Konami’s RPG series SUIKODEN is up to its fourth installment, and SUIKODEN IV has done a few things to make it stand out. Set 100 years before the first SUIKODEN, the story revolves around a young knight of the nation of Gaien, one of the many island nations among the archipelagos of the southern sea. As the game begins, the young hero is finishing his final mission as a trainee in Gaien’s marine forces. However, the training mission runs afoul of a pirate ship. During the battle, the pirate commander dies, and suddenly, the hero finds himself in possession of the Rune of Punishment, one of the 27 True Runes that magically chooses a new owner when the current one dies. With no knowledge of this rune, that slowly steals the life of the bearer, he sets out in search of its secrets. The battle system of SUIKODEN IV is similar to previous installments. While players can only field four characters instead of six, the characters still have the ability to do combination attacks. Because the game takes place among islands, boats are immediately available, and, as the game progresses, instead of a castle, players get a huge boat to serve as a home base for their forces. As in the previous games, there are 108 playable characters to find and recruit. RPG fans, especially fans of the SUIKODEN series, won’t want to miss this game. With an engrossing storyline, interesting characters, and a huge world to explore, SUIKODEN IV is an RPG player’s dream
