- Amethyst
- 1 May, 2025
Suikoden II (1998) left a lasting impact on the RPG genre when it got released. The game was unique, is its massive roster of 108 recruitable characters, known as the Stars of Destiny. Each character has their own unique backstory and role in the game’s story arc.
The series storytelling centers around themes of love, betrayal, and political conflict, gave players an invested experience.
It’s not just a game about war and strategy. It’s about the personal journeys of the characters, making the world feel alive and emotionally engaging. For me, it triggered both happiness and sadness at times. The game combined personal storylines within a story of rebellion and loyalty and set a new standard for the way RPGs tell their stories. It is still remembered as one of the best RPGs of all time.
Why did Suikoden II leave this lasting legacy?
The Unique Recruitment System
An unique feature of Suikoden II is its recruitment system, which allows players to gather 108 unique characters. This recruitment system makes Suikoden II different from other RPGs. No other game series offers such a vast and diverse roster of characters. Each recruit has their own distinct background, personality, and role within your army, with some characters serving as powerful fighters in battle, while others provide support at your headquarters managing shops, crafting items, or expanding your facilities.
Some characters bring powerful magical runes or are part of combo attacks, adding depth to the combat system, while others, like your chief strategist, are pivotal to advancing the story. What makes this system even more rewarding is how it ties into the game’s multiple endings. Successfully recruiting all 108 characters unlocks the best possible outcome, with a special twist waiting for those who make the right choices throughout the game.
Strategic Gameplay and Styles of Combat
Suikoden II can be divided into three styles of combat.
First of all, you have the classic turn-based battles. In the Suikoden series you always use a six-person party (except IV and Tierkreis). With the use of rune magic and unique combo attacks, your strategy to defeat enemies and bosses opens up. Characters can be tiered based on how they perform as they level throughout the game. It’s best to train multiple parties in this game, as you need it later to defeat one of the main antagonists.
There are also large scale war battles on the map, in which you fight off and/or defeat enemies, using attacks and skills from the unique Stars of Destiny you have recruited. Sometimes, you cannot win these battles as you are not meant to. Though it never hurts to try!
Lastly, you have one-on-one duels. These duels are mostly critical for progression in the game and providing crucial backstories or help towards the best ending. Choose the option to counter your opponent and inflict damage until the battle is won!
Emotional Investment Into Story and Characters
Suikoden II is the best example for me in emotional investment by players into the game.
With this game I have personally bonded. Because of the personal connection, it has made me finish the game 17 times at the time of writing.
You will be triggered into happiness, sadness, anger and many more emotions, based on what happens in the game.
Anger towards the main antagonist Luca Blight, which is one of the most hated and cruel villains of all-time in RPG history. His rage is noticeable in the fibres of your being, enhanced by the English translated dialogue. It displays the most vile things I have ever seen in a video game.
Sadness that your best friend Jowy Atreides has betrayed you after finding him again. Grief for the possible deaths in your army, the joy of recruiting all 108 characters, feeling the burden of the heaviness of war.
It’s all a part of what makes this series so successful.
Music and Graphics
The music used in Suikoden II is top notch. Every area in the game has its own unique song. The song always relates to the style of buildings, surroundings or background. The themes even change when engaging in new storyline dialogues, or when you enter into battle. Sometimes it changes multiple times within a matter of minutes enhancing the emotional investment into the game.
The 2D graphics of the game might feel outdated in present times, but still stands strong. The details into the character sprites, personal avatars, cities and animations makes it highly appreciated in the gaming community. While Suikoden is more known in the niche than bigger series like Final Fantasy, it is regarded as one of the best RPG series of all time.
Conclusion
Suikoden II has paved the way for more entries of the series to be released across various platforms, with the addition of enhanced storytelling. Suikogaiden displays events during Suikoden II and lead up events to Suikoden III. Nash is one of the main characters who is also a Star of Destiny in Suikoden III.
With my 18 playthroughs, I highly recommend to play these games. While the first in the series can feel a bit bland and dragging, do play it. It will give you an additional secret 109th character in Suikoden II and many additional cutscenes.
The creator brought this as a reward to tie players into the series. When you emotionally invest into Suikoden II, you will be a lifelong player of the series and always come back to any main entry.
While its last main entry stems from 2006 with Suikoden V, Konami has decided in 2023 to remaster the original two games into HD.
The original games will only be upgraded into HD for backgrounds and artwork getting a touch-up. This makes sure that the originality of the games remains intact.
Pictures in this article are from the remastered games, released on March 6th, 2025.
Let us know your emotions when playing Suikoden II in the comments!
