[/caption]Suikoden II is a console role-playing game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation video game console and the second installment of the Suikoden video game series. It was released in late 1998 in Japan, 1999 in North America, and in 2000 in Europe. It was also released for Microsoft Windows in 2003 only in China. The game features a vast array of characters, with over 100 characters usable in combat and many more who move the plot forward.
Suikoden II takes place years after the events of the original Suikoden, and centers around an invasion by the Kingdom of Highland of the City States of Jowston. The player controls a quiet protagonist whose name is chosen by the player (named Riou in the Japanese novelization and Drama CD adaptation and Tao in the manga adaptation); he is the adopted son of Genkaku, a hero who saved the City-State of Jowston in a war against Highland years ago. The protagonist and his best friend, Jowy Atreides, each gain one half of the Rune of the Beginning, one of the 27 True Runes of the Suikoden setting, and become caught up in the intrigues of the invasion and the dark fate of those who bear the halves of that Rune.
Gameplay:
Suikoden II is a console role-playing game with strategic elements covering those gameplay options pertaining to large scale confrontations, such as between two armies. The player controls a quiet protagonist and travels with them around the world map, advancing the plot by completing tasks and talking with other characters. The player can also recruit new characters to his cause, often involving a short sidequest to do so. In towns, the player can gather information, sharpen characters' weaponry, and buy equipment; wilderness areas generally feature random encounters with monsters.
The battle system in Suikoden II features six-person parties. A variety of statistics determine in-game combat ability. If all six characters lose all their hit points and are thus incapacitated, it is game over and the player must restart. Exceptions exist for certain plot battles in which winning is optional; the player can lose and the plot continues on, albeit in a slightly different fashion.
Runes, the source of all magic in the world of Suikoden II, are handled the same as the original Suikoden. Characters have a certain number of spell usages per "spell level"; for instance, a character with 4 level 1 spell slots and a Fire Rune could cast "Flaming Arrows" (the level 1 Fire Rune spell) 4 times. Other runes offer different benefits, and some may be used as often as desired.
Updates from the original Suikoden include a grid and unit based tactical battle system, the addition of a three rune slot system which allows for three different runes to be equipped at once, a party inventory system, and a "dash" button that allowed the player to move around the screen quicker and vast graphical improvement. Also notable is the inclusion of a variety of mini-games including one quite reminiscent of Iron Chef. A transfer of data from the prior game in the series enables returning characters to enter the fray with higher levels and improved weapons. References to the original Suikoden are also adapted accordingly for a greater feel in continuity.
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