 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Konami |
| Publisher: | Konami | |
| Genre: | RPG | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Memory Card | |
| Buy Now: |   |
There were ominous signs everywhere I looked. Not only did things kick off with the main character sailing down a river (oh no, more water!), but also for the first few hours everything moved along at a glacial pace with mundane plot point after plot point. Yep, it sure looked like Konami hadn’t learned a thing from the disaster that was the boring, predictable, nautical-based Suikoden IV.
But then, things began to change. A little animated sprite of the hero appeared on the loading screen, and I thought to myself “Hey, that’s just like the first Suikoden!” Then slowly, bit-by-bit, old school RPG goodness permeated every facet of the game’s design. Before long I was experiencing an old-school RPG in next-gen trappings with six character battle parties, retro weapons and rune systems, engaging characters, and most importantly a solid plot that picked up nicely after those first few boring hours. Yep, the Suikoden you know and love is back!
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a stodgy old geezer just yet. I like to see progress in my video games just like anyone else, but not when that “progress” is to dilute everything that’s great about the franchise. That’s basically what Suikoden IV did, and nowhere did it hurt worse than in the plot. My major complaint with Suikoden IV’s plot was that it was extremely simplistic and much too predictable, with no major twists or turns (nothing I didn’t see coming, anyway). A somewhat lackluster roster of 108 Stars of Destiny didn’t help any; while diverse, none stood out as memorable in the way other characters in the series (such as Flik in the first Suikoden, or recurring characters like Viki) have.
Suikoden V remedies this, with an excellent cast of characters with clear motivations and discernible personalities. Naturally, with a roster of 108 Stars there is bound to be some shallow ones in support roles, but all of the characters that matter are clearly defined. Suikoden V is set in the Queendom of Falena, with the storyline revolving primarily around the royal family. Falena is under the role of Queen Arshtat as the game begins, with the right of succession passed down to the first-born daughter. The player assumes the role of the Queen’s son, who primarily performs ceremonial duties since he’s not in line (given Falena is a Queendom and all) for the throne. Like any good monarchy, no-good nobles are also angling for their own positions of power, with the two primary factions being the Godwin family to the west, and the Barows family to the east. Fans of the series know by now that they’ll eventually be recruiting their own army, so I don’t think I’m giving away any shocking plot points by saying that eventually one of these noble families turns on your family. I will say though that although I saw it coming, I was still pretty surprised by when it happened. It’s this that finally forces the prince to strike out on his own, and fulfill his destiny.
I’m not going to go into a lot of detail regarding the story for fear of spoilers, but overall it’s one of the most well thought out ones I’ve seen in a RPG in years. Political maneuvering, backstabbing, quirky personalities, genuinely humorous comic relief, and various other influences play a noticeable role in the actions of all major characters, and even something like a family’s geographical location ends up greatly influencing its actions. Previous events (which occurred before the game itself begins) also play a big role in actions that happen during the game, and allegiances shift as the situation benefits. In short a keen attention to detail is maintained throughout, characters always have clear motivations for their actions (unless it’s intentionally mysterious), and the next surprise is just around the corner (including some surprise bad endings).
From a gameplay perspective, the main problem with Suikoden IV was the battle system. After Suikoden III semi-crippled the PSX versions’ six-character free for all by pairing actions up into three distinct fighting pairs, Suikoden IV went a step further by reducing the team to a mere four fighters. This meant less combination attacks from similar characters (such as the Prince and Lady Sialeeds’ “Royal Power” attack in this installment), and just duller battles in general with fewer participants. This time out the good ol’ six-character battle system is back, each of which has independent action. Characters can also be swapped out for up to four different reserve characters. While it would’ve been nice to have different hot swappable teams ala Suikoden IV (the one part of battle that game did get right), this system works well and actually forces the player to use a bit of strategy when deciding whom to bring along. To further the strategic nature of combat, a variety of formations can be found throughout the land, which add various benefits to the group as a whole. For example, some formations give a magic boost to characters on the back row, while others put all characters near the front of the battle area and give an attack bonus. This allows even greater party customization as there’s less worry about magic-based characters with poor defense, short range attackers not doing much in the back of the party, etc. The encounter rate has also been reduced to an acceptable level, in line with most other RPGs with random battles.
Posted: 2006-06-17 08:45:53 PST