RPGs are a rare type of game. It is one that is different from any other. It is not just a temporary kind of entertainment or something that merely passes the time. These games are complex stories, woven together using the many different characters within them that all have their pasts and purpose to life. Such a thing takes years to complete, creative minds of epic proportions to piece together every single detail so that everything runs together smoothly and appears to be as realistic and believable as is possible to draw the player in. Many arguments have a risen as to which game actually deserves the worthy title of being the best RPG ever created and the majority has lead to an outcome that games such as the Final Fantasy or Breath of Fire series are worthy enough for it.

However, there comes a point, when you are presented with such a real world, with characters that you can relate to and sympathise with, struggling through trials that many of us all suffer within our daily lives and it is then that such a title as the best RPG ‘game’ is made worthless. It is at that point, when such a creation is not a game but a dream, a dream realised and presented to the world. Konami have been able to do this with everyone of their titles within the Suikoden series, collecting together their dreams and the dreams of everyone and forming them together into epic legends. Suikoden IV is yet another of these captivating visions.

Suikoden IV still has many of the essential qualities that the previous titles had to ensure its great success. However, as with every new game, there are bound to be new features. The story has not yet been confirmed but a lot has been revealed through the screenshots, movies and announcements that give away some of its elements.

This title takes place one hundred and fifty years before the very first Suikoden. It follows the story of the Punishment rune, a rune said to choose a host of its own free will. This controlling, magical stone, fallen as one of the tears from heaven, grants the host strength and power beyond that of any mortal man but it comes at a price. Over time, it slowly saps the very life force out of the host until they die, when this happens it then chooses a new person to accommodate it. With it comes some other, weird experiences; the current host sometimes experiences memory flash backs from the previous host.

Apart from that, not much else about the story as a whole has been made known. It obviously is to do with the Punishment rune and the main character’s struggle with it but apart from that, the main plot is a mystery at this point. All will be revealed nearer the release when people have had a chance to play the full game.

Although with Suikoden and Suikoden II you were able to sail across Lake Toran and Duran, it looks as though in this new adventure that it will have you sailing large vessels across the vast seas of the world. It seems to be the main theme for the game. The game starts you off as the main character, a young man, who is about to go through training exercises to then attend a graduation ceremony to become a member of the Gaien Sea Patrol. With you are also some other companions, a character named Snow being another main character of the game. This is when the game will put you through your paces and the types of battles within the game are revealed. Living upon an island with the vast seas about you is all that is known of the game so far. From other screens there has been indications of exotic locations and dark ruins but the main battles take place out at sea.

One thing is certain and that is the fact that you must gather the 108 Stars of destiny to build up your forces and win those all important battles that will determine the fate of the main character and also the world around him.

From all that has been revealed, the battle system and gameplay is very much like the other titles in the series. As said, throughout the game you will have to travel about the immense world, visiting towns and other locations, to gather together the 108 Stars of destiny. This is sometimes done automatically and through the sequence of story events, a character will say that they are joining forces with you. For others, it is not so simple. Some you have to travel into the dark corners of a dungeon to locate and even then you will have to convince them to join you. Others you might have to complete tasks or missions to acquire when others will only join you when your army is at certain strengths.

The most exciting part of any of the Suikoden titles is the fact that you could gather your army of 108 Stars of destiny into a base. In Suikoden it was a castle that was in the middle of Toran Lake, in Suikoden II it was a castle on the cliff of Duran lake and in Suikoden III it was a town. In Suikoden IV it seems as though they have gone back to the roots of Suikoden and you can gather your forces together on an entire island! Taking up the main part of the island is a port/castle that inhabits your entire force and fleet. The more of the 108 Stars you collect, then the bigger your castle will grow, the more impressive it will be and the more services will be made available to you i.e. blacksmith, storage, etc.

Then, using all of these characters, you can then delve into the battle systems of the game. There are three types; a group battle of four on four, a one on one stand off or the all famous army, strategic battles that, in this title, are fought using vessels.

In the previous titles, the group battles used to have a limit of six characters that you could choose to have in your battle party. However, in this one, you can only have four. The thinking behind this is unknown and there might be a very good reason for it but I think it worked very well with six. First of all, there is the fact that, although not all of the 108 Stars are available to use in battle, there is such a variety to choose from that even when you could choose six, it was a very hard decision. With the same amount of Stars, yet less amount to use in battle, it could be a downfall in the group battle. Within the group battles there are the three options of attack to choose from; attack, rune or unite. The attack option is fairly obvious and the character will execute their standard move using their weapon of choice. The rune option allows the characters to use the magic from runes that have been attached to them. There are many different types of runes, all using magical powers such as fire, water, lightning, wind and healing etc but some allow characters to perform special moves where their strength is doubled or their accuracy raised. Depending on which runes you have attached to a character, the powers of two will sometimes combine to perform unique spells and attacks. Finally, the unite attack is one that is unique to the Suikoden Series. Depending on whether there are two compatible characters within your fighting party, when you choose this option, they will perform an attack together; either hitting all of the enemies you face or attacking a single enemy with a very powerful blow.

The one on one stand off’s are also unique to the Suikoden series (as a lot is because it is so original and creative.) and are a very good way to put across a lot of the story elements within the game. Each of the characters taking part in the fight has an energy bar. There are also three options. The first is to perform a normal attack, the second is to defend and the third is to perform a powerful attack on your opponent. Deciding which one to perform is the key and this is why this method is a good way of putting the story across. Depending on what your opponent says, can sometimes give a clue as to how they are going to attack and because of this, you have to pay a lot of attention to the text otherwise you might miss your chance.

Lastly, the other type of battle is the strategic ship battles. In the previous Suikoden games, these types of battles involved units of horses and infantry, however, although the system itself seems to be the same, it is now using ships. Each ship has a group of your 108 stars assigned to it, usually three. From these three characters, their abilities and equipped runes then correspond with the powers and abilities of the ship that they are sailing. Just as before, your navy have the option to choose their moves. Once you have selected what each unit is going to perform and then executed it on your opponents, then it will turn over and be their turn to strike back. However, with this title you have the option, as does your enemy too, to perform a counter attack when your forces are under siege.  When a unit is attacked, the number of the crew onboard will decrease until they are all dead and then the ship will sink. Another twist to these major battles is if your ship is next to one of your opponents, then the group of characters can jump over onto the other ship and attack in the normal group style as you do on land.

The graphics of this game, from the screens that have been shown, are truly outstanding and very much keep up with the expected quality of the next generation consoles of today. All of the character models are smooth, colourful, detailed and clear. Each of them all having a separate design and style of their own to make all of the 108 Stars unique but not only are the main characters excellent but the ordinary people within the game too. Suikoden III was created in 3D, the first Suikoden title to have been done in such a way and even then the graphics were stunning, here, on the same console, using the same technology, they seem to have done even better.

All of the locations within the game have their own characteristics, architecture and styles of civilisation that bring the Suikoden titles to life! The vast seas that stretch before all look real, with the waves and other ships sailing by within the battles or if you are just travelling from one location to the other. The lighting within the dungeons are created to such perfection, not to mention of the special effects and flares of the magic spells of the runes that light up the area about you.

Being a story of such legendary battles and a fight of such different people, the soundtracks of the series has been a constant of perfection. There are slow tracks that fill the player with emotion, sympathy and sadness for the characters that they are seeing the lives of. During the battles and adventurous moments of the game there is always adrenaline-pumping music that get you into the mood for a fight and allow you to get a feel for the atmosphere of adventure and tension. Then there are all of the melodies and tunes that you hear whilst you are at different places within the world, all sounding different and unique to the location, a taste of the civilisation that they are.

Since the very first Suikoden was made, the series has made a mark on the RPG genre. Yes, perhaps to the taste of the public it has not been as well known as either the Final Fantasy or Breath of fire series but it has defined a title of its own. It has rightfully earned recognition as a masterpiece of creation in terms of both gaming and story. If you wish to be immersed into a deep and emotional story then this is certainly the RPG for you but if you want a war full of action, magic, blood, tactics and steel then this is also the RPG for you. Suikoden IV promises to give the same fulfilment as all of the titles previously have given, a sense of adventure and life, of dreams and hope.

With the gathering of the 108 Stars of destiny, it is not just a war but a mission in life, the purpose of their lives and through them, the player too can experience the realism of war, love and life. TR