I just want to say thank you again to ZenmenZ for translating my emails with Mr. Murayama, and Hian for helping me get in contact with him. This video contains info on Suikoden 2's development that has never been seen before, so if you found it insightful please share and spread the word! Also, I have provided my sources in the video description, so if you'd like to read Mr. Murayama's response for yourself feel free to do so. Thanks for watching everyone!
Resonant Arc great video and research! I would be interested to ask Muruyama San a hypothetical question as to what he would do if he could reboot the series and perhaps create a story that builds on Suikoden 1 and 2 and their worlds rather than moving it to a new area as he did with 3.
what an awesome contribution to game history - thank you! I loved this game when I was younger, but I was so young that I don't remember much of it. I am going to give it another spin now.
I am amazed that you would put such a quality review with exclusive content for us fans out there where you yourself originally struggled to see what makes this game so special for us, from what I can see in your community feed. Mad props to you mate!
These guys are serious about their RPG fandom and it shows. I wish they were able to make more frequent videos like they did in the past, but I'm sure there's a good reason for the slowdown in new content.
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;) www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
The fight with Luca... Solidified him as a Ganondorf level of unstoppable monster. You ambush him, fight him in an 18 on 1 battle, he gets turned into a pin cushion by archers, and the dude STILL presents a major threat in the final 1-on-1 duel. His final words are fucking chilling too. "It took hundreds to kill me but I killed humans by the thousands!!!! Look at me!!!! I am sublime!!!! I am the true face of evil!!!!"
Reaching out to the man himself to get answers on such a gem? Holy shit, dude. It drives me crazy how good you have been, and continue to grow and get better. Digging deeper, asking the questions, and producing top quality, in depth vids year after year. You guys keep rocking.
@@ResonantArc resonant arc that is really awesome that they replied and answered, I know some japanese and wish I had a chance to do some work with you guys
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;) www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
Great video! Suikoden II holds a special place in my heart, and your retrospective review captured the essence of the game beautifully. It's fascinating to learn about the origins of the story and how it ties into the overall experience. Keep up the fantastic work, looking forward to more content like this from you!
Every few years when I'm feeling down, I pop in this game and spend maybe a week in it, going from start to finish. Finding all the stars, shedding tears at the same scene's, releasing a lot of anger at other scene's (screw you Gorudo) and at the end, I just feel better, like something heavy has been lifted from me.
It's been 20 years now and that one Nanami scene hit me just as hard on my playthrough a few months ago as it did back then, even knowing how it all works out. Truly one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
I just want to point this out, because no one seems to notice: very uniquely for a video game, Suikoden II has a classic 5 narrative act structure. This is where the climax of the story is toward the middle and the rest of the story is the fallout and consequence of that climax, often with a more minor climax at the end. I cannot think of any other video game that does this, and it makes the plot seem extremely unique. The 5 act narrative structure is an extremely effective structure for a tragedy; for example, in Oedipus, the climax is Oedipus learning that his wife is actually his mother. The rest of the story is the consequence of that discovery, and the play ends in his death. In Romeo & Juliet, the climax is when Romeo is effectively exiled, the rest of the story is the consequence of that, and the climax is each of their deaths. Suikoden II's entire story is narrative leading up to seemingly inevitable tragedy in an extremely classical way. The climax is the death of Luca Blight and Jowy's decision to continue to lead the highlanders because, even though he achieved what he set out to do, he now feels it is his responsibility. This sets up the inevitable conclusion of one of the main character's deaths, because it means they no longer have a shared goal: they are enemies. But, in keeping with Suikoden's II strong themes about the subversion of fate, Suikoden II itself subverts the tragic conclusion if and only if you gather all 108 stars, which makes the ultimate payoff for your accomplishment just that much more potent. It's beautiful.
Knocked it out of the park. I think every retrospective you make manage to capture the melancholia of returning to stories that have impacted us deeply, and therein lies their greatest value. Once you've experienced a great story you can never truly get back your virgin response to it - the teacup is broken and you can't will it back together again. That being said, your reviews draws out and condense the core of those emotions, and allow me to remember the older me. They're a shortcut to the payoffs stored in my memories, with a side-dish of additional insights or perspectives that add new layers of appreciation to those cherrished memories. For that, I'll always be grateful. Never stop doing what you do, for you do it excellently.
This was such a thoughtful review with more details and information brought to light than any other on Suikoden II that I've heard. Thank you for making this video Resonant and the others involved. Truly a wonderful reflection on this classic.
I can't help but feel sentimental each time someone talks about Suikoden II. It is such an important part of my teenage years. I will never forget it ever. One of the greatest games of all time.
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;) www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
Agreed! I had just started high school the month it released August 1999. I was busy with football and marching band so it took 14yr old me until almost November to earn enough money to buy it and FFVIII. $39.96 at the local Walmart and $14.95 for the strategy guide, some of the best spent money I have ever earned, and I absolutely fell in love with everything about it from story and gameplay to the epic musical score. In fact, I loved the music so much (and this is 99-00 mind you, I begged my parents to buy the import soundtrack of it and Chrono Cross for Christmas. They were so expensive, that I could only get Vol. 1 and I couldn't read a thing on the CD case, but it played just fine. I look up the going rate for Suikoden II and the strat guide from time to time, and I am very grateful I worked my teenager ass cutting firewood to get it like I had Suikoden I at the very beginning. It's in my Mt. Rushmore of video games always nand forever.
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;) www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
Same...i learned SOOO much from the game...cheesy but, is not a game anymore, is a part of me. I still playing it and always will.. (and even tho i keep telling myself to play more with different characters, i end up with the same party: nanami (sierra/ayda/ellie/tomo or tengaar), millie, mcdohl, camus and miklotov :V
I'm really happy to see more people playing and talking about this specific title.. I get goosebumps whenever I remember a scene of it, it really touched my heart and I simply cannot change it's position as my top #1 jrpg no matter how many games i played afterwards
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;) www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
I've been retro gaming since the lockdown...playing classics I missed over the years. This game by far has been my greatest find. Absolutely amazing title. Omega Army for life!
There should be a forum or something to let the Suikoden 2 staff know how you feel about this masterpiece and tell them your appreciation on their hard work.
Thank you for this retrospective it brought up so many warm memories of my teenage years. Hearing that orchestral intro and seeing part of that fmv brought tears to my eyes.
That battle with Luca is one of the greatest boss fights of all time. When I think of villians that I loved to hate, Luca is the first one that pops in my head. "Die, pig!"
Yeah. I'm sometimes baffled why they placed such an epic battle and luca's death halfway through the game, but at the end of the day it worked just fine
@@galihjati443 Luca's backstory is actually a very tragic one. When he was young, he, his father and his mother got captured by ruffians of the state. His father used Luca and his wife as baits to escape alone, leaving his wife and child behind. Luca was beat up by the ruffians and his mother was raped in front of him before being rescued by Han Cunningham. Julia's birth is the result of the rape of Luca's mother, who committed suicide soon after giving birth. This was explained in one of the suikoden books (only available in Japanese) and i think it was also mentioned in one of the Suikoden gaiden.
Luca Blight is definitely a horrible person, but, in the end he ended up a pawn in Jowy and Leon Silverburg's bid for power. Although Luca is the obvious foil, Jowy I find is incredibly compelling as a villain. He's you on a different albeit more ruthless path.
This is a great video. Well done. I will always remember this game because of my best friend who is no longer with us. We loved to play JRPG's together, sometimes with 2 TV's in the same room. Suikoden 2 was probably his favorite and I remember looking over at his screen while he was in a major battle or an epic scene. Such fond memories. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
yep. Never again. Closest experience I can think of is Nier - not exactly and rpg - on Ps3 but it's still leaps and bounds behind in terms of scale and intensity. (and I played Automata, Eternal Sonata, Tales series, Xenoblade series, and the last two Dragon Quests )
thankfully we already have more jrpgs like this than you could ever complete in a lifetime... the snes/ps1/ps2/psp/ds and to a lesser extent vita/3ds have TONS of quality jrpgs that you can play... and they are better than anything (from the genre) that has come out in the ps3/ps4 era for the most part. so what does it matter if we don't get games like suikoden 2 anymore? there are at least 200+ quality jrpgs waiting to be played but i doubt you have the time anyways :D
@@faidou9954 personally, i have given up on moden jrpgs since they don't appeal to me... there are a few exceptions such as persona 5 etc... but generally speaking, i play jrpgs from the the period prior to the ps3 era (as that is when they started to go downhill in more ways than one). what i miss most about "clssic" jrpg's though is the mature storytelling and quality music... that has greatly been lost with modern jrpg's, especially when it comes to the generic anime tropes and pedestrian writing. it is as lazy as it gets. again, there are a few exceptions to this critcism i am making, but you can clearly see a dip in quality beginning in the ps2 era when it comes to home console jrpg's... most of the good ones made their way to handhelds before eventually falling by the wayside -- we got an onslaught of games from the tales series in addition to smaller budget jrpg's that pander to anime fans first and foremost. even though i consider myself an anime fan, the stories we typically get in jrpg's today is "bad" anime with little to no redeeming qualities.
@@mogwai_for_sale There's a theory I hear kicked around here in Japan a lot which is an idea of "storytelling entropy". Simply put, the reason you see this weird decline into a kind of compounded or crystallized form of "anime trope writing" is because when the medium was young you had young hopefully storytellers taking inspiration largely from the movies, books and bed-time stories they grew up with (IE storytelling backed by some level of media and art literacy), you now get content creators tracing those works again rather than the source, which not only slowly "fades the print" as it were, but centralizes the stories around a few concepts and tropes that have proven successful. It's like feeding a drawing through a copy machine, then copying the copy, then copying the copy of the copy etc. Ultimately, the nuances and finer details are lost, and only the blurred outline and the strongest colours remain. A work like Xenogears was based in a lot of literary, academic and religious works. Now imagine copying Xenogears without knowing those works, and then somebody else copying that again. It's bound to lose both essence and quality over time.
God I love the Suikoden games. I remember reading about the 1st in CVG magazine before it was released, then buying it straight away on release. I loved it so much, and immediately got Suikoden 2 when that was released. Being in the UK we missed out on 3, even though I imported the US edition and tried fruitlessly to get it to play on my pal ps2 to no avail. I bought 4, 5 and Tactics too when they were released. I still have my collection, even though its worth alot of money it's worth so much more to me, so I wouldn't sell it. Parts 1 & 2 are without a doubt my favourites, the music, the characters, the lore, the story, the gameplay just all came together. Suikoden remains to this day my favourite game of all time - I don't think it will ever change. I love watching videos about the games, thank you so much for this insightful review.
i can't deny that seeing characters, hearing music and remembering parts from the story made me tear up a bit. i played tons and tons of rpgs, but, oh boy... suikoden 2 was so good that everytime i think about it, i'd really want to hug every one of the developers involved, in particular to Higashino-san
This has to be the most in depth review I've ever seen, and the fact that it's about my favorite game of all times makes me extremely happy. Thank you for putting so much effort Mike, Resonant Arc keeps on delivering the best content to date in terms of breaking down story based media. You guys rock!
Excellent review! GS2 is my favourite game in the world. Like you say, is the kind of game that has a huge formative value on his players. I feel it that way at least. Thanks for this!
I picked up a copy of Suikoden 2 for $10 at a local pawn shop when I was about 11 (1999 or so). I'd never heard of it, had no idea what was about or even if it were a JRPG (which I loved) I just thought the cover art was cool. I got it home and proceeded to spend the next several weeks with my jaw on the floor. I love this game so damn much. over 20 years later I've beaten it many times and I always find something new, some detail I didn't notice before. Such a great game.
One of the really cool things you can do in Suikoden II is right at the beginning during the prologue you have an option to run from your pursuers or fight them, you are meant to run as this is the only way to progress the story, however if you choose to not run a total of 108 times and repeat the early battle then the opening flashback cutscene is actually in color instead of Sepia. Such a cool little easter egg.
The first time I heard and watched the opening sequence it gave me goosebumps and I was definitely aware that it's gonna be a hell of a ride and I wasn't disappointed. ❤
Hearing this music again stirs many memories for me. I found the story to be quite an adventure and heart wrenching the first time I played it in my youth. It pains me now to know that some of the creators suffered so greatly to produce something so beautiful.
Had very little knowledge of this franchise until you covered it. My love for JRPGs has been vastly re-emerging recently and am more than excited to play this classic because of the quality and heart behind this review. And now, with Eiyuden Chronicle on its way, I'm honored and ecstatic to be part of the process of making a game in a genre I adore dearly.
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;) www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
Wow great video! I remember that I spent so many hours just pacing around the castle and noticing the changes. Everything about this game made an impact on my life, the story, the characters, the different kind of battles. I was born in Brazil so the the plot was a bit hard for me to understand, so me and my cousins would spend hours on the internet searching translations. This game means so much to me and I can't even describe the many emotions I have experienced while playing this game. It is sad that the developer team suffered so much during the elaboration of the game. Nowadays we talk more about this topic but I believe the conditions didn't improve all that much.
Miki Higashino's composition is one of my fave. I often play the game in an emulator just to hear the soundtrack. The Greenhill theme is my fave, and Neclord's theme a very close second. :)
Just replayed the game recently and the fight sequence with Luca Blight still packs one hell of a punch and sends chills literally all over my body. Even after so many years, the impact is still so strong, and I was looking forward to putting him down once again. Even as a child, the story has been so memorable and the music and sprite work/animations is unrivaled. Truly one of the best games ever developed.
Thanks for this video. Plan on buying this game again and playing with my brother after Thanksgiving. It has been almost 20 years since the both of us played this game together.
Amazing content as always! like the underappreciated composer of suikoden 2 i feel like your reviews don't get the attention they deserve. It's really obvious how much work is put into your videos. Love your content! Keep it up.
you did a great job on doing a review for this massively underrated but so beautiful game. it's the game that will makes you feel and experience everything that the rpg can offer before. this is my first ps1 game and probably the best for me.
Let me tell you a story. I didn't have PS1 back then. I was playing at a computer rental shop which I need to pay for an hour of play. I pretty much finished a lot of game there, mostly RPGs and so I was bored. I saw this game and decided to play it because I have nothing to play. Oh boy it was the best thing I ever did! Still replaying thisnday every year.
Man that final image really hits you how jowy is waiting for you. I would much prefer the one where the 3 of them set off on a journey but jowy image is powerfully enough to make a person feel nostalgic and sad
Thank you for highlighting this hidden gem of the ps1 era. This game has had a large part in shaping my early gaming experiences, and the music remains my favourite OST of any game. In the Oceanic area, this game is even more rare than the rest of the West, and it feels very validating to have such an in depth review of the game :)
This is a very good video. I search for Suikoden to learn more since there's a spritual successor coming. While watching this video, i have strong urge to play a game i never heard of 10 minutes ago. Great job. Excellent work.
4:30 And it was such a tragedy when SIII and especially SIV felt like an artistic DOWNGRADE because of their smoothness, their expressionlessness, and the loss of just overall stunning art the game was known for.
Thank you for this video. You always put well-researched and well-edited videos and to have one on my favorite game of all time is amazing. I learned a lot of new information and getting some info about Miki Higashino’s music made me love the OST even more. It was in your Suikoden 1 video where you talked about a piece of music, that when heard, can transport people into a certain place and time, and Suikoden 2’s music does that for me. It really is one of my favorite soundtracks up to today.
The music in the intro gives me goosebumps and gets me a little choked up even to this day. Suikoden II is my favorite RPG of all time and I can't foresee that changing anytime soon. While not really a criticism, I wish you had gone into more detail about the relationship between Riou and Jowy and how that evolves/plays out over the course of the game. SOME SPOILERS AHEAD: For me, a major part of what makes the game special is how the game plays with the player's expectations of an antagonist - here you have a character that's every bit as brutal and maniacal as Kefka (or take your pick of any famous JRPG villain) and, while admittedly shocking, is extremely one-note. I kindof hate villains that are "evil because evil". It's just not very interesting or particularly believable. There's not even a hint of empathy to be found there. They're like a force of nature. So many games have taken this approach, some with more flair than others, but the evil because evil villain isn't particularly novel. But Suikoden II does something different. It kills that villain... but then the game keeps going. Now you have a new character that fills that role that's very different from Luca. He's not evil because evil, he's doing what he thinks is right but that puts him at odds with you and yours. You can understand _why_ he's doing what he's doing, even if you disagree, even if it's misguided. The same could be said for a number of the characters under his command, and it gives some of the ending moments a very bittersweet quality. They're doing what they see as the best course of action for their people, but those plans and yours are diametrically opposed. It's easy to see how, from their perspective, _you're the villain_ . But you're the victor, and history is written by the victors. It's a great take on the horrors of civil war, the death of innocence, and lifelong friendship. It's a simultaneously brutal, beautiful, emotionally draining and exhilarating story. I try to proselytize on this game's behalf any opportunity I get, and it's difficult to explain what makes it so special without delving into spoilers, but the evolution of Riou and Jowy over the course of the game, their narrative arc, is something truly special.
I agree with the Riou and Joey analysis. Unfortunately the reviewer did not get the concept behind Suikoden 2 and therefore didn’t like the game. He’s too much into the technicalities and nitpicks every little detail instead of feeling the experience of the game if you know what I mean.
i can feel your love for this game...i love it too...riou and jowy,friendship/enmity, then friendship again...paths, decisions, really big consequences, and the maturity to face them...no other game or tale have this epic and emotional story..i can even tell that just a few movies out there can compare to the story of suiko 2
I remember playing this game so many times as a kid, it's such a great game and I really took for granted the thought the Suikoden series would always be around delivering a quality JRPG experience for generations to come. Little did I know that Suikoden V would be the last entry we'd get and the story would never progress past the 3rd entry. PS1 was truly a golden era for the genre. This video was a great trip down memory lane, it's great to finally get confirmation from Murayama about the rumours surrounding the first two games.
Unquestionably my favorite r.p.g. on the system. For those who haven't played it, be sure and play the first one beforehand to get the most out of the experience.
Thank you for taking the time for this in depth review. Suikoden II is my favourite JRPG of all time, and I always say that if I were to play just one JRPG in my lifetime, it would be Suikoden II. Thank you. so much.
just played through Suiokoden II a few weeks ago for god knows how many times, I see this, get goosebumps and fire it up again. My favourite game, ever, and forever will be! I got 2 physical copies, one opened, one unopened, the unopened one will come with me in my grave.
Just another addition (perhaps good for the youtube algorithm): The German translation is even worse. Almost the whole of Gregminster isn't in German (or English), but French... And some of the most emotional scenes are botched by repeating a previous line... And I still love the game so much despite its flaws.
I am enjoying the video huge thanks to for Resonant arc,ZenmenZ,and Mr.Murayama(writer suikoden best scenario) feels great having news to murayama about suikoden 2!
Great review! I hate hearing though how developers personal lives suffered so much to give us these masterpieces. Personal loss because of an arts project is something I know all too well and unless you work in the industry sadly you won’t ever understand this. Yes it was their passion and child but they still have their right to live their lives as they see fit. What makes it all worthwhile is “thank you” because people will know that their hard work was worth t. Yes I do know that some projects aren’t as demanding as this one and even then do the same just say thank you to developers. It makes it all worth it!
Awesome stuff. If this video is anything to go by, I dig your new approach to retrospective reviews with a more in-depth look into classic (role-playing) games. This way, the review feels educational and informative while still also going into the subjective stuff--what makes the game awesome to a lot of its fans. Also, hearing A Bustling Town (4:35) really brings a smile to my face. Well, time to watch this again.
What you said about opening credits sequence was true , when i played it i dont cared about the characters , but that flash makes me fall in love with both of em Will love to see your opinion on suikoden 5
Suikoden 5 is one of the dullest games I've ever looked at, with the worst cities, one of the dullest opening 5-8 hours I've ever played in a game, and the least challenging combat I've ever encountered in a JRPG EVER, I autobattled bosses FFS and never chose attacks. I never finished it and dropped the Suikoden series for over a decade cause 5 was my first and it was so dissapointing
I finished this game 3 times, It touched my heart 3 times, I believe always will...This game is a masterpiece, it has one of the most unique, best stories that was ever written for a video game! In a strange way I felt bad for Luca Blight even if you can see clearly that he is an insane and evil character...one of the best story about friendship, if not, the best! Great retrospective!
This is such a beautiful comprehensive review for S2. Thank you for the time and care you put into making this and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on other games down the road. Are you considering delving into the other three from the main series by chance?
Thanks, Hannah! I don't have immediate plans to move on to Suikoden 3, but I'm sure I will get there eventually. My guess is Patreon will vote for something like Golden Sun, Grandia, or Secret of Mana next.
Best Retrospect (perhaps the ONLY one) that pays tribute to this game on a professional level. So glad this content exist on UA-cam for posteriority-thanks for the hard-work Resonant Arc.
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;) www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
This was really fantastic work, man. It would have been easy to simply regurgitate the accepted narrative about the game's development, but you went the extra mile and taught me something new about one of my favorite titles. This says a lot about the time and care you invest into these reviews. The result was the finest video I've seen about Suikoden II on UA-cam. Thank you. Definitely subscribed.
What would be the point of a remake? Suikoden II is pretty much perfect as it is. I certainly wouldn't want it in 3D, and higher resolution graphics would add nothing of value. Maybe a touch-up on the translation, but that's it.
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;) www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
This game defines my childhood. Watched my older cousin play it when I was 10, and played it multiple times throughout my teen years until finally playing it with an emulator at 17 to get the perfect ending. I remember waking up at 7am(!) during summer break with printed walkthrough from gamefaqs just to play this game. The characters, music, world, story, and graphics were just a perfect mix and became much more than the sum of its parts. I've played great games since but none have ever come CLOSE to replacing Suikoden II as my all time perfect game. Thanks for the very informative review dude, what a trip down memory lane.
I literally just got the game yesterday and this appeared in my recommended. I'm scared Google is stalking me. Also, playing it believe the sprites still hold up today and the game has surprisingly great animations
Excellent work guys, this Retrospectives are always so well made. Props for actually contacting Murayama to clear out those rumors. Btw seeing the spritework again i really wish we could've gotten a FF like this back then, like maybe VII and then do the switch for VIII.
This was the best! You actually reached out to the creators of this masterpiece. Amazing. This game was perfect as far as I’m concerned, and your review was great!
The video mentions the detailed character sprites and animation, but what's equally amazing in my opinion, is the background images quality and the design of the city/building. It is a major improvement from the first game. Unlike the first game, the interior of the buildings in Suikoden II actually feels real. There are no giant rooms with minimal furniture in it. The proportions of each rooms are believable. The cities/towns themselves have unique layout which makes it interesting to explore. Also, in Suikoden II, you can dash, which is one of the most important upgrades if you ask me.
wow. I actually feel bad for never hearing of these games! For the amount of effort and how enticing they are in graphics, art style, music, story, and gameplay!
Well at least now you have and Konami is releasing a remastered 1and 2 plus eiyuden chronicles hundred heros is coming out sometime next year and it was made by most of the original team
I just finished my playthrough yesterday. I remember playing this game during my childhood. Played it twice or thrice but never got to finish it, mainly due to my stupid memory card being corrupted! (Cried so much when that happened. I still remember it so clearly.) In both times I ended with beating Luca Blight (so I guess that was the ending when I was a child.) I am so happy i found time now to give it another go. Brought so much nostalgia and now I actually got to experience (and finish) the story as an adult and actually better understand the story and motivations of the characters (and taste buds in the cooking contest). Now i can truly say that Suikoden II is one of my favorite games ever. :)
I just want to say thank you again to ZenmenZ for translating my emails with Mr. Murayama, and Hian for helping me get in contact with him. This video contains info on Suikoden 2's development that has never been seen before, so if you found it insightful please share and spread the word! Also, I have provided my sources in the video description, so if you'd like to read Mr. Murayama's response for yourself feel free to do so. Thanks for watching everyone!
Resonant Arc great video and research! I would be interested to ask Muruyama San a hypothetical question as to what he would do if he could reboot the series and perhaps create a story that builds on Suikoden 1 and 2 and their worlds rather than moving it to a new area as he did with 3.
what an awesome contribution to game history - thank you! I loved this game when I was younger, but I was so young that I don't remember much of it. I am going to give it another spin now.
I am amazed that you would put such a quality review with exclusive content for us fans out there where you yourself originally struggled to see what makes this game so special for us, from what I can see in your community feed. Mad props to you mate!
This is unbelivable! Thank you for all this hard work it is very appreciate!
What is your thoughts on prince of persia 2008?
That line about shaving years off his life hurts more than ever today. RIP Muriyama san and thank you for these classics.
Sayonara Murayama san~ We are grateful for your creation of the best JPRG we played!
RIP Murayama an absolut legend and you Will be missed 😢
You actually went ahead and asked Muriyama and dispelled any rumors or false info.
That's why any Resonant Arc review are worth the wait. Great work!
These guys are serious about their RPG fandom and it shows. I wish they were able to make more frequent videos like they did in the past, but I'm sure there's a good reason for the slowdown in new content.
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;)
www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
FYI: Suikoden 1 & 2 are getting a remaster!
The fight with Luca... Solidified him as a Ganondorf level of unstoppable monster. You ambush him, fight him in an 18 on 1 battle, he gets turned into a pin cushion by archers, and the dude STILL presents a major threat in the final 1-on-1 duel.
His final words are fucking chilling too. "It took hundreds to kill me but I killed humans by the thousands!!!! Look at me!!!! I am sublime!!!! I am the true face of evil!!!!"
Reaching out to the man himself to get answers on such a gem?
Holy shit, dude. It drives me crazy how good you have been, and continue to grow and get better. Digging deeper, asking the questions, and producing top quality, in depth vids year after year.
You guys keep rocking.
Thanks, cronoesify! It means a lot when people take the time to reach out. Glad you are enjoying the videos.
@@ResonantArc resonant arc that is really awesome that they replied and answered, I know some japanese and wish I had a chance to do some work with you guys
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;)
www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
FYI: Suikoden 1 & 2 are getting a remaster!
Great video! Suikoden II holds a special place in my heart, and your retrospective review captured the essence of the game beautifully. It's fascinating to learn about the origins of the story and how it ties into the overall experience. Keep up the fantastic work, looking forward to more content like this from you!
Thank you for the Suikoden content, this is still one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
Here after Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has been announced. Literally the new Suikoden! ❤️
Lets hope anyways! 🤞
Newkoden
WHAT!?
@@48cxy2 Yesss It's true! Google it! :) Coming out October 2022!
@@Kris95x YES!!! Looking forward to it in 2022🤩
Every few years when I'm feeling down, I pop in this game and spend maybe a week in it, going from start to finish. Finding all the stars, shedding tears at the same scene's, releasing a lot of anger at other scene's (screw you Gorudo) and at the end, I just feel better, like something heavy has been lifted from me.
I do the same propably played it about 22 times so far and still get the same joy every time
I can no longer count how many times I have played this game. This is also my very gateway into the world of RPG.
DutchChairMan very cool , I going to play through Suikoden and Suikoden 2 again soon.
It's been 20 years now and that one Nanami scene hit me just as hard on my playthrough a few months ago as it did back then, even knowing how it all works out. Truly one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
@@rickzantua7 Holy crap....the game is awesome enough, but Suikoden II was your entry into RPGs?!? Dude....you're screwed. Nothing will compare.
I just want to point this out, because no one seems to notice: very uniquely for a video game, Suikoden II has a classic 5 narrative act structure. This is where the climax of the story is toward the middle and the rest of the story is the fallout and consequence of that climax, often with a more minor climax at the end. I cannot think of any other video game that does this, and it makes the plot seem extremely unique.
The 5 act narrative structure is an extremely effective structure for a tragedy; for example, in Oedipus, the climax is Oedipus learning that his wife is actually his mother. The rest of the story is the consequence of that discovery, and the play ends in his death. In Romeo & Juliet, the climax is when Romeo is effectively exiled, the rest of the story is the consequence of that, and the climax is each of their deaths.
Suikoden II's entire story is narrative leading up to seemingly inevitable tragedy in an extremely classical way. The climax is the death of Luca Blight and Jowy's decision to continue to lead the highlanders because, even though he achieved what he set out to do, he now feels it is his responsibility. This sets up the inevitable conclusion of one of the main character's deaths, because it means they no longer have a shared goal: they are enemies. But, in keeping with Suikoden's II strong themes about the subversion of fate, Suikoden II itself subverts the tragic conclusion if and only if you gather all 108 stars, which makes the ultimate payoff for your accomplishment just that much more potent. It's beautiful.
Knocked it out of the park.
I think every retrospective you make manage to capture the melancholia of returning to stories that have impacted us deeply, and therein lies their greatest value.
Once you've experienced a great story you can never truly get back your virgin response to it - the teacup is broken and you can't will it back together again.
That being said, your reviews draws out and condense the core of those emotions, and allow me to remember the older me. They're a shortcut to the payoffs stored in my memories, with a side-dish of additional insights or perspectives that add new layers of appreciation to those cherrished memories.
For that, I'll always be grateful. Never stop doing what you do, for you do it excellently.
Ah, the good old days when the Konami logo was a seal of quality. I remember picking up games based on that logo alone, and I was never disappointed.
ua-cam.com/video/Z6K4oAfH9A4/v-deo.html
Suikoden and Vandel Hearts greatest games of all time.
Wasn't Azure Dreams also Konami?
FYI: Suikoden 1 & 2 are getting a remaster!
@@rabbyd542 pretty sure it was boy I miss Azure dreams alot these days
This was such a thoughtful review with more details and information brought to light than any other on Suikoden II that I've heard. Thank you for making this video Resonant and the others involved. Truly a wonderful reflection on this classic.
FYI: Suikoden 1 & 2 are getting a remaster!
I can't help but feel sentimental each time someone talks about Suikoden II. It is such an important part of my teenage years. I will never forget it ever. One of the greatest games of all time.
I played it this year for the first time on psvita. So beautiful game. It has the magic of nostalgia. The best rpg i have ever played.
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;)
www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
Agreed! I had just started high school the month it released August 1999. I was busy with football and marching band so it took 14yr old me until almost November to earn enough money to buy it and FFVIII. $39.96 at the local Walmart and $14.95 for the strategy guide, some of the best spent money I have ever earned, and I absolutely fell in love with everything about it from story and gameplay to the epic musical score. In fact, I loved the music so much (and this is 99-00 mind you, I begged my parents to buy the import soundtrack of it and Chrono Cross for Christmas. They were so expensive, that I could only get Vol. 1 and I couldn't read a thing on the CD case, but it played just fine. I look up the going rate for Suikoden II and the strat guide from time to time, and I am very grateful I worked my teenager ass cutting firewood to get it like I had Suikoden I at the very beginning. It's in my Mt. Rushmore of video games always nand forever.
no game in our current time has ever came close to my heart other than suikoden 2... gosh I miss this game
Same.
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;)
www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
Same...i learned SOOO much from the game...cheesy but, is not a game anymore, is a part of me. I still playing it and always will.. (and even tho i keep telling myself to play more with different characters, i end up with the same party: nanami (sierra/ayda/ellie/tomo or tengaar), millie, mcdohl, camus and miklotov :V
Now I'm replaying this game in emulator..
Along with Chrono Trigger..
DQ 11 was up there for me
This game probably has the best sprite animations I’ve ever seen in a 2d game
I do like look of legend of mana, ff6 and breath of fire 3 and 4 sprite animation in JRPG
Indeed it's an easy contender, along with the SNK classics.
Mother 3 is also a gem
It did impress the hell out of me back then as well. Picked the game totally at random
Sotn, blasphemous
Even Luca Blight himself cannot unlike this video.
I'm really happy to see more people playing and talking about this specific title.. I get goosebumps whenever I remember a scene of it, it really touched my heart and I simply cannot change it's position as my top #1 jrpg no matter how many games i played afterwards
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;)
www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
I've been retro gaming since the lockdown...playing classics I missed over the years. This game by far has been my greatest find. Absolutely amazing title. Omega Army for life!
There should be a forum or something to let the Suikoden 2 staff know how you feel about this masterpiece and tell them your appreciation on their hard work.
Thank you for this retrospective it brought up so many warm memories of my teenage years. Hearing that orchestral intro and seeing part of that fmv brought tears to my eyes.
That battle with Luca is one of the greatest boss fights of all time. When I think of villians that I loved to hate, Luca is the first one that pops in my head.
"Die, pig!"
Loved that sequence. Amazing boss fight.
Yeah. I'm sometimes baffled why they placed such an epic battle and luca's death halfway through the game, but at the end of the day it worked just fine
I still hate that guy.......
@@galihjati443 Luca's backstory is actually a very tragic one.
When he was young, he, his father and his mother got captured by ruffians of the state. His father used Luca and his wife as baits to escape alone, leaving his wife and child behind.
Luca was beat up by the ruffians and his mother was raped in front of him before being rescued by Han Cunningham.
Julia's birth is the result of the rape of Luca's mother, who committed suicide soon after giving birth.
This was explained in one of the suikoden books (only available in Japanese) and i think it was also mentioned in one of the Suikoden gaiden.
Luca Blight is definitely a horrible person, but, in the end he ended up a pawn in Jowy and Leon Silverburg's bid for power. Although Luca is the obvious foil, Jowy I find is incredibly compelling as a villain. He's you on a different albeit more ruthless path.
This game was my childhood. Helped me survive years of bullying and solitude.
Hope it makes a comeback soon!
We're with you mate
@@matinazadeh6870 the community on this channel is amazing
This is a great video. Well done. I will always remember this game because of my best friend who is no longer with us. We loved to play JRPG's together, sometimes with 2 TV's in the same room. Suikoden 2 was probably his favorite and I remember looking over at his screen while he was in a major battle or an epic scene. Such fond memories. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Still sucks that we might never get RPGs like this anymore...
yep. Never again. Closest experience I can think of is Nier - not exactly and rpg - on Ps3 but it's still leaps and bounds behind in terms of scale and intensity. (and I played Automata, Eternal Sonata, Tales series, Xenoblade series, and the last two Dragon Quests )
thankfully we already have more jrpgs like this than you could ever complete in a lifetime... the snes/ps1/ps2/psp/ds and to a lesser extent vita/3ds have TONS of quality jrpgs that you can play... and they are better than anything (from the genre) that has come out in the ps3/ps4 era for the most part. so what does it matter if we don't get games like suikoden 2 anymore? there are at least 200+ quality jrpgs waiting to be played but i doubt you have the time anyways :D
@@mogwai_for_sale well, Trails of Cold Steel does have Suikoden vibes.
@@faidou9954 personally, i have given up on moden jrpgs since they don't appeal to me... there are a few exceptions such as persona 5 etc... but generally speaking, i play jrpgs from the the period prior to the ps3 era (as that is when they started to go downhill in more ways than one). what i miss most about "clssic" jrpg's though is the mature storytelling and quality music... that has greatly been lost with modern jrpg's, especially when it comes to the generic anime tropes and pedestrian writing. it is as lazy as it gets. again, there are a few exceptions to this critcism i am making, but you can clearly see a dip in quality beginning in the ps2 era when it comes to home console jrpg's... most of the good ones made their way to handhelds before eventually falling by the wayside -- we got an onslaught of games from the tales series in addition to smaller budget jrpg's that pander to anime fans first and foremost. even though i consider myself an anime fan, the stories we typically get in jrpg's today is "bad" anime with little to no redeeming qualities.
@@mogwai_for_sale
There's a theory I hear kicked around here in Japan a lot which is an idea of "storytelling entropy".
Simply put, the reason you see this weird decline into a kind of compounded or crystallized form of "anime trope writing" is because when the medium was young you had young hopefully storytellers taking inspiration largely from the movies, books and bed-time stories they grew up with (IE storytelling backed by some level of media and art literacy), you now get content creators tracing those works again rather than the source, which not only slowly "fades the print" as it were, but centralizes the stories around a few concepts and tropes that have proven successful.
It's like feeding a drawing through a copy machine, then copying the copy, then copying the copy of the copy etc.
Ultimately, the nuances and finer details are lost, and only the blurred outline and the strongest colours remain.
A work like Xenogears was based in a lot of literary, academic and religious works.
Now imagine copying Xenogears without knowing those works, and then somebody else copying that again.
It's bound to lose both essence and quality over time.
God I love the Suikoden games. I remember reading about the 1st in CVG magazine before it was released, then buying it straight away on release. I loved it so much, and immediately got Suikoden 2 when that was released. Being in the UK we missed out on 3, even though I imported the US edition and tried fruitlessly to get it to play on my pal ps2 to no avail. I bought 4, 5 and Tactics too when they were released. I still have my collection, even though its worth alot of money it's worth so much more to me, so I wouldn't sell it. Parts 1 & 2 are without a doubt my favourites, the music, the characters, the lore, the story, the gameplay just all came together. Suikoden remains to this day my favourite game of all time - I don't think it will ever change. I love watching videos about the games, thank you so much for this insightful review.
RIP Murayama-sensei
i can't deny that seeing characters, hearing music and remembering parts from the story made me tear up a bit.
i played tons and tons of rpgs, but, oh boy... suikoden 2 was so good that everytime i think about it, i'd really want to hug every one of the developers involved, in particular to Higashino-san
This has to be the most in depth review I've ever seen, and the fact that it's about my favorite game of all times makes me extremely happy. Thank you for putting so much effort Mike, Resonant Arc keeps on delivering the best content to date in terms of breaking down story based media. You guys rock!
RIP Murayama- You made an amazing series and then gifted us with another after.
Rest well, I hope you're enjoying the afterlife.
Resonant Arc, thank you for such wonderful content. I love these mini-doc reviews. You do a fantastic job. Keep it up!
Excellent review! GS2 is my favourite game in the world. Like you say, is the kind of game that has a huge formative value on his players. I feel it that way at least. Thanks for this!
This rpg is timeless. I loved it in the past, I love it now, and I'll love it in the future.
I picked up a copy of Suikoden 2 for $10 at a local pawn shop when I was about 11 (1999 or so). I'd never heard of it, had no idea what was about or even if it were a JRPG (which I loved) I just thought the cover art was cool. I got it home and proceeded to spend the next several weeks with my jaw on the floor. I love this game so damn much. over 20 years later I've beaten it many times and I always find something new, some detail I didn't notice before. Such a great game.
I played this game in 2009, I was 17 and I absolutely loved every bit of it, my favorite RPG ever!
One of the really cool things you can do in Suikoden II is right at the beginning during the prologue you have an option to run from your pursuers or fight them, you are meant to run as this is the only way to progress the story, however if you choose to not run a total of 108 times and repeat the early battle then the opening flashback cutscene is actually in color instead of Sepia. Such a cool little easter egg.
I have played a lot of games in my life. This is the best game I have ever played in my life. My favorite.
The first time I heard and watched the opening sequence it gave me goosebumps and I was definitely aware that it's gonna be a hell of a ride and I wasn't disappointed. ❤
Hearing this music again stirs many memories for me. I found the story to be quite an adventure and heart wrenching the first time I played it in my youth. It pains me now to know that some of the creators suffered so greatly to produce something so beautiful.
Had very little knowledge of this franchise until you covered it. My love for JRPGs has been vastly re-emerging recently and am more than excited to play this classic because of the quality and heart behind this review. And now, with Eiyuden Chronicle on its way, I'm honored and ecstatic to be part of the process of making a game in a genre I adore dearly.
We are getting a final fantasy 7 remake after so many years of praying. Now it’s time for a new Suikoden game! Absolute masterpiece!
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;)
www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
Wow great video! I remember that I spent so many hours just pacing around the castle and noticing the changes. Everything about this game made an impact on my life, the story, the characters, the different kind of battles.
I was born in Brazil so the the plot was a bit hard for me to understand, so me and my cousins would spend hours on the internet searching translations.
This game means so much to me and I can't even describe the many emotions I have experienced while playing this game. It is sad that the developer team suffered so much during the elaboration of the game. Nowadays we talk more about this topic but I believe the conditions didn't improve all that much.
Miki Higashino's composition is one of my fave. I often play the game in an emulator just to hear the soundtrack.
The Greenhill theme is my fave, and Neclord's theme a very close second. :)
Just replayed the game recently and the fight sequence with Luca Blight still packs one hell of a punch and sends chills literally all over my body. Even after so many years, the impact is still so strong, and I was looking forward to putting him down once again.
Even as a child, the story has been so memorable and the music and sprite work/animations is unrivaled. Truly one of the best games ever developed.
Why there is tear in my eyes? Damn its so f touching
Thanks for this video. Plan on buying this game again and playing with my brother after Thanksgiving. It has been almost 20 years since the both of us played this game together.
Man, I love this game... Got one of my tattoos from this series and I met some awesome people thanks to it.
Amazing content as always! like the underappreciated composer of suikoden 2 i feel like your reviews don't get the attention they deserve. It's really obvious how much work is put into your videos.
Love your content! Keep it up.
you did a great job on doing a review for this massively underrated but so beautiful game. it's the game that will makes you feel and experience everything that the rpg can offer before. this is my first ps1 game and probably the best for me.
Let me tell you a story.
I didn't have PS1 back then. I was playing at a computer rental shop which I need to pay for an hour of play. I pretty much finished a lot of game there, mostly RPGs and so I was bored. I saw this game and decided to play it because I have nothing to play.
Oh boy it was the best thing I ever did! Still replaying thisnday every year.
Best game ever. That Luca Blight fight was intense. I just wish Konami will rerelease the series on the Switch.
Holy Moly Mike! Thanks for such a strong retrospective on the game. Always love the content!
Man that final image really hits you how jowy is waiting for you.
I would much prefer the one where the 3 of them set off on a journey but jowy image is powerfully enough to make a person feel nostalgic and sad
Thank you for highlighting this hidden gem of the ps1 era. This game has had a large part in shaping my early gaming experiences, and the music remains my favourite OST of any game. In the Oceanic area, this game is even more rare than the rest of the West, and it feels very validating to have such an in depth review of the game :)
Best RPG I have EVER played and to this day still the best!!!!!!!
This is a very good video. I search for Suikoden to learn more since there's a spritual successor coming.
While watching this video, i have strong urge to play a game i never heard of 10 minutes ago.
Great job. Excellent work.
4:30 And it was such a tragedy when SIII and especially SIV felt like an artistic DOWNGRADE because of their smoothness, their expressionlessness, and the loss of just overall stunning art the game was known for.
I had to stop playing Suikoden III because it was so fucking ugly
3 was sick 4 felt like a bute downgrade
@@usaskjockhard disagree I love it
Loved 3 despite its graphics. It has one of my most beloved openings EVER. 4, not so much, but I loved 5.
Thank you for this video. You always put well-researched and well-edited videos and to have one on my favorite game of all time is amazing. I learned a lot of new information and getting some info about Miki Higashino’s music made me love the OST even more. It was in your Suikoden 1 video where you talked about a piece of music, that when heard, can transport people into a certain place and time, and Suikoden 2’s music does that for me. It really is one of my favorite soundtracks up to today.
The music in the intro gives me goosebumps and gets me a little choked up even to this day. Suikoden II is my favorite RPG of all time and I can't foresee that changing anytime soon.
While not really a criticism, I wish you had gone into more detail about the relationship between Riou and Jowy and how that evolves/plays out over the course of the game.
SOME SPOILERS AHEAD:
For me, a major part of what makes the game special is how the game plays with the player's expectations of an antagonist - here you have a character that's every bit as brutal and maniacal as Kefka (or take your pick of any famous JRPG villain) and, while admittedly shocking, is extremely one-note. I kindof hate villains that are "evil because evil". It's just not very interesting or particularly believable. There's not even a hint of empathy to be found there. They're like a force of nature. So many games have taken this approach, some with more flair than others, but the evil because evil villain isn't particularly novel. But Suikoden II does something different. It kills that villain... but then the game keeps going. Now you have a new character that fills that role that's very different from Luca. He's not evil because evil, he's doing what he thinks is right but that puts him at odds with you and yours. You can understand _why_ he's doing what he's doing, even if you disagree, even if it's misguided. The same could be said for a number of the characters under his command, and it gives some of the ending moments a very bittersweet quality. They're doing what they see as the best course of action for their people, but those plans and yours are diametrically opposed. It's easy to see how, from their perspective, _you're the villain_ . But you're the victor, and history is written by the victors. It's a great take on the horrors of civil war, the death of innocence, and lifelong friendship. It's a simultaneously brutal, beautiful, emotionally draining and exhilarating story.
I try to proselytize on this game's behalf any opportunity I get, and it's difficult to explain what makes it so special without delving into spoilers, but the evolution of Riou and Jowy over the course of the game, their narrative arc, is something truly special.
I agree with the Riou and Joey analysis. Unfortunately the reviewer did not get the concept behind Suikoden 2 and therefore didn’t like the game. He’s too much into the technicalities and nitpicks every little detail instead of feeling the experience of the game if you know what I mean.
i can feel your love for this game...i love it too...riou and jowy,friendship/enmity, then friendship again...paths, decisions, really big consequences, and the maturity to face them...no other game or tale have this epic and emotional story..i can even tell that just a few movies out there can compare to the story of suiko 2
I can easily say that both Suikoden 1 & especially 2 changed my life. This great review describes why. Thank you for this!
I am a massage therapist, and one of my relaxation playlists has some of the music from this game.
well.. good choice!
You have great taste.👍
That's really cool
Thank you so much for this retrospective and the interviews on the greatest JRPG ever made. That was some great knowledge to get!
Everything in this game is likeable ....The Characters, Villains, Story and most of all is the Music
I remember playing this game so many times as a kid, it's such a great game and I really took for granted the thought the Suikoden series would always be around delivering a quality JRPG experience for generations to come. Little did I know that Suikoden V would be the last entry we'd get and the story would never progress past the 3rd entry. PS1 was truly a golden era for the genre.
This video was a great trip down memory lane, it's great to finally get confirmation from Murayama about the rumours surrounding the first two games.
Unquestionably my favorite r.p.g. on the system. For those who haven't played it, be sure and play the first one beforehand to get the most out of the experience.
Thank you for taking the time for this in depth review. Suikoden II is my favourite JRPG of all time, and I always say that if I were to play just one JRPG in my lifetime, it would be Suikoden II.
Thank you. so much.
your videos are crafted in excellence good sir. i love them all.
just played through Suiokoden II a few weeks ago for god knows how many times, I see this, get goosebumps and fire it up again. My favourite game, ever, and forever will be! I got 2 physical copies, one opened, one unopened, the unopened one will come with me in my grave.
Just another addition (perhaps good for the youtube algorithm): The German translation is even worse. Almost the whole of Gregminster isn't in German (or English), but French... And some of the most emotional scenes are botched by repeating a previous line... And I still love the game so much despite its flaws.
This is the first review I've ever watched from you and I'm blown away. I'll definitely be looking into more of your reviews. Amazing work!
I am enjoying the video huge thanks to for Resonant arc,ZenmenZ,and Mr.Murayama(writer suikoden best scenario) feels great having news to murayama about suikoden 2!
Great review! I hate hearing though how developers personal lives suffered so much to give us these masterpieces. Personal loss because of an arts project is something I know all too well and unless you work in the industry sadly you won’t ever understand this. Yes it was their passion and child but they still have their right to live their lives as they see fit. What makes it all worthwhile is “thank you” because people will know that their hard work was worth t. Yes I do know that some projects aren’t as demanding as this one and even then do the same just say thank you to developers. It makes it all worth it!
Awesome stuff. If this video is anything to go by, I dig your new approach to retrospective reviews with a more in-depth look into classic (role-playing) games. This way, the review feels educational and informative while still also going into the subjective stuff--what makes the game awesome to a lot of its fans.
Also, hearing A Bustling Town (4:35) really brings a smile to my face.
Well, time to watch this again.
This game is one of the best RPG's I've ever played and I loved the politics and the rag tag group of hero's becoming a nation state.
Great vid. A wonderful game in every way. The music still gives chills.
Suikoden 2 is the G.O.A.T of rpg games.
What you said about opening credits sequence was true , when i played it i dont cared about the characters , but that flash makes me fall in love with both of em
Will love to see your opinion on suikoden 5
Suikoden 5 is one of the dullest games I've ever looked at, with the worst cities, one of the dullest opening 5-8 hours I've ever played in a game, and the least challenging combat I've ever encountered in a JRPG EVER, I autobattled bosses FFS and never chose attacks. I never finished it and dropped the Suikoden series for over a decade cause 5 was my first and it was so dissapointing
this brought tears to my eyes. the nostalgia is too strong
DIE PIG!!!!!
@@Thallod I am sublime! I am the true face of evil!!
Victor: Bah, You're still alive?
I finished this game 3 times, It touched my heart 3 times, I believe always will...This game is a masterpiece, it has one of the most unique, best stories that was ever written for a video game! In a strange way I felt bad for Luca Blight even if you can see clearly that he is an insane and evil character...one of the best story about friendship, if not, the best! Great retrospective!
This is such a beautiful comprehensive review for S2. Thank you for the time and care you put into making this and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on other games down the road. Are you considering delving into the other three from the main series by chance?
Thanks, Hannah! I don't have immediate plans to move on to Suikoden 3, but I'm sure I will get there eventually. My guess is Patreon will vote for something like Golden Sun, Grandia, or Secret of Mana next.
@@ResonantArc That's understandable and honestly, hearing about those would be great as well :3
Best Retrospect (perhaps the ONLY one) that pays tribute to this game on a professional level. So glad this content exist on UA-cam for posteriority-thanks for the hard-work Resonant Arc.
How do we get a Switch release of Suikoden 1 and 2? I need this to happen.
hadoo 1 I’ve been saying this too!
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;)
www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
March 6th
This was really fantastic work, man. It would have been easy to simply regurgitate the accepted narrative about the game's development, but you went the extra mile and taught me something new about one of my favorite titles.
This says a lot about the time and care you invest into these reviews.
The result was the finest video I've seen about Suikoden II on UA-cam.
Thank you. Definitely subscribed.
A REMAKE THAT EVERY 90'S GAMER NEED!
What would be the point of a remake? Suikoden II is pretty much perfect as it is. I certainly wouldn't want it in 3D, and higher resolution graphics would add nothing of value. Maybe a touch-up on the translation, but that's it.
Hey guys, if you didn't know, Murayama-san and his team are developing a spiritual successor of Suikoden II, go check Eiyuden Chronicles on Kickstarter ! ;)
www.kickstarter.com/projects/rabbitandbearstudios/eiyuden-chronicle-hundred-heroes/description
A collection would be better
I want an ogre battle remake
Yes I too would love to have Suikoden remake.. Another would be Chrono Trigger..
Such a beautiful retrospective.. A truly tribute for Murayama Sensei.. Thank you
Everyone I know pronounces Jowy as Joey, and this review is putting my life under question.
This game defines my childhood. Watched my older cousin play it when I was 10, and played it multiple times throughout my teen years until finally playing it with an emulator at 17 to get the perfect ending. I remember waking up at 7am(!) during summer break with printed walkthrough from gamefaqs just to play this game.
The characters, music, world, story, and graphics were just a perfect mix and became much more than the sum of its parts. I've played great games since but none have ever come CLOSE to replacing Suikoden II as my all time perfect game.
Thanks for the very informative review dude, what a trip down memory lane.
I literally just got the game yesterday and this appeared in my recommended. I'm scared Google is stalking me.
Also, playing it believe the sprites still hold up today and the game has surprisingly great animations
Excellent work guys, this Retrospectives are always so well made. Props for actually contacting Murayama to clear out those rumors. Btw seeing the spritework again i really wish we could've gotten a FF like this back then, like maybe VII and then do the switch for VIII.
Luca Blight would fit in very easily in the Berserk series, they definitely upped his menace and sadism.
when you look at him compared to other jrpg villains he stands out. no magical powers he is just a man thats hard to kill.
pretty similar to a certain Dynasty Warrior character....Lu Bu... *gasp* oh wait!!! Lu Bu!!...Luca Blight!? coincidence????
This was the best! You actually reached out to the creators of this masterpiece. Amazing. This game was perfect as far as I’m concerned, and your review was great!
Who's here because of the ReMaster Announcement?!
and now can be playable for switch. so excited for it!
this is a fantastic video and all the work and effort in actually asking Muriyama that went into it this is so impressiv, I love this so much
The video mentions the detailed character sprites and animation, but what's equally amazing in my opinion, is the background images quality and the design of the city/building.
It is a major improvement from the first game. Unlike the first game, the interior of the buildings in Suikoden II actually feels real. There are no giant rooms with minimal furniture in it. The proportions of each rooms are believable.
The cities/towns themselves have unique layout which makes it interesting to explore.
Also, in Suikoden II, you can dash, which is one of the most important upgrades if you ask me.
Suikoden series is my favorite. Especially suikoden 2.. Great story and character development.. Unique music and battle..
wow. I actually feel bad for never hearing of these games! For the amount of effort and how enticing they are in graphics, art style, music, story, and gameplay!
Well at least now you have and Konami is releasing a remastered 1and 2 plus eiyuden chronicles hundred heros is coming out sometime next year and it was made by most of the original team
This is such an underrated channel, hope you make it big someday man. If not, this niche community will always have your back.
The Bright Shield and Black Sword Runes are not part of the 27 True Runes, but are two halves of one of them.
I just finished my playthrough yesterday. I remember playing this game during my childhood. Played it twice or thrice but never got to finish it, mainly due to my stupid memory card being corrupted! (Cried so much when that happened. I still remember it so clearly.) In both times I ended with beating Luca Blight (so I guess that was the ending when I was a child.) I am so happy i found time now to give it another go. Brought so much nostalgia and now I actually got to experience (and finish) the story as an adult and actually better understand the story and motivations of the characters (and taste buds in the cooking contest). Now i can truly say that Suikoden II is one of my favorite games ever. :)