Video Game Review - Suikoden III (2002 - Sony PlayStation2)

Suikoden III is a game that is a worthy success or to its predecessors, in that it keeps almost all of the wonder and characters of the original stories. The game raises the ante on game play by allowing you to play as one of three heroes (via the "Trinity System") that will inherit the name you chose at the beginning of the game. While the character you choose will not be named that, the character you named will be that of the legendary man known as the Flame Champion.

Legend has it that the Flame Champion is a young man who fights for freedom and justice while bearing the True Fire Rune.(The Flame Champion might be a composite of both heroes from Suikoden and Suikoden II.) The problem with the authorized legend is that it depicts the Flame Champion as a warlord bent on destroying civilization and leaving a flaming ruin in his wake. So when rumors of the Flame Champion start to surface among the many tribes of Grassland, the government reacts quickly to quell any uprisings. This introduces us to 2 of our heroes.

The first is Captain Sarah of the Knights of Zexen, also known as the Silver Maiden. She's a swordswoman loved by her people and revered as a hero. The second hero is Hugo, son of Lucia, leader of the Karaya Clan. He is always accompanied by his gryphon mount, Fubar. Yes, Fubar (military acronym: fucked up beyond all repair). Our third hero is on the other side of the map when most of their story goes down, but he eventually becomes a big part of it. The man in question is Geddoe, captain of the Holy Harmonia Southern Frontier Defense Corps, 12th Division. His skills and choice of magic rune echo that of a prominent character from the series.
The search is on between all these parties for things that matter to their separate missions, yet the searches push them closer to each other in an effort to stop a clandestine plot to destroy the world. The villain in question is someone from previous Suikoden games, and the last person you'd expect. That's all I can say about the story itself, but I can say more about the game.

A game that can stand on its own with bonuses for those who have stayed on for this latest installment, Suikoden III is a great game. The use of 3D characters and surroundings rendered in acceptable proportions was a very good idea, as well as the inclusion of the feature to upload old Suikoden II data.  Many other factors made this game extremely fun to play, yet there were some flaws that I had issues with. These issues were enough to bring the game's rating down one point on the rating scale, because they violate a set of laws with amendments I have set aside for RPGs. These laws I have in my head are necessary to make an RPG flow as smoothly as possible. I understand that many RPGs try to be different to draw an audience, but some gimmicks shouldn't be done. On with my beef on Suikoden III.

Above: The former wielder of the True Fire Rune,
The Flame Champion. Long since dead, he leaves his
legacy behind for the next Flame Champion to lead
the people against tyranny.

First, the Trinity System.
This feature violates a rule that stipulates ONE main character per game, and all others act as NPC's in the event they are not chosen and cannot be used again until all the chapters of the story are complete. It does look like the Trinity System follows this rule with the goal of being chosen as the next Flame Champion, but look again. The user can switch between characters at the end of each chapter, which can become a muddling experience because each main character has their own inventory and item cache. Sure it's a new way to play the game, but if one character has an item -- that can't be bought -- that the other needs in order to complete a chapter with no way to meet, the problem becomes two fold. And just as you're getting on with one character, another pops up for you to "investigate."
Another problem with the Trinity system is its name. The game requires you to play as all three characters, each assuming the nom de guerre of the Flame Champion chosen at the point of file creation. The interface for the Trinity system also allows you to use 3 other interface points. Two of those points (one of them is the villain's POV) have something to do with the story, the other is pretty useless. This makes six points in the Trinity System; a "Sextet System". That's way too many accessible main characters.

Second and foremost, the World Map.
This feature violates the entire concept of the World Map. From what I understand, the World Map is used as a tool to make it from point A to point B as quickly as possible, with the chances of getting lost significantly reduced. This is not so in Suikoden III.
The World Map feature has points on it that denote places of interest, dungeons/caves, towns and castles which you can travel to and complete chapter objectives. The problem with that concept is that you can't wander about anywhere in between and have a random encounter. The game makes up for this by including NO extra random encounters in the qualifying map points. I understand that many RPG gamers are adverse to random encounters, but the loss of free movement is stifling compared to the prior Suikoden games. Keep in mind that Suikoden III is not the first to violate this rule (see Grandia, Grandia II, Final Fantasy Tactics, etc.) nor will it be the last. Its transgression is compounded by the opposing actions of its forefathers.
Suikoden III is still a fun game, beef notwithstanding. I hear that Suikoden IV will feature naval battles; hopefully they'll take a page from the remake of the video game Sid Meier's Pirates! (the oversea map that allowed you to sail past enemies) and improve on the sailing engine for the purpose of sea battles. If they can combine this previous idea with a good land elements, I'll be happy.

RATING: 9/10