We're playing Suikoden II? Hooray!

I have no idea why nobody has picked up the rights to do a Viktor/Flik buddy comedy by now. Tell me that’s not the best idea ever.


Viktor barges in on the meeting, literally, and starts questioning Jess. Flik wonders how bad off the State is for having to use children for spies, but all Nanami is concerned about is Jowy.


Unfortunately, there’s nothing that they can do to help.


Viktor and Flik head back to the tavern but Nanami decides to wait by the gate. Hiro and Pilika keep her company.


And eventually Jowy comes back.

A week passes by quietly without Highland making any moves. Nanami wakes Hiro up (as is required by law for any JRPG heroine) and tells him that something is happening on Jowston Hill.


The city of Muse sits at the foot of Jowston Hill, and the City States use it for various civic and governmental activities.


Hiro finds Viktor at the top, who explains that the members of the City State are preparing to meet. There are 5 member states: Muse, South Window, Greenhill, Matilda, and Tinto, as well as the City of Two River. We’ve already seen Matilda, albeit prematurely, and we’ll be seeing the rest of Muse shortly, but eventually we’ll get a look at all the member states.


Viktor is denied entrance but before he gets a chance to work on his trick again Flik shows up and the guard lets us by. Not wanting to miss out on the exciting political action we make our way in.

Before we can take our (mysteriously prestigious) seats this giant douchebag knight knocks Nanami out of the way. Camus, philosopher Captain of a group of the Matilda knights, apologizes for his rudeness. Remember how the team earlier was about 4/6 of my usual Suikoden party? You’re looking at the other two slots. Oh Camus, you’re so dreamy.


I know Nanami, but he didn’t mean it.

Highland makes its move while the various representatives are debating what sort of threat they pose.

It’ll take a week before the City States are able to respond, so of course it comes onto Viktor to slow Highland down.


All we need to do is hold them off for two days. Matilda forces will also arrive earlier than the rest, so they should be able to support us. That can’t be hard, right?


Hiro and Jowy are able to eventually convince Anabelle to help with the battle. Once it’s over she’ll tell us more about Master Genkaku.


Alright, all we have to do is slow them down. Time to start Major Battle Number 3!


Solon Jhee is leading the Highland troops again and he’s itching for revenge.

Viktor and Flik recognize one of the Highland units as being led by a mercenary named Gilbert.


Yes Apple, if only. This battle is the one and only opportunity to recruit Gilbert, but unlike some of the playthrough-ruining characters from the first game (and this one), it’s really, really hard to not get Gilbert. All you have to do to recruit him is damage his unit, and the AI works almost deliberately to have that happen…


…so much so that Flik, a computer controlled unit, was the one to damage him. Thanks!


016/108 – Gilbert

Here are the reinforcements from Matilda. Maybe things won’t be so bad after all.



Things go well for a while and we’re even able to take out Seed’s unit, but eventually the Matilda Knights are ordered to withdraw.


Even without the knights we’re able to slow down the advance enough, so mission accomplished.


After the battle everyone returns to Leona’s tavern. Hiro and Nanami go to get some rest…

…but the camera pans to Jowy talking to a ninja. I’m sure he’s a friendly ninja though!


That doesn’t sound good.


The next day Hiro and the others go to see Anabelle about Genkaku, but when they get there Anabelle’s busy arguing with Gustav of Tinto, so we’re gonna have to come back.



Before they leave though Jowy asks Anabelle what she’s fighting for.

They get back to the tavern and Jowy heads off again. Hiro recognizes something strange is happening and decides to follow.




Hiro stumbles across Jowy meeting again with the ninja. Jowy warns him that the war won’t end for a long time, and that he should run away with Nanami. When Hiro asks what Jowy will do he just tells him to make sure they take care of Pilika. This really isn’t sounding good.

That night Viktor goes to see Anabelle. She admits she’s afraid, but Viktor reminds her that there are things she has to defend. He calls it a night to rest up for the battle ahead, but before he goes…

…their relationship becomes a little clearer. It may be a little cliché but I do like this scene. Viktor never really gets much characterization in the first game, and thus far in this one he’s just been comic relief. It’s nice to see him get a little humanized. His real time to shine is coming up, though.


Back at the tavern Hiro and Nanami decide to go see Anabelle, but without Jowy, who never came back.



They arrive at Anabelle’s office, but apparently Jowy’s already there. That sounds bad.


We cut back into Anabelle’s room, where Jowy enters alone.

Anabelle lunges at Jowy and the screen fades to white.


We go back to Hiro and enter Anabelle’s chamber where we find Jowy standing over Anabelle’s body. Notice that as soon as Jowy makes the decision to kill Anabelle his portrait changes, and it never goes back. A nice little touch.



Jowy runs off while Hiro and Nanami try to tend to Anabelle’s wounds.

This just gets better and better. We find out why Jowy has been meeting with that spy: he assassinates Anabelle and while Muse is in chaos Highland makes its move.



With her last words Anabelle apologizes again for what she’s done to Genkaku.


Before they escape the city Hiro and Nanami stop back at the tavern to pick up Pilika. Leona tells us that everyone will regroup in South Window. A boat runs from Coronet, to the south, to South Window. Alright, it’s time to get the hell out!

that scene always killed me. this game doesn't pull punches.

Hiro and Nanami escape and stop to rest once they’ve made it far enough from the city. The next morning they continue on to Coronet.


Coming up: Hiro finds out that boats aren’t free.

How the hell did Jowy take Anabelle? I mean, she's bigger than him.

He is level 38.

Pretty music. I love how the theme for Coronet really reflects where the story is when you get there. Sad, because of what happened, but calming, too, as it's kind of a needed break after all the insanity.

They did. It's called Suikoden II.

That's not just any ol' ninja! That's our man [Kage] from [Suikoden I]! Cameo alert!

Man, I completely forgot that Jowy killed Anabelle. I remember he killed somebody but I thought it was someone else.

Reading the grammatical ridiculous
of this game........................

..................is really making
me twitch! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

I don't know how I put up with it when I played it originally.

Okay, who wants to photoshop Hauser into 'Punch-Out!!'?

Note to self, to prevent punctuation confusion, never end a sentence with 'Punch-Out!!'... dammit!

Come to think of it, why aren't there more skin tones in the Suikoverse? The Karayans are pretty dark-skinned, but other than them, most everybody has a skin tone between pale as fresh snow and lightly tanned. Hauser really stands out as a result.

Yeah, he and Lucia are the only dark-skinned characters in this game. I can't be the only person who thought they must know each other 'cause they're both black.

Well...*massive Suikoden III spoilers ahoy* [Sure, "Jimba" is a Karayan...but Jimba is really Wyatt Lightfellow, a Zexen. ] He's just as dark-skinned as Hugo/Lucia/Lulu etc. And Dominic, the armor shop owner in Suikoden III, lives in Vinay Del Zexay and he's dark-skinned. And, as far as we know, he isn't Karayan. I'm sure there are other examples too (Hauser for one), but not all of the characters in the Suikoden games are white/asian-looking.

Just 90-95% of them.

One of Lilly's bodyguards is a darkie.

That's not racist! That's Apollo Creed!


Carl Weathers is my hero