Suikoden 4 Known Facts (Update February 29th, 2004)
Feb 29th -- New info from Gensui Kouryaku Shinsyo
Kai, the owner of the Japanese fansite, Gensui Kouryaku Shinsyo, has allowed me to use her summary on her site, so I will go ahead and translate the newest info that we know as of today.
1) Suikoden 4 will be sold in Japan Summer of 2004!
2) Officially declared that Suikoden 4 would take place 150 years before Suikoden 1!
3) Setting is the Dukedom of Gaien which is one of the Island Nations.
4) The Hero is a trainee of the Seaborne Knights of Gaien stationed at the eastern port city of Razril.
5) The Hero and his friends are going through a tough trainee phase, living on a training vessel.
6) The Seaborne Knights of Gaien are the only Marines within the Dukedom of Gaien.
The role of the Seaborne Knights is mainly to fight pirates and monsters within Gaian's maritime territories, protecting merchant vessels, and to prepare for attacks by foreign nations. Furthermore, there is a town call Irya nearby, and one warrior is seen washed ashore, apparently after fleeing from Irya. Some villagers are seen in another scene discussing how they heard thunder from towards Irya. This seems like one of the initial snags to drag the heroes into the main plot!
Also, the caption within Dorimaga states that the hero becomes a full knight after hard training as a trainee. This seems to point towards an induction event--yes the scene in the trailer where "Count Vingerhut" celebrates the induction of new knights (With all the fireworks and stuff).
There are some new character information. I'll update the Suikoden 4 Characters section as I go, but here is what was found with the recent publications.
Snowe Vingerhut, 19 years old
Son of the count of Razril, who would become the future head of house Vingerhut.
He is a few years older than the hero, and it seems like he generally acts like an older brother to the hero. He'll probably end up being the "Gremio/Nanami/Jowy" of Suikoden 4, talking in the stead of the silent hero. However, looking at the trailers, it seems likely that he and the hero will part ways later on in the game, much like the relationship between Riou and Jowy in Suikoden 2.
Glen Cott, 53 years old
He is the captain of the Seaborne Knights of Gaien, and seeing that he has a last name, he seems to have noble blood in him as well. In the trailer, he is seen hitting Snowe after Snowe abandons his ship before his crew--knowing that Snowe is a son of a count, Glen must be a man with great passion and candor. Also, he defeats the Treu Rune-wielding Pirate Brandeau in combat, showing that he has some exceptional swordsmanship. However, the fact that he receives the Rune of Punishment seems to signal his death in the not so far future (The hero is supposed to get it!).
Another strange fact is that he is 53 years old. His graphics seem to make him look a lot more younger--40 years old tops for sure. Also, he is supposed to be the Knight Captain and the instructor to the trainees at the same time. How does that work? The Seaborne Knights must be a very small organization!
Katarina, 30 years old
The vice-captain of the Seaborne Knights of Gaien. She is seen doing a unite attack with another mage character in trailers. She is also dscribed as being calm and collected as opposed to her passionate captain.
Chiepoo, age unknown
He is a young Nekobold traveler, dreaming to become a great merchant one day. He likes to lounge in the sun and also likes cheese. It seems like he would play an important role in the plot, especially after the hero changes into his black outfit.
Girl in Chinese outfit
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SARSadmin's Super-microtranslation: Girl says, "How dare you inturrupt someone's quiet life, especially when... (the rest is illegible!)"
This character has never been revealed in the past, and in this screenshot her name is only listed as "???." She is seen wearing chinese-styled clothing in front of a chinese-style house within a chinese-style town. She is seen in front of the house preventing entry to a young man (one of the guys in the prettyboy attack). We know that Elenor Silverberg's screenshot is inside a chinese-style house. Perhaps this girl takes a role similar to that of Apple, preventing the hero from meeting Elenor?
Ninja girl and thugs trio
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Ninja girl and others surround the hero, seemingly trying to attack!
Not sure if she is really a ninja, but she does wield a ninja claw. Anyhow, in the most recent screenshots, she is seen with two other characters. One young man with what looks like a chakram/shuriken, and a bald dude. The three seem to be attacking the hero, and in one shot it seems like the hero is in a duel with the ninja girl.
Mermaid girl and Kika
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Kika glares at YOU! behind you can see the hero and a small dot which is the mermaid girl.
In one screenshot, Kika is seen glaring towards the screen. Behind her (although it is hard to see), the hero is standing inside a ship, and the mermaid girl is hiding behind him. It seems like the mermaid girl is being hunted, and the hero and Kika are protecting her for some reason.
Otherwise, new information includes the existence of blacksmiths. In one screenshot a smithy is shown in a town. Previous information stated that not only weapon names changes when improved, but also the graphic of the weapon, but this is the first time blacksmiths have been confirmed.
Thanks to Asmodean BT of http://home.swipnet.se/theblacktower/ for digitally enhancing those originally microscopic screenshots!
Sept 26th -- TGS initial info
A Japanese site has reported some initial info gleaned from the Tokyo Game Show.
Here is a digest of what can be expected from Suikoden 4.
1) Music will be done by Coba, who is known to have done music for Pokemon.
2) Viki will be back!
3) Jeane will be back! She will be wearing the same costume from Suikoden 1 and 2. She is also seen entering a dungeon with the hero. Perhaps this means she will be a fighting character this time!?
4) There are three conformed cat warriors.
5) There is a trickster girl with a hammer, who seems to look different from Meg and Belle.
6) The Rune of Punishment WILL be transferred from Brand the Pirate onto Glen. There also was a scene where the hero is fighting Brand. Another scene showed Glen speaking with Snow.
7) Snow apparently talked in the end, meaning there may be voice in Suikoden 4!!!!
More to come!
Concerning the Hero and the Rune of Punishment
Based on information gathered from various sources (Japanese gaming magazines Dorimaga, Dengeki Playstation, and Weekly Famitsu), the hero will be a Tenkai Star and you will be able to name him. The main character's age is unknown, but Kawano (the producer) states that he is in his late teens. As far as background, he is an orphan, and has been employed by Snow's household as a servant (Snow is a son of a local aristocrat). His weapon will be "dual swords" as explained in an interview. Also, it is confirmed that he will be a bearer of the Rune of Punishment.
The Rune of Punishment Gives great power to its bearer while eating away at the bearer's lifeforce. After all life is eaten away, the rune randomly looks for a new bearer to leech life from. This makes it sound somewhat similar to the Souleater (Rune of Life and Death), the chief difference being that the Souleater took the life of others around the bearers instead.
Based on the released screenshots, it seems like the initial bearer of the Rune of Punishment is "Brand the Pirate." It is already official that Brand will die early in the story. Glen (The brown-haired man with a beard) will be the second bearer of the Rune of Punishment. The hero will probably receive the rune from Glen... which means that Glen would most probably die as well. But regardless, Glen seems to be one of the most important characters during the early part of the game.
Another characteristic of the Rune of Punishment is that it retains a fragment of the previous bearer's memory, like a sudden flashback. The main hero is supposed to be tormented repeatedly by these flashbacks of dark, dreary events that never happened to him. Perhaps one of the previous bearers would be someone we have heard of in previous installations.
Setting: Location will be the Island Nations, era is a "secret."
During an interview, Matsukawa stated that the era Suikoden 4 will take place is a "secret." Hopefully we will find out soon enough, such as during the TGS.
However, one thing Matsukawa said stirs imagination--"When I was thinking about 'what to do with 4,' I thought that, like 2 was to 3, 1 should be to 4. But the era is still a secret." This can be interpreted a few different ways. The time between Suikoden 2 and 3 is 15 years, so if we apply the same rule to Suikoden 1 and 4, that would mean Suikoden 4 will take place 3 years before Suikoden 3. However, a semi-reliable source in an internet message board in Japan stated that the plot would take place 3 years AFTER suikoden 3 (and That Edge and Sharon will be among returning characters--Edge will apparently have longer hair). So at the moment, we really do not know. There are many rumors about prequels, but that is also uncertain.
Concerning whether Suikoden 4 will resolve any of the "loose ends" that existed in previous installations, Matsukawa stated "There will be no hints." I'm not sure how to interpret that comment though, but it seems like we really have no idea at this moment whether characters like Lorelai, Killey, or Georg will make a comeback.
The setting is the Island Nations. Where is that? It is located south of the Toran Republic (Where Suikoden 1 takes place). Please refer to our Suikoden Map to look at its hypothetical location (The location of the Queendom of Falena is WRONG on that map based on recent research).
The Island Nation is often mentioned as being "south of Kanakan," and thus we can assume Kanakan will make an appearance in the game in some way or another. Also, the Island Nations was one of the chief trading locations that Shu dealt with, so it is assumed that there is a lot of transport between the Island Nations and the Dunan region (and Toran as well, naturally). This means it is not far-fetched to assume that we will be able to visit Toran or Dunan (or even Budehuc) because arguably anywhere a ship can go, the hero can go as well.
Character & Plot
Only a few names have been released, but a few other characters have been witnessed in screenshots. Here are some explanations concerning these known characters
Snow
The son of a local aristocrat who governs an area within the Nameless Lands. We have already seen two different portraits and character sets (one where he is wearing ornate armor and another wearing a green coat), so we know he is a pretty important character. He'll definitely have an important role in the story. He is supposed to be a "friend" of the hero, but because the hero is a servant of Snow's household, their relationship is a bit more complicated than mere friendship. It seems like they will have a fallout at some point, as Snow is later seen (in his green coat), telling the hero, "Don't think you did me a favor , I always hated how you are such a do-gooder."
Count Fingerfoot
A middle-aged man wearing red clothes with a small moustache. He is recorded as saying something like, "Congratulations to the newly initiated knights." He apparently looks pretty normal.
Eleanor Silverberg
A flask-swigging, rough-talking middle-aged woman strategist. She looks like a retired strategist based on what she says. Seems like we will have to convince her to join just like how the Tenki Star was recruited in Suikoden 1 and 2.
Jeane
Jeane is seen involved in combat. She seems to have a unite attack with Kika and another woman. It's obviously the beautiful woman attack! The clothing she wears seems similar to what she had in Suikoden 1 and 2, but it is different.
Leknaat
She will be coming back. Only one screenshot has been revealed, so her role is quite unclear at this moment.
Viki
Viki appears in front of the hero with a sneeze. She seems to wear the same clothes as Suikden 1 and 2.
Brand the Pirate
He seems to be the first bearer of the Rune of Punishment during Suikoden 4. Unfortunately, it is official that he will die. A scene involving a duel between the hero and Brand has been witnessed at TGS.
Glen
A burly mercenary-style swordsman with a beard--he looks pretty strong. He will be the 2nd bearer of the Rune of Punishment after the death of Brand the Pirate. That also means, Glen would also probably die (and the rune would probably go to the Hero). He is a superiot to Snow, and in one scene he is seen scolding Snow for abandoning his troops. He is also seen fighting the hero, but who knows if this is out of enmity or just some sort of spar. But judging from the fact that the hero has to get the Rune of Punishment from Glen some way or other, it is probably out of enmity.
Kika
A female pirate with a short red vest and two swords. Kawano states in an interview that "This person is going to be very cool." She is apparently a pirate. She is seen in one screen with a tattoo on her back. She is also seen doing a unite attack with Jeane (Kika drawa a heart in the air).
Cat People
Three cat people have been verified. A frontal shot was seen at TGS, so they are indeed cats. One of them wears a hat. One of them is seen in a combat screenshot, this cat person looks pretty weak. He(she?) seems to be a martial artist of some sort (although his clothing doesn't look really like it).
Rino En Culdes
Seen in a screenshot aboard a ship. He has very pale blond hair and a goatee, and looks pretty strong (he uses a spear). He is seen to be fighting together with soldiers wearing conical hats. He seems to belong to the same group as these conical hatted soldiers.
Conical Hatted Soldiers
Because two people are wearing the same clothing, it seems to be a uniform. They are wearing a long conical white hat, and what looks like a military uniform. Their swords are also identical. Perhaps they are soldiers of the Queendom of Falena?
Trickster Girl
A trickster girl who uses a pink hammer in combat. Her clothes apparently is greenish, making her seem more like Meg, but her hairstyle is more like Belle.
Mermaid?
Not really a mermaid, but a female human with blonde hair, who's lower body is scaly. She has legs, so she is probably a new race introduced from Suikoden 4.
Elven Warrior
An elf is seen peering out to the horizon at the edge of a ship. He wears armor similar to what the hero is wearing (when he is with Snow).
Combat System and Music
Combat
Not much is known yet about the combat system, but the graphics are supposed to be heavily improved, especially magic. Also, for magic that takes an extra long time, a feature is said to be included that will allow the player to skip the sequence.
An interesting comment made in Dorimaga is that the "Buddy System" will be back. However, because this is merely a comment made by the writer of the article, hopefully this isn't true.
One definitely cool news is that weapon graphics will change after their name changes from sharpening. Previously only the name changed and weapons looked exactly the same, so this would be a good change.
Lastly, Matsukawa states, "There are many things we want to try, but when the final product goes to the hands of the end users, we want to make sure the gameplay element is honed out." Hopefully we would not have all the awkwardness experienced in Suikoden 3.
Music
As far as music, Matsukawa has said, "You would be able to feel "Genso Suikoden" from the music," and "We are working on music that is catchy and suikoden-like."
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