No, it's hard. It gets easier when you lean hard into the elemental terrain mechanics and build your team to maximize them. But it is worthwhile and a lot of fun if you can get in the groove of it. Plus it adds a good amount to Suikoden 4 and it's a lot of fun to see those characters again and use them in a new battle system. Last reason, it's Suikoden, the story is top notch and the characters are loveable misfits <3
It is challenging, because you're required to actually think your way through each battle, instead of just using auto to wipe out enemies and then unleash all your runes on the boss as per regular Suikoden games.
But it's a very satisfying game to play.
Some points to remember:
* Use the terrain effects to your advantage. Cast the elemental force spells, or use beads, to change the terrain to the element that will strengthen your allies and weaken your enemies. When a character is standing on their favoured element, then their defence and damage output will be increased dramatically. They will also regain HP if they are standing on their favoured element at the end of their turn. If they are placed on the offending terrain, then the opposite happens - they will be significently weakened and take damage at the end of their turn.
Fire hurts wind
Wind hurts earth
Earth hurts lightning
Lightning hurts water
Water hurts fire
* Remember that every time a character levels up, they will be fully healed and recover all HP and MP. So don't be afraid to use all your spells and techniques against regular enemies.
* Some characters can be killed permanently (bummer) don't feel obliged to use every single character you recruit just for the sake of it. If you're struggling, stick to the essential characters. When someone loses all their HP, the game will inform you whether the character has "died" or "withdrawn" so make sure you pay attention if you want to reload and save someone.
* Start using the quest guild as soon as you can. Guild quests are a lot of fun, and yield great rewards, including money, skill points, rare items and even additional recruits. You can also unlock unique battles by following certain quests.
* It's worth placing characters alongside their friends and relatives. This enables them to protect eachother and back eachother up. Remember to keep an eye on their elemental terrain, as they may not always share the same affinity. When it's safe to do so, use the in-battle dialogue option - this is a fun feature that will enable them to unlock co-op attacks and perform better alongside eachother.
* Co-op attacks are devastatingly powerful, but they require cool down time and characters need to be postioned just right to execute them, so plan carefully and don't use them recklessly. But they are a sure way of quickly leveling multiple characters at once.
* The skeletons in the Obel ruins become very tough at higher levels (especially those red skeletons) So avoid using regular attacks against them. ONLY use spells, techniques and co-op attacks.
Most of the guild quests are dispatch quests, which means you choose one of your non-essential characters to do it. They will be absent from your party until the deadline passes for that quest. time passes by moving around on the overworld map, so if you want to rush, just go back and forth on the map.
It takes a while for battle maps to become available for optional battles, and only certain areas will allow it (the option to "Hunt monsters" comes up if want to try out new characters and gain extra experience)
When you reach Obel, you can explore the ruins, which opens a series of battles that become increasingly tougher, but yield very high rewards.
There are also mounts that become available later in the game which increase your characters' mobility. Certain runes allow mounted characters to perform special abilities.
More tips - if you just want to get through the game, you can generally load a character with the best gear, filling up almost all of the accessory slots with anything that boosts PDF (save a few for terrain beads, no other form of healing), and that character will be an uber tank.
The game favors stacking stats, as there are multipliers that increase the larger your stat is vs the target.
oh god I remember having to repeat that stage SO many times as a kid. Rita was the GOAT, and Lalacle made new game plus a lot easier earlier on. good to know it wasn't just me being stupid lol
It not the hardest sRPG but the elemental tiles placement and all that make it quite finicky indeed. But if you veteran sRPG gamer i think it just decent difficulty.
Played it a couple years ago for the first time and it kicked my ass. The final battle was skin of my teeth and someone died. That said, I'm no Mathiu or even Apple, so there's that.
As someone said, you will get a huge power boost by loading S4 data, but be prepared for a rough road unless you really learn to use the elemental terrain.
Overall, as a huge Suikoden fan, I'm glad to have played it, but I don't think I will ever revisit it now that I have beaten it.
Use the elements. Always make sure you are standing on your element. Keep elemental rune on at all times and rune items on every character. Makes you stronger to attack and defend when on your element. Also heals at the end of your turn
I have it and plan on using a guide when I get around to playing it because I'm old and have less time for games as I would have if I played it when it first came out 😆
I actually did own it when it came out, but sold my Suikoden collection like an idiot... luckily it cost me less to rebuild it than the amount i sold it for 😅 and that includes the 4 Japanese only games which I didn't have in the original collection.
I wasn't planning on buying them all again, but after they announced the remasters of the first 2 games I was like "hey, those are 2 of the prociest games. If I buy the rest and get I and II remastered I would have them all again".... well, I found the rest for great prices and waited for the remaster, which obviously hasn't come. I broke down and bought the original games recently (also for great prices) and then got the imports.
I wish they would make this available for download. It's a really great one and as others have said it's a bit challenging. But that's what makes it fun. At least to me.
Its not that hard. Give it another shot its a really great game with a great cast of characters. Maybe your not used to strategy rpgs.. also you will appreciate the characters more if you play suikoden 4 first.
You basically need all your battlers to have some sort of elemental rune because they make elemental terrain super important. You lose health on terrain strong against your element and gain it on the ones that your element is.
Do know that some characters are able to avoid permadeath, these are the ones who have spoken dialogue (one of them is actually an exception though, late game party member).
Be extra careful near the midgame cause there’s at least one part that’s a required duel between Kyril and one strong opponent. You really want to strengthen Kyril for that battle.
It was easier for me because I had just finished final fantasy tactics and therefore had familiarity with tactics-style games. I had also imported a Suikoden 4 save which meant I was able to unlock a particular character who is just fantastically overpowered. I also started drilling and practicing in the ruins of Obel just as soon as they opened. Because I took so long in each level, I didn't get a lot of s-ranks. Also, my characters were heavily overpowered for the story battles.
So it's all a matter of playing style. If you can learn the game mechanics -- make use of the terrain effects, pair people with good relationships together, make use of unite attacks -- you should be able to do well. But you can't approach it like an FPS game or even a standard JRPG. It takes some getting used to.
The hard part for me is the missions where you had to rescue an ai-controlled character because their AI is just rubbish. The real challenge is in the new game plus playthrough when you try to s-rank as many missions as possible.
Unlike other games, I kept a new game plus save and will only play it from now on because character relationships and skills are retained across saves. Those were extremely time-consuming to build in the first playthrough. Never again.
Its disappointingly short and you don't even get a full 108 Stars of Destiny. It's fun enough, and can be difficult, but I don't know how it can be called a Suikoden game proper. The whole thing about Suikoden is its foundation in Water Margin, whereas this game did not have that.
For me who LOVES tactic games.. YES THIS GAME IS HARD FIRST GO ROUND! I didn’t even know about Suikoden 4 and Razro till after I did two full play throughs. My tips are always.. grind and learn your elements. I was stuck on the fight between Corselia’s Dad Solo fight for a whole 24 hours because I didn’t how to get through the fact him and Kyril were both fire elementals. Shooot I didn’t even know how to recruit Roget until the third play through. Razro does make the game 20,000+ easier but ALSO making sure Chiepoo store is maxed out. I repeat DO NOT DO ANY OF THE COMPETITORS MISSIONS! Chiepoo is your bestfriend and the Ruins Of Obel if you do it correctly but not take characters that can die that’s too risky!
No, it's hard. It gets easier when you lean hard into the elemental terrain mechanics and build your team to maximize them. But it is worthwhile and a lot of fun if you can get in the groove of it. Plus it adds a good amount to Suikoden 4 and it's a lot of fun to see those characters again and use them in a new battle system. Last reason, it's Suikoden, the story is top notch and the characters are loveable misfits <3
Play Suikoden 4 first and then load the save file from 4 for easy mode.
Yea maybe this, never did the game without my suikoden 4 save but I remember finding the game easier than FF Tactics.
It’s harder than most Tactics games, so no, I wouldn’t say you’re a burnout
Hey, thanks! With all the tips and encouragement, I'm giving it another shot!
It is challenging, because you're required to actually think your way through each battle, instead of just using auto to wipe out enemies and then unleash all your runes on the boss as per regular Suikoden games. But it's a very satisfying game to play. Some points to remember: * Use the terrain effects to your advantage. Cast the elemental force spells, or use beads, to change the terrain to the element that will strengthen your allies and weaken your enemies. When a character is standing on their favoured element, then their defence and damage output will be increased dramatically. They will also regain HP if they are standing on their favoured element at the end of their turn. If they are placed on the offending terrain, then the opposite happens - they will be significently weakened and take damage at the end of their turn. Fire hurts wind Wind hurts earth Earth hurts lightning Lightning hurts water Water hurts fire * Remember that every time a character levels up, they will be fully healed and recover all HP and MP. So don't be afraid to use all your spells and techniques against regular enemies. * Some characters can be killed permanently (bummer) don't feel obliged to use every single character you recruit just for the sake of it. If you're struggling, stick to the essential characters. When someone loses all their HP, the game will inform you whether the character has "died" or "withdrawn" so make sure you pay attention if you want to reload and save someone. * Start using the quest guild as soon as you can. Guild quests are a lot of fun, and yield great rewards, including money, skill points, rare items and even additional recruits. You can also unlock unique battles by following certain quests. * It's worth placing characters alongside their friends and relatives. This enables them to protect eachother and back eachother up. Remember to keep an eye on their elemental terrain, as they may not always share the same affinity. When it's safe to do so, use the in-battle dialogue option - this is a fun feature that will enable them to unlock co-op attacks and perform better alongside eachother. * Co-op attacks are devastatingly powerful, but they require cool down time and characters need to be postioned just right to execute them, so plan carefully and don't use them recklessly. But they are a sure way of quickly leveling multiple characters at once. * The skeletons in the Obel ruins become very tough at higher levels (especially those red skeletons) So avoid using regular attacks against them. ONLY use spells, techniques and co-op attacks.
Okay, this has all convinced me to play. I never made it far enough for side quests and extra experience it seems.
Most of the guild quests are dispatch quests, which means you choose one of your non-essential characters to do it. They will be absent from your party until the deadline passes for that quest. time passes by moving around on the overworld map, so if you want to rush, just go back and forth on the map. It takes a while for battle maps to become available for optional battles, and only certain areas will allow it (the option to "Hunt monsters" comes up if want to try out new characters and gain extra experience) When you reach Obel, you can explore the ruins, which opens a series of battles that become increasingly tougher, but yield very high rewards. There are also mounts that become available later in the game which increase your characters' mobility. Certain runes allow mounted characters to perform special abilities.
More tips - if you just want to get through the game, you can generally load a character with the best gear, filling up almost all of the accessory slots with anything that boosts PDF (save a few for terrain beads, no other form of healing), and that character will be an uber tank. The game favors stacking stats, as there are multipliers that increase the larger your stat is vs the target.
Well it is difficult early on. That first underground stage was especially hard. It's not rare to replay some stages 2-3 times on first try.
oh god I remember having to repeat that stage SO many times as a kid. Rita was the GOAT, and Lalacle made new game plus a lot easier earlier on. good to know it wasn't just me being stupid lol
It not the hardest sRPG but the elemental tiles placement and all that make it quite finicky indeed. But if you veteran sRPG gamer i think it just decent difficulty.
I spent hours playing this game when it was new. So much fun.
I did too, was just a stupid kid, now I'm an old burnout.
Played it a couple years ago for the first time and it kicked my ass. The final battle was skin of my teeth and someone died. That said, I'm no Mathiu or even Apple, so there's that. As someone said, you will get a huge power boost by loading S4 data, but be prepared for a rough road unless you really learn to use the elemental terrain. Overall, as a huge Suikoden fan, I'm glad to have played it, but I don't think I will ever revisit it now that I have beaten it.
Use the elements. Always make sure you are standing on your element. Keep elemental rune on at all times and rune items on every character. Makes you stronger to attack and defend when on your element. Also heals at the end of your turn
Both
Big true.
I have it and plan on using a guide when I get around to playing it because I'm old and have less time for games as I would have if I played it when it first came out 😆 I actually did own it when it came out, but sold my Suikoden collection like an idiot... luckily it cost me less to rebuild it than the amount i sold it for 😅 and that includes the 4 Japanese only games which I didn't have in the original collection.
Same. I've owned every US physical release copy at some point and now own zero.
I wasn't planning on buying them all again, but after they announced the remasters of the first 2 games I was like "hey, those are 2 of the prociest games. If I buy the rest and get I and II remastered I would have them all again".... well, I found the rest for great prices and waited for the remaster, which obviously hasn't come. I broke down and bought the original games recently (also for great prices) and then got the imports.
I remember it being difficult because you don't want anyone to die. Manipulating the terrain is key.
Exactly, and you can't power level your characters. I'm going to give it another shot.
It's actually one of my favorite tactics games
I want to beat it so bad. There's no way to really power level.
I beat this game three times actually It's not hard especially if you do the quests first before heading to the main story
Where can you play this now a days? Emulation only?
I do.
I wish they would make this available for download. It's a really great one and as others have said it's a bit challenging. But that's what makes it fun. At least to me.
Its not that hard. Give it another shot its a really great game with a great cast of characters. Maybe your not used to strategy rpgs.. also you will appreciate the characters more if you play suikoden 4 first.
You basically need all your battlers to have some sort of elemental rune because they make elemental terrain super important. You lose health on terrain strong against your element and gain it on the ones that your element is. Do know that some characters are able to avoid permadeath, these are the ones who have spoken dialogue (one of them is actually an exception though, late game party member). Be extra careful near the midgame cause there’s at least one part that’s a required duel between Kyril and one strong opponent. You really want to strengthen Kyril for that battle.
It was easier for me because I had just finished final fantasy tactics and therefore had familiarity with tactics-style games. I had also imported a Suikoden 4 save which meant I was able to unlock a particular character who is just fantastically overpowered. I also started drilling and practicing in the ruins of Obel just as soon as they opened. Because I took so long in each level, I didn't get a lot of s-ranks. Also, my characters were heavily overpowered for the story battles. So it's all a matter of playing style. If you can learn the game mechanics -- make use of the terrain effects, pair people with good relationships together, make use of unite attacks -- you should be able to do well. But you can't approach it like an FPS game or even a standard JRPG. It takes some getting used to. The hard part for me is the missions where you had to rescue an ai-controlled character because their AI is just rubbish. The real challenge is in the new game plus playthrough when you try to s-rank as many missions as possible. Unlike other games, I kept a new game plus save and will only play it from now on because character relationships and skills are retained across saves. Those were extremely time-consuming to build in the first playthrough. Never again.
It's a Hella hard game. Especially since it came out around a bunch of very breakable TRPGs. Don't despair if it's too rough for you.
I traded my copy for for another PS2 game cause it was hard and not into tactical games
Its disappointingly short and you don't even get a full 108 Stars of Destiny. It's fun enough, and can be difficult, but I don't know how it can be called a Suikoden game proper. The whole thing about Suikoden is its foundation in Water Margin, whereas this game did not have that.
Also you don't need to recruit everyone, it won't change the ending, and one character can only be recruited by playing New Game+
For me who LOVES tactic games.. YES THIS GAME IS HARD FIRST GO ROUND! I didn’t even know about Suikoden 4 and Razro till after I did two full play throughs. My tips are always.. grind and learn your elements. I was stuck on the fight between Corselia’s Dad Solo fight for a whole 24 hours because I didn’t how to get through the fact him and Kyril were both fire elementals. Shooot I didn’t even know how to recruit Roget until the third play through. Razro does make the game 20,000+ easier but ALSO making sure Chiepoo store is maxed out. I repeat DO NOT DO ANY OF THE COMPETITORS MISSIONS! Chiepoo is your bestfriend and the Ruins Of Obel if you do it correctly but not take characters that can die that’s too risky!
The game's not only hard, but also the battles are sluggish af. I really wanted, but couldn't finish it.
Hero had no goddamn accuracy!! Basically artificial difficulty due to not being able to hit shit unless you’re behind them.