Well I've only played twenty minutes or so thus far, I've been introduced to too many characters to keep track of already, the music is typically addictive JRPG fare, and I very much like what little I've seen of the combat system. Let's set the scene...
The game begins, as an astonishing number of JRPGs do, in a somewhat labyrinthine castle talking to a king. We're introduced to the main character, who is named by the player. I'm sure he's probably got some 'canon' Japanese name somewhere - just like the Persona protagonists, for example - but I've simply named him Akami because... well because I have a habit of trying to invent Japanese-sounding five-letter names for my JRPG characters. Our hero's father is pretty well-known around these parts, a fellow called Teo McDohl who seems to be a bit of a war hero. Teo is sent off to fight a battle and we're told to begin our attempt to follow in papa's footsteps by commencing work for the empire. There's a nice little dinner scene where we're introduced to a bunch of characters; I don't quite know who these people are or where they come from, but they're obviously my friends.
After the meal we're off to bed and Teo bids his sleeping son farewell. In the morning a few friends join us and we head off to start work, reporting to a fellow called Kraze, who seems to be a bit of a jerk. He sends us off on a little quest up north. To get there we fly on a dragon, and that's certainly something I always enjoy. We finally get our first taste of combat after descending from the dragon and making our way through a forest. Yes, I know, first I was chatting to a king now I'm on my first quest in a forest; this all sounds very cliché for a JRPG but series like Suikoden are where the clichés come from. The combat is classic turn-based fare; for now I've got five party members but maybe we'll see more, certainly looks like there's room for a sixth. I decide on my attacks, the enemy decides on theirs, we all watch the round play out. Of course it's simple and for many people this sort of traditional JRPG combat is perhaps the biggest turn-off for the genre. Not me. I love this sort of stuff, and with the 'Unite' attacks - a special move where several party members team up to deal a devastating blow - I can already see plenty of potential for the combat to evolve. I don't even have any magic or special abilities yet either so I'm looking forward to seeing how the battle system grows.
At the end of the forest I encountered my first 'Boss'. I say boss, but the thing was dead in two rounds. It was some sort of rock elemental, and was controlled by a young man I talked to afterwards. This pretty much confirms the obvious fact that magic is part of Suikoden, but I wonder how far they take it. Will I be able to control elementals like this? Will I get spells, summons, and more? We'll see. For now I've enjoyed my brief introduction to the game and look forward to playing some more. I'll surely return with an update shortly.
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