With the long-awaited Suikoden I and II HD Remaster finally revealed at the 2022 Tokyo Game Show, the developers of GetsuFumaDen, the possible return of other Konami games, like Suikoden, was heavily speculated by fans.
Suikoden emerged in 1995 during the booming JRPG market of the time. While not a technical marvel like 1997's Final Fantasy VII, Suikoden was no slouch in the graphical department, featuring stellar 2D sprite animation and a six-person battle team. Suikoden also heavily encouraged role-playing and character interaction, as players could recruit up to 60 playable party , along with other characters who assist outside of battle. While its 1998 sequel, Suikoden II, was initially seen as lackluster, it managed to grow a sizable cult following and was later regarded as one of the best titles in the series. After a long hiatus, Konami finally announced the return of its beloved RPG at the 2022 Tokyo Games Show with the Suikoden I and II HD Remaster for 2023.
In a recent interview with IGN, Suikoden developers Yasuo Daikai and Takahiro Sakiyama gave fans their thoughts on the Suikoden I and II HD Remaster at the 2022 Tokyo Games Show. Early in the interview, IGN asked if fans could expect to see more Suikoden games in the future, to which Daiki indicated that he would be happy to oblige if given the opportunity. “I can’t say anything specific right now, but we didn’t really want to have an end with just the remaster,” said Daikai, “So yes, I would really like to keep making more Suikoden games in the future. So we hope all of our fans will root for us and us, and we hope that we can deliver on those promises and you guys can enjoy them.” Daikai and Sakiyama would further discuss many of the game's improvements, namely correcting issues due to Suikoden’s infamous localization and translation troubles.
Suikoden Remaster Gives Developers Hope For Future Titles
The Suikoden remasters should come as a major relief to both fans of the franchise and Konami. It wasn't long ago when, much to fans' dismay, Konami shifted its business model from the home console market towards ventures like mobile games and pachinko machines. While Konami offered minor recompense by releasing retro game bundles, like the Castlevania Advance Collection, Konami’s sudden abandonment of the console market and long-term silence on the matter caused fans to despair of ever seeing follow-ups to their favorite franchises. However, the rumor mill has been swirling that Konami may be planning a major return to console gaming. Hints at major franchise revivals in development for Silent Hill, Castlevania, and Metal Gear leaking late last year further fueled these speculations.
Regardless of what the future holds for Suikoden, its HD Remaster will no doubt be exciting news for fans of the long-dormant series. Konami has not made the past few years easy for their fans, especially with NFT greed that even caused Hideki Kamiya of Platinum Games to speak out against them. However, despite some atrocious missteps, Konami's retro collections and HD remasters of Suikoden and GetsuFumaDen are certainly steps in the right direction. With Konami revisiting so many of its fan-favorite titles with anticipated follow-ups like the Suikoden I and II HD Remaster, it may be only a matter of time before one of its biggest names makes a triumphant return on modern consoles.
Source: IGN, Konami/YouTube
