Suikoden IV - Reception

Reception

Suikoden IV sold reasonably well in Japan, selling 303,069 copies by the end of 2004. This was down from the 377,729 Japanese sales of Suikoden III, however. The game also sold more poorly than Suikoden III in the North American markets.

Critical reception was mixed. While some new features were praised, many were disappointed in the fourth entry, to the point where it is widely considered the weakest of the five games. The voice acting in the North American version was generally recognized as a good addition and well-done. The plot was considered a strong point, if perhaps somewhat slow at first, and perhaps reason enough to play the game. Snowe Vingerhut was also widely praised as an excellent character; IGN said that "...his evolution as a character was definitely one of the best in any game of recent memory... I don't think there's another character like him in an RPG to date - and watching his ups, downs, and movements in-between, will likely be most people's driving force towards finishing Suikoden IV's storyline."

However, the plot was not completely given a pass. Many felt that the pacing was uneven, and that the game was entirely too short. An RPGFan review said "If one just played the game straight, getting only the characters they earned through story events, Suikoden IV could arguably be beaten in 15 hours - and it would only take that long because of the sailing and frequent random battles." Due to the game's brevity, the characterization was thin, especially among supporting characters. The main villain's motives and past don't seem to be fully explored, either. Additionally, the return to a silent protagonist after Suikoden III did away with the tradition was considered unwise by many, with the hero remaining mute and unresponsive even when falsely accused of murder. Christian Nutt of GameSpy wrote, "This was much more plausible in the era of small, 2D characters. It doesn't work very well this time around."

Tying in with the short playing time, the Island Nations themselves feel somewhat small and constrained, with only perhaps 4 dungeons in the game and towns with little to explore in them. Traveling between them was considered overly annoying by some as well; GameSpot wrote that "a horrible seafaring travel system and an often outrageous enemy encounter rate detract much from the experience." The long time gap also meant that Suikoden IV was rather unconnected with the first three installments, with only a very few characters returning.

The new four-person battle system was not well received by long-term fans of the series, as with the huge number of playable characters, there was less ability to experiment with different character combinations. The skill system from Suikoden III was removed as well, rendering characters less distinct, and the number of equipable runes were reduced from earlier installments. This simplified battle system was criticized as being too easy.

Konami seemingly acknowledged some of the criticisms of Suikoden IV, as most of the changes to the battle system were reversed in Suikoden V. As for plot complaints, the spinoff Suikoden Tactics was released, which is set in the same rough time and place as IV. It takes steps to enrich the setting and fill perceived gaps in IV's storyline and characterization.