Konamis suprises everyone with Suikoden I & II HD Remasters

During the 2022 Tokyo Game Show, Konami earned back some good grace after its absolutely abysmal handful of reputation-destroying years post Kojima. The company seems hell-bent on releasing as many HD remasters as it can to win back nostalgic fans of old, and now, it’s gone on to add Suikoden I & II to its plans.

Welcome back Suikoden I & II!

You may have noticed that the Suikoden series has been strangely absent from the media for the past decade, and that’s because Konami has conveniently forgotten it exists. Well, that is until now! Check out the official trailer for “Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune & DunanUnifications Wars“. Yep, I agree that it’s a mouthful, but that’s what we’re working with here.

Coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam and the Nintendo Switch, the HD Remasters will include “completely redesigned graphics that allow players to fully immerse themselves in the world and storyline”. The official Suikoden Twitter account pit a comparison of the graphics of the original against the remaster yesterday, and I’ve got to say that they look incredible!

Major improvements for a major classic

From what I can tell, there are improved sprites, gorgeous lighting effects including lens flares, clouds in the sky and ground textures. Truly, the background images seem to have been completely reworked as well, and Kotaku actually got some early hands on footage of the gameplay where battle sprites have also been redone. We’re also expecting Eiyuden Chronicle to be released next year. For those who are unaware, this is a direct or spiritual successor to Suikoden and was created by members of the original game’s team.

Here’s when it releases

The last Suikoden game that was released was Gensō Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki for the PSP, and it was only released in Japan, sadly. Someone did translate it into English, but it really did pale in comparison to a new entry into the series, or a remaster like those mentioned here today. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until sometime next year to play them, but fortunately for us all, it’s already September, and there are only a few months left in 2022. One thing is certain though – JRPG fans will be eating good with the overabundance of remakes and remasters along with original new games that are releasing in 2023, including Tales of Symphonia for Switch.