The Suikoden
series has almost been around for a decade now. Debuting in 1996, the original
Suikoden was among titles on every gamers’ wish list for role-playing games that
year. The sequel followed and while it didn’t try anything new, it brought
everything back from the original that everybody loved. It was then that the
Suikoden series would fall from grace and hit the bottom of mediocrity hard.
Suikoden III & Suikoden IV both were bland and lacked enough spice to keep
players interested beyond the already installed fanbase. Now Konami is ready to
expand the franchise into a whole new realm to hopefully get it back on track;
the strategy role-playing genre.
Suikoden Tactics is set of course in Konami’s Suikoden universe before Suikoden
IV ever takes place. You’ll play as Kyril, a young boy whose father is killed
while under investigation of the rune cannons. The rune cannons turn men into
beasts that become violent and ruthless so Kyril decides to go on his own quest
to discover the truth behind the rune cannons. Midway through you’ll eventually
cross routes with the story of Suikoden IV and even play after the events of
Suikoden IV. The story is predictable and the only point of interest for me was
the Suikoden IV backdrop that I encountered.
Not much else
needs to be said about the storyline due to how cliché it becomes. If you have
played Suikoden IV, grab your memory card and load up your game completion save
to unlock a few extra characters right off the bat. To be exact, the game starts
seven years before Suikoden IV and goes beyond the end of the fourth game. How
interesting is that? Not much at all. Suikoden IV was full of flavorless
storytelling and characters so Suikoden Tactics encounters equivalent problems.
Even further poorly represented are the cutscenes for Suikoden Tactics which
makes use of the in-game engine. The in-game engine is the typical top-down
look. Strategy RPGS tend to use the in-game engines more for cutscenes and focus
on the gameplay as its best attribute. Suikoden Tactics does just that but at
least they could have spiced up the character models and design a little. In
short, the cutscenes are just dull due to I expect a lot out of my RPGS even if
they are S-RPGS.
Like I mentioned, the gameplay has a little more depth to it than the
run-of-the-mill storyline and lackluster in-game cutscenes. Based on a grid,
you’ll be taking turns with the opposition, attacking each other in battles. The
main attraction is being able to use the five main elements to your
advantage. Each character has an element associated to them, and they provide
much needed stat boosts when combating the enemies. The stat boosts come from
being able to instill the elements with the terrain while you battle. Like every
other RPG and adventure game, each element is weak to another particular element
that rivals it. You can expect fire to be weak to water and water to be weak to
lighting. Nothing out of the ordinary but it does increase the depth in the
gameplay system.
Suikoden Tactics
is a beginner’s introduction to Strategy RPGs. I say that because hardcore fans
of the genre will find it redundant and novice. What I do like is that if one of
your non-story characters (ones that are important of course) dies, they’ll be
lost forever. This is reminiscent to the Fire Emblem series and is a pain to see
one of your favorite characters die. Only way to attain those characters again
is to pull the plug on the current game and start over from the save point.
You’ll find a wide range of characters to recruit to your team but nothing near
to what I expect from a Suikoden title. Suikoden IV had 108 (109 I believe if
you found a secret character) characters and Suikoden Tactics doesn’t even come
close to that. Each character does fall into basic categories to split them up
and allow a little diversity. You’ll find fighters, healers, magicians, and
archers to your disposal. Only a few characters are unlockable through side
quests so just focus on the main quest and you’ll end up with the majority of
them being unlocked easily.
In terms of customization, not much is provided to give you the feeling you are
actually controlling them. You’ll be able to give them specific items and magic
runes but that is it. The items you can equip them with include gloves, armor,
helmets and the usual body equipment/accessories. Runes allow you the ability to
conjure up elemental magic or give you stat upgrades. Runes also have you
capable of pulling off special moves to finish off some opponents or damage them
heavily.
Leveling up abilities is basic and simple. After each completed battle, you can
jump into the skills list to increase their stats that will help you out in the
following battle. There are skills to better your critical hit percentage, the
accuracy of hits, and even being able to allow you to move twice per turn. Only
being granted to equip a couple skills limits the profoundness of this battle
system.
Similar to
Suikoden IV, there are cooperative attacks. The cooperative attacks deliver a
lot of damage and I recommend using them as often as you can. While in battle,
you’ll want to use the talk command with the specific character several times.
After chatting with them a few times, the cooperative attack will become
available. The only thing left to do is get in the right formation and execute.
If you know your RPGS and especially your Eastern RPGS, then you have come to
expect less than pleasant voice acting. The voice acting is choppy and always
suspect of embroiling accents. It feels forced and has you wanting more by the
game’s end. I never encountered a moment where it felt authentic and encouraged
me to play more.
Suikoden Tactics isn’t essentially bad but it isn’t quite good either. Falls
along the lines of average and stumbles to entertain past the die-hard Suikoden
fans. This shouldn’t be your first Suikoden game I urge you to play. The jury is
still out on the upcoming Suikoden V but as of right now, Suikoden Tactics is a
title you must avoid unless you are a fan of the franchise or need a new
Strategy RPG to play.
|
|
Gameplay: 7.5
Being able to manipulate the terrain is fun but not enough to compare to the
likes of Disgaea or Final Fantasy Tactics. Suikoden Tactics is nice for
beginners who have never played a single game in this genre.
Graphics: 6.4
Nothing beautiful but it does the job. Next time around, I am hoping for better
character designs that could also use …. (continued to the sound section)
Sound: 6.1
… Better voice acting! Suikoden Tactics is just like every other Japanese RPG
as of late. Horrible voice acting is a trait that is common in this genre.
Difficulty: Easy
This is clearly for beginners in the genre. It’s easy to pick up and play once
you get the hang of it. To learn the controls, it should only take about 30
minutes to figure out.
Concept: 7.0
I like that they at least tried something different with the series. Strategy
RPGs are among my favorite games and I get the most out of them compared to the
traditional RPGS since there’s tons of replay value offered in one game.
Overall: 6.6
You’ll easily drag yourself to play this twice to make sure you beat the entire
game and completed everything. Whether you enjoy it both times is a whole
different question. If you are a fan of Suikoden, you’ll love it.
