Suikoden IV

Written by Chris Reiter  on June 25, 2004

Hands-On Preview: Suiky, suiky, five dolla'!

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Ask any gamer what the largest RPG franchise is, and 99% of the time Final Fantasy will pop up I bet you. Square Enix has and always will be a predominant RPG company. That's their thing; they've been doing it for years. With proven formulas left and right, the average amount of feedback for most of the company's games is usually very positive. And with so few other companies who can match Square's critical success, it's become a competition that ultimately leaves many a newcomer defeated before they even make their move. But that doesn't rule out the fact that there is those who have broken new ground and stayed the course with their own "hot" properties. One such company whose strengths lie not in RPGs, have already led role-playing fans on over the course of the PlayStation years and now onto the PlayStation 2 as well with Suikoden: Konami's RPG ticket to fame. While Suikoden may have never had quite a record like Square Enix's Final Fantasy has, Suikoden still has its followers, and soon will be entering its fourth phase. We went to E3, went hands-on with the game, and have inherited some knowledge of just how the upcoming sequel will play. Here's what we brought back...

Set 150 years before the events in Suikoden, Suikoden IV will tell the tale of a young lad whose unfortunate fate is about to unfold. When Tal, a knight to be, claims ownership of the Rune of Punishment, its side effects begin to diminish his life. Out of 108 Stars of Destiny, this particular item grants its owner tremendous power. The catch, however, is that the rune also gradually dissolves the bearer's stream of vitality. Suikoden IV will follow the exploits of Tal and the friends he'll meet as he continues to struggle with the terrible power that has been bestowed upon him.

In order to include aspects that haven't been touched on before in a Suikoden game, Konami's focus on its fourth installment will lie in its naval aspects. Moving from one island to the next, Suikoden IV will see its party led by Tal trekking across one island, then hopping inside a ship to combat other boats (and creatures too), and then returning back to land only to take the ride all over again. I wasn't able to witness any of the game's ship-to-ship assaults, though I did encounter creatures on land, including the arrival of a massive crab boss. Easy enough to discern, Suikoden IV's fighting schematics were standard by switching between regular and magical attacks (consisting of rune powers) that could be assigned for each character on the team. Differentiating from the third game however, Suikoden IV won't feature six character battles. Only four individual members will be available at all times now. Removing the ability to activate group commands with this, Konami ultimately hopes to frame a faster and more custom-made turn-based combat arrangement.

Between an RPG game like Final Fantasy X and Suikoden IV, Final Fantasy X's visual appeal wins hands down. But, that's not to say that Suikoden IV's graphics aren't any good -- they're just different. In exploring the island and encountering enemies in battle, the game's visuals were more ordinary than they were flashy. Though there's not a lot to embellish upon concerning the visuals (they were after all generally plain and detailed to the point where you can say, "They're alright..."), the most impressive aspect about them had to be the character's magical attacks. Battles felt speedy, and elemental properties such as Tal's explosive powers were executed nicely. Expect to befriend Suikoden IV's graphical premise rather than ask it out on a date.