It’s incredibly good to have the Suikoden franchise back in orbit with the recently released Suikoden I&II HD Remaster. This is not only because it’s the first thing Konami has done with the series in over a decade. Playing this compilation of two classic RPGs for review, I initially wondered why the themes and vibes of the games felt timeless and needed today. Before long, it struck me why it’s such a timely release.

Within both ventures, you’re gaining countless allies, building up a community with shared responsibilities and working together to take down self-appointed authoritative figures who feel like playing God with people’s lives. You go through trial and tribulation, but at your side are your unrelenting allies who are there with you every step of the way. What is Suikoden? It’s a God damned much-needed socialist RPG in the year 2025.

You’re in for a good time with both Suikoden ventures, but the first game is the more earnest and very apparent debut for the franchise. Jumping in today, the rough edges that can come with the start of an IP show through. There’s just less to latch on to; there’s not all that much of a story or identifiable threat, as you’re a group of framed individuals on the run rather than facing an opposing force. Similarly, there aren’t the same quality-of-life additions that the second implements, such as optimising the loadout option in the menu for the new gear you’ve you’ve just got. There are messier menus in general… all stuff that becomes more appreciated when you jump into Suikoden II.

Suikoden II is perhaps the most highly regarded in the series, and for good reason. You are a soldier who is forced on the run, reconsidering who you can even consider your ally when the side you’re fighting for gets overturned by fascist forces, including the likes of a murderous prince psychopath by the name of Luca Blight. When the game was released in 1998, it might’ve been considered a bit too comically evil. He stops at nothing with his goal of ruling the land as he mows down innocents and burns down villages, even nigh killing a child. Today, this kind of villain hits just right.

What is also prevalent across both games is the strong message of hope. Triumphant messages of hope are delivered in the face of harsh oppression, and our crew wants a better world. This happens while characters are staring out at gorgeous vistas: a full moon seeping through the window of a prison cell, standing on the outskirts of a castle at dusk and seeing the sunset as you pray your friend returns from the gallows. These are raw moments of humanity and desperate fights for survival. Each is even more well-written than the last. They’re scarcely rivalled by a lot of the JRPGs you get today.

This feeling of community and hope extends to your own army of allies you’re gathering across both games. Featuring 108 recruitable companions, with a majority of them playable in your party, is still an incredibly novel idea for an RPG. With that comes a diverse cast of characters, all uniquely designed, leaving plenty of room for favourites. You’ll see these members slowly populate the fortresses you rule in each game, leaving a comfortable home-base sensation that is incredibly welcome for how transient the game is. It’s a warm feeling to see how your base grows and develops in between your far and wide journeys across the overworld. Companions have functions at the bases too, opening up shops and storage spaces and the like. Often, RPGs can feel quite isolated, at most feeling like you have a handful of friends on your side. Having countless allies at your side, championing you and helping you fight the power, is a unique and timely feeling.

Suikoden I and II are very much products of their time. They still feel like RPGs from the 90s, and short of being able to speed up battles (4x in the first game compared to 2x in the second, because the original was that slow), there’s still ample room for more modernisation to bring them up to snuff. Skippable cutscenes, or at least speeding up cutscenes for those brutal moments you die and have to go through a long story sequence once more is an easy addition that isn’t there.

I say all of this, but I swear both are still wonderful games. The first has a lot of unique ideas going for it and weird story beats where you’re thwarting a vampire’s wedding one moment and having to fight those that were once your allies the next. You can feel the ambition not quite always being there on the original, but it is there in Suikoden II.

Where the Suikoden franchise feels the most ahead of its time is in its combat, which remains largely grounded but with a few forward-thinking flourishes to stop it from feeling monotonous. You can have upwards of six members in your party at a given time, with two rows of three. The placement of each character requires some strategy, as they all have their own formation rules. Some can only be placed in the back row and only do damage to the front of the opposing force’s and so on. When these rules also apply to the enemy’s placement, you start trying to work out the best mix, ensuring that your heavier and tankier companions are taking the brunt of the damage. Team-up abilities can do 2x damage on a specific enemy but will then see one or both of the pair staggered following this attack, leaving them to do not much else but defend or use items next turn. It’s punchy and fun combat that you can really engage with if you choose, but it’s also not so involved that you feel guilty whenever you’re popping the game in auto battle.

Suikoden I&II HD Remaster’s biggest surprise it had in store for me as a newcomer to the series was the scripted moments where the combat type changes exponentially. In moments of the story, you’re engaging in one-on-one battles or army vs army battles where you take part in a good old-fashioned game of rock, paper, scissors. Here, you have to do some guessing as to what the enemy’s going to do, making sure you’re using block when it can overpower attacks or outdamaging an opponent in another turn. These are incredibly thrilling fights and are often nail-biters where you win by the skin of your teeth. The other encounter types you’ll occasionally get are uneven and rough turn-based tactics fights akin to the early Fire Emblem games. These don’t play very well at all and I was always glad for them to be over, but I’m happy they damn well gave it a go in implementing them.

The Suikoden games are very special, and their charm far outshines their rough edges. Playing the battles at 4x the speed makes the games so much breezier and quicker to work through. They’ve also got sweeping story moments in there, such as moments of betrayal where you can’t muster saying much at the majesty except for an audible gasp, taken aback. What a pair of experiences.