Ein Waisenkind wurde in einem Adelshaushalt auf der Insel Razril erzogen, einem Teil einer Föderation namens Island Nations, die von ihrem mächtigen Nachbarn, dem Kooluk-Reich, bedroht wird. Wenn der Junge erwachsen ist, trainiert er zusammen mit anderen jungen Leuten in der Hoffnung, ein Ritter im Gaien-Orden zu werden. Eines Tages wird das Ritterschiff während einer Eskortenmission von Piraten angegriffen. Durch eine Reihe von Ereignissen wird der Held mit der Rune of Punishment gebrandmarkt, einer der siebenundzwanzig legendären Wahren Runen. Während diese Rune die Feinde verwüstet, muss sie auch das Leben ihres Trägers erschöpfen. Der junge Ritter wird für den Tod seines Kommandanten verantwortlich gemacht, der der Macht der Rune nicht standhalten konnte. Er wird aus seiner Heimat verbannt.
An orphan boy was brought up in a noble household on the island of Razril, part of a federation known as the Island Nations, which is threatened by their powerful neighbor, the Kooluk Empire. When the boy grows up, he trains together with other young people, hoping to become a knight in the Gaien order. One day, during an escort mission, the knights' ship is attacked by pirates. Through a series of events, the hero is branded with the Rune of Punishment, one of the twenty-seven legendary True Runes. While devastating the enemies, this rune is also bound to deplete its bearer's life. Blamed for the death of his commander, who was unable to withstand the power of the rune, the young knight is exiled from his homeland. He must find a way to use his powers for the good of the Island Nations, fight against a Kooluk invasion, and restore his honor in the process.
Suikoden IV is a prequel to the entire series. The events of the game take place a hundred and fifty years before those of the first game, and the region of the Suikoden universe they occur in are the islands south of Toran. The game retains many classic features of the series: the ability to recruit 108 characters (Stars of Destiny); building and customization of army headquarters (this time a large ship instead of a castle); emphasis on political issues in the story; the ability to equip runes of various kinds in combat that allow the usage of magic spells, etc.
The amount of active combatants in the party has been reduced from six to four in this installment. Once again, there are three types of combat in the game: the most frequent turn-based party-vs.-party combat, duels, and tactical battles, which now take place on sea. The player can customize the the naval forces by choosing captains and commanding officers, and assigning to them runic elements. Each element has strengths and weaknesses to another one, and the player must use them tactically to gain the upper hand. Ship placement on the battle grid and attack angles play a role as well.
New to the series is ship navigation - instead of exploring an overworld on foot, the player navigates a ship, discovering new lands and islands. Also for the first time in the series there is voice acting, a fully rotatable camera, and the possibility to navigate the main character from first-person perspective.
Llega por fin a España la cuarta entrega de esta veterana serie de RPG en castellano. Suikoden IV es una precuela de toda la serie. Los eventos del juego tienen lugar ciento cincuenta años antes que los del primer juego, y la región del universo Suikoden en la que ocurren son las islas al sur de Toran. Es posible conseguir hasta 108 personajes, posee un argumento de magnifico, y las posibilidades del juego se alargan lo indecible gracias a la navegación en barco, los numerosos mini-juegos y un sistema de juego cercano a los dos primeros episodios con batallas por turnos bastante estratégicas.
Suikoden IV est un jeu de rôle sur Playstation 2 vous permettant de prendre un grand bol d'air frais en explorant le monde à bord de votre navire. Fidèle à la série, ce volet propose de nombreux personnages à enrôler à vos côtés. Le système de jeu est quant à lui proche des deux premiers épisodes pour des combats au tour par tour plutôt stratégiques.