Fifteen years after the events of Suikoden II, the stories of Hugo (the son of a village chief), Chris (the virtuous Knight of Zexen), and Geddoe (the rebellious unit commander) intertwine as they gather the 108 Stars of Destiny. Suikoden III features three different battle systems and three styles of combat in a 3D world. Customize each of your three character's skills, and then pair them together to unleash devastating combo attacks.
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A sleeper favorite of mine. I love the POV character system of swapping between Hugo, Chris, and Geddoe, with Thomas as a minor member. Half of my online moniker comes from one of the villains of this game, Yuber.
There are 108 characters to recruit, most of which are party additions while the rest set up shops and games in your very own castle headquarters. The Suikoden series relies heavily on invoking emotions to draw players into compelling tales of tragedies and triumphs. S3 is played from the perspectives of three warriors (two opposing and one neutral) so that we can experience war from all sides.
One sure fire way to make me cry? The opening theme.
Ehhhh?
One thing about me is that I love ambition in creative work. A lot of my favorite games, favorite movies, what have you- many have ambition that outstrips their means. This is one of those games.
Lots of people don't love how this game compares to Suikoden II. I can't really blame that. It is a fundamentally awkward game, while Suikoden II is polished and concise. You can't even control your whole party individually! The character models are pretty low-poly, low-fidelity. At a glance, there's not much about this game that is impressive. But that's only at a glance.
The ambition of this game really shines through in its scope. A long, elaborate, winding, epic story, told from five different perspectives, each with a completely different angle, each uncovering new facets. Out of all Suikoden games, III does its signature cast of 108+ unique characters the greatest service. I won't pretend that every one of them has an equally valuable role to play, but Suikoden III treats its cast as more than just a gimmick.
This is maybe the single most influential on my tastes work of art I've ever consumed. This is one of the first video games I ever played, and to this day it remains a defining work to me, defining Fantasy as a genre, defining RPGs as a form of play. This game is guaranteed a huge part of why I love RPGs with adult protagonists, rather than teenage heroes.
Specific aspects of the story are also told remarkably well by genre standards. The impacts of Harmonian imperialism on Le Buque doesn't feel like a hammed-up JRPG Evil Empire. The Zexen/Grassland Tribes conflict is never treated with any "both sides"-ism, and the Zexen racism is condemned overwhelmingly. While Suikoden I, and to a lesser extent II, had a great focus on a (very good!) Chinese-inspired fantasy setting, I absolutely adore the diversity of Suikoden III's setting also works to great effect. From the Turco-Mongolic-inspired Karaya clan and the Hanseatic Zexens to the Chisha Clan, clad in traditional Georgian and Armenian clothing, then the purely fantastical (and delightful) Duck and Lizard clans. Despite the game's ultimately fairly limited scale, the setting feels truly alive, truly lived in, truly real.
This is just a truly, truly special game. You can really feel the passion and the ambition pouring out from every part of it. I don't think I can ever have this dethroned in my mind.
Lots of people don't love how this game compares to Suikoden II. I can't really blame that. It is a fundamentally awkward game, while Suikoden II is polished and concise. You can't even control your whole party individually! The character models are pretty low-poly, low-fidelity. At a glance, there's not much about this game that is impressive. But that's only at a glance.
The ambition of this game really shines through in its scope. A long, elaborate, winding, epic story, told from five different perspectives, each with a completely different angle, each uncovering new facets. Out of all Suikoden games, III does its signature cast of 108+ unique characters the greatest service. I won't pretend that every one of them has an equally valuable role to play, but Suikoden III treats its cast as more than just a gimmick.
This is maybe the single most influential on my tastes work of art I've ever consumed. This is one of the first video games I ever played, and to this day it remains a defining work to me, defining Fantasy as a genre, defining RPGs as a form of play. This game is guaranteed a huge part of why I love RPGs with adult protagonists, rather than teenage heroes.
Specific aspects of the story are also told remarkably well by genre standards. The impacts of Harmonian imperialism on Le Buque doesn't feel like a hammed-up JRPG Evil Empire. The Zexen/Grassland Tribes conflict is never treated with any "both sides"-ism, and the Zexen racism is condemned overwhelmingly. While Suikoden I, and to a lesser extent II, had a great focus on a (very good!) Chinese-inspired fantasy setting, I absolutely adore the diversity of Suikoden III's setting also works to great effect. From the Turco-Mongolic-inspired Karaya clan and the Hanseatic Zexens to the Chisha Clan, clad in traditional Georgian and Armenian clothing, then the purely fantastical (and delightful) Duck and Lizard clans. Despite the game's ultimately fairly limited scale, the setting feels truly alive, truly lived in, truly real.
This is just a truly, truly special game. You can really feel the passion and the ambition pouring out from every part of it. I don't think I can ever have this dethroned in my mind.
This review contains spoilers
When Hugo hugs Chris and She eventually returns the embrace at the ending, i know there will be no special game like this anymore