Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune & Dunan Unification Wars Review

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Before Final Fantasy VII revolutionized role-playing games (RPGs) globally, Suikoden was among the initial high-quality RPG titles to gain recognition on PlayStation consoles outside of Japan. The game’s storyline drew inspiration from the Chinese literary work “The Water Margin,” where a young outcast and his comrades assemble an alliance called the 108 Stars of Destiny, constructing a powerful rebel fortress and ultimately overthrowing an evil empire. Suikoden’s popularity led to several sequels, including Suikoden II, which many consider a top-tier RPG on the PlayStation 1.

Despite their popularity and recognition, these sought-after titles, such as Suikoden II, often come with a hefty price: Typically costing hundreds of dollars, even with known issues like game-breaking bugs present in the English version. Yet, it appears Konami stepped in to help, offering both Suikoden I and II together at a reduced cost, promising enhanced HD graphics and additional features. This was announced back in 2022, and after several delays, we now have Suikoden I&II HD Remaster–leaving me puzzled about how all that time spent on the remaster’s development was utilized.

Initially, let’s discuss the games we’ll be chatting about. I first encountered these two games on the PlayStation 1 way back then. The game that sparked my curiosity the most was Suikoden, as it had been more than two decades since I last played it, and I’d forgotten many aspects of it. To my delight, I found a relaxing, light-hearted RPG with a captivating storyline, tactical turn-based battles, and an amusing sense of humor. It’s quite a brief game, and with the absence of loading times and the availability of battle speed-up options, you can comfortably complete it within 15-20 hours if you explore all the optional content.

Despite Suikoden offering a standalone high-quality experience, it falls short in certain areas. The fast-paced plot results in a sense of haste when it comes to story and character development, with some plot twists feeling predictable or even comically planned. Moreover, the major rebel vs empire battles at key points seem underdeveloped. On the other hand, Suikoden II excels in many aspects, particularly in its storytelling. Characters and plots are given ample time to unfold, creating a deeper sense of investment and making plot twists more impactful. Additionally, it allows players to learn more about characters from the first game. With 108 recruitable characters in each title, there will naturally be those who receive less attention, but Suikoden II does a superior job of making every army member feel significant. Expect a playtime of around 30-40 hours from start to finish. It was one of my favorites on the PS1 at its release and continues to shine today.

In essence, the main attraction of this HD remaster lies in its enhanced visuals – crisp high-definition 2D images and expansive panoramic settings. The revamp on environments and character portraits is quite substantial; the backdrops have been refined to offer remarkable clarity and detail, while the portraits underwent a redesign by original artists Junko Kawano and Fumi Ishikawa. However, this collection’s first significant drawback comes from some debatable choices made during the graphic overhaul process.

Despite some visually impressive components, the character sprites themselves haven’t received as much attention to detail. They resemble their original versions, only with improved sharpness for high-definition displays. Unlike Square-Enix’s HD-2D titles, there’s no additional effort or graphical techniques employed to seamlessly integrate these pixelated sprites with the intricate backgrounds. Consequently, the characters appear as razor-sharp pixels that frequently collide with finely detailed backdrops in a manner that feels odd and distracting. This mismatch between assets is particularly evident during battles, where camera movements are common. Although I understand that Suikoden boasts numerous characters and redesigning all sprites in HD could be labor-intensive, the current approach results in an unnatural disconnect between characters and backgrounds.

As a devoted fan, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the remastered versions of these classic titles. While the enhanced graphics are certainly appealing, it seems that the list of significant upgrades might be rather limited compared to what some of us were hoping for. Some additions, like an in-game gallery and game-specific adjustments such as improved movement in Suikoden I, were actually included in the PSP re-releases that didn’t see a global launch.

However, there are a few notable enhancements in this version, apart from the visual overhaul. The most substantial changes include a battle speed-up option, an expanded dialogue log with up to 100 text boxes, significantly reduced or virtually non-existent load times, and numerous bug fixes throughout both games.

These improvements, without a doubt, are not considered exceptional enhancements, but rather the essential fundamental updates one would anticipate in a remaster. Regrettably, several significant user-friendly modifications that were clearly needed have been overlooked entirely.

As a gamer diving back into the world of Suikoden I, I’ve found myself often frustrated by the game’s item management system. It lacks basic features like checking if a character can wear gear before giving it to them, exchanging items with characters who have maxed out their inventory, and managing multiple items at once from storage. These conveniences that we now expect in modern RPGs were still evolving back in 1996. Managing dozens of characters’ inventories becomes a tangled mess quickly.

Regrettably, there weren’t many improvements made to these aspects. The only significant change I noticed was the Blinking Mirror, an important item for fast travel, moving from taking up a character’s inventory space to being stored in your plot items bag. There are other issues too, like having to adjust battle speed during every single fight and wishing there were more extra content from the Japanese Sega Saturn release of Suikoden I. The game feels like it could have been so much more, which is a real letdown given its years of delay.

These two games, Suikoden I and II, come in a package that works fine, but it feels a bit uneven due to some visual inconsistencies and a lack of significant quality-of-life updates beyond the basics. Despite their age, they’re still fantastic games. However, one can’t help but feel that this remaster could have been more polished and grand, given the exceptional nature of the Suikoden series. With the original titles becoming increasingly costly, any opportunity to play them is appreciated. Yet, these games should be reintroduced with fanfare rather than just a simple release, considering their worth.

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2025-03-06 00:35