Best running animation for any game. Ever.
Suikoden 4 follows closely with the Shui Hu Zhuan (The Chinese novel that this game is loosely based on) formula, where the main character initially faces a downfall, and then gradually builds up his force to fight against a great injustice.
I am a big advocate of strong storylines and interesting characters in any type of game, though they are even more crucial in RPGs. I need a more compelling reason to play than just watch my character's hp grow. In this, Suikoden IV is a mixed bag. Although the story is not bad, there seems to be alot of flow missing. This is due, partially i think to the nature of the game. And how traveling takes place.
Taking place on a series of islands, Suikoden abandons solid ground in favor of plenty of seafaring and pirating. The youth you play (which you get to name yourself) has been adopted at childhood by a lord and raised together with his son to become knights. The game opens on graduation day when you and the lord's son, amongst a few other friends, finally make the transition from cadets to full-fledged knights.
There are three types of combat modes in this game, The first is the standard turn based combat used through most of the game. You can choose chose between magic (called runes in this game), normal attacks, defend, items, and combo moves.
The second combat mode is a one on one duel with another enemy. You get the choice to Either attack, defend, or use a special move. All of which have strengths and weaknesses dependent on what your enemy chose. (Almost like Rock. Paper, scissors)
The final combat mode is a ship battle, With one to four ships under you command you assign a captain and a crew and then prepare to fend off the enemy. It’s somewhat familiar to strategy games such as Final Fantasy Tactics, and for the most part it’s a swashbuckling good time. If only it was a bit more challenging.
The deletion of 2 party members from your basic party does wonders for the speed of battles, however, with 108 to choose from you really need those 2 slots. Whether it be to include more of your favorites in your party, level up, try out new characters, or for just the feeling of Suikoden those 2 spots are essential.
Unfortunately, the failure of one of these new features is what makes a potentially great game an average one. Since Suikoden IV takes place on the ocean, there is A LOT of seafaring to be had. Simply put, piloting your ship from one location to another is awful. No matter what ship you pilot it takes far too long, but this isn’t entirely because the ships are too slow.
The main problem is that there is a random battle at least once of every thirty seconds, but usually it feels like once every ten seconds. If you want to manually turn your ship around then expect to get in at least two battles. Thankfully you can turn your ship around automatically with the useful map, but you still have to deal with mindlessly holding one button for twenty minutes just to advance the plot. To add insult to injury, as soon as you approach a landmass at an incorrect angle, your ship automatically turns around and blasts the other way. It seemed like the sailing was made as annoying as possible just to pad out the relatively short length of 25-30 hours.
Graphics are nicely done. What I really liked about Suikoden 4 was the water effects, especially most noticeable in the Kingdom of Obel’s Garden. However the graphics appear very dull in compared with the colourful graphics of Suikoden 1 & 2.
The music is one thing that they did bring back. A lot of the songs are very recognizable, although none really stand out. They're remixed many of the older songs, and they did it well.
Though the game itself is not long, there are plenty of things to do. From collecting all 108 Stars of Destiny. To playing the dozens of mini games and finding all the hidden items. I played it for 84 hours.
If you are a fan of the series, and of the characters you are normally introduced too, then you should love this game. It has all the elements we fans of Suikoden love, Runes, Weapon upgrades, historic families, armor, you name it and it is here. I love this game and would recommend it to anyone looking for a refreshing change of pace and quick glide through a world filled with doubt and mystery.