I finally finished Suikoden Tierkreis, and wow, I was surprised. I knew it was a spin-off game and didn’t have much expectations, but this I found this game surprisingly enjoyable. For Tierkreis, among the Suikoden fans, the reception is mixed; some loved it and others hated it, but I ended up really enjoying this game.
I do see why the hardcore fans would be disappointed. I was disappointed too when I found out the game was set in a different world than the main series, but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the game, since I understood this was a spin-off. Another thing that was missing was the runes. The runes have played important roles in the main Suikoden series, so seeing them gone in this game probably upset some as well. Instead, the game had ‘mark of the stars’, which kind of functioned like runes. It was good enough for me…I’m not sure runes fit too well with the storyline.
Another thing that might have upset long time fans was the battle and weapons. In the main Suikoden, you could have up to 6 party members in battle, but in Tierkreis, you can only have 4. You can still arrange them along the traditional 6 spaces though. Honestly, when I saw my first battle, I was like “it’s just like the old Suikodens, minus the 2 extra people!”. It wasn’t that big of a deal for me. I just think it was a limitation with the DS. There was no space on the interface to accommodate a portrait and health stats for two other characters.
Also missing from Tierkreis was the weapon upgrades from the previous games. You had to purchase your weapons, armor and accessories instead. Again, it wasn’t a big deal for me. The mini games were missing as well. Sure I like mini games, but again, probably because of limitations, they had to be cut. I was really looking forward to see Chinchorinrin when I recruited Semias, the gambler, too.
I nearly forgot, but missing was the strategy battles. I don’t know if these were continued past Suikoden II, but to be honest. I was glad to see them gone. I was okay with the war battles in Suikoden I, but I hated the strategy battles in II. I was never a fan of strategy games to begin with.
If you can overlook what’s missing from the past Suikodens, I think you can enjoy this game. The story was pretty interesting, but the ending. Oh lord. Without saying too much, it was somewhat underwhelming. But that shouldn’t deter you from giving Tierkreis a chance. There’s that saying about the journey being more important than the destination. What? I guess it would apply here. 