Suikoden IV Review! (PS2) - The Game Collection!

In this #SuikodenIV review, SuperDerek takes a look at Suikoden IV for PlayStation 2 and examines why the game is sometimes considered the weakest entry in the series.

Big thanks to Jared from Avalanche Reviews for allowing me to use some of his own Suikoden IV footage for this review! Check out his stuff here:    / avalanchereviews  

Welcome back to The Game Collection
It's summer again, and that means that the Summer of Suikoden is upon us! Last year I reviewed Suikoden 1, 2, and 3, and this summer I'll be covering three more Suikoden games, starting with Suikoden IV!
Shortly before the release of Suikoden III, Yoshitaka Murayama left Konami, and his name was stricken from the game credits in accordance with company policy. That's a story for another day though. Working with Murayama from the start though, was Junko Kawano, who was the Designer of Suikoden, Suikoden II, and co-directed Suikoden III. In Suikoden IV, she continued the role of designer, but also wrote and produced the game. Taking on the director seat though was Masayuki Saruta, who was previously an artist for Twinbee RPG and Ganbare Goemon, Uchū Kaizoku Akogingu.
Some have credited Murayama's absence from the title with allowing Suikoden IV to be the weakest in the series. And while his absence from the series can be felt throughout the game, I would still be hard-pressed to say the game wasn't a good game. After all, the weakest game in one of the greatest series still has the potential to be better than most RPGs out there, and I feel that Suikoden IV gets treated unfairly. But I may be biased, as Suikoden IV was my introduction to the series, years an years ago.
In Suikoden IV, you play as Lazlo, a Gaien Knight who just finished his training along-side his best friend, Snowe Vingerhut. Shortly after their graduation ceremony, while carrying out their Knightly duties, Lazlo's ship comes under attack from a crazed pirate, Brandeau, who bears the True Rune of Punishment. Due to some skill and a lot of luck, Lazlo survived the skirmish, but at a great cost. Glossing over many events, Lazlo ends up cursed with the very punishment rune that drove Brandeau insane. Branded a murderer and traitor, Lazlo is set adrift. Meanwhile, the Kooluk nation descends upon the Island Nations archipelago, wreaking havoc across the sea. Throughout the game, our hero embarks on a journey to clear his name, unite the island nations and drive off the invading Kooluk nation, all without succumbing to the power of the cursed rune of punishment.
If that seems like a daunting set of tasks, it most certainly is. And while that may seem like too big of a bite to chew, the game actually paces itself really well. These events string together slowly and more or less logically to where it's easy to suspend your disbelief. The story of Suikoden IV may in fact be one of its greatest assets. The characters are written very believably. Specifically the story of Snowe as he progresses through the game is one that I watched unveil with great interest throughout the game. That said, not every character in the game is quite so well-written, and with 108 recruitable stars of destiny, I think that's completely understandable. It bares mentioning that many of those recruitable characters are people that fill in your home base, shop owners, inn-keepers, rune masters, blacksmiths, so not everyone in the game is there for the purpose of developing complex character stories. Maybe only a third of these characters can actually be put into your party for battling, while each of the other characters can act as support members, or offer various other perks here and there. There are also characters that exist simply to help fill your spare time with super-addicting gambling games like Dice, and a Suikoden style Mah-Jongg game.
Aside from the 108 Stars, many other series traditions continue into Suikoden IV, including the recruitment of a master tactician, who severely helps in turning the tide in large-scale battles, pulling victories out of the jaws of defeat with cunning tactics that keep even the player in the dark. Seeing these plans unfold, helping to guarantee your victory continues to feel satisfying, while keeping battles suspenseful. I feel that the real importance of this small detail is that it helps these underdog stories feel more… plausible, if only just slightly. Suikoden IV also brought back the silent protagonist, which Suikoden III had previously bucked in favor of 3 protagonists with fully fleshed out personalities of their own.
Suikoden IV did buck more than a few trends though, to the chagrin of many a Suikoden fan. Suikoden IV no longer allows the player to use 6 characters in a party, instead opting for a more standard feeling 4-character party system.

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