Very few Suikoden veterans took Suikoden IV well. While it was still a generally solid game, it was far too generic to truly feel like part of the Suikoden series. Its four-member parties, shallow story, and no real acceptable tie-ins to the first three installments left many fans dissatisfied. Now, Konami is making up for it with Suikoden V, which restores many of the most sacred Suikoden traditions, and has many other points of interest for fans.
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Unlike Suikoden IV, Suikoden V takes place much closer to the original Suikoden trilogy, and features a handful of familiar characters for fans of Suikoden II. This installment in the series takes place in the Queendom of Falena, a nation alluded to throughout the Suikoden series. The country is headed by its queen, Arshtat, bearer of the Sun Rune, one of the twenty-seven True Runes created by the Sword and Shield that created the universe. As with the other true runes, it imbues the owner with immortality and great power. Unfortunately, it also transfers the emotional baggage and terrible memories of all the previous owners, who undoubtedly suffered awful deaths, one after another, since the start of time, chipping away at the owner’s mind the longer they possess it. In addition to the Sun Rune, the country also looks over the Twilight Rune, and the Dawn Rune. The nameless hero is the Queen’s son. At the start of the game, there is a congressional power struggle between two powerful families, the Godwins and the Barows. The young heirs to the families, Gizel Godwin and Euram Barows are among a legion of suitors (though the two of them are the first seed) for the hero’s sister, Lymsleia, who is in line for the throne. To avoid spoilers, just let it be said that Suikoden V starts off essentially like every other Suikoden, complete with betrayals, manipulation of the hero, and the acquisition of a True Rune leading to the hero pulling together a ragtag army of 108 disparate soldiers to retake his nation against all odds.
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The Suikoden V battle system returns to the series’ roots. The six-man party that was used for the first three installments has returned, and includes an adapted range-based attack system, relatively similar to the one found in the original Suikoden. A new option available in V is the various formation options, where the gamer can select the positions of their units in relation to one another. For example, there is the “standard” formation, which has the typical two rows of three soldiers, generally used by having three “tank” units in the front with three weaker units, typically mages or just the less defensive characters in the back. There is also the “arrowhead” formation, which has one soldier in the front, two behind them, then three behind them. There are many other options, as well, which can be unlocked by finding items dotted throughout the game. Another noteworthy return is the use of SP to upgrade a unit’s individual stats. While the system isn’t as deep as the one found in Suikoden III or Suikoden Tactics, it still opens up elbow room for some good customization. There is also a new rune collection system, where the higher-level runes (like the Flowing, Cyclone and Pale Gate runes) can only be obtained by collecting four rune pieces from monsters, quests and treasure chests. That is pretty much the end to the new additions, however.
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Suikoden V keeps the majority of traditions in the series. V uses the same three rune system from the more recent installments, and doesn’t add too much in the way of new runes. There are three unique battle systems, being the standard party battles, a one-on-one duel system, and army battles. The army battles have received an upgrade from IV, but are still nowhere near as fun as the ones found in III, and take the form of a shallow real-time strategy battle, as opposed IV’s quasi-tactical system. On the equipment side of things, V has the same weapons which can be leveled up to sixteen, the same armor system found in most other RPGs, and the list goes on. This is by no means a bad thing, however. The Suikoden series is consistently a unique experience (outside of IV), and this installment is no exception.
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Suikoden V’s length can be somewhat suspect. The game can be beaten in probably thirty-five hours to forty hours, without an extreme level of difficulty or haste. But of course, nobody can totally neglect the opportunity to recruit at least a few of the dozens of new characters, which can add many hours to the game. Even so, the game can be completed in anywhere from forty-five to sixty hours, depending on how frequently one stops to farm monsters or collect rune fragments. Big-time RPG fans may be disappointed by this, as II and III could last much longer than this, as well as other games like Xenosaga or La Pucelle that can last eighty or more hours. The New Game Plus option from IV returns, allowing the gamer to play again once beaten, with some of their runes and equipment. However, once all the stars have been recruited, it can be difficult to muster up the willpower for another play-through. However, fans of Suikoden will probably be satisfied with the length.
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In terms of aesthetics, Suikoden V is about the same as IV…meaning it is well behind the times. It has the same dated graphics and sparse-but-decent voice acting from Suikoden IV. As with IV, fans already know and accept that Suikoden will never be one of the graphical pioneers in the same vein as Final Fantasy.
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Suikoden V comes out at an awkward time, however. With so much buzz surrounding Kingdom Hearts 2, it is something like the Sudeki to Fable, or the Balders Gate: Dark Alliance to Final Fantasy X, an all-around solid game that gets overshadowed by one with more press coverage. Suikoden V really is the best turn-based RPG to come out in a while, however, and has solid appeal to anyone seeking a unique departure from the standard RPG. Suikoden fans will enjoy the resurrection of the core parts of the series, and shouldn’t hesitate to pick this game up.
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