60
Relocating Suidoden's established gameplay to the vast and choppy seas doesn't do it any favors - instead of exploring diverse geography on foot, you're steering a boat across a bleak, boring ocean. [Feb 2005, p.108]
50
But it's been streamlined much too much—redefined as absolutely average.
60
Worse yet, it's even simpler than "Suikoden II", which is a PS1 game that came out in 1998. [Feb 2005, p.80]
8
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
8
The single biggest problem this game had was the overworld travel speed - and that wasn't as bad as people thought. Mostly the game didn't tell you that your ship could "run" on the world map, and no one who played the others had reason to presume you could. The fighting was good, the story was decent, though it could have been better... and overall it's an "okay" Suikoden game. The ship battles were fun!
8
Played on PlayStation 2. Gameplay: GOOD. Story: GREAT. Graphic: GREAT. Music/Sound: GOOD. Dialogue: GOOD.
Suikoden IV
PlayStation 2
Released On:
Jan 11, 2005
Metascore
Mixed or Average
63
User score
Mixed or Average
7.2
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
20% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
68% Mixed
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
11% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
85
At its best moments, Suikoden IV sits right up there with the most outstanding RPGs ever created. [Feb 2005, p.114]
76
Not exactly a bad RPG but not a particularly good one, either. On the plus side, the story is OK and has a couple of interesting characters, but the overall atmosphere is bland and uninspired. [Apr. 05]
User score
Mixed or Average
49% Positive
39 Ratings
39 Ratings
42% Mixed
33 Ratings
33 Ratings
9% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Mar 2, 2025
8
The single biggest problem this game had was the overworld travel speed - and that wasn't as bad as people thought. Mostly the game didn't tell you that your ship could "run" on the world map, and no one who played the others had reason to presume you could. The fighting was good, the story was decent, though it could have been better... and overall it's an "okay" Suikoden game. The ship battles were fun!
70
Gameplay usually isn’t the most important feature in an RPG, but in Suikoden IV it just drags an otherwise "great" RPG into the realm of "slightly above average."
60
Suikoden IV’s unimpressive graphics, generic audio (except for the voice-overs), infuriating battle frequency and watered-down strategy (less party members = less variety of attack combos) aren’t going to cut it in 2005.
60
A very mediocre Japanese RPG's, which unfortunately in this day and age that's just not good enough.
50
After 2002's "Suikoden III," with its excellent story told from three perspectives, I am disappointed with this incarnation's uninspired paint-by-numbers approach.
33
An uninspired, unnecessary chapter in the Suikoden series. The game’s greatest failing is its incredible mediocrity.
Apr 12, 2020
8
Played on PlayStation 2. Gameplay: GOOD. Story: GREAT. Graphic: GREAT. Music/Sound: GOOD. Dialogue: GOOD.
May 11, 2019
6
It's not bad, but it's not good. I would say there is no doubt it is the worst game in the Suikoden series, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game. For some reason the developers thought it would be a good idea to make the protagonist's rune really **** and sometimes self destructive and the cast of characters are the worst of the series. If this game were a Steve Miller song it would be "Abracadabra"; not a bad song, but not what we want to remember him by either.
Jul 18, 2012
6
It's not that Suikoden IV is a bad game it's just that it's very mediocre. When comparing it to Suikoden 2 or 3 you can see that it's worse than it's predecessors. The characters are less interesting than in previous games, the battles are pretty much the same and the way that you move around in the game (using the ship) is just annoying. All in all Suikoden IV is just a let down after playing Suikoden II and III. If you're a fan of the series I'd suggest buying it but if not get Suikoden II or III.
Oct 7, 2019
5
When I said the 3d of III somewhat lost the charm of the first 2 titles then this game nailed the coffin. A disappoint sequel to a great franchise. Grading it as part of the series. As a stand alone it might have reviewed good for its one but alas having played the previous 3 iterations numerous times, this was a let down.
Aug 29, 2019
3
I don't think I could make it through this one (admittedly, the only Suikoden I played all the way through before being done with it was 3), there were just too many off-putting aspects within the first few hours. First the animations in combat looked like slapstick. With the story being somewhat serious, this did not mix well at all. Plus the battles and game overall just felt much easier than other RPGs, and even other games in the Suikoden series. A step backwards for the RPG genre can be found here.
SummarySuikoden IV features the return of the 108 Stars of Destiny, as well as an enhanced graphical interface and a new ground breaking battle system. Konami has taken the franchise to new heights with significant enhancements to the visual appearance of the characters and environments as well as the introduction of a new innovative combat sys... Read More
Rated Tfor Teen
