Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster — two classic PlayStation-era RPGs are finally back

Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster is a pair of games I’ve been waiting to come back for years. The reveal that the two games were coming to modern platforms as a bundle was something I couldn’t believe was real. I didn’t get a chance to play either when they were on the original PlayStation — that didn’t happen until the PlayStation 3 digital re-release. However, I did start with Suikoden 3 — which I still own.

That said, I did read the book the games are based on — Chinese novel Water Margin — also known as Outlaws of the Marsh. In Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remasters, players will go on a pair of connected, memorable adventures, alongside the 108 Stars of Destiny — characters that ultimately work alongside the hero. The real question is — is this bundle of classic RPGs worth the hype? Let’s find out.

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What can you expect with Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remasters?

Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster — Gate Rune & The Dunan Unification Wars focuses on the first two games in the epic RPG franchise. The two games are intrinsically linked, with 2 being a sequel to 1. Players can even bring save data over to the sequel once they’ve beat the first game.

It's hard work, running a rebellion (Image via Konami)

The PlayStation was home to some of the best RPGs of all time without question — Ogre Battle, Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9, and Tactics, Legend of Dragoon, Legend of Legaia, and of course, Suikoden 1 and 2. These games have had their graphics updated, feature a gorgeous soundtrack, and all the tricks and secrets you remember from the original should be here in Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster.

Suikoden's story of a corrupt political power, and the people rising up as a group (the 108 Stars of Destiny) to do something about it really felt topical, too. In this fictional setting, the son of a famous general winds up thrust into this conflict and ultimately leads the way to try and overthrow a corrupt, evil system.

There was one thing I was looking for in the start, and though I didn’t get it right — the money trick you can do in the early hours of Suikoden 1, I reached out to Konami, who stated it should still work. It’s likely I was just messing it up somehow. That aside, there’s a lot to love about these two games.

Both games have been replicated in their entirety without anything cut that I could see. You can still sneak off in the very beginning of Suikoden 1, for instance, and go get one of two runes, depending on whether you go alone or not.

Combat just felt great in general. Grinding isn't so bad in these games (Image via Konami)

All three types of combat remain, and are just as challenging as they were in the past — squad-based (standard), duels (one-on-one) and wars (massive armies clashing) — and are just as fun as I remember them. Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster also came with a few quality-of-life changes to make life easier.

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Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster feel fresh and reinvigorated - but some other changes could have occurred

The sequel admittedly starts with a bit more emotional weight (Image via Konami)

While I don’t believe there were changes made to combat in Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster, it just … feels better. The backgrounds for the fights are gorgeous, and the grinding didn’t feel quite as annoying. The autobattle was already there, but it’s much easier to speed up combat this time around — just press one button! That was a game-changer, to be honest.

Movement felt fast, and while yes, I still had to grind — it is a JRPG after all — the grind didn’t feel miserable. Only when I had to start using AOE magic to quickly defeat powerful groups did it start to feel frustrating — but that was a problem of my own making, I think. What wasn’t a problem of my making was the UI.

It was incredibly frustrating to sift through and navigate. On top of that, the one thing I hoped would change didn’t appear to be — a better inventory system. I got so tired of running out of inventory space all the time in the first game. I would have loved for them to expand this just a bit, or maybe a shared inventory?

This is the worst part of the first game, in my opinion - inventory management (Image via Konami)

It says “Party Items,” but that’s just key items, and it’s incredibly misleading. It’s probably what frustrated me the most about the Suikoden 1 specifically. Here I was, thinking I could finally stow all my excess medicines, Runes, and Antiques, but that’s just for Key Items.

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The visuals of Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster are fantastic

This is just one of the many incredible backdrops offered across both games (Image via Konami)

Visually, the games in Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster are beautiful. Both games retain their aesthetic, but are vastly improved. The combat screens, in particular, stand out visually for me. Each battleground is gorgeous. The character portraits are — mostly — incredible as well. Some have higher quality than others, but more often than not, I liked the updates.

You also have an amazing soundtrack to go with all the updated visuals. Sure, it’s no Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but that wasn’t the goal. This collection is an update that keeps the look and feel of the original, but makes it more accessible to the modern gamer.

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Final Thoughts

It's not easy to find all the 108 Stars of Destiny (Image via Konami)

I love Suikoden as a franchise, and this HD Remaster was exactly what I was hoping it would be. All the great secrets I remember finding — either myself or on GameFaqs — were right where I remember them. It’s a story that, honestly, hits a little harder here in 2025 than I expected.

While yes, Suikoden 2 is a much better game than the first one, every franchise has to start somewhere. Both games are worth playing, and while they aren’t 80 hour RPGs, you’ll get more than your money’s worth out of both. It’s a fantastic experience from start to finish. Between this and the recent Suikoden 2 anime reveal, fans of this classic Konami franchise have a lot to look forward to.

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Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster: Gate Rune & Dunan Unification Wars

Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster brings back a pair of classic games the way they were meant to be (Image via Konami || Sportskeeda)

• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
• Reviewed On: PlayStation 5 (Code provided by Konami)
• Developer: Konami
• Publisher: Konami
• Release Date: March 6, 2025