Suikoden

"A fine start to Konamis RPG series"

The first Suikoden is a fine start to Konamis RPG series. It is similar to many other Role Playing Games of it's time. It has a turn based battle system with a variety of moves. So what sets this game apart from so many other turn-based games? It has a variety of types of battle. Turn based action is not the only part of this game, nor is it the only fighting that you will see. This is an good start to the series.

The Suikoden world begins with but a short journey. Tir McDohl is the son of the great general Teo McDohl. In order to raise rank, he joins the imperial army accompanied by his household servants. Soon he is cast out of the empire, when he is called a traitor for protecting his best friend from the imperial soldiers. He then starts on his own journey, and meets up with a group of rebels, who seek to expose the empire for what it really is. A heavy burden lies on his shoulders, as the very fate of the liberation army rests on his shoulders.

Throughout the game, you must recruit a number of people to join your army. 108 people to be exact. Some of these people fight in battles, and do re-con missions. Others hold shops. Some even allow you to gamble your money away. By recruiting all 108, you will get a bonus towards the end of the game. It's not much of a reward, but it's certainly worth it, since all of the people are worth having.

There are three types of battles in the Suikoden world. The first being your normal turn based battle. These battles occur on a regular basis, they are the heart and soul of the game. They are required for leveling up and for gaining money. Without these, the game would be rather weak. Then there is the duel, these are short battles that involve only a single character. There are three types of attack in these battles. Attack, which allows the character to deal damage. Defend, which defends against attack and deathblows. Deathblow is the last type of move, which will deal a critical amount of damage. Like Paper Rock Scissors, Attack beats Defend, Defend beats Deathblow, and Deathblow beats attack. But attack will do damage in all cases, whereas deathblow does nothing to defend.

Then there is the last type of battle, the major battles of suikoden. These are the battles that your armies are there for. These are the types of battles that drive the story. This is where your army shows it's strength. These battles unlike the other two, do not depend upon your level or your money. These are fights against other armies. It too is like paper rock scissors. You have the attack team, which fights well against Bowmen. The Bowmen, who fight well against Magicians. And the magicians who fight well against the attack team. But you also have other resources at your disposal. Spies who can find the enemies next attack. Merchants who will help persuade the enemies into joining your cause. And strategists who increase the strength of your attackers. This is the type of battle that really drives the game along.

Even with the multiple types of battle , this game is pretty easy for the average gamer. Each of the battle systems are learned easily, and once you get the hang of it, it's easy to manipulate the system. With 6 characters in battle, and many different runes for you to use, this game should not come off as difficult. It is one of the easier RPGs out there. With glitches that allow you to gain an unseemly amount of money, and with enemies that level you up at a good pace, this game doesn't get it's reputation from it's difficult. If it's a challenge you want, this is not where you would get it. But that doesn't hold this game back. It's story and it's type of battles is what drives it, not it's difficulty.

As for the music, it backs up the story very well. The songs continue through the series, so they really define the game as well as they can. It's easy to associate the songs with where you first heard them. The songs can define the places you first hear them at. They do a good job at foreshadowing what is going to happen. The songs may not be of the best quality, but they work.

Each of the 108 characters do not have their own theme, but they do have a unique appearance, and a face graphic. Many games do not include this type of thing. Even Tir McDohl has his own personal face graphic, though he rarely has anything to say. The game isn't visually stunning, but the graphics get the job done. Each battle animation is well done, and each type of battle has it's own special animation.

The world of suikoden is built around the 27 true runes. This game introducing the first, the soul eater. The runes give humans and elves, and kobolds, and dwarves the ability to use magic. Just like the 27 true runes gave birth to the world, this game gave birth to the series, and continues to deliver the magic for people everywhere.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/14/05