Picking up some years after the original, Suikoden II brings players to a whole other corner of the world, to the kingdom of Highland. Players assume the role of Riou, controlling him and his best friend Jowy and sister Nanami as they escape from a murder plot and then become embroiled in the plans of rebel forces.
The game features turn-based party combat with six standard characters drawn from a pool of 108 total recruits. There is also a revamped version of Army battles, with tactical troop movement managed on a grid. Duels also return at key points in the game, allowing Riou to fight rival generals and other major antagonists in a rock-paper-scissors setup of attack, strong attack, and defense. The player’s home base expands as characters are recruited and the plot progresses, with shops and services opening up, as well as new troop options, weapons upgrades, and other utilities.
Like the original, Suikoden II follows the themes of the work which inspired it, Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn (水滸傳) or The Water Margin, including rebelling against imperial conflict, forging ties of friendship with allies, and bringing all 108 stars together under Riou’s leadership.
Related Articles
Article |
Author |
Date |
Category |
The Classic RPGs that Skipped Europe |
Rob White |
July 24, 2024 |
Highlight |
Top 25 RPG Dragons |
Zach Wilkerson |
April 27, 2024 |
Highlight |
New Prescription for Peace Album Honors Suikoden Creator Yoshitaka Murayama |
Patrick Gann |
March 6, 2024 |
News |
Suikoden Creator Yoshitaka Murayama Has Passed Away |
Gio Castillo |
February 14, 2024 |
Highlight, News |
Patrick Gann’s Top 25 RPG Soundtracks (Part 3) |
Patrick Gann |
December 31, 2023 |
Feature Sub-Page |
Suikoden I & II HD Remaster Pushed Back to Unknown Date |
Gio Castillo |
August 30, 2023 |
News |
Suikoden II Officially Licensed Merch Revealed by SuperGroupies |
Cory Cauthon |
August 13, 2023 |
News |
25 Years, 25 RPG Moments (Part 3) |
Zach Wilkerson |
June 5, 2023 |
Feature Sub-Page |
Suikoden Soundtrack Gets Vinyl Treatment; Pre-Orders Available Ahead of Q3 Release |
Trent Argirov |
April 3, 2023 |
News |
Suikoden I & II HD Remaster Coming 2023 to PS4, Xbox, Switch and PC |
Gio Castillo |
September 16, 2022 |
News |
RPGFan Music of the Year 2021 ~ Editors’ Favorites: Hilary Andreff |
Hilary Andreff |
February 27, 2022 |
Feature Sub-Page |
Final Family: Our Favorite Siblings in RPGs |
Zach Wilkerson |
August 26, 2021 |
|
So you want to get into The Suikoden Series… |
Wes Iliff |
July 7, 2021 |
|
Suikoden 25th Anniversary Symphonic Concert To Be An Online Performance |
Emony Tjan |
March 31, 2021 |
News |
The Blood is the Life: The Best Vampires in RPGs |
Michael Sollosi |
October 31, 2020 |
|
Defending Champions: The Best RPGs of Every Year Since Dragon Quest (1987–1999) |
Zach Wilkerson |
October 7, 2020 |
|
RPGs as Therapy II: How RPGs (Still) Make Us Better |
Zach Wilkerson |
September 19, 2020 |
|
The Best RPGs of 1998: Part 2 |
Mike Salbato |
January 31, 2018 |
Feature Sub-Page |
The Best Games of the PlayStation Store: PSOne and PS2: Part Two |
Mike Salbato |
September 11, 2016 |
Feature Sub-Page |
RPGFan’s Top 20 RPGs of the 90s |
Mike Salbato |
August 20, 2011 |
|
Further Exploration: RPGFan’s Dream Sequels, Prequels & Reboots (Page 2) |
Mike Salbato |
January 1, 2011 |
Feature Sub-Page |
Podcasts
Episode |
Date |
Rhythm Encounter 149 – RPG Music Origin Stories |
December 2, 2024 |
Retro Encounter 441 – Happy Halloween! |
October 31, 2024 |
Random Encounter 295 – Spiritual Successor Chronicle: Hundred Heroes |
April 29, 2024 |
Rhythm Encounter 129 – Level One: RPG Beginnings |
March 11, 2024 |
Rhythm Encounter 116 – U R Not (red) E: PlayStation RPG Music Favorites |
August 28, 2023 |
Retro Encounter 376 – Rollercoaster of Emotion: The RPG Moments That Moved Us |
June 15, 2023 |
Retro Encounter 331 – Suikoden Fantasy Draft |
June 16, 2022 |
Rhythm Encounter 75 – Cocktail Concerto |
January 3, 2022 |
Random Encounter 196 – Trying Some New Things |
September 6, 2020 |
Retro Encounter 219 – Top Ten PSone RPGs |
January 2, 2020 |
Retro Encounter 202 – RPG Villains: Luca Blight |
August 22, 2019 |
Retro Encounter 155 – Suikoden II Part II |
September 28, 2018 |
Retro Encounter 153 – Suikoden II Part I |
September 14, 2018 |
Rhythm Encounter 45 – Music of the Year 2016: Second Movement |
February 27, 2017 |
Rhythm Encounter 26 – Music of the Year 2014 – Final Movement |
April 5, 2015 |
Rhythm Encounter 6 – Summer Chill |
May 26, 2013 |
Music Reviews
Review |
Author |
Released |
From Another Shore: Aveyond & Beyond |
Neal Chandran |
May 25, 2008 |
Genso Suikoden Arrange Collection Vol.1 ~Vocal & Piano~ |
Damian Thomas |
December 18, 2009 |
Genso Suikoden Arrange Collection Vol.2 ~Celtic & Asian~ |
Damian Thomas |
March 19, 2010 |
Genso Suikoden Asian Collection |
Steve Snyder |
November 27, 2003 |
Genso Suikoden Celtic Collection |
Damian Thomas |
March 5, 2003 |
Genso Suikoden Celtic Collection 2 |
Damian Thomas |
August 20, 2003 |
Genso Suikoden Celtic Collection III |
Damian Thomas |
April 14, 2004 |
Genso Suikoden II Music Collection ~Orrizonte~ |
Patrick Gann |
May 10, 2000 |
Genso Suikoden II Original Game Soundtrack Complete |
Patrick Gann |
December 23, 1998 |
Genso Suikoden Music Collection Produced by Hiroyuki Nanba / Played by Yajuh-Ohkoku |
Damian Thomas |
December 29, 2001 |
Genso Suikoden Music Collection Produced by Kentarou Haneda |
Damian Thomas |
April 24, 2002 |
Genso Suikoden Orgel Collection |
Damian Thomas |
March 31, 2003 |
Genso Suikoden Piano Collection ~Avertunerio Antes Lance Mao~ |
Damian Thomas |
December 18, 2002 |
Genso Suikoden Piano Collection 2 |
Damian Thomas |
January 21, 2004 |
Genso Suikoden Vocal Collection ~Faraway Star Echoes of Love~ |
Damian Thomas |
January 22, 2003 |
Genso Suikoden Vocal Collection ~La Passione Commuove la Storia~ |
Damian Thomas |
July 3, 2002 |
Symphonic Tale: The Rune of Beginning (Music from Suikoden II) |
Zack Hubbard |
May 27, 2019 |
The Music of Suikoden |
Jesse Jones |
April 11, 2005 |
Media
Suikoden II Artwork
170 Photos
Suikoden II Cover Art
2 Photos
Suikoden II Screenshots
76 Photos