Suikoden

"An amazing RPG that should be the industry standard"

There is not much one can say about Suikoden to describe its greatness. On the outside, Suikoden looks like more of a collector's item than anything; nothing special about the graphics, a seemingly cliche plot and too many characters to manage. However, its true beauty can only be seen by playing it.

For starters, the music fits the mood nicely. In some situations, it gets your blood pumping for a huge battle. Or it may be a carefree event with an appropriate song. It does not stand out—an orchestra in MIDI form was the standard for many role-playing games of the time—but it certainly helped it.

The gameplay is outstanding. The battles are turn-based but have a real-time feel to them. The duels, although rare, are simply a fun experience. The army fights are a fun test of strategy. With 108 unique characters to collect throughout the entire game, the battles shake the repetitive monotony set by the numerous other games of its genre. In fact, the characters are one aspect where this game really shines. 108 characters seem more like a burden than anything, but they allow you to personalize your party to your tastes, since they're all very nicely balanced.

The story is nothing short of enthralling. While seemingly hollow on the outside, it develops into much more than you ever expected. Each of the 108 characters has a separate and interesting background, and it's fun to see them evolve as the game progresses. The protagonist of the story breaks the mold of the “Silent Hero” perpetuated in so many other RPGs. Instead of the traditional “yes” or “no” restrictions of its predecessors, you are allowed varied options to suit your taste. What you decide to say will not only directly affect those around you, but will also help to shape your character. Will you be a polite and forgiving leader? Or will you choose to be ruthless and crude?

The dialogue of the game is simply incredible. The essence of war is captured perfectly. The suffering, desperation, betrayals, rush of victory and the agony of defeat are all masterfully portrayed. The script evokes emotions as well as an epic movie but does not leave you yawning towards the end. In fact, the game will often have you wide-awake as it gets to more frantic parts and engages you in intense battles and situations.

The battles, as mentioned before, are very entertaining and just plain fun. There are actually three types of battles. The first is the battle where you and a party of up to five others are pitted against various monsters and rivals. However, unlike many other games, there is no dependence on a certain skill or spell to get you through the fights. You can only cast spells so many times before they run out. The fights are not overly hard nor are they too easy. Although, since there are still random encounters, you will be pitted against the same batch of enemies multiple times while navigating a dungeon. This is where ‘Free Will' comes into play. At the start of each round, you are given a choice between manually choosing what each character will do, running from the enemy, bribing the enemy or ‘Free Will'. What it does is automate your party's actions, giving your characters a temporary AI script. This works well when facing enemies that are easily dispatched, although when facing new enemies or bosses, it's often wise to monitor your actions.

The second type of battling is the clash of your army against the Imperial army. As stated before, they are a fun test of your strategy. The actions resemble rock-paper-scissors. You can choose to charge, use archers or cast magic. ‘Charge' means you have your soldiers advance and fight close up with the enemy. ‘Bow' has your archers fling a volley of arrows towards your enemy. ‘Magic' has your sorcerers cast a spell on the enemy. You also have the option of ‘Other' that allows you to use miscellaneous actions, such as trying to convince some of your enemy to join you, finding out your enemy's next strategy or increasing your charge attack power. In the end, it comes down to how well you have assembled your army and your own foresight.

The third type of battling does not occur often, but it is still noteworthy, nonetheless. It is called dueling, and often happens after the army fights. It also resembles rock-paper-scissors in a way, allowing you the option of ‘Attack', ‘Defend' and ‘Desperate attack'. These are often fun to replay and sometimes, depending on the outcome of the match, can alter the course of the game.

Now, on to one of the most interesting parts of the game: the 108 ‘stars'. It may seem like a pain to have to manage 108 characters, but in reality, it is very fun to try the different characters. Naturally, some will have deeper backgrounds than others, but almost all of them have a rich background and a future that depends on your hands. Using more than just six characters regularly isn't a problem either; experience is handled in an unconventional way. Instead of the usual total experience points, experience gained from winning battles is relative to the level of the character. So, if you wanted to try out a level 8 character but you're heading into monsters suited for level 50 and don't want to spend an hour leveling up in the weaker areas, you would just have to put the character in the back row and let the levels roll in. After five or ten battles, not only should that character be completely up to speed, but hopefully your current party has leveled up also. This is an especially appealing feature for those who like to rotate their characters and do not want to spend too much time leveling.

There are also a few mini-games that you will encounter. They are great ways to make some quick cash and have fun at the same time. The first you'll run into is a coin under a cup. You have to watch as three cups are moved around on the table, but only one has the coin underneath. The second is a dice game. This can be a very fun game and a fast way to make some much-needed money. An arrow moves horizontally above a cup. When you stop the arrow, dice are thrown into the cup and you receive a score based on how they landed. The third game is much like a memory game, where you remember where pairs of cards are. Except this game is built differently—it focuses on speed. It's difficult to explain in detail, so you'll just have to play the game to find out.

My only gripe is the fact that the game ends too soon. It can easily be finished in just under 20 hours. However, the many choices you can make and the different paths you choose leave this game with a very high replay value. Another aspect that was lacking was the graphics. It was very reminiscent to SNES graphics. The sprites and landscapes were not very detailed and the animations were a bit lacking. However, if you're looking for a game that will keep you occupied hours on end without missing a beat, this is definitely the game for you.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/01/05, Updated 11/23/05