Let us take a ride in a time machine, 20 years back to 1995 and the birth of the PlayStation. A new IP called Suikoden by a small-time company you might have heard of, Konami, hits the market as a sleeper hit that spawned a cult series. Now, in the present, Europe gets the original on PSN as a PlayStation One classic. Did the game age well to bring in a new legion of fans, or is it just a nostalgia trip that is more convenient than breaking out the PS1 from the closest?
In Suikoden, you play as Tir McDohl, son of famed Imperial General Teo McDohl. Through the twists and turns of joining the Imperial ranks to continue the family business, to inadvertently becoming the leader of the resistance that is fighting the Empire, Suikoden has a deep, philosophical storyline that back in 1995 to now has very rarely been emulated. During the story, the player will be given many choices to choose from when it involves dealing with characters and situations. This makes changes to the cast and ending, meaning your choices do have a consequence on who survives the conflict.
The story plays a key part. It deals with human tragedy that makes the player realize this is not a happy-go-lucky game. I talked about this concept on a recent podcast about how I felt that the story in Resident Evil 1 worked better than later games because there were elite-level, named characters that died. Suikoden does the same. Either through your’s or the game’s choice, characters will die. Very few RPGs, past or present, deal with the concept of human tragedy in this way, making the narrative memorable and impactful.
Throughout the game, you have the opportunity to recruit up to 108 characters called the Stars of Destiny. Each person has a different picture to let you know they are not the standard NPC, and also have their own purpose in the game. Some are as simple as a store owner with a name, like Jeane, or your frontline fighter, like Valeria. With 6 slots allowed in combat, 5 after the main character, there’s lots of space for the player to choose their favorites to play with.
As I talk about a lot during my previous RPG reviews, I’m always critical of character bloat. What I mean by that is: do all those characters have a purpose? Suikoden has a unique way for an RPG to solve that problem. It is also a strategy game. During key events you will be charged with fighting in a simple rock, paper, scissors style of strategy combat. You will see lists of themed trios to use as your attackers, each as one of the three types of attacks: foot, arrow, and magic. They can also die in combat if you pick wrong. This unique addition adds to the narrative, while also dealing with all the bloat.
What Konami did with weapons in Suikoden is something I’ve not seen before, and after, in other RPGs. Each character has their own, unique weapon. It is improved by being sharpened at a blacksmith. After X levels of improvement it gets a new name, and a big damage buff. This allows the large cast to have their own persona when it comes to combat. Even if there are half-a-dozen people with swords, they all have a name and story. Flik, for example, named his sword after his lover, which is the tradition of his village. Obviously, not all characters are going to have as deep a background story for the names of their weapons but it is a piece of creativity that is better than having them all with ‘generic bastard sword #1’.
The magic system is completely different and a bit of a head scratcher at first because no other series has done something similar, to my knowledge. Characters can equip themselves with runes that give them magic, skills, or special attacks. How many runes is dependent on the character’s magic stat, meaning the best can get up to 3 (left/right hand and head), as well as what level of the rune is unlocked. For example, Viki who has a high magic stat can access level 4 spells (the best), while Pahn who has low magic might only get to level 2 by the end of the game. This gives the player a lot of customization for their team, and allows for lots of fun combinations like trying to spec out a fighter with magic for that extra option in combat.
Graphically, this is a tricky kind of game, especially by today’s standards. Konami chose to go with upgraded, SNES style sprites for their graphics rather than the 3D polygons being pushed out by everyone else. This has given the game a timeless look because similar graphics are being used today on handheld systems. They are not as smooth and crisp compared to 2015, but is easier to look back at compared to FF7 and the graphical leap in that series.
The music takes a page out of the folksy playbook as during some scenes and areas it feels quirky. It is not bad by any stretch, but it feels different compared to the orchestral instrumentals or rock ballads being used by other RPGs. It still breaks out the rock beat during combat, but what happens outside of combat could turn some people away.
Replayability is a big feature of this game too due to the 108 characters you can recruit. Unless you’re using a guide, it is hard to find all of them in the first or second playthrough. Some can also be missed or die, which changes the ending. Also, with such a huge cast, there is the fun of trying to make your super team or beating the game using different people. Add in a multiple endings, random mini-games and collectables, and there is a lot for the RPG aficionada to sink their teeth into.
Twenty years after it was first released, Suikoden 1 still stands head and shoulders over many other RPGs to stand as one of the elite games in the genre. It might not have the popularity of a Final Fantasy but the quality is there that going back to play this gem is well worth your time, especially in a market where great RPGs are becoming few and far between. However, this is a PlayStation One classic, meaning it is a strict port. Nothing has been added or changed from the PS1 version.