The less expensive Suikoden

Suikoden is a charming old RPG that has not exactly stood the test of time. If you can look past its unintuitive menu system, ugly graphics, and relatively slow pace, there is a lot to like.

Suikoden was one of the first Playstation RPG games in america, and it's technical inferiorities show. 90% of this game could have been done on a Super NES. Beyond just plain ugliness from a graphics standpoint, the menu and user interface is very confusing. Items are always bound to a certain character, and there is no universal "item list" where you can choose from all your items. If one person's inventory is full, but you have something for them to equip, you'd have to give an item to another member to free up a slot, then give the equipment to the person who is equipping it, then cancel out to another menu to choose that character, and finally equip it. There's no reason for things to be this complicated. The rune system of equipping spells is confusing as well, since it's never really clear what each rune does. There are some vague descriptions that the game gives you, but either trial and error, or a quick search online is the only way to quickly find out what the "Champion's Rune" does. Add to this some very oddly worded menu options, and the interface is just a mess.

The controls are simple, basically using 3 buttons for the whole game. The designers did a nice thing though with this simplicity. The game can be played with only one hand using the controller. The D-pad will move your character, R1 and R2 are used for menu confirm/cancel and inspecting/running. Select opens the menu. It's a convenient and creative option that allows you to relax a bit more and not feel hunched over the controller.

The battle system is pretty normal fare. 6 characters in a party taking turns with enemies attacking. The engrish menu options show up here to, where the auto battle is so cleverly titled "free will". The large scale battles have an epic feel to them, but they basically become a rock-paper-scissors fight. It's nice that you have groups that can see what the enemy will do next, or recruit from the enemy forces as a change of pace. The most exciting and original battles though are the duels. These are one on one battles that take place far too infrequently. The duels also use a rock-paper-scissors type system, but their outcomes have drastic effects on the story and characters can be permanently lost in them.

On the topic of the story, it's a pretty formulaic type, where there's a big mean empire that an underground resistance movement has to overthrow. The 108 characters are all fairly fleshed out, for how many they are, and you're sure to find some favorites in there. Recruiting members for the liberation army makes up most of the non-story quests in this game. The story is satisfying though.. there were lots of characters that I cared about, despite the awkward dialog between them.

One of the best things about the game is how you can build a fortress for your liberation army. It starts out as 5 mostly empty floors, but as you recruit new members, they will move in and create item shops, gambling minigames, an inn, a blacksmith, and many other interesting features. It's really fun to see the fortress transform as the game goes on and is good motivation to find all 108 stars and fill your fortress.

Konami should consider a current-generation update to the original Suikoden that could clean up some of these problems and tell the McDohl story in a fresh and interesting way. The real problem with Suikoden is that it's technical and interface inferiorities make it hard to get at the good things the game has to offer, like the varied battle systems, the evolving fortress, and the story.

The majority of people will be turned away by the general clunkiness and lacking presentation in Suikoden. However, get past the clunky interface, use a little imagination, and you'll find a real gem beneath.