Suikoden IV (2004)

I gave this a 2, but would give it a 3 if you are emulating with the ability to fast forward. Enjoyed the main base being a ship and the typical Suikoden collectathon of characters making it feel like more of a group effort than single hero adventure. The major issue with the game was the incredibly high rate of encounters, along with the horrible ship mechanics. The ending was also average at best. Would skip unless you are a massive fan of the series and want to play them all.

I can appreciate the attempt to spin the series off in a new direction after 3, with the Navy theme and (mostly) new cast. The problem is that the game comes up short in just about every aspect. The story barely exists. The characters are void of personality and impossible to feel invested in as a result. There's little motivation for what is happening, and most of it happens so suddenly and without explanation. It's possible parts of it got lost in translation, but it's also just not a lot of material to work with. The new ship combat is largely a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock, and is mostly uninteresting. Regular combat is reduced from 6 to 4 party members for the first time in the series, and the encounter rate is insufferable. Most characters join the party automatically with story progress. There's little background on most of them as well. Navigating the seas is extremely boring, as the vast majority of the world is empty ocean. For a game about exploring the seas, there are only a handful of towns, and maybe 3 or 4 dungeons in total. All said it's by far the weakest game in the series, and one of the worst RPGs I've played. I can't recommend this even to Suikoden fans. Your time is better spent elsewhere.