Konami’s well-known RPG series, Suikoden, is ready to bust out and make a name for itself on the Nintendo DS in the form of Suikoden Tierkreis. Having a strong cult following, Suikoden players salivate for their chance to recruit a huge cast of 108 extraordinary characters. Created as a spin-off to the central series, players must stop The One King, the villain who is the leader of a religious sect of sorts who is out for world domination. So does this handheld rendition of the popular RPG series set the standards or does it simply straggle behind? 

First off, the core idea of collecting 108 stars (a.k.a. characters) is found in Suikoden Tierkreis as it is in any other Suikoden title. This has been – and always will be – one of the main attractions to playing Konami’s beloved role-playing game. With the same anime look and feel from previous iterations, fans will find themselves at home when they play through the title. Sadly, one of the typical Japanese role-playing-games clichés shows up in the form of horrible written dialogue for the characters – you’ll be laughing hard at how hilarious the speeches are. It tries to be witty, but there’s no real direction outside of silly banter between the characters.

If you have played Squaresoft’s RPG masterpiece, Final Fantasy Tactics, and enjoyed the mysteries, backstabbing and involving storyline, then you should find several moments from Suikoden Tierkreis that are enjoyable. There are a handful of factions battling for or against you, so half the fun is trying to figure out who’s who and what their goals are. While it isn’t 100 percent original, the storyline does its job in keeping players involved and entertained.  

In similar fashion to Final Fantasy Tactics, Suikoden Tierkreis employs a turn-based battle system. Unfortunately, it’s not as well-versed as FFT or many other turn-based titles as the fights aren’t too complicated or difficult. The strategy of the enemies often results in them rushing you with their speed and attacking you with strong force. There are a few attributes to factor in such as blindness and other status effects, but Suikoden Tierkreis won’t have players stumped in figuring out methods of their attacks and how to overcome the odds. The last portion of the gameplay that needs mentioning is that players can take advantage of combo attacks when certain members are in your party, but they aren’t in-depth to the extent that RPG fanatics will find pleasing. Outside of that, you’ll simply be looking at special abilities, weapons, and certain elemental attributes to balance out your parties before battles.

The length of Suikoden Tierkreis isn’t extravagantly long, but players should find a good length in this handheld RPG. More often than not, the missions are brisk. Players will be searching for all 108 stars and going on sieges to occupy most of their time. Not all of the 108 stars will join with a certain degree of difficulty as they’ll join without much fuss or requirements. 

On the Nintendo DS, Suikoden Tierkreis is a beautiful title that stands out among the best handheld RPGs. The backgrounds are prerendered and the lighting that has been incorporated is stunning, so be prepared to be impressed from beginning till the end. The title has colorful environments and vivid details added in create one of the best looking handheld titles of 2009. Furthermore, the animated cut-scenes are well done and helps put the title over the top in the graphical department.

Suikoden Tierkreis is an effective handheld RPG that should hold a player’s attention for a few weeks’ worth of time. The music is superb for a handheld title, the graphics are spot on, and the gameplay is simply amusing from beginning till end. Sure, the voice-acting isn’t top-notch – and who would ever expect a RPG to have great voice acting – and the gameplay could’ve used another layer of depth, but Suikoden Tierkreis is a brilliant title. 

Gameplay: 8.0
Suikoden Tierkreis may have needed another layer of depth of battle tactics, but players should find what’s presented to be acceptable.

Graphics: 8.8
The animated cut-scenes help give the story a real sense of progression and purpose. 

Sound: 7.5
While the music is almost perfect, the voice-acting fails to keep up the pace. 

Difficulty: Easy 

Concept: 7.8
It’s nowhere near innovative or original, but Konami has put together a great package  

Multiplayer: 6.5
Trading characters via Nintendo Wi-Fi, players can put together better parties for missions. But there’s one big hang-up, you have to unlock Nintendo Wi-Fi by finding a special character to give you access.

Overall: 7.9
If you haven’t had your RPG kicks for the Nintendo DS in 2009, then it is best you pick up Suikoden Tierkreis to feed your cravings. Collecting your 108 stars for your parties is still as pleasurable as ever. With close to 35 hours of gameplay, players will have a tremendous amount of replay value to hold them over at least for a month.