike some RPGs, Suikoden is not full of challenge. It is not the hardest game in the world. The big thing about Suikoden that has got everybody and their mother buzzing is the fact that you can recruit 108 characters. Sure, recruiting all 108 characters is quite the challenge if you don't have a walkthrough, but you don't need to recruit them all to win the game. I found a couple of the bosses to be tough, but overall Suikoden has a medium difficulty.
Rent or Buy?
I bought my copy of Suikoden for $9.99 at a department store, and I am very happy that I bought it. My recommendation is for you to go and buy this baby right away, especially since it is at a low price now. You (hopefully) won't regret it.
The Good:
- Excellent music and gameplay
- Good graphics
The Bad:
- Not the hardest game around
- It seems a little short
And the Ugly:
- The final boss (ugh)
- No analog support :(
Overall (9.4/10)
Suikoden is my favorite game of all time, but I just couldn't give it a 10. There are a few little things that I disliked, but for the most part, this is a great adventure that everyone should try atleast once. Thank you, Konami.
My average Suikoden finishing time: 15 hours
