Alexx Aplin
Alexx AplinI’ve been joking for a little while now that we’ve entered a phase that comes around every so often, known as “everything old is new again.” It usually happens in fashion and other design industries, (along with film) but now the gaming industry has begun to work off a simple idea. Remasters and Remakes don’t just preserve older games. They also allow new generations to experience them.
To my delight, Konami decided to crawl out of Pachinko-land a few years back and start working on games again. This is where we got Silent Hill 2, the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater remake, and a few bits and bobs here and there. The most exciting return for me (an RPG-obsessed weirdo) was the announcement that Suikoden I and II would be remastered.
For a little bit of background, most people would likely think that my favorite RPGs from the PlayStation 1-era would have “Final Fantasy” in the name. While you’d be close you would be incorrect. My top three would actually be Valkyrie Profile, Suikoden I, and then Suikoden II. Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IX round out the top five.
The Suikoden series is a unique creature that blends a beautiful (yet often dark) story with a unique combat system (sort of) and a different viewpoint of war than had been showcased in other games of the era (aside from Fire Emblem.) The name comes from a Chinese novel known as Water Margin, which is translated to Suikoden in Japanese. Because of this, many of the gameplay elements and concepts are presented somewhat differently than in other RPGs, especially other RPGs of the time period.
As an example, magic is presented differently in that magic can only be performed if a character is equipped with something called a rune. There are runes of varying elements, but the main character of each game (and several other side characters) is equipped with special runes, that are one of the “27 True Runes,” specific one-of-a-kind runes that other lesser runes spawned from.
In Suikoden, only one rune can be equipped to a character at a time. Certain characters join your team equipped with a rune that cannot be removed. This also is true for your main character who (because of plot reasons) winds up bonded to a True Rune and thus is set in a sort of archetype or role in your party.
Progression in Suikoden and Suikoden II is interesting. This is because as the commander of an army and the holder of a True Rune, your progression is tied to the size of your army and your connection to the 108 “stars of destiny.” Yes, 108 characters will join you in these games and while some of them do not take a combat role, recruiting all 108 is required to get the game’s true ending.
This is a bit of a task (as you might expect) and a sort of a puzzle. Some of the 108 stars know each other, and thus you may require certain characters to recruit others. Additionally, due to these being older RPGs from the PlayStation 1 era, you can miss recruiting certain characters if you progress too quickly, accidentally get a character killed in battle, or simply never figure out where they are before the end of the game.
I would personally recommend that new players who have never experienced these games before, play through them “blind” first. However, not everyone has time for multiple playthroughs of a 20–30-hour RPG so I would understand using a guide. Regardless, one of Suikoden’s strengths as a franchise is the strength of its story and its characters.
Final Fantasy VII traumatized many with Aerith’s death (spoiler!), however, Suikoden has moments in it that are just as impactful. The story in each game is a deeply emotional one, dealing with corruption, politics, and the horrors of war, but also the strength of hope and the bonds between loved ones.
Combat is different than what you would expect. Each character comes with a designated (upgradable) weapon that dictates their range. You place six members in your party, strategically putting them in place to serve as proper combat support or fulfill whatever role you need for them.
The large pool of characters also gives you a lot of time to experiment and work with characters you like. They all have unique personalities, though some of the side characters do tend to be meant for the background rather than being meant for use in your party.
As I said before, these two games are a bit smaller than what you’d expect from a PlayStation 1 RPG from Japan. I finished Suikoden 1 (and recruited all 108 characters for the true ending) in about 20-30 hours, while Suikoden 2 is a little bit longer and I’d wager goes to about 40. Granted, I’ve played these two games many times since I was young, so the run-through was quicker for me. With a guide, I could see it being on the shorter end.
As remasters go, Suikoden I & II HD Remaster is a beautiful game. The environments were completely remade giving everything a crisp, painterly look to it. The sprites are also expressive and there are some really funny animations (especially in Suikoden II) that are both well done and are surprisingly detailed for the era that Suikoden and Suikoden II were made in.
Konami also added difficulty settings, a fast-forward mode as well as auto-battle to make things quicker for modern players. They even added a way to pause the event timer in Suikoden II for a rather infamously frustrating questline. An autosave function was also added, but I can tell you that it doesn’t save often, and it is safer to do manual saves at save points when you can.
The music is beautifully remastered and while the FMV scenes look just like they did originally, I’m pretty sure that Konami did some touch-ups on them as well. Sadly, I can’t say that this is a perfect remaster.
Despite my enjoyment of Suikoden I & II HD Remaster, there were a few small issues. Konami is working on fixing some of the quest bugs that came from the original game. However, none of these bugs are game-breaking and you can look online for workarounds.
Sadly, there are also some performance issues. I ran into some screen-tearing specifically while playing Suikoden II. It isn’t a common issue, but it does pop up from time to time. If you are someone that is bothered by such things, be aware of that.
With that in mind, different players are going to have different experiences with Suikoden I & II HD Remaster. If you are a more modern player that did not grow up with the PlayStation (or even PlayStation II) you will likely be annoyed by the fact that Konami didn’t change any of the more… archaic parts of these games. There are still save points limiting when and where you can save (aside from the unreliable autosave) and inventory space is limited in a unique way you may not be used to.
However, if you are familiar with old-school RPGs, like a good challenge, or can look past those archaic elements then I doubt that will be an issue for you. These remasters are more of a restoration of an older title than a remake or an “enhanced” experience. The quality-of-life additions that they added (fast forward etc) do make this a must-play experience for fans though.
I assure you that Suikoden I & II HD Remaster is fantastic overall. It is two games bundled together that tell powerful, moving stories. The gameplay is fantastic, and if you play no other JRPGs from the PlayStation era these are the ones you should play. Now I’m just hoping Konami continues to remaster the other games and perhaps gives us a Suikoden 6 one day.
A PC Review copy of Suikoden I & II HD Remaster was provided by Konami for the purposes of this review.
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61 Suikoden I and II HD Remaster
$49.99 USD
Pros
- Fantastic Stories
- Two great games in one package
- Unique gameplay
- Beautifully updated visuals
- Gorgeous soundtrack
Cons
- Minor Screen Tearing
- A few bugs from the original version
