Nintendo Direct brings us a present, and one within the type of thrilling information about historical past’s most squirrel stuffed RPGs. Can you actually declare 108 characters when 5 of them are flying squirrels with completely different color capes? By no means thoughts all that. Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars has a brand new launch date: March 6, 2025.
I’ll get into particulars in a minute, however because it got here up in Slack chat earlier, I’d first wish to share with you the variations between the 1995 JRPG’s EU PS1 one cowl artwork:
And that of the US launch:
Actually, astonishing stuff.
The remaster was initially set to launch final 12 months after being introduced by Konami on the 2022 Tokyo Sport Present, however by no means materialised. In the present day, we lastly received a brand new date locked down by way of Nintendo Direct. Right here’s the most recent trailer:
The sport’s Steam web page highlights the next particulars:
・All background illustrations have been upgraded to HD
・Up to date results breathe new life into the pixel artwork animation
・New environmental sounds results to immerse your self on this fantasy world
・Battle SFX are additionally now HD and add a brand new stage of realism
・Newly added auto-save
・Battle Quick Ahead
・Dialog Log
There’s a bit extra element on a number of of these things within the Ninty trailer. Battles can now be bumped to 2x or 4x pace, and there is additionally single-button autobattle possibility – though I swear this was within the menu within the unique anyway. One other element the Steam web page doesn’t point out: getting these each in a single bundle hopefully means the video games carrying your save over shall be properly painless. It wasn’t too impactful, however there are a number of secrets and techniques you’ll be able to unlock within the second sport in the event you’ve totally accomplished the primary.
As Brendy will inform you from the time I attempted to cram a Suikoden bit in his greatest JRPGs record regardless of them not being out on PC but, these video games are extremely particular to me. Every thing I’ve seen up to now appears constructive. I don’t really know what an ‘emu-lator’ is, however this looks like a far simpler technique to play them on fashionable {hardware} than enlisting the assistance of an emu.
For those who want one thing to maintain you going till subsequent March, there’s at all times non secular successor Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. “A turn-based JRPG that accommodates these accustomed to Suikoden or those that do not know what a Suikoden is,” wrote Edders in his overview. “Embrace the old-school quirks and there is a great journey available right here.”
Eiyuden director and Suikoden co-creator Yoshitaka Murayama sadly handed away earlier this 12 months, although I do discover it heartening that he received to see simply how a lot Suikoden meant to individuals when Eiyuden smashed its Kickstarter targets.