Suikoden

Written by Tom Clare in PSOne Game Reviews, Wednesday 2 January, 2008

Released: 1997
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Genre: RPG
Platform: PSOne

Released in a rather unfortunate time around which Final Fantasy VII and Zelda: Ocarina of Time had teamed up to almost bludgeon the 2D RPG out of existence, Suikoden was perhaps destined not to turn heads in the mainstream because of its old-skool sensibilities. Sure enough, it has gone down in the annals of time as one of the PlayStation's rarest and most sought-after games, at one stage worth £60-80.

Lack of consumer response can perhaps be understood given the unsupportive climate it was released into, but more disappointing was the medias apparent disinterest. The same sources that now talk of Suikoden as if it has always been acknowledged to be a classic were responsible for some very average scores when it made its PlayStation bow in 1997. The main criticism levelled at the game was that it didn't do anything new, a claim that now seems remarkable in its inaccuracy.

Certainly, the storyline itself doesn't reinvent the wheel - you assume the role of a self-named hero and after becoming disillusioned with the increasingly authoritarian rule of Emperor Barbarossa, decide to cut loose and join the Liberation Army, ultimately spearheading its rebellion. It's how Suikoden lets you go about doing this that makes it so unique.

Whilst most RPG's allow you to form a party comprising of ten or twelve motley misfits, Suikoden allows you to travel the world recruiting people from all walks of life. Some will join your cause immediately because they are unhappy with the Empire; some decide to help if you deliver an item to them or run an errand, whilst others demand that you attain certain levels of strength before they join your ranks. The great thing is, there are rather more than a dozen characters to find - there are 108!

Once recruited, members of the Liberation Army can be conversed with at your Castle HQ. Some recruits make themselves useful by setting up Inn's or Item stores, others allow you to make use of some nifty extras such as being able to customise your inventory window or listen to some of the games music at your leisure, and there are several gambling mini-games thrown in to the mix as well. The bigger your army gets, the more the castle expands; it's a brilliantly clever and superbly executed idea; it's really satisfying wandering about your castle, seeing who and what has been added.

And whilst the enormous number of characters offers a breathtaking level of variety in battle, the story doesn't suffocate to the degree it might have done given the sheer weight of protagonists. There are maybe a dozen or so core characters as well as numerous cameo roles, but overall the mix of odd personalities proves really quite endearing; there are some genuinely sad moments near the end that reflect its success in this area. Another feature that can be seen as progressive and unusual for an RPG is the fact that certain secondary characters can be killed off permanently during the army battles. These basically pit the Liberation Army against the Empire; the side with troops alive at the end obviously being the winner. Simple options such as charge, bow attack and magic are easy to grasp and are complimented nicely by the ability to use spies to guess the enemies next move and you can get some to turn traitor and join your side. These are fun and easy to get the hang of, though opting for the wrong strategy at the wrong time can end in death for one of your allies.

Elsewhere, the basic gameplay mechanics are more familiar role-playing fare, as you go about exploring towns, raiding dungeons and bashing monsters. Everything in the field works as it should; controls are responsive and nippy, menus are easy to navigate and there are no problems with view or perspective. The turn-based battles are well-implemented - you can have up to six members in your party at a time, with two lines of three characters; logic dictating that the most effective combinations would include a mixture of archers and mages bringing up the rear and more physical warriors leading the line. The 'Free Will' option (automatically getting all your characters to perform standard attacks) is a quick and relatively risk-free way of winning normal battles quickly and removes much of the potential repetition that would have went with continually having to grind through long-winded fights.

The levelling-up process is very rapid; it seems a little odd that a character can remain in your party constantly for twenty hours and have their level almost matched by another who hasn't fought at all within a dozen or so battles. Whilst purists may dislike this obvious imbalance, it means the player doesn't have to set aside excessive chunks of time getting characters battle-ready. It seems very much in keeping with the brisk pace Suikoden maintains throughout - there are no arduously long, multi-storey mazes to negotiate and there's always the feeling that you are making progress and that you've got something to do.

There are just a couple of gripes gameplay-wise. The inventory can be a real pain at times as each character has only a very limited number of slots - enough for equipment and four or five other items (and this has to include healing medicine). Having to swap and drop things proves tiresome quickly, and its worse still if you have collected an important item early in your quest and you can't recall which one of your characters is in possession of it. Given that you're in charge of an army, you'd have thought it would make perfect sense to have unlimited space.

The additions you can make to characters and weapons also serves more to confuse than to aid the player. Some figures have a rune affiliated with them that allow for the use of some special attacks and magic's, whilst rune shards and crystals can produce an array of effects when fused with weapons, though only certain characters can use specific ones. It seems Suikoden is at its best when it keeps things simple, as whilst you have to go through the rigmarole of buying several bits of armour for every single character, the weapon upgrades are handled in a much less complicated way, and all the better for it. Blacksmith's allow weapons to be 'sharpened', each time costing a little more and allowing for greater power; this mercifully spares you the task of comparing statistics and carting round loads of obsolete swords - hurray for common sense!

Visually, its qualities are somewhat reminiscent of Final Fantasy VI. 2D environments and sprites are evidence that Suikoden doesn't attempt to engage the player in any polygon pyrotechnics, but you can't ignore its raw quality - something you appreciate more with extended play. Everything is pin sharp and the design and general craftsmanship of the characters and landscapes is delightful, whilst travelling to new areas is genuinely interesting as they offer significantly more variety in their appearance than the vast majority of RPG's. Not only is the attention to detail commendable, but there are a host of well-realised visual effects; including reflection and lighting in the castle interiors, as well as rain and the occasional night-time location that look great. These touches set it above many of its competitors even though it retains the distinctive 2D layouts - no mean feat.

More often than not the music is enjoyable, with a range of flute-based efforts that reflect the full range of scenarios - there's the downbeat thrums that accompany the exploration of an oppressed village, the chirpy chimes that go with a heated battle and so on. It isn't all perfect though - the Liberation Army Castle theme is so mercilessly repetitive you'll hate it after just a couple of minutes, and by the end of the game, it's almost unbearable. Suikoden offers little in the way of sound effects (though they are only of secondary importance here), though it does at least opt not to embarrass itself with any pantomime voice-acting, though it must be noted that the dragons sound curiously similar to elephants trumpeting!

Suikoden's chief area of concern is in its lack of longevity. The main adventure itself will last only 25 hours or so, whilst attaining all 108 'stars' will probably see the play time creep towards thirty. Though you'll undoubtedly want to see it through to the brilliant ending sequence, this is, inescapably, a rather moderate total for a game of this ilk and a concern given its hefty asking price these days.

But on the whole it's an experience all RPG fans should invest time in if given the chance - though the extortionate price-tag and its short-but-sweet nature make it slightly harder to recommend. That said, Suikoden makes for an unusually successful blend of antiquated gameplay mechanics and pioneering new ideas, and if you're after an accessible and entertaining role-player with a decent story, then there are few more engaging than this one.

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