Review | Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars

A short review

This review will be separated into 2 sections for every category, because I have a need to talk in detail about both games. I love them and this version comes with even more reason to keep loving them, and to start loving them even more.

Suikoden I

Suikoden is a role-playing video game published by Konami. It is the first installment of the Suikoden series, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and released initially in 1995 for the PlayStation in Japan. 30 years? I must be old. And yet, here we are, playing a remaster of that same game from 30 years ago. I would call myself a very nostalgic person, plus, I simply love Suikoden.

A HD English localization version of the compilation under the title Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars released worldwide on March 6, 2025 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It's definitely the best version of the game out there, and it's more than a simple remaster. Some quality-of-life features are here, although some are still missing in my opinion (better inventory management, better equipment management, etc.).

Without further ado, let's dig into this gem from the past and present.

Ah, the past. Some of the best memories comes from the childhood, and hearing Suikoden I again brought all of that back

Suikoden II

The sequel was released on December 17, 1998, in Japan; on September 29, 1999, in North America; and on July 28, 2000, in Europe. I'm usually disappointed when I play sequels, as they often don't reach the peaks of the original, but in this case, Suikoden II was better in almost every segment, except maybe the soundtrack, although that can be debatable.

The remastered version is even better than the original (in my opinion), as it comes with a couple of improvements, as the first game did. I simply love these, but I can't really understand what happened with rune translations; they often make no sense, and that was the only bad part, let's say. Maybe also when you buy equipment and equip it directly from the shop—you can't really see your current equipment's description fully, so it makes it hard to remember if it's okay to remove it or not. The speed-up button in fights and the whole background overhaul are all good and welcome.

Let's start with one of the best games of the PS1 era, and by all means a game that raised the original standard so high that the upcoming sequels had a hard time following.

Suikoden II is much longer and more beautiful game in every way. It hits hard, to say the least.

Story and the characters

Suikoden I

I remember a lot from this segment. This was one of the first JRPGs I've ever experienced, plus, I was a toddler with no knowledge of English whatsoever. My PS1 was constantly turned on, and everything changed when I heard that beautiful Suikoden music. That was, and still is, one of the best soundtracks in gaming history, of course alongside numerous titles out there.

And there I was — translating every line of text and trying to make sense of Suikoden's story. Not only that; I had to read to know where to go. I still remember the villains, the world, the music... although I never fully understood the big picture, simply because I was too young for that. Today, while replaying the remastered version, I came to the conclusion that Suikoden is a simple game, led by a simple premise, but with strong and on-point dialogue and lore. I love the whole story in general, even though some events seem simple and “they just happen, moving on” — all of that is packed to be readable, good, and in many ways very emotional. I will never, ever get over Gremio and some events later in the game. Such events feel rushed and very platonic in many games, but the dialogue and writing here is damn good, it reads fluently and holds until the very end. The hero is mute, but often you get to pick a conversation option that feels funny, serious, and important — although you can't change much, some decisions do lead to changes.

I just love having a party and a castle (like a base) — and what Suikoden “invented” is what I will look for in many games to come. There is a place called home, and it's definitely Suikoden I. Every character out of 108 feels connected to the story and the vision, and the backstory from everyone feels connected, although maybe not important, but it still feels natural.

For a "simple" game, this is so much more in every aspect. The sheer amount of love given to all character is astounding.

Suikoden II

In regard to the loving cast and simplistic story narration of the first game, the second Suikoden is better. It has a better villain—Luca is terrifying. It has many heartwarming moments, strong bonds between the main heroes, and a great twist in the grand scheme of things, also combined with emotions along the way. It tells the story between friends in an emotional direction that can really hit deep.

It's way longer, like almost three times bigger as a game, but mostly it follows the same structure, although more complex and engaging for the player. The whole game is great, from the start toward the end. Some decisions have more impact on the story direction, even though they are just different branches of short events, but in the end they matter—a lot. Even filling all 108 Stars of Destiny leads to a different ending and unfolding of certain events.

I think the narrative and the whole character ecosystem are way better here, more in-depth, and come with stronger substance that is easily consumed in the best way possible. I love how they've integrated events and the first game characters here as well, and the sheer amount of all these small bits is a pure love letter to all Suikoden fans. Hero, Nanami, Jowy—a great cast of characters, truly wonderful.

The emphasis on a real villain, longer strategic battles and even more different outcomes is really appreciated

Game design, exploration

Suikoden I

What can you expect from a 30-year-old JRPG today? If you love exploring towns, buying items, and sharpening your weapons while traveling the world using the world map that is iconic to the PS1 era — Suikoden I is still all that, just packed in HD backgrounds that seem remade from scratch, and character models that are blurry and nostalgic. I love it; to me this version kept the original soul while making the game playable on the current generation of consoles.

The biggest win in this game to me is having to bond with 108 allies so you can win the war against corrupted generals and politicians, all while building your own base of operation. As you collect more recruits, the castle grows. You get to open shops, a spa... you name it. And all of that changes with each upgrade. For its time, this was way ahead of its time, and it still holds strong.

Did I mention you get to bring more than 60 allies to your party? Well, 6 at a time, but hey — opportunities. Many characters have unique Runes (magic) and you can even pair a couple of them to use Unite attacks (specials between certain party members). There is so much to love here, I can't get enough.

There are also War Battles and Duels — which spice things up when needed and keep the pacing natural.

How can you not like having a headquarters, an army, a bunch of unique allies... Suikoden started something bigger than many games at time

Suikoden II

So, it's again all about winning the war and building your castle, where you can bring allies that can be recruited. I cannot emphasize how much I love this concept, especially when you have such lively headquarters filled with many more activities (although a bit frustrating when it comes to mini-games) and events that just keep on giving.

Dungeons are more complex, fights as well—mostly because you can equip more runes and combine more stuff here. It's all fun and engaging, and I just love that. This time around, it takes more to recruit someone, let alone find that character, so in terms of recruitment, expect more challenge and much more content overall. I like how you can "feel" factions in this game—the nations are different; their flavor brings a different perspective to the plot and the general war premise. I find it all to be a step up in the right direction.

With more complex strategic war battles, a combination of runes, and mostly a new cast of characters, Suikoden II offers an even stronger foundation for each aspect of this franchise. It was truly one of the best PS1 games and still holds up magnificently.

More runes, more combinations, more everything... Suikoden II is one of these games that surpas the original, but I would never say it like that - they are both great at what they represent.

Combat

Suikoden I

Yeah, so, 6 party members. Of course, you can equip them and sharpen their weapons at blacksmiths. You will need to recruit stronger blacksmiths to level up more, so it's all connected. When you're ready, you fight. Fights are quick and mostly simple, but always fun, especially boss encounters.

Depending on who you bring, you will either use the back row to cast strong magic and long-range attacks, and mostly keep tanks with strong physical attacks/runes in the front. You can mostly modify all of that in your base, but characters are mostly predefined for what they're good at. You can remove and add different orbs (runes), so there is slight modification in place.

I love that when you give orders, everything happens almost at the same time, so there is no waiting for a turn to be over. In this version you can even speed up things and auto-attack enemies to get it over with quickly. Everything is here, and the game feels really great.

Maybe the biggest issue is inventory management and the equipment system — it's archaic and slow, and while transferring equipment you don't even see if others can equip it, nor how strong it is compared to what they have equipped. Other than that — there are no complaints here.

There are strategic (although simple) battles, 1 on 1 duels... So many great ideas and each has an impact on the whole narative.

Suikoden II

Combat is just better this time around. The fact that you can equip up to three rune orbs on some characters, and even one on your weapon—that just opens up combinations. And I love them! The downside is that you can easily be a bit overpowered for the whole game, to be honest, as most of the fights don't really offer a challenge. It's not that bad—you can still die—but with good preparation and a bit of Suikoden experience, you will conquer everyone and everything easily.

It's still so much fun preparing for upcoming events, especially for events connected to Luca Blight. I maybe wish there were more, but then again, we have war battles where you can set up different units, and, like in an FF Tactics-style game, you command them and defeat opponents in a real-war strategic simulation. Again, it's not something mind-blowing and it's mostly straightforward, but that, and the duels, are where you relax from the other segments.

If you don't like runes, you can collect scrolls, which serve as usable battle items that cast magic, although I think that is a bit unnecessary, considering there are a lot of allies you can find and use that come with almost all magic combinations out of the box.

Unicorns, cooking, mole hunting... The headquarters are so much more than an army and numbers - it's a whole eco system.

Side Content

Suikoden I

Suikoden I is not a big game, maybe a 25-hour game if you clean up everything. Most of your time will be spent looking for all 108 Stars of Destiny (which leads to different scenes later, and even different ending events to some extent). If you gather them all, you will raise your HQ and shops; basically everything you need will be in your HQ where you can also fast-travel if you find a certain party member. You can get a map by recruiting a cartographer.

There is not much else, maybe a couple of simple mini-games like the one with dice where you farm money (which you constantly need, and there is a lack of it). Other than that, don't expect side-quests, it's all about building an army and making use of it. For a game as old as this one, I can't say any negatives about this segment. I don't love fetch quests, so just doing what seems important all the time is enough for me.

A game where sidequest is the main story and building 108 allies agains the corrupted empire... Is magnificently executed to say the least.

Suikoden II

You can easily spend 10+ hours just doing mini-games while tending to your headquarters. There are animals to be found, seeds to grow, recipes to learn and cook, deity parts to be found… Combine that with real side-content quests like cooking competitions, or even some timed events (like the ones with Clive and Elza) that you can miss if you don't get to certain game points below the required time. Luckily, you can stop the event timer and focus on the game; I don't really like rushing through RPGs.

Suikoden II again shows that fetch quests don't need to exist at all; everything can be organic and combined with the main game premise—building a resistance to fend off evil, slaughtering villains that thirst for power only. And all of that while constantly trying to improve everyone's lives in a place called home—your headquarters. Yes, sure, it's nothing mind-blowing, but having so many details in every room and space of your castle just gives that satisfying, “feel like home” feeling that I always thirst for.

You can probably find everything in 50 hours or so, but not without a proper guide—older games are just like that, and I love it.

It's so great to revisit Suikoden I characters in Suikoden II. The amount of love in both games is over the top, and it shows through the whole 60 hours of the journey.

Conclusion

Suikoden I

Suikoden I is still one of the best games in the genre. It's a bit specific, and only other Suikoden titles can be compared. It's a unique game in every sequel, and everything they represent is at least good. To this day, I never felt more satisfied that this one still holds up, even though many will not try it. I, for one, would recommend it very strongly to all fans of the genre, the series, and the ones that love good soundtracks. Suikoden I has one of the best melodies of the PS1 era, and that says a lot.

Suikoden II

I love the sequel even more, but as a package, I think these two are the best ones in the whole series. I really wish we can get other games remastered and ported, because even some weaker titles are fun. The legacy of the Suikoden team is big and impactful, and I cannot praise enough how good it felt replaying these two games. After 25–30 years, I can proudly say that the toddler me knew what's good! It still is.