Suikoden V (PlayStation 2)


Story:
Suikoden V is the second game in the Suikoden timeline. It follows a young Prince (default name of Freyjadour) in the Queendom of Falena. Falena is a beautiful, prospering nation, blessed by the divine and powerful Sun Rune. But the politics underneath that are a bit more complicated. Soon, the Prince's little sister, Lymsleia, is to be wed. Her future husband is decided by an event called "The Sacred Games" in which men compete for the hand of the Princess. But they don't need to compete themselves, they can also hire representatives to fight in the tournament for them.



The two most powerful and most corrupt noble families, the Godwins and the Barows, both have some powerful fighters and a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to the Sacred Games. Both want to wed the young Queen so they can rule Falena in the way they see fit. And it's up to the Prince to gather the 108 Stars of Destiny (special people) in order to stop the corruption happening in his country.



Gameplay:
This will feel very familiar to fans of the series and fans of RPG's in general. Encounters are random and you'll have a party of six to fight with. At the beginning of the turn, you'll input commands for each character, such as "Attack", "Rune" (magic), or "Item" among others. Characters and enemies will then act according to speed and a few other things. There's also an auto battle mode, and this game offers a few new changes to the battle system. In Suikoden V, you can bring an entourage with you, which can consist of support characters (who offer a certain benefit but can't fight) or other playable characters that you can swap in. This game also allows you to find and use different battle formations, which raise your stats and allow you to strategically place your units according to their strengths.



You can sharpen weapons, buy equipment, buy items, trade goods for profit, equip magical runes to your characters, and also increase and equip certain skills which will raise their stats and allow them to do things like parry an enemy attack. You can also play various mini-games depending on the allies you have recruited.



Aside from regular battles, there are also War Battles and Duels. Duels take place as a sort of rock-paper-scissors match. The enemy will give you a hint as to their action and you have 3 seconds do decide between Attack, Defend, and Special. Attack beats Defend, Defend beats Special, and Special beats Attack. In War Battles, you will control Units which you will then move across a battle map to engage with the enemy. There are two types of War Battles, land and sea (and sometimes a combination of the two), and they also take place as a rock-paper-scissor match of sorts. By moving a unit over another one, you can tell if it will be strong, weak, or equal to that unit. You can also set up the Units to use special skills like Recover and certain magics.



A big part of the game is collecting the 108 Stars of Destiny. These are people that will help you with your cause and in some cases be playable. Certain characters are recruited automatically, while others will need special conditions fulfilled at special times. The number of Stars of Destiny you have will also affect which ending you get, as their are multiple possible endings. There are certain other factors that play in to which ending you get as well, such as dialogue choices, adding some replay value to the game.

World:
The country of Falena is quite beautiful, and has the Feitas River flowing throughout it. You'll find many areas to explore by foot and by boat as well. You also gain access to a character who can teleport you to areas you've been previously. Like a lot of RPG's, you'll gain access to more and more areas the further in to the game you are.



Characters:
Since there are so many characters, I will only include a few of the main characters, in no particular order.
Prince Freyjadour: Prince of Falena, although men can't inherit the throne. Loves his family and is very close to his little sister. Main character.
Lyon: the Prince's bodyguard, very dedicated and loyal and always does her best to protect the Prince no matter what.
Georg: A warrior from another country who knows the Prince's father and has accepted a job as a Queen's Knight.
Kyle: A Queen's Knight and womanizer. He's a good fighter and magic user and has a lighthearted attitude.
Miakis: The Princess's bodyguard, she loves to tease her and has quite a silly attitude.
Logg: A man from Raftfleet. He's not the brightest but he's there in a pinch. Gets himself in to trouble a lot.
Lun: Logg's daughter, she's always up to shenanigans with her pop. She has a go-to and loud attitude.
Kisara: Logg's wife and Lun's mother, she does her best to keep them in check. The brains of the family.
Raja: The wise leader of Raftfleet, she cares very much about her people.
Lucretia: Your strategist, a brilliant woman who's mind knows no limit.
Zweig: A self-serving man interested in the ruins of the ancient Sindar Civilization.
Lorelai: A young woman with a cold attitude who is interested in the ancient Sindar Ruins.
Zerase: A mysterious and unfriendly woman with an interest in Runes.
Viki: A ditzy magician who can teleport things when she sneezes.
Luserina: A kind young woman who tries to keep her family in check.

Overall:
I adore this game and always have. It's an adventure from beginning to end and you really feel the world changing and the time passing. The characters are interesting and there are some beautifully touching moments. The story is well told and engaging. The gameplay is overall fun with a few negative spots here and there. The War Battles can be fun or stressful, but they certainly get your attention. Overall I love it for it's characters, story, and beautiful world. It always kept me interested and engaged, it has some of my favourite characters ever, and it's fun to play. However, this game is extremely stressful when it comes to recruiting characters as it's much more sensitive than previous entries. Things are also expensive, the War Battles are more engaging, and the formation adds a strategy element to fights. For those reasons, I wouldn't recommend this one to newcomers of the series.

Verdict:
LOVED IT