Nintendo Direct brings us a gift, and it’s in the form of stimulating news about the most squirrel-filled RPGs ever. Can you really claim to have 108 characters when five of them are flying squirrels in capes of different colors? Never mind. Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars has a novel release date: March 6, 2025.
I’ll go into more detail in a moment, but since we’ve already covered this in the Slack chat, first I’d like to share with you the differences between the 1995 EU PS1 One version covers of the JRPG:
And the American version:
Truly amazing.
The remaster was originally set to release last year after Konami announced it at Tokyo Game Show 2022, but that never came to fruition. Today, we finally got a novel date via Nintendo Direct. Here’s the latest trailer:
The game is Steam Page highlights the following details:
・All background illustrations have been updated to HD quality
・Updated effects bring novel life to pixel animation
・New ambient sound effects immerse you in this fantastic world
・Battle sound effects are now also in HD, adding a novel level of realism
・Newly added auto save
・Fast-forward battle
・Conversation log
There’s a bit more detail in Ninty’s trailer about a few of these elements. Battles can now be sped up to 2x or 4x, and there’s also a one-button autobattle option — although I swear it was in the original menu anyway. Another detail the Steam page doesn’t mention: getting both in one package means that games that transfer your save will be pleasantly painless. It wasn’t too significant, but there are a few secrets you can unlock in the second game if you’ve fully completed the first.
As Brendy will tell you since I tried to squeeze a Suikoden piece into his list of the best JRPGs, despite not yet being available on PC, these games are incredibly special to me. Everything I’ve seen so far seems positive. I don’t actually know what an “em-lator” is, but it seems like a much easier way to play them on state-of-the-art hardware than using emulation.
If you need something to tide you over until next March, there’s always the spiritual successor Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. “A turn-based RPG for those familiar with Suikoden, or those who don’t know what Suikoden is,” Edders wrote in his review. “Embrace the old-school quirks, and you’re in for a great ride.”
Eiyuden director and Suikoden co-creator Yoshitaka Murayama sadly passed away earlier this year, but I’m still glad he got to see how much Suikoden means to people when Eiyuden surpassed its Kickstarter goals.
