Suikoden II (PSN - PSone, 1st completion)
Thursday morning I finished Suikoden II on my PS3. I remember downloading the game back in 2015 as I think it was on sale and always wanted to play it. I didn't play it back in 1999 as my high school friend at the time (I think) didn't own a copy - and he was the one who lent me his copy of the first Suikoden (my 2015 review here) a year prior. Looking back, I find that strange as we both were into JRPGs of that era and he owned more of them on PSone than I did! Suikoden II has evaded many JRPG fans for years as it only had one print run in North America and is considered somewhat rare with prices on EBay ranging from $150-400 at the time of this writing. Thankfully, it was available digitally on the PSN store for PS3 so many of us who missed out can experience what is considered one of the best JRPGs of the PSone-era. I beat the game in almost 71 hours of gametime though likely about 66 hours of actual play. I have recruited all 108 Stars of Destiny, but I did not get the best ending as I didn't know you could save Nanami very late in the game. I do have a saved game file just before she gets killed, but I decided not to bother. After her death, I recruited about a couple more people to get all 108 Stars. I also managed to get Tir McDohl, the hero from the first Suikoden, as I imported a finished Suikoden saved game which opens up the option to recruit him! He made the last parts of the game considerably easier and it's a great thing that Konami did for fans of the first game. I also called my army the "Dragon Army" and named my castle "Daventry Castle" (I guess I had King's Quest on the brain lol!) Little did I know in my decision to play the game this year, there was an announcement that the first two games are getting an HD remaster called: Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars for PC and last generation consoles! Likely it will be released in 2024. I don't have a desire to pick it up at this time, but we'll see.
Three years after the events of the first Suikoden, the story of Suikoden II centers around the protagonist, Riou, his childhood best friend Jowy Atreides, and his adopted sister Nanami. The game begins with Riou and Jowy as members of the youth brigade of the Highland army. The bloodthirsty, maniacal Prince Luca Blight orchestrates the slaughter of the youth brigade under the false flag of the neighboring City-States of Jowston, giving the prince an excuse to justify an invasion. After promising to return to that spot if they are separated, Riou and Jowy escape the slaughter by jumping from a cliff into a river. Riou is rescued from the river by a group of mercenaries working for Jowston, led by Viktor and Flik from the first Suikoden game, but is detained as an enemy soldier of Highland. Jowy is rescued by keepers of a mysterious shrine in a nearby town and is nursed back to health. Learning of Riou's imprisonment, Jowy rescues Riou and they escape back to their hometown in Highland. After reuniting with Nanami, the two are captured, accused of espionage, and sentenced to death by the Highland army to cover up the truth of the youth brigade massacre. They are saved by Viktor and Flik, and the three return to Jowston to fight against the invading Highland army. No match for Blight and the Highland army, they are forced to flee, and the Highland army razes the towns and villages in the region. Fleeing from the advancing Highland army, Riou and Jowy return to the now-destroyed town where Jowy was rescued, and are drawn to the mysterious shrine that is the resting place of the Rune of the Beginning. Entering the shrine, they each receive half of the Rune-the Bright Shield Rune and the Black Sword Rune-and continue to flee to the capital city of Jowston, Muse. After arriving in Muse, Riou and Jowy are asked to participate in a spy mission to the Highland army camp, and while returning Jowy is captured by the enemy. Jowy is able to escape back to Muse but begins to act strangely after returning. Meanwhile, while trying to rally into battle against Highland, the individual leaders of the City-States collapse into petty bickering and infighting. As the Highland army approaches to attack Muse, however, Jowy murders the leader of Muse, Anabelle, and opens the city gates to let the Highland army in. Riou and Nanami, distraught over Jowy's betrayal, flee with the surviving members of Viktor's mercenary group south across Lake Dunan to regroup. After liberating a ruined castle on the lake shore from the vampire Neclord (who was truly not defeated since the first Suikoden), the group uses the castle as a new base to build their forces against Highland. Leknaat, the magician and True Rune bearer from the original Suikoden who oversees fate, appears and tells Riou that he has been chosen to gather the 108 Stars of Destiny to alter the fate the True Runes impose on the world. Riou and the recruited Stars of Destiny work to rally the remaining City-States under the banner of the New State Army.
To see the first few hours of gameplay (the opening FMV sounds garbled, likely due to emulation issues), go here or below:
Click to view
Graphics/Art-9
+ The graphics are a considerable improvement from the first game, using the same (majority) 2D and 3D styles. While the first was decent for one of the first RPGs on the PSone, the sequel is more detailed and better animated. There are some decent quality FMV thrown in too.
+ Really good sprite work! Big bosses are sharp and colourful, character sprites and portraits are improved, and good overall environment detail. The world map looks more detailed than the first game.
+ Battles are once again on a 3/4 view scale.
Sound/Music-8
+ A great soundtrack and good sound effects.
+ Some tracks from the first game reappear here and are remixed! One of my favourites from the first game, Moonlit Night, was remixed and sounds great here.
- The first game's soundtrack was better and more varied. I still plan to buy the OST of this game.
Music Samples: Over 8 hours of the full OST in this one video is here.
Control-8
+ Controls are once again easy. They also feel a little less stiff compared to the first game. With the exception of the world map, you can dash in any environment.
- Movement is still in four directions. Menu navigation is still a little clunky.
Gameplay-9
+ Suikoden II is a role-playing video game with strategic elements, with multiple gameplay formats ranging from one-on-one combat to large scale confrontations between two armies. You control a silent protagonist, advancing the plot by completing tasks and talking with other characters. You can also recruit over 100 new characters to his cause, often involving a short sidequest to do so.
+ In towns, you gather information, sharpen characters' weaponry, and buy equipment and runes; wilderness areas generally feature random encounters with monsters.
+ Like other games of the series, Suikoden II employs a unique character leveling system from most RPGs. There is a fixed amount of experience points needed to gain each level, and experience gained after battles is determined by the difference in levels between the party members and enemies. This allows for low-level characters to catch up to the levels of enemies at later points in the game quickly, reducing the need for level grinding.
+ The majority of combat takes place in regular battles in the game, the turn-based battle system in Suikoden II is considered typical of JRPGs at the time, containing options for attack, magic (runes), items etc. You can enter battles through random encounters on the world map and dungeons, or at specific points of the plot. You may have a party of up to 6 characters in this battle type, against up to 6 enemies. If all six characters lose all their hit points and are thus incapacitated, it is game over and you must restart (exceptions exist for certain plot battles in which winning is optional). This is the only type of combat where you can gain experience, items or Potch (the currency of Suikoden II). Emphasis is placed on "unite attacks," unique combination attacks between specific characters in the party. These special attacks exhibit a wide variety of abilities and usually highlight the personality traits and relationships of the characters.
+ Besides regular battles, there are also duels. The main character is pitted against another character in single combat. This style of fighting only has three moves: Attack, Wild Attack, and Defend. This duel is played in a Rock, Paper, Scissors style where "Attack" beats "Defend", "Wild Attack" beats "Attack", and "Defend" beats "Wild Attack". You must attempt to guess what kind of attack the enemy is going to perform by the dialogue displayed on-screen before each round.
+ Runes, the source of all magic in the world of Suikoden II, are handled the same as the original Suikoden. Characters have a certain number of spell usages per "spell level"; for instance, a character with four level 1 spell slots and a Fire Rune could cast "Flaming Arrows" (the level 1 Fire Rune spell) four times. Some specialized runes or skill-based runes have different rules, such as unlimited use or a single use per battle.
+ The War-Simulation of the first game return in Suikoden II, but has been completely overhauled. More interactivity was added to this element of the gameplay over that of its predecessor. While some of the shades of the old "Rock, Paper, Scissors" style battle of the original (where cavalry beats archers, archers beat magic and magic beats cavalry) remain, Suikoden II introduces a grid style battle system reminiscent to that of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Fire Emblem games. As the main character recruits characters for his castle, this opens up more options for more units. Certain characters are 'unit leaders' while others are 'supports'. Every character adds a certain amount of defense or attack to a unit. In addition, certain characters also add special abilities to the unit to which they have been attached. The numbers affect the chances of win or loss as much as the type of units being pitted against each other. Every unit may take up to a total of two 'losses' which are counted when a unit suffers a severe number of casualties. Each skirmish they take part in might result in no loss, loss on one side, or even loss on both sides. As mentioned before, certain characters add special abilities to the units. Examples of these abilities include being able to take more losses than usual, magic or archery to allow attacks from a distance, healing of itself or others, etc. When a unit suffers its maximum losses it will retreat from battle and, when this happens there is a possibility of the characters in the unit being wounded or even killed. Should a character be killed in a massive battle, they are considered permanently dead.
+ Updates from the original Suikoden include a grid and unit based tactical battle system, the addition of a three rune slot system which allows for three different runes to be equipped at once, a party inventory system, a "dash" button that allowed the player to move around the screen quicker, and vast graphical improvement. Also notable is the inclusion of a variety of mini-games including one quite reminiscent of Iron Chef.
+ A transfer of data from the prior game in the series enables returning characters to enter the fray with higher levels and improved weapons. References to the original Suikoden are also adapted accordingly for a greater feel in continuity.
+ Recruiting the character of Viki allows you to transport to most previous areas in the game. You are also given a mirror that can only be used on the overworld to transport back to your castle.
+ Some characters can be recruited over others with the same star. This allows for future replays to try the recruits you passed over.
- Your castle is quite big that navigating through it, trying to find specific recruits, is still a chore just like in the first game.
- Inventory storage is pretty limited on both Riou and the castle storeroom. This is really dumb and unnecessary - especially since you have so much room in your castle! Some items (like from trading posts) don't stack up, wasting room in your inventory.
Fun/Story/Misc-9
+ The game is as fun as the original. There are a small handful of bearish characters too.
+ The story of Suikoden II is highly praised in the JRPG genre and is considered one of the best in the PSone-era. I thought it was good, but it didn't super impress me compared to the original. The friendship and eventual rivalry between Riou and Jowy is interesting with some good emotional depth, especially in the game's ending. Sadly, since Nanami died in my playthrough, it affects Jowy at the end. I did like the linking of the events of the first Suikoden, but not obsessing over it and allowing the sequel to tell its own story. Some characters return from the first game, but the events of this game take place in another part of the world. I liked that you can return to the city of Gregminster later on in the game!
+ If you have a final game save file from the first Suikoden, you can import it when starting a new game in Suikoden II. It will allow you to recruit the hero of the first Suikoden later on in the game! While not implemented perfectly, it is a cool feature!
+ There were a couple of glitches that work in your favour: the first is that you don't have to pay to stay at inns in the game - you confirm staying but immediately cancel before paying and it will refill your HP and Runes for free! The second is the battle with Luca Blight later in the game. It's a slightly difficult glitch to pull off but if successful, he cannot attack your hero and you just keep hitting him until he is defeated! I hope these glitches aren't fixed in the upcoming remaster, but likely they will be.
- I didn't like the war-sim parts of this game, finding them tedious and drawn out. I prefer the simplicity of the first game's and the fact your recruits could be used in the war-sim with different abilities to aid you make searching for them worth it. Honestly, I mostly just "left it to Apple" to get through the war-sim parts.
- There are a small handful of translation errors, mainly spacing and punctuation errors.
- While recruiting Tir McDohl isn't difficult, the fact you have to traverse all the way to Gregminster and back just to get him into your party is incredibly stupid! He does NOT stay in your castle when your immediate party members disperse after an event. It also doesn't help that Viki cannot teleport you to Gregminster (why???) or at the very least, to the border! It is such a waste of time to keep running through Banner Pass and dealing with this setup of lack of teleportation because.... reasons.
- I found Nanami to be obnoxious! I used her a lot in the game because of her unite attack with the hero, but dealing with her in the main story was grating!
Total: 43/50 (Grade Level: B+)
Given the age of Suikoden II, no website exists anymore. There is a Japanese portal site of the series, but it doesn't contain much. Perhaps with the upcoming remaster next year, there will be new Suikoden media uploaded for the masses. All that is left is the Wikipedia article here.
Next Game: The Swapper (PS3 - PSN)
Currently playing: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages (3DS Virtual Console - GBC)
