![]() While listing everything could be a feature on its own, it’s worth highlighting the heavy hitters. ![]() Perhaps the most impressive part of the series is pulling all of these disparate types of gameplay into one cohesive whole, with mechanics of one gameplay type constantly feeding into several others. Traditional RPG battles, one on one duels, massive tactical battles, card games, dice games, castle building, cooking battles, and more are present in some or all games in the series. Of course, if you’ve heard of Suikoden, you’ve heard of a half dozen gameplay types. ![]() While fan favorites emerge based on interesting sub-stories, cool designs, or battle utility, the focus is always on characters wielding powerful artifacts called True Runes. The story also usually focuses on a subset of the cast but allows experimentation by giving the player large parties of up to six active party members. For instance, around a quarter of the cast handles tasks outside of battle, like building up your castle base or offering passive bonuses. Recruiting the entire cast often leads to a true ending or bonus events near the finale of each game, but the daunting number of characters is less cumbersome than you’d expect. Drawing inspiration from one of China’s great pieces of classical literature, Shui Hu Zhuan or Water Margin, the number 108 is an important figure consistently referenced in the narrative. Each of the core games boasts 108 or more recruitable or otherwise noteworthy characters, pulling an impressive collection of destined characters together to face a world-level threat. You rarely see someone mention Suikoden without also calling out the enormous cast of characters. Well, let’s try the second trickiest question: what makes a Suikoden game so great? Suikoden games are dense with staple mechanics and story elements, and a lot of them have evolved over the years, but we can boil the core of a Suikoden game down to just a few common features. With the announcement of remasters of the first two games, there’s no better time to dive into the series!īefore we dive in, let’s try to answer that trickiest of questions: how do you pronounce Suikoden? Wait, wrong question (it’s swee-koh-den, if you were wondering-and I know you were). Whether you’re a newcomer or a vet, there’s always some new corner of this venerable series to explore.Īnd things are better than ever. Figuring out how the pieces fit together is a job in itself. But above all, the Suikoden series covers a vast span of time throughout a dizzying number of countries in an enormous, unified world. ![]() Some games are better with a bit of knowledge up front. ![]() There’s an easy, linear answer to how to dive into the Suikoden series, but it’s not the only way to experience it. And for the most part, it does it all really well.īut it’s always hard to find a way into a dense series, and that’s why we’re here. The series has a reliable structure, except when a game comes along that throws half of it out the window. Others have latched onto one of a dozen unique gameplay mechanics, from full-scale wars to intimate duels, from castle building to Iron Chef-style cooking competitions. Some swear by the enormous cast of characters. Some insist it’s all about worldbuilding, creating a sprawling, interconnected universe. You may see a game from the series pop up on a “Best RPGs of All Time” list, you might hear other fans speak of it lovingly, but nailing down exactly what makes the series so beloved feels like trying to hit a moving target. ![]()
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