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Suikoden is an RPG that takes place in a "fantasy" setting. This means that Suikoden would have many sword-wielding characters, fantasy creatures such as faeries, dragons, vampires, etc, and kings, queens, princes, and princesses. This also gives us the impression that Suikoden takes place in a largely medieval setting. The towns and general technology levels seem to conform to medieval levels for the most part, but there are parts of the series which totally go beyond what one would expect from midieval standards.

Lets take Suikoden 1. Although dwarven weaponry such as fire spears, windfire cannons, and burning mirrors is possible and have historically existed before or during medieval times, Kamandohl's engine is quite beyond medieval technological levels. The most elementary "engine" can be traced back to the greeks, who discovered that steam power can be converted into motion. However, they foolishly treated this phenomenon as a mere curiosity, not realizing how it would have revolutionized their military if this power was used to power their ships. Seriously, if that happened, I'd be typing this on Mars.

Anyhow, even though simple engines existed a while back, Kamandohl's engine is described as "burning oil as a source of power." This means that this engine would need a fuel injection system and precision-machined cylinder bores, which is way beyond the capability of medieval technology. There was no drill that had the strength or precision to bore out cast iron with the accuraccy necessary to create a good engine block (And at the time of this writing, I'm an engineer in a diesel engine manufacturing plant so I know my stuff!). The only way this is possible is for Kamandohl to have come from the future, or for the Scarlet Moon Empire to have highly advanced metallurgical technology. The latter is actually likely, based on the fact that soldiers in Toran are far better armored than Dunan soldiers, mainly due to highly advanced dwarvedn technology.

A similar paradox is seen with Sergei's elevator, which is said to be water-powered. This again requires a mechanical pump that has enough power to pump out thousands of gallons of water every day. Not only that, the water has to be able to move very fast. Again, this would have to be powered by an engine of some sort, which is obviously beyond medieval technology. The first elevator did not appear in history until the 19th century.

Last but not least is "Trickster technology," which is completely beyond our time. Juppo manages to create mechanical soldeirs that are capable of fighting intruders. Not only that, they are able to wield weapons and have the ability to distinguish between friend and foe. This is definitely beyond our times, and one can only wonder how Juppo was able to construct all of these on his own. Not only would one need precision machined parts, but computers would also be necessary.

While dwelling on Juppo's skill, I have to mention Gadget. Gadget is just so non-medieval! Not only is he capable of shape-changing into a robot, he has GPS and is made of bamboo, wood, and other cheap materials. What is most alarming about this is that GPS requires the existence of satellites, and not just one, but at least three or four of them to cover the entire globe. Capability of this sort can only exist when there is a technologically sophisticated culture existing within the Suikoden world. It simply can not be done by the hard work of one "trcikster." Heck, in Suikoden 3, Gadget Z launches into space and showers your enemies with a beam weapon!!

Of course, one may say that these are all powered by runes. However, Konami has previously started that "alchemy" in the Suikoden world is a study of doing things without the power of runes. Trickmastery, dwarven technology, and even the Howling Voice Guild's gun technology all come from the study of alchemy, which was supposedly developed by Sindar engineers. This, these technological marvels can not be powered by runes. That would be such a cop-out!

Judging from the existence of all this technology, I wonder how other simpler technology doesn't exist, such as steam locomotives. I mean, even old Kamandohl should easily be able to create a steam engine. Steam engines are bloody simple. Just boil water and use the steam pressure to move pistons -- no need for difficult fuel injection systems or ignition chambers.

The possibilities are endless. Juppo's mechanical solders alone can turn Toran into a military superpower. Its sensors can also be used to detect invasions and counterattack without any casualties. GPS would be useful to trach enemy movements. They can even make steam shovels to mine the banner mines. However, they don't do any of this. This is a real mystery, considering the fact that Juppo is hired by Lepant, and he joins the liberation army. The idea of using those mechanical soldiers in battles really never crossed his mind??

And Konami's explanation of where all this high-tech stuff comes from?

The Sindars/Cyndars (sic)!!

In fact, trickster technology, dwarven tech, and even the Howling Voice Guild's gunpower has all been explained within the Suikoden Encyclopedia as having Sindarin sources. In Suikoden 3, we have advanced runic technology also being attributed to the Sindars.

The bottom line is, Konami needs to becareful before adding all this technology haphazardly. It's plainly obvious that they're adding stuff that sounds "interesting" or "funny" without thinking about its concequences. If Suikoden is a parody RPG, that's fine. They can have Barbara Streisand or Michael Jackson as stars of destiny for all I care. However, Suikoden does have a serious plot--there has to be a balance between plot consistency and inconsistent application of advanced technology. Otherwise, we will get another Final Fantasy with their odd mix-up of advanced science and fantasy. Not to say Final Fantasy is a bad game--I've played all of them (except FF11)--but we'd like to have some variety in Suikoden. Lets all hope that the "Sindars" aren't used as a catch-all for any super-advanced stuff whether it be scientific technology or magic.

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