Stars of destiny

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages... No, I ain’t writing a piece about wrestling.
Let’s leave that to my good friend Carl. What I will instead proclaim to the effervescent RPG Mega-verse and the rest of the gaming community is that the fate of the world hangs in the balance and there is a need for the Stars of Destiny to gather once again. You know what that means? Suikoden is back. And it’s bigger, brighter, and better than ever.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the popular RPG (Role-Playing Game) videogame line, Konami has released Suikoden 5 for the Playstation 2 Console. Decked with what has been tagged as the "longest Suikoden storyline ever," the beloved series returns to its classical roots, following suite with the build-an-army-and-home-base tradition that was put aside for the new multiple storyline system of its equally celebrated predecessor, Suikoden 4.

I have always been a fan of the series since it first came out in 1996. When I first got my Playstation, before tiangge conversion and its army of all-of-a-sudden affordable games landed on our shores, my mom gave me a bunch of RPGS for my third console after Sega and Super Nintendo. Along with my then brand-new Playstation came two now-classic games – Vandal Hearts and Suikoden, the latter piquing my interest for its turn-based gaming system in the conventions of the world-renowned Final Fantasy series.

At that time, Final Fantasy 3 for the Super Nintendo console had ascended to such unimaginable heights that it became such a tough act to follow. I wasn’t quite receptive to other RPGs by other development teams aside from the brainchildren of our friends at Squaresoft. With Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, and Legend of Mana, to name a few, in a long slew of outrageously avant-garde RPG games, I couldn’t really help but be a devoted fan to the Squaresoft fold. Then again, there occasionally comes a diamond in the rough that goes against the grain and fosters a growing cult within the gaming community. Years ago, that came in the form of Suikoden, a promising RPG that enables you to gather hundreds of characters to fight alongside your hero during his travails. Ten years later despite more hi-tech Final Fantasies and Xeno Sagas, and Atlus’ growing repertoire of Nocturne, Digital Devil Saga, and other variations of the popular Persona line, Suikoden maintains the Gold Standard with an all-new adventure that will have fans stark-raving mad for ages.

The game opens in the prosperous land of Falena, under the Queendom of Arshtat mandated by the omnipotent Sun Rune, one of 27 True Runes. Falena is unknown to most Suikoden fans, only to be discovered later on to be a neighboring country of the Island Nations Federation of Suikoden 4 and Suikoden Tactics fame. The storyline however takes place years after the events of Suikoden 4. In this latest installment of the well-loved series, you play as the Prince of Falena, accompanied by your loyal bodyguard Lyon, premier Queen’s Knight Georg, and your sassy aunt Sialeeds in an attempt to mediate Sol-Falena’s diplomatic relations with its constituent towns. You start out with the usual side-quests from Queen Arshtat and your father Ferid, head of the Queen’s Knights, until a fateful competition among the nobles of the land is held in order held to decide who will take the hand of your little sister Lymsleia in marriage.

All the while, a civil unrest brews between the House of Barows and the House of Godwins in their attempts to usurp the throne from Arshtat’s reign. With the competition as the opportune means to achieve their slimy goals, and other racial and multi-cultural conflicts adorning an already deteriorating hold of the Queendom on Falena, it’s up to the Prince to uncover the mysteries of the munificent Sun Rune and quell the dark intents of an unknown power threatening the fate of his world. As the prince, you can uncover up to 108 Stars of Destiny with over 60 playable characters, each with their own unique backgrounds, personalized weapons, and contributions to your vibrant army. Eventually, you’ll be able to customize your own home base with corresponding amenities, mini-games, and alterations provided for by special characters you can recruit throughout the game.

Suikoden 5 also features an all-new Tactical Formation System that will allow you to strategize battle formations during random encounters in the expansive World Map and Suikoden’s various dungeons. Like previous installments of the game, you are also able to take six party members with you into battle, with a small reserve group you can choose to swap your current party members with depending on the reserve members’ unique abilities. There are also the usual army battles where you can position distinctive units for strategy-based skirmishes, and one-on-one battles between the Prince and certain personalities during the game. You will also be able to customize Suikoden 5's playable characters with an all-new skill system and experience multiple endings depending on the choices you make.

The game has been Rated T for mild language, partial nudity, use of alcohol and violence with over a hundred hours of game time for those who want to unlock all the secrets of Suikoden 5. I am currently 51 hours into the game, with about 60ish Stars of Destiny, and I’m not even halfway through. Thus continues this saga of sleepless nights and uncontrollable playing before and after Workshop. God save my soul!

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Catch your breath and let me know what you think at chasingtoff@yahoo.com.