Suikoden II may lack the grandeur of a Final Fantasy, but has the heart of a dozen of them.
It is also one of the most appealing RPGs I have ever played. In my circle of friends, who are either ignorant to the genre or completely unaware of it altogether, Suikoden II became, surprisingly, coffee-table conversation. From my point of view, this game is perfectly suited towards RPG virgins, and is one of the most accessible entries in the genre altogether.
Two friends resided in a mountained area, in a quiet village named Kyaro, the borderline town between the warring Highland and Jowston. One of them, who we name Hero, and his sister Nanami lived with a foster parent who was renowned as a warrior. He disciplined their values, and taught them to be proficient with weapons. The other friend, Jowy, belonged a rich family whose relationship with him was dysfunctional; he fell into place with the foster children, finding comfort at last. Years later and the foster parent died from a terminal illness. As young teenagers, they joined the Highland Army Youth Brigade, which saw them leave the village for months. The final night they spend at the Tenzan Pass is celebrated in the news that a peace treaty is to be signed between the states of Highland and Jowston. They fall asleep with joy for the new day, but are both awakened by the sound of screams. They rush out of their tents and step into the real nightmare - the camp enveloped by flames, the dead bodies of their comrades spread around. After learning the confusing knowledge that their traitorous captain and the Prince of Highland are responsible for the ambush, the boys narrowly manage to escape from the slaughter. Their lives never to be the same again.
At the heart Suikoden II tells a sweeping story of friendship and war, containing themes of politics and patriotism dealt with provocatively. The translation is terrible at times; overuse of punctuation, spelling mistakes and incoherent dialogue are common. In the end, however, it doesn't hamper the compelling narrative and impressive scope of Suikoden II.
In total there are 108 characters to recruit in this game. Only a handful are really significant to the story of Suikoden II, but the characterisation is great. The demonic Luca Blight is without a doubt one of the most sadistic villains created; Jowy Atreides's internal conflict over how to change the tide of war and his friendship with the Hero is quite moving; Shu, the charismatic strategist is another brilliantly placed character. Then there's the hyperactive yet totally lovable Nanami, who has a psychotic need to protect her brother from harm, and the comedy duo of Viktor and Flik. All in all, the major characters are memorable and thoroughly likeable, even the ones you will ultimately dethrone.
The myth of having a silent protagonist is that the gamer will relate to him, or tap into a first person perspective of the plot. You will often be given the chance to choose dialogue options whenever pressed with a question or a decision (most of which has no bearing on the story) and although dialogue always eludes the Hero in any other situation, the gamer truly does get a sense of his emotions and feelings during the events of the game.
Although pretty basic when it comes to customisation with the characters and difficulty in the battle system, Suikoden II does not only revolve around random battles. In fact, collecting the "108 Stars of Destiny" will most likely prove your most challenging task throughout the game, as each character is spread sparsely throughout the world of Suikoden II. It isn't mandatory to completing the game, but an alternative ending will depend on it.
An example of the basic customisation is the rune system. Rune crystals determine special attacks and magic use for each character. Depending on their magic stats and if they are not equipped with their own personalised rune, a maximum of three runes can be attached. Common runes are elemental - fire, water, lightning, wind and so on. Each character, specifically the mage users, are more adept with certain elements than others. And characters who have low magic stats would be more suited to runes that deal with special attacks. The rune system is admittedly simple but comfortable for newcomers to the genre who will be perhaps daunted by Final Fantasy VIII's Junction system, for example.
Weapon upgrade is also basic. To increase the power of your weapon, simply take it to a blacksmith once you level up. The blacksmith can also attach elemental runes to your weapon for added effect, such as poison or a water rune to heal some hit points after each turn. Needless to say, levelling up weapons increases damage dealt by physical attacks in battle.
As for the turn-based combat system, it isn't the most refined or challening in the RPG genre. However, that doesn't detract for what makes fun and entertaining gaming. A total of six members can be put in your battle party, in two rows of three. There are three ranges, determining the distance of a character's attack. S (short) characters can only attack from the front. M (middle) gives them the advantage of attacking from either front or back, and L (long) is for characters who are best placed in the back row and can attack far distanced enemies. Characters are aplenty, abounding all over the place and each varied in their strengths and weaknesses, upping the replay value immensely. After completing the game a few times, you may feel confident in using wimpy characters such as the dreaded Tuta (a boy, contrary to popular confusion) or Hai Yo (for comic value, his weapon is a wok!).
Battle functions include attacking, using runes, items or the innovating unite attack. Basically the unite attack is where two or more characters combine to unleash a powerful combo on the enemy. You can use this to your heart's content, which makes the battles slightly more easier than they should be. Additionally, you can bribe enemies or let them off, depending on how powerful you are. How great it feels to banish weak minions.
Aside from random battles with enemies, you have the strategy battles which form an important part of the story. When the Highland army clashes with the City State, they will face off in a bout of strategy war. Actually, the term "strategy" is used loosely - all you really need to do is move units and have them attack the enemy. When engaged with the enemy, a screen depicting small men clashing will pop up, and when the majority of the men drop dead from either side, a life is taken. All units have two lives. Each unit is made up with characters you have collected, each having their own stats in attack and defense. Combining three together will give you a total of attack and defence points. Some characters have skills such as "Cavalry" and "Flight", which would allow you to move your units on horses and move speedier respectively. There is also the use of magic by the way of runes, which can guarantee a stab in the enemy and attack a group of them. Graphically, think Worms from a semi-aerial viewpoint.
You would think that the lackluster (it has to be said, I'm afraid) challenge of the battles may cut the adventure short. Not so. Although less than a handful of boss fights actually pose difficulty, and that levelling up characters is incredibly quick and easy, thanks to the wonderful pacing of the story, Suikoden II lasts as long as the other greats. It makes the challenge seem unimportant because the gameplay of Suikoden II is consistently fun and entertaining, which in my opinion makes the game more replayable than most RPGs. Besides, there is a selection of mini games such as the "Cook Off", "Chinciroirin" and the "Rope Climb" that only add to the fun here.
Gaining characters can be hard and sometimes ridiculous. You won't always succeed in recruiting by paying them money or simply being there at the right time. In terms of story progression characters will be in places they weren't before and will want you to justify why you're the right person to ally with. Luring them to join your side may be a case of running errands for them, or accepting a side quest. One of the most annoying would be Shilo, a mega-lucky mouthpiece who you will have to defeat in a bout of Chinciroirin (a dice game) if you want to recruit him. Since it is a game based on luck, and he has it alright, prepare to be suckered out of a lot of potch! Another frustrating way of recruiting a character is with Oulan, a female bodyguard. By your own instincts you are supposed to take a vague hint from a generic character, put only female characters in your party and wander into town to be harassed by womanising bandits. Absurd is an understatement. Once recruited, characters will stay in a castle you acquire after progressing through the story. As your collection of characters expands, so does the castle. It turns out to be a beautiful locale in the game.
To be honest with you, I'm not that bothered when it comes to 2D graphics compared to the stellar delights of any Final Fantasy game. The lo-fi charm of Suikoden II is gorgeous and definitely something of its time. Character art portraits are cute with detail and colour; animation is fairly limited as are the FMV sequences but what I like most is the locales, such as the cosy Ryube and Radat. Each scenario is rendered by charming static backdrops, giving the localisation a lot of warmth and personality.
Suikoden II isn't muscially great. The game definitely lacks the style of any Yasunori Mistuda or Nobuo Uematsu soundtrack; no matter, for Suikoden II's soundtrack is fine on its own merits. Stirring themes such as the haunting "Retrospect" play during dramatic scenes, when roaming certain villages, you are treated to the chirpiness of flutes and pan pipes. The diversity isn't as magical as the original Grandia soundtrack, but suitable enough.
There really is no other game like Suikoden II in terms of impact and experience. Once you are drawn into the story, you are immediately gripped. Ending on a powerful moment, Suikoden II is a delight to be played again and again. Right up there with Final Fantasy VII and Grandia is Suikoden II as the definition of how beautiful the experience of an RPG can be. I could detract points based on the graphics and easy gameplay, but the ultimate experience transcends normal objectivity. The spirit of this game does not relent, and while Suikoden II lacks the grandeur of a Final Fantasy, it has the heart of a dozen of them.