When we talk about old school RPG’s which appeared on the PS1 that are considered to be classics from the 90’s there are many titles that comes to mind including the original Suikoden title. For those who do not know Suikoden was initially released in Japan in December ’95 before appearing in America a year in late ’96. The original Suikoden title eventually appeared on Sega Saturn in ’98 but remained as a Japanese exclusive since that console was not as popular as the PS1. Suikoden was arguably one of the best JRPG’s Konami has ever made in relation to the 90’s and this was a time period where the world saw many high profile 2D titles within the RPG genre. Square Enix had Final Fantasy IV-VI Sega had the Phantasy Star and the Shining series while Capcom had Breath Of Fire. Suikoden has well detailed 2D graphics and a compelling storyline that would easily capture the interest of players. The plot for the game revolves around the main character who is the son of a top general from the Scarlett Moon Empire name Teo McDohl. Throughout, the game players see the unnamed protagonist learn the truth about the Scarlett Moon Empire in relation to corruption among the top officials while starting their career within Imperial Army.
One of the main themes that Suikoden emphasizes is rebellion since the hero joins forces with other characters such as Viktor who was apart of an organization that are also against the corrupt Scarlett Moon Empire. After being enlisted within the Liberation Army by its leader Odessa Silverberg players can recruit over 100 different characters/warriors to support the hero’s cause in relation to combating the Scarlett Moon Empire. The gameplay follows a traditional RPG format in relation to battles where players can have up to six characters in a party during battles. The Runes magic system was unique especially since certain circumstances and conditions would determine what type attacks & spells players could utilize. The battle system in Suikoden was robust especially considering the fact that players could either engage in one on one duels versus war battles were the commands for each are different.
Some might argue that Suikoden was game that was ahead of its time and arguably better some 2D Final Fantasy games from the early 90’s despite not being quite as popular as FF VI-IV. If Suikoden was released for the Super NES back in ’95 some could argue that the game would stood out more than it did for the PS1. However, the Super NES was starting to get old in ’95 and more gamers from Japan and America started to become more interested in the 32-bit PS1 console since it was more superior in quality. Either way, Suikoden is still considered to be a legendary JRPG which has been around for approximately 24 years now and has spawned a series of direct sequels up until 2006.
Gaming Hearts Collection 