Best RPG of the year meant for hardcore gamers
Loosely based upon “Outlaws of the Marsh,” one of the four classic Novels of Chinese literature, the original “Suikoden” allowed players to accumulate “108 Stars of Destiny” to join them on a quest filled with political intrigue, a sweeping, epic storyline and a battle system that utilized a massive party formation that applied engaging SRPG elements to a more traditional formula. The series’ more recent installments have degenerated into a shell of the franchise’s former glory, however, and have become bogged down by lackluster visuals and derivative gameplay mechanics.
Just when all hope seemed lost for the diminutive cadre of loyal “Suikoden” supporters, Konami finally unleashed an RPG experience worthy of the “Suikoden” moniker. A prequel to the first game in the series, “Suikoden V” returns the series to its affable, strategy-based roots in a very old-school fashion. With an enormous cast of quirky, elegantly-designed party members, grandiose locales, a storyline filled with a number of memorable twists and turns and the six-member battle set-up that originally set the series apart from other notable games in the genre, “Suikoden V” may very well be the best RPG of the year.
The most difficult task awaiting gamers when they first pick up “Suikoden V” is not the end boss. Nor is it accumulating the 107 other characters that decorate the game’s sizable world. It’s getting through the first couple of hours. You read that right. Approximately seven of the game’s expositional hours are dedicated to a disturbing lack of justifiable gameplay, tasks so menial they make the Bliztball mini-game from “Final Fantasy X” seem like a good idea, and entire sections where the storyline pacing putters at the rate of a snail’s crawl.
It’s almost a test of sorts: a role-player’s “rite of passage” to weed out all of those who might’ve glanced at a “Final Fantasy” title every once and a while without picking it up in order to make way for those that have logged an unhealthy 100 hours on obscure gems like “Lunar: the Silver Star.” And so we have the game’s only major flaw: it is clearly intended for the hardest of the hardcore.
If players suffer through the game’s jarring introduction without giving up, they will be handsomely rewarded with all of the spoils one should expect from a compelling “Suikoden” experience (pre-“Suikoden III” that is).
Players assume the role of the unnamed prince of the Queendom of Faleena who, like any good sovereign-in-training, must try and come to understand the demands and desires of his people – and, because this is an RPG, the best way to go about doing that is to make with the perilous questing. Much like any other taxing political system, a handful of right-wing and left-wing strands of nobility will be there every step of the way to cause mischief. The game’s storyline is just as creative as it is absorbing, and players can expect a slew of unforeseen surprises before the J-Pop inspired soundtrack subsides and the credits role.
Gamers looking for a little variety in their turn-based palette should look no further than the diverse battle system venues of “Suikoden V,” many of them running the gamut from full-scale warfare to intimate, one-on-one fisticuffs. The standard turn-based battles allow players to control six characters and their fighting formation on a 3X3 grid. The series’ staple rune magic system also makes a return, as do the massive land battles that require the player to direct archery, cavalry, and infantry units around the map in real-time. Faleena’s forces do battle with a number of unseemly foes through a priority system that recalls the simplicity of rock-paper-scissors. Additionally, this installment allows players to enter duels and engage a single opponent in timed matches with remarkable responsiveness from the game’s A.I. controlled adversaries.
Although Konami obviously sought to separate the causal gamers from the more experienced crowd with the game’s taxing introduction, the latest installment of the “Suikoden” franchise reinvigorates the genre by delivering players more of what made the earliest titles in the series such unforgettable experiences in the first place.
Mack Perry is a critic at the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to him at mackp@cc.usu.edu.