Suikoden Tactics
The name pretty much says it all and you should know going in that this isn't going to be the normal tour through the land filled with Stars of Destiny. Much like the Square's Final Fantasy series did with their tactical diversion, Konami's game offers a new (well, sort of new) story and spin on the world. The tale here takes place a handful of years before the events in Suikoden IV, so if you happened to have played that game you will notice several things that act as a precursor to what would come.
The story centers on an adventurer named Kyril who made a promise to his father before his death to carry out the destruction of the Rune Cannons. Joining him are Seneca, Yohn and Andarc who were all friends of his father. The story is very straight forward and pretty much nonexistent, but the nice touch here is the inclusion of references to the world and franchise. With the amount of familiar faces and locations, this is undoubtedly a game that will be most enjoyed by those of you that took the time to go through the others.
Gameplay:
Before coming into Suikoden Tactics you have to answer a question. Have you ever played a Strategy RPG before? Depending on what your response to that query was, you'll take something different away from playing this game.
If you answered "no" and are a newbie to the genre, then welcome to one of the most rookie friendly SRPGs out on the market. The concepts here are very straight forward and the game even offers an in game tutorial when you come across a new concept. Several throwbacks to the Suikoden franchise also help smooth the transition for fans; such as the inclusion of Potch, honing weaponry, attaching runes, buying orbs, etc. Konami handled the development for the game the right way; it's supposed to be designed to transition fans from one style of RPG into another.
On the other hand, if you have played your fair share of SRPGs, then your experience may differ slightly. I myself have become used to the complex concepts introduced by Nippon Ichi with Disgaea and the like. I also ate, slept and breathed in the job system when I was playing Final Fantasy Tactics. Going from the staples of the genre to a much less involved tactical game like this one left me with a feeling of disappointment. It's not like the game is bad by any stretch of the imagination; it's just that other franchises have crafted a much more interesting experience.
To be fair, just about every SRPG on the market has something that it tries to implement so that the game takes on a point of uniqueness. In Suikoden Tactics' case, there are a couple of things. The game introduces an interesting rune/elemental system that has a huge impact on the flow of combat. Equipping and using runes in battle allows you to alter a specific area where characters can walk. If a fighter is attuned to that element they'll gain some bonuses while they stand there. Vice versa, if a character is susceptible to that type of element, they may take damage or lose something else in the transition. This adds an interesting aspect to combat because it makes you take into consideration every step that you take.
Another thing that the game brings to the table is the inclusion of talking. Sure it may sound a little silly, but during battles you can occasionally pair up characters and have them talk for a bit. This is a great way to raise their goodwill toward one another. Now, you may be thinking why on Earth you'd want to stop in the middle of a fight to have two characters ask each other how their doing. If characters have strong goodwill towards each other they will have the ability to pair up with attacks, protect each other and even learn special cooperative attacks that yield a lot of damage.
When you take these ideals into consideration and add in the basics of the Suikoden franchise such as the Runes, upgraded weaponry and skills to learn, you get a fleshed out game that brings some treats to the table. The innovation really stops there though and the bulk of the gameplay is essentially just like you'd find in other SRPGs. Characters move about on a grid, they attack in turn depending on speed, and when they take too much damage they get removed from the playing field. You also visit towns in the form of a menu, instead of actual exploration, but here you can pick up armor, gossip and some side quests for extra cash.
In the end the gameplay here is just about as standard as it gets. There are some nice new concepts introduced and fans of the franchise may get a kick out of the transition. Gamers used to more involved strategy games will still find this to be a decent distraction, but may not get the lasting play time out of it as you would, say, Makai Kingdom. For veterans of the genre the game may also feel a little too easy and short compared to others. Even so, the game is still solid with enough variety and tactical fun to be had, though it will be most appreciated by Suikoden lovers.
Graphics:
With cel-shaded characters, beautiful environments and the overall flare that the franchise has become known for, this is quite a nice looking game! Unfortunately the game doesn't look nearly as good as its relatives and upon closer inspection, textures and details lose their impact. The animation is simple enough to get by and there is a great variety of spells and attacks. Unfortunately there is little individuality among the game's many enemies and even some of the heroes wash together at times. The ability to choose between a normal presentation and progressive scan is always appreciated.
Audio:
As fans of Suikoden will tell you, the series has always featured an impressive soundtrack, and Tactics isn't any different. Sweeping tunes and familiar scores grace the speakers amidst an array of series-standard sound effects. The voice acting is quite the mixed bag of quality with some decent voiceovers and some terrible ones. The title also employs a sometimes minimalist approach to the sound meaning that there are periods where the game is silent. Fans will also appreciate the Limited Edition soundtrack that is included with the game as a bonus disc.
Conclusion:
Suikoden Tactics proves itself to be an above average strategy RPG experience that stays true to the franchise and breaks in some new ground. Newcomers to the genre will probably get the most out of the game while veterans will notice the relative ease and simplicity of the gameplay. I did like the inclusion of the Talking system, Runes, Elements and cooperative attacks. Overall I feel they helped to give an average game the extra oomph it needed to get to the next level. I'm going to give this one my recommendation, but gamers looking for a longer lasting endeavor will most likely want to rent it.