I ’m not a sports fan of random encounters in RPGs any longer .

As someone who had adult province on top of reviewing video recording game , I discover my time to be much more valuable than when I was 13 year old . I get why they exist . Back in the twenty-four hour period , implementing random encounters was a way to get around ironware restrictions , as it was too technically postulate to generate multiple enemy in an environment at the same time . Other times , random encounters were creative determination entail to simulate the “ randomness ” of RPGs like Dungeons & keep . With hardware restriction not being a problem nowadays , many game have gotten disembarrass of random encounter in favour of seeable enemy on the field . This lets players make up one’s mind whether they want to wage in engagement or not .

When I play an RPG , I opt to conserve resources for party boss battles and want to quickly know a game ’s story , so random encounters are incredibly frustrating . If I ’m forced into battle , I put on the line lose precious HP and wasting MP on small fry when I involve to be prepared for the gruelling fights up ahead . therefore , this makes random clash boring as I ’m only using basic attacks or else of tatty one that consume MP . There are way around this . While games likeTales of Graces fhave visible enemies instead of random encounters , it also has no MP at all . Modern features like this really fit my play habit and modus vivendi .

So when I was getting quick to playSuikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars , I was dreading having to footslog through random encounters because they were staples in retro RPGs . Surprisingly , I actually find myself enjoy the random encounter , and that ’s thanks to its timeless dungeon intent and pacing that makes these remasters worth revisiting — even if you do n’t usually have the patience forclassic RPGs .

Bringing back the past

Suikoden is a RPG series filled with political intrigue and exciting bit - based engagement . It ’s loosely based off of the Taiwanese novel Shui Hu Zhuan , where 108 outlaws come together to fight down a vulgar opposition . As a solution , each mainline Suikoden plot has 108 recruitable characters . While not all of them are playable , it ’s still by all odds a pulverisation to keep the huge cast up to upper with each theatrical role ’s grade and equipment , necessitating random encounters .

What really stands out more than anything , though , is its excellent donjon blueprint , which sprucely accounts for its random encounters . donjon are short , mostly containing a few large rooms with one or two branching paths that top to gem chests . Short dungeons means fewer random encounters before an upcoming boss and I can economize more resources like my H.P. and healing token .

One new feature in these remasters that I ab initio take for granted is the Dash power . but put , it just lets your character run faster . In the originalSuikoden , your protagonist would have to equip the Holy Orb in rescript to use Dash . In the remasters , the power is already baked into your character from the very beginning , which also frees up a valued Orb one-armed bandit that you could utilise for a unlike ability and lets me sprint through dungeons even faster .

One fighting feature that madeSuikodenahead of its prison term was its auto - struggle feature . In its good turn - based battles , you have to click commands such as attack or defend for all six of your characters . Having to go through six different menu really bogs down the battle ’s rate of flow , specially random encounter unity . machine - battle automatically leave my character to just gain with introductory onslaught without take to manually input bidding . newfangled to the remasters is also a swiftness up feature . This simply just fast send on a battle like a telecasting tape and is a huge character - of - life betterment that makes it easy to push through random encounters .

These quality of life feature do n’t just keep an older game up to pep pill with advanced fourth dimension . In fact , the remasters go beyond some sword new retro - enliven secret plan . Eiyuden Chronicle : Hundred Heroes , an RPG placard as a Suikoden spiritual successor , does n’t have a fast forward lineament . Eiyuden Chronicle is a fascinating counterpoint to the new remake , as it ’s a labor that made all important error in its effort to blend in modern game design with retro mechanics .

For instance , Eiyuden ’s dungeons matt-up entirely too farsighted equate to those inSuikoden . It feel like the outcome of Eiyuden trying to make dungeons that felt up modernistic , but it clash with its old - schooling random encounters . The longer the dungeon , the more encounters I spark . Normally , this would n’t be a problem , but I hated make to waste MP against normal foe encounters when I could be saving it for an upcoming boss . This is exasperate by the fact thatsave power point do n’t restore your HP and MP .

While the save points inSuikodenalso do n’t furbish up HP , the remainder here is that the dungeons are much shorter , making the trek to the boss much less annoying . The tempo at which healing items are upgrade makes a openhanded difference too . InEiyuden , the base healing potion only heals 40 HP , which I find was poor . However , inSuikoden , the base medicine mend 100 HP , a much more appropriate amount . In the other parts of bothSuikodenandEiyuden , that healing amount made a huge difference as enemies can hit quite heavily . It ’s not until later in theEiyudenthat you get admission to its second level healing potion , which heals 100 HP .

Taking inspiration from others

BothEiyudenandSuikodenhave a Rune system , but it ’s the way they utilize MP that tolerate out . Eiyuden ’s MP organization is as straightforward as many RPGs . Your friend can cast magic magic spell to either deal price , grant buffs , or mend HP . The issue here is that MP return items are incredibly rarified , and can ordinarily only be obtain in treasure chests up until you develop your HQ to include the items in its tool shop .

Suikoden , on the other hand , does n’t deal with traditional MP at all . Each Rune has a situated telephone number of times that they can be cast . The only room to rejuvenate Runes is by kip at an hostelry . This system feels much more qualifying on paper . But in practice , I had plenteousness of practice of medicine so that I did n’t have to languish my healing or offensive runic letter on random meeting and could save them for toilsome combat .

WhileEiyden Chroniclestruggled by squarely implementing random skirmish , other recent RPGs have taken unequaled glide slope to the auto-mechanic to make them experience modern . In the Bravely Default series , there ’s an adjustable Pseudemys scripta to change the showdown rate . It can even be rig to completely off , and that shit exploring dungeons less stressful . However , this could arrive at the disbursal of being underleveled for Bos battle . The player office lets me prescribe the pacing , which is something I appreciated .

InFantasian Neo Dimension , players can stack random encounters up to a sealed point into a separate air pocket proportion and then defeat all of the enemies in one roughshod swoop . I was making progress as it was an efficient way to get more powerful while also honour my time .

It ’s ironic that these Suikoden secret plan , which have the most basic random coming upon system , did n’t frustrate me as much as those titles designed to cut back on friction . It ’s all thanks to how smartly designedSuikodenis with its dungeon length and its handling of items . I can see why the serial publication was so laud to begin with : it got things correct the first fourth dimension .

Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Warslaunch on March 6 today for PS4 , PS5 , Nintendo Switch , andPC .