Released a whopping 30 years ago, Suikoden is still regarded as one of the best classic JRPGs. Last year’s Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was a spiritual successor, but many games over the years have borrowed elements from Suikoden and its sequel. Now re-released together as Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars (that’s the last time I’m writing all that), these classics are coming to modern platforms with a handful of new features and improvements.
Anytime you delve back into an old game, even if it’s been remastered, the nostalgia waves hit before anything else does. I played Suikoden for the first time in the mid 90s shortly after its release, and I fell in love. It’s partly why I was so hyped for Hundred Heroes. Going back to it now, it’s harder to forgive some of the old elements that haven’t been smoothed down, yet it’s still a wonderful game.
It casts you as Tir McDohl, son of fabled General Teo McDohl, tossed into a bloody rebellion and thrust towards greatness along with what begins as a small entourage. Anyone who played Suikoden knows this entourage doesn’t stay small for long though. Famously, Suikoden has 108 recruitable characters, known as the Stars of Destiny. Focusing on the power of 27 True Runes (the source of magic in Suikoden’s world), Tir’s destiny is to bring together all 108 Stars and lead his people to victory over their corrupted leaders.
As with Hundred Heroes, much of Suikoden’s charm comes from the characters. Mainstays like Gremio and Cleo are there from the beginning, but you’ll recruit the others from all over the game world as you travel from town to town on the overworld map. Some will fight with you, while others will move into your rebel headquarters, providing services and slowly building up your fortress – and your army.
At certain times you’ll be called to lead the entire army in huge pitched battles that don’t require a great deal of thought but will decide the fate of your followers nonetheless. These pitched battles were all but unique to the genre in ’95, and add a whole new dynamic to the game. With so many characters you’d expect it to get tough to keep track of everyone, but you soon learn your way around your new home and develop a group you take everywhere with you. Characters like Flik and Viktor become valuable allies, but you can equip all the eligible party members with weapons, armour, and Runes with which to cast magical spells or use martial abilities.
Combat is tough at times in Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster. A new Auto-Battle system has been added to the Remaster, as well as the option to speed up fights (though not such quality of life has been extended to the tedious chunks of walking and talking in between). It’s best not to use the auto system though, unless you’re really confident. There’s more fun to be had using your abilities and getting to know what each Rune can do.
Suikoden II refines a lot of the features from the first game. Walking is quicker, and the game itself gets right into the action – a refreshing change of pace from the first game’s slow start. In this you play a different protagonist in the same world, betrayed by your own army and left for dead. It crosses over with the first game by introducing some of the same characters like Flik and Viktor (and you can even recruit your hero from Suikoden I if you have a completed save file), but the broad strokes are largely the same. The stakes seem higher in Suikoden II, though, with an overall darker tone and some genuinely surprising character moments.
The sequel builds on the pitched battle system and one on one duels, though neither mode feels overused. If anything the sequel simply looks and feels better to play, with more impressive visuals and additional features in fights like the Unite move, where two aligned characters can attack together.
Across Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster, background graphics have been greatly improved, with much higher detail and more ambience as a result. The UIs have also been overhauled to make them clearer and easier to use, and little quality of life things have been added like the ability to move items between characters freely. Improved sound design also elevates the experience, working alongside re-drawn character illustrations to make it all seem more modern. It’s a shame the character sprites haven’t been reskinned, though, and things like the slow, slow walking in the first game haven’t been improved upon. It’s also still not always clever where to go to reach an objective, requiring a lot of needless wandering when a simple objective marker would do.
Suikoden and its sequel are undoubtedly relics of a simpler time, but it’s hard to deny the sheer charm and likeability of either. The tactical combat skews towards hard, like with many games of the era, and it’s very apparent that these games are several decades old, even with the modernised elements. And yet it doesn’t matter. Fans will find so much to love in this package, while newcomers who can overlook most of the classic JRPG hangovers will discover a pair of games that still feel great to play three decades on.
