So, confession time: I didn’t get the original PlayStation when it first came out. Being fair, I also didn’t get the Sega Saturn, so there were a lot of games post-Genesis and pre-PlayStation 2 that I missed out on. Two of these were sprawling JRPG epics (very) loosely based upon a Japanese translation of the classic Chinese novel The Water Margin. A massive cast of characters, including 108 allies and “support staff,” pitched battles between armies, intense one-on-one duels with mustache twirling opponents, truly a major undertaking for any gamer. It’s been a long time since anybody played these games. Apparently, somebody at Konami remembered, “Oh yeah! We have a back catalog!” and decided to give these long lost titles some new life. And while I might have missed them the first time around, they’re definitely memorable in the here and now.
Suikoden puts you in the boots of a young nobleman suddenly thrust into the role of revolutionary commander following the attempted murder of a close friend and your subsequent betrayal by unscrupulous elements of your own government. Suikoden II is a direct sequel set some years after the events of the first game, with you taking on the role of a child soldier set up as the patsy for the murder of your unit by a bloodthirsty prince with his eyes on wholesale conquest. You must assemble resistance forces, taking on the overwhelming might of empires who, like you, can call upon fundamental forces of the universe embodied by the 27 True Runes, magical glyphs of incredible power which serve to weave the pattern of fate for a new age.
From a visual perspective, Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars looks well done. Admittedly, the pixel art making up the sprites is certainly more obvious on big screens, but that is what we’re expecting. In some ways, being able to see how the sprites are put together gives you as a player a better appreciation of how the artists of the time could make such distinctive characters with such limited resources. Special effects are in the same boat, and they still look fantastic. Suikoden II has the added element of early pre-rendered cinematics scattered about which remind you that you’re looking at a game from almost three decades in the past. They do seem a little clunky, but again, it goes with the origin of the game. The UI in both games is clean and doesn’t get in the way of your efforts to fight the endless hordes of enemies standing between you and victory. The character portraits are distinctive, even iconic in some respects. You can see the difference in the character designs between the two titles. Both are classic, each in their own way.
The sound in Suikoden I & II HD Remaster covers a broad array of components and all of them sound fantastic. Yes, you have discrete travel music, battle music, and themes for different locales. But all of them are wonderfully executed, both in terms of artistry and clarity. Sound effects do a lot of lifting, helping to get the player immersed in the moment whether you’re exploring ancient ruins or getting into pitched battles. There are a couple sound effects here and there which seem to have been utilized because they added a bit of whimsy to an otherwise heavy tone. You can’t help but giggle hearing a dragon’s roar being rendered by an elephant call. Some might be put off a bit by the lack of voice acting, but it’s perfectly fine without voice over work. If nothing else, it gives you as a player the chance to “hear” the characters’ voices in your mind as you play.
Gameplay in Suikoden I & II HD Remaster isn’t just the typical JRPG “wander around and kill monsters till the next cutscene happens” paradigm (though that is the main component). You also find elements of Pokemon in your efforts to unite the 108 Stars, some light strategy elements with a simple “rock-paper-scissors” system in Suikoden I and a slightly more involved strategy component similar to early Fire Emblem games in Suikoden II. The duel mechanic in both games also hews to the “rock-paper-scissors” system, and there is something satisfying about beating the pulp out of a particularly obnoxious opponent. All of that said, there are a couple of pain points. First, the item systems do not allow for re-combining stacks. Consumable items like healing Medicines or status effect negators like Needles have a fixed number of uses, but you can’t add similar items to recreate a full stack. Players who are used to the notion of potions in combineable stacks will have to deal with this particular mechanical quirk, but it’s a minor adjustment.
Of slightly more significance is the save management system. Like a lot of early JRPGs, there are discrete save points which have to be utilized rather than the ability to save anywhere. This wouldn’t be quite so much of a problem if there were more of said save points. Or at least a better autosave system that prevented you from having to sit through interminable chunks of cinematics and wandering through large dungeons trying to get to the end boss all over again. It’s one of those gray areas of any game remaster where arguments can be made both for “preserving the original experience” versus “contemporary quality of life improvements.” Keep it in mind, and remember that these are games from three decades back, so notions of difficulty and ease-of-use are perhaps a bit more relative. This same point also applies to combat, where some battles feel like the spiritual ancestors of Soulsborne games without the ability to roll through attacks with I-frames. With 108 companions to find and recruit (and ostensibly build up), there’s going to be a lot of battles where you’re on the wrong end of the force imbalance, at least initially. I will say that there is room for both the “casual” player being able to switch from Normal to Easy without penalty and the grognards who want to go through on Hard without any safety net. And you’ll usually have a good idea about how ready you are for a major story-related fight by how much XP your high level party members are getting from mobs.
If you had to describe the narrative elements of Suikoden I & II HD Remaster, “epic” is certainly the one that immediately comes to mind. Although “silly” sometimes rears its ugly head. Being a big sweeping epic, there’s going to be a lot to grind through, both mechanically and narratively. Sometimes, the drama swells over into melodrama, and the humor occasionally veers off into absurdity. And yes, there’s times where certain plot elements are so obviously telegraphed, you can see the impending plot twist with the acuity of Alan Tudyk playing with toy dinosaurs. But the premise in both games grabs you. There’s a strong element of “save the world,” but it feels more grounded than what you’d find in more recent JRPGs like Final Fantasy XV or even Western-style RPGs like Skyrim. The massive cast of companions you need to locate don’t just feel like certain breeds of Pokemon to obtain. They feel like your people, not simply your buddies or your found family, but the seed corn of a whole new nation.
For players who want a look back at a seminal piece of gaming history (and one which hasn’t been easily available for a long time), and who are prepared to experience it on its own terms, Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars is certainly worth picking up. I genuinely hope this moves Konami to release remasters of the other games in the Suikoden series, and maybe think about taking us back to that world with a brand new adventure.
Axel reviewed Suikoden I & II HD Remaster on PlayStation 5 with his own purchased copy.
