Suikoden III

"A legend in it's own time"

--------------------
Introduction:
--------------------

This is the 3rd game in the Suikoden series, and a very good one at that. I have not played the other Suikoden games, so I cannot to compare it to the others, but I can and will compare it to other RPG’s.
I heard about this game from Tech TV, when flipping by. After reading reviews, I got the game. It has brought me a lot of enjoyment over the past few weeks, and I hope it continues. The game will always have you guessing, and jumping to conclusions, when the answers are far different than you may have thought.

--------------------------
Gameplay (10/10):
--------------------------

You start the game in a big circle, with three fires on the edges. As you move the controller, you can select the fires to start the stories of the three main characters; Hugo, Chris, and Geddeo. This is where you can make a big choice. You can either play each character’s chapters all at once, or you can travel back and forth between one character then the other. If you pick one character’s chapters all at once, you get a better feel for each character’s individual personality, and the story seems a little better. Usually, once you finish a chapter, you go back to a different character. The game does a good job of reminding you of whom you are with, and what is going on. Also, it isn’t linear at all, so you can go back and visit previous towns you have already been to, to recruit some of the 108 stars of destiny, which brings me to my next point.
In your whole experience, you can recruit a lot of side characters, that don’t affect the plot. The story will still focus around the main characters, but it is nice to have a person in your group to be the healer, or the powerhouse, if you don’t already have one. Gathering more stars of destiny will change your castle in some ways, and if you get them all, there is another scene that will be added to the ending. Some of the stars are incredibly easy to get, some just walk straight into you. Others take a lot of time, and even the right type of people in your group. You should always be on the look out for people to recruit.
With over 108 different characters, you never really fight the same battle over and over again. The design of the bosses and even some of the tiny monsters is amazing. Most of the spells are fun to watch too, but they can get a little long at times. Depending on how leveled up your character is, the magic is rather slow to cast. After every battle, you get money, skill points, and experience. The first two are obvious, but skill points can be used to enhance magic or physical abilities.
There are three different types of battles that take place. The most common is a group battle, with your three pairs of two. These consist of random monsters that are found depending on the area you are in. The second type of battle is a duel. These occur with people whom your character is mad at. Usually, you can talk your way out of them, but sometimes you just feel like a duel. The duels are basically a game of Rock-Paper- Scissors. Attack beats Defend, Deathblow beats Attack, and Defend beats Deathblow. Whenever you are in a duel, the opponent will say something before you select your move. Usually, you can tell what they are going to use by what they say. The harder the enemy, the harder the quote will be to decipher. You get no experience or Potch from duels, but they are still fun. The final form of battle is my favorite, an army battle. In this, your comrades will fight with a village or an army, to take down a massive amount of people. There will be several circles with lines connecting them, and when it is your turn, you can move from the circle you are on to another circle. If there is an enemy occupying that circle, you will get into a battle with them. The battle is your group versus theirs. In this battle, you can attack or retreat. If you choose to attack, the computer will most likely physically attack, but sometimes, the computer will use a rune. You cannot control your armies in battle. You can also choose to use a skill in the main area (with the circles). If you have someone in your group who can use a skill, like healing, you can choose to use that. That takes up your turn, and each character gets 1 turn per phase. Then the enemy gets to move and use skills and battle you. There are always some terms for victory, which are usually to keep the main character alive. If you do well in the army battle, you will get a very good reward.
The battling system is very good. There are six slots available, with three groups of two. The way you match up the pairs can be very important. An option in battle you can use is combination attack. If you match up the right people, they might be able to do a move more superior than normal physical attacks. Sometimes the attack can be terribly weak and harmful to your allies, so they don’t need to be used. The form of magic in this game is called Runes. There are 27 different type of runes in the world. The runes include the basic elements of fire, lightning, and water, but can also include some very weird abilities. Each person can hold three runes, one in their right hand, one in their left, and one in the head. You can find runes from fighting enemies, or you can simply buy them from a rune sage. To level up your magic ability, go to a library and study. Don’t worry; you don’t actually have to learn things.
Battles don’t happen so often that they are annoying, but there are enough battles to stay leveled up. Depending on how well leveled up you are, the battles can be very easy. But everywhere you go, there is a 5% chance that you will get into a rare encounter. The monsters in this battle are more powerful versions of normal monsters. You could be fighting a rare monster, then ten minutes later, be fighting that same monster as a normal enemies. You cannot run away from the rare monsters, but if you manage to defeat them, a large amount of experience and Potch (the form of currency) can be obtained.
In certain area’s, you will run into Treasure Bosses. These are monsters that are visible, meaning, they aren’t random. They usually have over 3000 hp, and can pack quite a punch. These monsters leave tons of Potch, and a treasure chest full of useful armor and runes. These monsters take a bit of time to regenerate, and if you know you can beat them, you should always try. It’s worth it.

------------------------
Controls (10/10):
------------------------

The controls are pretty easy to figure out, nothing too special to say. X is select, talk to, or continue. Circle doesn’t really do anything, now that I think about it. Triangle is used to cancel a command. Square is used to bring up the menu. You can also use the R1 button for X, and R2 for triangle. In fact, you can beat the entire game with just using your left hand, if you never wanted to use the main menu. You can also use the right analog stick to move, so it is possible to beat the game with just your right hand. It does get hard to use just one hand, however, so I use both. The controls are very good, and I couldn’t think of any ways to improve them. That means it must be great.
The only reason I gave this category a ten was because it’s so easy to figure out, and not too hard on the hands. A perfect match of buttons.

--------------------
Story (10/10):
--------------------

I wish I could compare this to the first two Suikodens, but I can’t. I have heard there are a few references here and there, but the characters are different. The world that these characters live in is very big, and I suppose the best way to explain it all is to start from the beginning.
In the beginning, there was only a sword and a shield. The sword and the shield had a huge battle that lasted for 3 days. In the end, neither won. The sword became the sky, and the shield became the earth. Twenty-seven runes were created during the great fight, they were said to be sparks from the crushing blows, and still remain intact. There are 27 true runes, and as legend goes, they give immortality to anyone who uses them.
There are Four major areas with their own armies. First is Grassland, these are the creatures that roam the earth. They are known by the Zexans as “Barbarians”. They include such clans as the Karaya clan, The Lizard clan, the Duck clan, and three others. The second main group is the Zexans, which are referred to as the “Ironheads”. Next is the Harmonions, who are pretty much unheard of until the 3rd chapters of the main characters. Then there are the Outlands, which aren’t too important.
I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but massive wars take place and a new hero has to step up to the plate to save the world. It won’t be easy, but it will be one hell of a ride.

The game starts out with each person’s individual story, and they were able to smash it all together into one good story. I was amazed at how well they brought the characters together, so you could eventually play as all of them. There are a few other side characters that you can select, but you have to do certain things to unlock them. Most of them aren’t too hard to find, but they are still fun to play.

------------------------------------
Sound and Music (8/10):
------------------------------------

The music is all right, and sets the mood somewhat, but if you are stuck in one place, the music gets on your nerves. The sound effects are pretty good, as well as some of the special effects to go along with them. There really isn’t much to say about all this. Some of the songs are really good, some of the songs are just background music, and some are just plain annoying. The only good song I can pick out is the battle music, it gets you in the mood to fight.
Most of the music in this game can be considered elevator music. The songs don’t get more intense at intense parts in the game. That is what makes the sound track meager. The music should support the actions that are being taken on screen, and not just the same music and beat over and over.

-------------------------------
Re-play ability (4/10):
-------------------------------

This is where this game lacks in points. Yeah, once you go through this game once, the story doesn’t seem so gripping, so it’s harder to get sucked in. The story and Gameplay are very good, but you won’t get much variety out of two different games. Sure, there are 108 different characters and you can use them in any order, but it gets pretty old. I don’t think you’ll need to play the game twice though, I have logged over 60 hours, and I went pretty fast. This game is very long, and very good.

-------------------------
Buy, or Rent?
-------------------------

If you like RPG’s, buy this game! It will provide hours of entertainment, a good story, and some very good graphics. If you are new to the whole genre, I suggest renting it first, and seeing if you like the style and format of the game. There is practically no way to beet this game in a renting period, but you might be able to rent it a couple times and finish it. In fact, renting a few times will save you more money in the long run (with no re-play ability). However, I bought it and have no regrets. It is a terrific game that kept me captivated.

-------------------
Conclusion:
-------------------

This is by far one of the best game’s I have ever played. If the music was just a little better, it would be number one on my list. This game offers all that an RPG should. The story kept me on my toes, always wanting to know what happened next. It always seems like you know what is going to happen, but you’re wrong. Unless you read something in advance, you will have no idea of what happens in the beginning of Chapter 4, when things get really interesting. Truly, a gaming legend in it’s own time.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/22/03, Updated 07/22/03