Story of the Tamamayu was released on the Sony Playstation in 1999 during Square’s golden age. It was published alongside many other popular titles, including Chrono Cross, Valkyrie Profile, and Final Fantasy VIII to name a few. Jade Cacoon didn’t receive the same kind of publicity or prestige as the games mentioned, but it was a delightful title with great mechanics that went under the radar for many JRPG fans.
In the mid-1990s, when the attention of the gaming world was captured by the Final Fantasy VIIs and Chrono Triggers of the world, there was another role-playing game quietly making its mark on the industry: Suikoden. Released by Konami in 1995, Suikoden offered a unique and engaging experience that, in many ways, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with its more well-known peers. Despite tremendous critical acclaim and a loyal cult following, Suikoden has never really gotten its due.
I nearly happened upon the Suikoden series by chance. Growing up, my role-playing game collection was mostly limited to the giants of the genre, but at some point, while browsing the stock of a local second-hand game store, the cover of Suikoden caught my eye. I had never heard of the title and knew nothing of what to expect, but something about it grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. It proved to be one of the most rewarding gaming discoveries I’ve ever made, too. From the moment I began playing, I was entranced by its engrossing plot, memorable characters, and innovative gameplay.
One of the things that made Suikoden so special at the time was the focus on politics and warfare in its world. It wasn’t just a story about a band of heroes saving the world, it also involved building armies, managing your resources, and making choices that changed the course of a war. This epic scale was matched by an incredibly intricate story that spanned hundreds of characters and multiple countries and tied together personal dramas, alliances and betrayals in a way that was epic both in scope and personal scale.
Known only as the Hero, the game’s hero starts as a general’s famous child in the Scarlet Moon Empire. Later, he is transformed into a leader of a rebel army fighting against the wicked regime. As the story of Suikoden continues, the young general must collect a total of 108 unique personalities, known as Stars of Destiny. Each character, based out of the classical Chinese novel “Water Margin,” has his own defined characteristics and capabilities, and each plays his or her unique part in the game’s plot while enhancing the total power of the Hero. Suikoden set a new standard in its era of video games by packing over 108 characters, each with his or her own distinct role in the global struggle and story. It provided something that no other games at the time could — total depth and replay-ability. This game showed external characters who fought beside the Hero, but just by recruiting them you unlocked their amazing abilities that complemented the Hero in battle. If all 108 of the Stars of Destiny were ever finally enlisted, the true power of the Hero’s cause would be completely unlocked.
Constructing a Force, Constructing a Society
Recruiting and managing the 108 Stars of Destiny was one of the standout features of Suikoden. Each character had their own reasons for joining the fight, and getting them interested and convinced to join the revolution was often a task tied to a specific event or decision point. This not only made the world of Suikoden feel filled with life and energy, but also added layers of complexity to the game, as the player’s actions had immediate and logical consequences.
I recall investing many an hour, combing the game’s world, speaking to all and sundry, hounding hints for prospective recruits. A few were simple enough to charm into joining, all bro hug and jolly handshaking, but scores demanded genuine cunning, real feats of ingenuity. One might sign on after a quick-ish chat, another asking the hero to prevail in a series of grueling contests or dive off-course to unravel a thoroughly obscure subplot. That sense of celebration, that surge of joy on sealing the offer and thereby increasing your head count, washed over me again and again. And it helped, I now realize, to keep me engaged long after the final blow had felled the final boss.
Another strong point of Suikoden is how different all of the characters were. They were a vast range of distinctiveness from the 108 stars, filled with warriors, magic users, craftsman, cooks, and even artists. Each character had their own unique poinsettia to addition to the bestiary, whether it was brute strength, special skills, or contributions to the headquarters of the extravagance or esthetic of it. That said, your headquarters itself transformed as you recruited more and more characters, with your initially dilapidated castle slowly growing into a hugely bustling metropolis. It was a fantastic feeling of progression, a sensation of growth.
The fighting system in Suikoden was also revolutionary. It blended the standard turn-based combat with one on one duels and large-scale strategic conflicts. These turn-based conflicts were quick and provided various choices during each player’s turn, for example the utilization of runes was possible. Runes were some kind of magical artifact, which came in various forms and had the ability, when equipped to empower your characters with incredible spells and abilities. The duels were one on one affairs with players needing to guess what their opponent would and physically block their attacks. Finally, there were the large-scale conflicts. These were engaged when the player sent representatives to map battles to assist in the larger war. Almost these units came in required that you certain Magic Star characters have to be in your convoy to become available. They broke into one of four types of unit. There were mounted units, infantry, images and arrow-oriented. Each with different types of units, have different strengths and weaknesses, only certain groups could certainly be merged, so the element of strategy and planning was at a premium in these conflicts.
A memory that stands out in Suikoden for me, is a particularly tense strategic battle where I had to defend my headquarters from a huge enemy invasion. I agonized for a long while, meticulously placing my units and devising my strategy. The fight was grueling. I made plenty of errors. Nonetheless, I had put in the work, and I stood against the enemy wave. When the invaders retreated, I felt victorious, relieved. The bond between commander and army in Suikoden is strength bearing out of personality; to play, you must understand it.
Storytelling is an art form that has been practiced for centuries. It has served as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation, and a multitude of other purposes. Storytelling can be found in every culture, with stories ranging from ancient myths to modern novels. It is a powerful way to connect with others and explore the human experience. Storytelling is a rich and diverse tapestry that reflects the creativity, beliefs, and values of a society.
The storytelling in Suikoden was another arena where the game truly shone. The narrative was complex, multi-faceted, and interweaved personal stories, political intrigue, and grand conflicts. The characters were fully developed and had their own arcs and motivations, which made the world feel fully realized and immersive.
The game’s narrative centered on the Hero’s journey from a dutiful servant of the kingdom to the commander of an uprising. This metamorphosis was shaped by a sequence of personal and political episodes that incrementally unveiled the rottenness and inequity within the realm. The Hero’s journey was expansive and intimate in nature, requiring him to confront the intricacies of warfare, statesmanship, and fidelity alongside his own anxieties and shortcomings.
The climatic plot point in the game occurred when the Hero’s closest companion sided with the empire. This disloyalty was a double hit for the Hero, creating a personal quandary and a narrative turning point. The emotional gravity of this sequence was strengthened by the high level of character development and narrative in the game; the resulting struggle between the once close companions was an enormous sorrow further barring the creation.
The game’s bad guys were also expertly done and layered. Instead of just plain being evil, most of them had motivations that were understandable, and they were also characters who had personalities as well. And this would add to the moral ambiguity of the story of the game, since so often players were faced with no-win outlooks and hinging moral quandaries. The evil villains in the game were not just the monsters who could whap on you and the guy is there to beat you every ten minutes; they were guys I understood.
Another remarkable factor of Suikoden’s story telling was its use of multi-perspective. Periodically the game would shift over and hone in on another character or faction, providing us with a more expanded view of the giant conflict that is happening and added growth to the story. The perspective shifting was a tool that was used to make certain we understood that world and its people, making it an epic and philosophic story.
Additionally, the game included impressive world-building. Each of the game’s areas and societies is unique and completely realized, with its own backstory, traditions, and problems. It’s a game that’s always a joy to uncover, and finding a secret town, a mighty rune, or a new companion every now and then is exciting. The game had a number of ways in which it went the extra mile to make the world more important, which made it stand out from many other Japanese RPGs on the market.
Suikoden: The Immemorial Hero is a role-playing-game set in a fantasy world. It was developed and published by Konami in 1995 as the first game in their Suikoden series. The game includes a vast game world with dozens of towns and dungeons to explore, dozens of characters to meet, and many hours of gameplay. The game uses a top-down perspective and turn-based combat system, where the player controls the hero, a young swordsman from the Queendom of Darnic. The hero is accompanied by his best friend, a scholar named Luis, and a mercenary named Pietre. At the beginning of the story, the hero’s father dies, making him the assumed head of the family. Shortly after his father’s death, the hero stumbles across a beautiful woman being attacked by a group of bandits. He saves her, and she reveals to him that she is the queen of the Queendom of Darnic, and that there is an evil sorceress who is trying to take over the world. When the hero agrees to help, the queen gives him the first of the 108 treasures of Darnic, the Bright Shield. The hero must collect the other 107 treasures of Darnic, which are scattered across the world, in order to stop the sorceress.
An RPG franchise that, despite many strengths, is often overlooked is Suikoden. Yet its unsung influence and lasting legacy is undeniable. Apart from the memorable characters and rich storytelling, the game’s mechanics have aged unusually well, even with the frame rate dip that regularly occurs. This is mostly due to the mini-genre of strategy role-playing games (SRPG) that often swerve into line with the more traditional turn-based foundation of the genre. If you haven’t heard of Suikoden, you’re not alone. The series has never generated buzz with the same arcane frequency of, say, Final Fantasy. But ask any JRPG fan over 30 about Suikoden and they’re likely to suddenly snap up in their chair, stare over your head, and interrupt your work to talk about how they once entered a cheat code 108 times just to battle the game’s optional boss. Now, inevitably, they’ll also talk about the game giving them pioneers Nicolas Pégou, Eike Kubera and Trajana Beraka. The game’s characters are its strength—Suikoden’s plot is pure MacGuffin, so an engaging cast is mandatory. But no one is going to be hooked by pixels and text boxes 20 years later. What still works is how well Suikoden’s mechanics mesh together.
Suikoden’s historic heritage has its primary root in its influence over other games in the series, which is a tremendous accomplishment in itself. Suikoden II, which was released in 1998, was often considered to be one of the greatest RPGs of all time. It built on the first game in every way, tweaking and adding mechanics and deepening its storytelling. Suikoden II’s story, dealing with political schemes and awesome personal struggles, is even greater and sadder than its predecessor. The hero and Jowy, his friend from childhood, are fantastic, tragic characters whose relationship is among the most mentally nurtured in gaming.
I will always remember playing Suikoden II. The game was a huge achievement – the vastness of its world, the complexity of its story, and the genuine development of its characters coalesced to create a masterpiece. There were so many things to do and see within its confines, so many characters to recruit, so many wonders to plumb. And then there was the ending, where the fates of all those wonderful characters tied together, where all those complex storylines inextricably resolved. I loved it, but it made me sad.
The success of the original Suikoden set the stage for Suikoden II to become a showcase of the bright heights the RPG genre could offer, but later entries in the series failed to (ever) live up to the promise of those games. Suikoden III, released for the PS2 in 2002, attempted (summer of 2002) to freshen things up with a multi-perspective narrative structure and new characters in a familiar setting. It succeeded, but it didn’t capture the same magic as earlier games in the series.
Released in 2004 and 2006, Suikoden IV and Suikoden V furthered the series’ lore and gameplay. Both games brought something new to the table in terms of mechanics and storytelling but also picked up their own criticisms and challenges in the process. Nevertheless, the series had a small but appreciative fan base established for crafts RPGs designs and dedication to expansive character driven narratives.
Suikoden’s focus on community and relationships is one of the main reasons why I love the series so much. Being able to recruit 108 Stars of Destiny – each with their own unique story and abilities – was a thrilling challenge that few games could replicate. It was also highly rewarding, as seeing my army and castle grow put into focus just how far I’d come on my quest. But at its core, Suikoden was about gaining allies in a dark world, and creating a place where everyone was welcome. Helping the beautiful inn-keeper pull her life together; teaching a gruff, heart-of-gold warrior the true meaning of family; reuniting a pair of long-lost sisters: these stories and many others stand tall as testaments to Suikoden’s unwavering belief in the power of togetherness.
Today, Suikoden is still adored and respected as a remarkable series. Many RPGs of the present prioritize character development, in-depth stories, and unique gameplay mechanics which can be a credit to the series. The strategy of political intrigue can also be seen through other works with distinct themes and stories.
In my own personal experience, Suikoden wouldn’t be a game I could easily forget on my gaming path. This was a series that introduced me to what video games could aspire to be in terms of rich storytelling built around characters and it did so in a way that made me realize how powerful a good plot can and should be. The emotional connections I’d formed with the characters, the sense of accomplishment I felt as I built a community and tried to lead them through the inevitable crisis that always reared its ugly head, that it was enough to last me a lifetime of gaming.
For the past years, the Suikoden series has definitely experienced resurgence in standing as its followers clamor for remasters and games anew. Currently, fans anticipate the soon-coming release for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, a Suikoden spiritual successor that boasts several of the original members of the development team. This new project is set to capture the that intricate interplay of politics, and harmony of tragedy and triumph that made Suikoden function beautifully. Truly, Suikoden has stood elegantly across the years, and with Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes announcing, that it would stamp a new memory.
To sum up, Suikoden is a JRPG hidden away from the masses and deserves more attention than it has gotten. A unique combat system combined with an intricate story and lovable characters make this game special. The legendary status of the Suikoden franchise is tied not only to its narrative depth, amazing characters, and unique approach to combat, but also to the way it melds beautiful 2D character art with 3D environments to create a world you won’t want to leave. If you haven’t played any of the Suikoden games yet, it’s time to get on it. If you’re a Suikoden lifer, play it again. Suikoden is in a class by itself.
