Suikoden 4 Impressions

While Konami's upcoming role-playing game sequel Suikoden 4 was not playable at the Tokyo Game Show 2003, the company did have a promotional video for the game at its booth. You can watch the video by checking GameSpot's Suikoden 4 media section.

The Suikoden 4 video begins with a scene that shows a boat drifting in the sea; presumably to emphasize the fact that the game will take place in an ocean and on numerous islands. The scene then changes to a town consisting of medieval-style brick buildings, where the main character is wearing armor instead of his usual black costume. A number of other scenes follow, presenting many of the supporting characters that may become one of the 108 party members that will be available in the game. The supporting characters include a youth named Snow, who seems like a good friend of the main character and is with him from the first town scene; a woman named Kika, who is dressed in pirate's clothes; an elderly lady named Elanore; a military man named Glen; a muscular man with spiky hair named Rino En Cortez; and returning characters Leknaat and Jeane. In addition, it seems that the game won't restrict your party to just human adventurers; in some scenes, a few large cats were shown fighting on the party's behalf as regular members.

As we mentioned in an earlier update, the main character in Suikoden 4 obtains the rune of sin, which absorbs the life of its master in exchange for power. In a scene shown during the video, one of the previous possessors of the rune, one Captain Brandeau, is vaporized into a cloud of smoke as a result of its use. Suikoden 4 will feature 26 other runes, which you must collect over the course of your travels. Suikoden 4 is scheduled for release in 2004 in Japan. The game's exact date and price are still undetermined.