216 stars later, I’m hooked: ‘Suikoden’ gush time!

“The heart has its secret currents, deep and without guide.”

The first time I played SUIKODEN, I didn’t know anything about it. I didn’t even know how to pronounce it (Soo-EE – ko-den). I found it in a bargain bin at an EB in 1998. The back of the box said it was an RPG with six party members. I think that’s what sold me.

I did a quick and dirty play through the game in my youth, and I kinda-sorta enjoyed it. I didn’t bother recruiting all the characters; I even let one of them die in one of those rock-paper-scissor battle scenarios (peace out, Luc). When the sequel was published, I skipped out on the opportunity to buy the game, or even borrow it from this site’s founder to play it. I think I was discouraged by the idea that, to get the most out of it, I’d need to have a save file with all 108 characters (the 108 “Stars of Destiny” as part of the Genso Suikoden legend) to unlock bonus content in SUIKODEN II. So I just ignored it.

Though, to be fair, I did spend nearly $100 buying the four disc limited edition soundtrack from Japan and its arranged album counterpart “Orrizonte.” The quote at the beginning of this article comes from track two, “Currents,” of said arranged album, which I still own.

Buy this album. It's far easier to find than the game itself.

Over the next ten years, I outright ignored the subsequent entries in the Genso Suikoden universe, simply because I’d fallen out of the loop by missing Suikoden II (which, from 2003 onward, became a hard-to-find and rather expensive collector’s item). The only thing I’d cling to was that Orrizonte CD, a personal favorite thanks to the Celtic/ethnic arrangements by Yoko Ueno and incredible vocals from KOKIA and others.

I think my fear of these games with large casts of characters is that I know what would happen to me if I became invested in it. I’ve never really played a single Pokémon game. Why? Because “gotta catch ‘em all!” fever would ruin my social life. Yet, Konami’s successful JRPG thrives, partially, because of this collect-a-thon mentality. Thankfully, it has a whole lot more going for it than that.

Starting earlier this summer, I downloaded Suikoden on PSN ($6 well-spent) and played slowly, carefully, with the help of a walkthrough. I was determined to get all 108 Stars of Destiny. But more than that, I was determined to see why some of my peers in Otaku geekdom swear by this franchise. And, strangely, I found it. There wasn’t a lot of depth in the silent protagonist (default first name not given, but apparently his rightful name is “Tir”). But all the surrounding characters, the political intrigue, and the mystery of the 27 True Runes, start in this one game. It’s amazing how much foresight the creators had. A gun-wielding character named Clive shows up in the first game as one of the stars. This character is of zero consequence to the story of the first game, but he has a significant “secret story” that plays out in Suikoden II, and his whole backstory is fleshed out even further in the two “Genso SuikoGaiden” graphic adventure titles, which never left Japan. How is it that he and Elsa appear in this 1996 JRPG only as hints for what will come in the future?

And Clive isn’t alone. The Pesmerga/Mazus rivalry, Neclord’s dynasty, the nefarious dealings of Windy and the contrasting do-gooder sister Leknaat, the kingdoms surrounding the Scarlet Moon Empire (which is the setting of the first game…). They built the story over time, sure, but nothing in the second game feels forced or retconned. It was a natural extension, and I’m told the rest of the series lives up to this very well (especially Suikoden V, which takes place a few years before the first game, as opposed to II which is 3 years after the first game).

So it’s the world. And it’s the music. And it’s the CASTLE! In each Suikoden game, you become leader of a rebel army and build your own awesome stronghold that gets bigger by recruiting more characters! Man, I had a laundry service, and every type of shop, and I could gamble, or take a bath in a big bath house … it’s insane! On the one hand, this whole mechanic feels auxiliary, but on the other hand, it’s a key component to Suikoden’s magic. As Pete tweeted last week, “A CASTLE WITH AN ELEVATOR?!” Yeah. That’s right. But only if you find the optional character who builds said elevator. You can go the whole game inconveniently running up and down steps if you don’t talk to the right people in the right towns.

Most of the recruits aren’t time-sensitive or terribly esoteric. Maybe about 10% of them require real work and/or walkthroughs. The sense of satisfaction with each new recruit is also quite high. Each character has their own unique portrait drawn for them, and while some of them speak no more than 3 or 4 lines of text, they become cherished members of your group. It’s like Suikoden was doing the “achievement” thing before “achievements” existed. And there, by the way, is a good reason for a current-gen Suikoden (which, according to Konami, is unlikely to happen).

My re-experiencing the first game got me psyched to play the notoriously hard-to-find second game, which I just did about two weeks ago. I borrowed it from one of my best-est friends I’d made at RPGFan. With my mega-complete save file intact, and the PS3′s backwards compatibility a go, I stuck what might be the most expensive compact disc I’ve ever touched into my hulking, bloated, electricity-munching PS3 and got to work.

With a walkthrough as my guide, I wanted my first and only play-through to be a “perfect” one. That includes the Clive/Elsa subquest, which dictates you reach the end of the storyline with all 108 Stars of Destiny before clocking 20 hours onto your save file. There were two especially helpful tricks that allowed me to pull this off…

1) combat –> die –> “don’t give up” lets you retain experience earned and restart at your last save point with no time added to the clock.

2) a stupidly silly glitch allows you to simply push aside a locked door that gates off a country with much harder enemies and a subquest to recruit one of the strongest characters in the game.

Basically, the combat wasn’t challenging, save one fateful battle with the dirtiest, meanest, most terrifying villain ever. I justify my superlatives not just with my experience, but with this editorial from 2003.

My name is Luca. I don't live upstairs from you. I'm going to kill you now.

This guy told a peasant to squeal like a pig so he would spare her life. She hesitantly complies, crawling around and oinking. Then he yells “die, pig!” and decapitates her. This happens in the first hour of the game.

Okay, back to the perfect game.

Alongside getting all 108 Stars and doing the Clive/Elsa quest, the hero of Suikoden II is able to recruit the hero of the first Suikoden, who is strangely referred to by his last name, but with the first character replaced by the first character of your save file’s chosen first name. Walkthroughs refer to him as _cDohl. If you named him “Mike” or “Matt,” you’ll get a normal-looking “McDohl.” If you stick to the surrounding Suikoden lore and named him “Tir,” you get “TcDohl.” In my case, I gave him the generic name “Hero,” so he was “HcDohl.” Haha, Hick Dole. A little dyslexia makes that dirty.

I also got every item in the game, which made my fort (which I named “Gensou Castle”) 100% awesome. Yes, even the recipes. All of the item-collection, sans a few missables, I was able to do after the 20 hour mark. The no-story endgame was just as enjoyable as the plot-heavy main scenario, precisely because both oozed charm. As I collected more for my castle, I had more time to get to know the characters in said castle.

Of all the RPGs I’ve played, Suikoden II breaks the top 20, and may just border into top 10 territory (this is out of 200-ish RPGs beaten to date). I usually love redeemed villains, but I loved to hate Luca Blight. I loved that Flik and Viktor carry over from the first game (as do a host of other, smaller cast members). I love the main trio (the hero “Riou,” his adopted sister Nanami, and his best friend Jowy). I love the political tension and backstabbing. And I absolutely adore the fast-paced combat. You’ve never seen turn-based as fun, fast, and awesome as Suikoden II.

I almost titled this article: “why Sony and Konami need a collective punch in the face.” But wait, I’m in love with Suikoden II, right? Why hate?!

How about, because Suikoden II still isn’t on PSN. How about, Suikoden I and II were released on PSP in Japan a few years ago, but Sony North America refused to let the game be published here because there wasn’t enough “new content.” nevermind that you cannot get Suikoden II anymore unless you have big dollars or collector-friends, which leads more people to piracy. Never mind that, despite the quality of the game itself, the localizations for both PS1 Suikoden titles are very poor by today’s standards and could have used a facelift. Never mind that Konami’s RPG offerings fell off the map after the top talent behind Suikoden left them, and now they have nothing worthwhile to give us.

I don’t know how to conclude this rant article. Let’s just summarize.

Good things:
- I played both Suikodens to super-completion and super-loved this experience.
- Suikoden II is worth playing, and while I don’t condone piracy, well… I think it’s a reasonable thing to expect at this point.
- Listening to a game’s soundtrack for 12 years, and then finally playing the game, makes for a unique experience (I’ve done this before, and it’s always a treat.)

Bad things:
- Sony North America has stupid policies.
- Konami doesn’t know how to make RPGs anymore.
- I intend to continue playing the games in this series, though I’m told that, with the exception of Suikoden V, it’s a pretty steep decline in quality from here. Suikoden IV = everything you hated in Wind Waker (boats aren’t fun!!).

And finally, a quote from Suikoden II’s phenomenal ending (the “true” ending of 4 possible…)

“To him, the smiles of Jowy and Nanami are his greatest treasures.”