Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Review

Konami’s Suikoden and its sequel are two of the more timeless RPG experiences on the PlayStation, a console that’s arguably one of the most important platforms for the genre. But for all the attention paid to many of Suikoden and Suikoden II‘s contemporaries via re-releases, remasters, and remakes on modern hardware, the first two entries in Konami’s beloved RPG franchise seem to have mostly been relegated to the annals of history. Outside their Japan-only port to the PSP as Genso Suikoden I & II, re-releases of the first two Suikoden titles have previously only been available as PSOne Classics on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, which is what made longtime fans immediately take notice when Konami announced the Suikoden I & II HD Remaster back in 2022.

With Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars, Konami has packaged together two of its most classic 5th-generation titles and brought them into the 21st century on current-gen consoles and PC. Remastering classic games with a dedicated fanbase can be a perilous tightrope for developers to walk, needing to strike a balance between encouraging newcomers while catering to the memories, nostalgia, and familiarity of the fans who count those games among their formative experiences. Suikoden I & II HD Remaster largely opts to play it safe in this regard, delivering subtle but effective improvements to each game’s visuals and soundtrack without disrupting their original vision, and keeping both Suikoden and Suikoden II‘s gameplay as close to the original as possible in a commendable effort toward game preservation.

As a remaster, the Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars compilation does feel like a missed opportunity in how light it is on actual upgrades or improvements to the base game experience of both Suikoden and Suikoden II. But considering how important both games are to the RPG genre, and how well their original PS1 versions still hold up in a modern context, Suikoden I & II HD Remaster is still well worth experiencing for any RPG fan, whether it’s your first time with the series or you happen to be well-versed in the quests to gather 108 Stars of Destiny.

Suikoden I & II HD Remaster Proves Both Titles Have Aged Gracefully

One of the possible justifications for Konami’s approach with the Suikoden I & II HD Remaster comes from how well both the original PS1 versions hold up in comparison to other RPGs of the era. Thanks to their use of 2D pixel art visuals, both Suikoden and Suikoden II continue to age more gracefully than some of the early 3D role-playing games, and the visual improvements that Konami delivers as part of both titles’ remaster provide just enough modernization without spoiling the aesthetics and atmosphere of the originals.

The world maps of both games have been redone using 3D assets, and environmental design has received a complete overhaul. It’s not quite on the same level as the HD-2D remakes of classics like Live A Live and Dragon Quest 3, but it’s still a noticeable upgrade over the original games’ towns, castles, and dungeons. Character models have been sharpened to better showcase the detail and artistry in their design. Battles now include additional animations, motion blur, particle effects, and other enhancements to the overall presentation. Outside these visual improvements, though, Konami opted to mostly leave Suikoden and Suikoden II‘s gameplay alone, and the remaster is arguably all the better for it.

That’s not to say that there are no gameplay improvements to speak of; there are only a few noticeable differences. The cumbersome inventory system from the original Suikoden, unfortunately, remains in the remaster, and combat — aside from its new visual flourishes — only includes a new adjustable battle speed feature to complement the auto-battling that both games’ original versions featured back on the PS1. But, both Suikoden and Suikoden II‘s gameplay serve as a rock-solid foundation on which the rest of the experience is built, so it makes sense for Konami to honor the titles’ legacy by preserving the experience.

Suikoden and Suikoden II Remain Two of the Greatest ‘RPG Comfort Food’ Titles

In addition to both games’ visuals and presentation remaining as timeless as ever, Suikoden and Suikoden II present two of the best “comfort food” RPGs in the genre, regardless of how familiar players might be with the franchise. Loosely based on the Classical Chinese novel The Water Margin (whose title in Japanese is, coincidentally, Suikoden), the first Suikoden puts players in the shoes of young hero Tir McDohl, whose father Teo McDohl is a revered general in the Scarlet Moon empire. Through a series of shocking events, Tir and his friends become enemies of the state, choosing to betray the empire and gather support toward toppling the corrupt regime. Players set off toward gathering the 108 Stars of Destiny, which happen to correspond to the recruitable party members and allies who assist the hero in the war effort, ultimately entering a struggle between a pair of powerful sorceress sisters who possess two of the world’s “Great Runes”.

Suikoden II picks up just three years after the events of the first game, with players taking on the role of hero Riou, the adoptive son of a legendary war hero from the city-states on the other side of Suikoden‘s globe. Once again, players must recruit 108 Stars of Destiny to assist them in taking down the Highland Army threatening the city-states, which is led by one of the all-time great RPG antagonists: Luca Blight. Aside from the many familiar allies that appear in both Suikoden and Suikoden II to join the hero on their quest, the connective tissue between both games is the sorceress Leknaat, who serves as a guide to both Tir and Riou on their journeys.

Both Suikoden and Suikoden II‘s narratives feature fairly straightforward plots with clear heroes and villains, but therein lies one of their greatest charms. Both from a gameplay and a storytelling perspective, Suikoden and its sequel are perhaps ideal starting points for anyone new to JRPGs, and the Suikoden I & II HD Remaster retains the core elements of the original experiences that made both games so loved.

Suikoden I & II HD Remaster Forgoes Extensive Updates in Favor of Preservation

Compared to other modern remasters and re-releases of beloved RPGs, Suikoden I & II HD Remaster is noticeably light on enhancements. There are no Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster-style “Boost” functions to speak of, inventory management systems and game balance remain seemingly identical to the PS1 originals, and the inclusion of a Gallery is surprisingly absent any concept art, development photography, or other bonuses that players have come to expect from similar in-game museums. The one silver lining is the inclusion of a Sound Mode, which allows players to go and listen to any of the iconic tracks from Miki Higashino’s incredible scores for each game.

Ultimately, Suikoden I & II HD Remaster plays it safe by sticking to the core elements of both games that players know and love. Turn-based battling is still snappy and satisfying, especially once players unlock all 108 Stars of Destiny and have their pick of heroes to swap in and out, and the dueling battles and large-scale warfare that have always set the series apart from other classic JRPGs are improved without being altered thanks to the inclusion of a helpful on-screen graphic to remind of the “rock-paper-scissors” relationship between command types.

While it would’ve been nice to see Konami add in additional features that made Suikoden I & II HD Remaster more akin to the recent Final Fantasy or Tales of… remasters, the core gameplay of both titles included is so timeless as to mostly make up for it. At the end of the day, Suikoden and Suikoden II are now readily available on modern hardware, and that alone is worth celebrating.

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Reviewed on PS5

A hero’s destiny is written in the Stars. The legendary Konami JRPGs Suikoden I and Suikoden II have now been remastered in HD!

The Story of Suikoden I: A once renowned hero turns into a violent tyrant, and an empire falls into decline. A Liberation Army is rising up in an act of rebellion against an oppressive rule. One by one the 108 stars of Destiny gather to shape the course of history.

The Story of Suikoden II: Our story’s hero and his friend Jowy are members of the Unicorn Youth Brigade, which participated in a drawn-out border dispute between the Highland Kingdom and the City-States of Jowstown .

A few months earlier, a truce agreement was signed between the two forces, both of which were happy to see an end to the fighting.
However, hidden under the momentary peace the fires of a new war continued to smolder…

Pros & Cons

• Two timeless classics finally arriving for modern consoles and PC
• Subtle but effective updates to visuals and presentation
• Both Suikoden and Suikoden II retain their classic gameplay

• The remaster itself is fairly light on improvements to both titles, creating a sense of missed opportunity

Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars releases March 6, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Game Rant was provided a PS5 code for this review.