One of the biggest strengths of the battle system in Suikoden Tierkreis is the “auto” function. This allows you to motor through easy battles by letting the game’s A.I. take control of your characters during low-level battles. This is extremely helpful when you are grinding through low-level enemies, as you can skip cumbersome menus and just let the game beat the enemies in a few rounds.

One area where fans of the original Suikoden might find themselves a little bit disappointed may be with the layout of the different regions. While other titles let you have quite a bit of freedom when exploring the world of the game, Tierkreis has a very linear transportation system, which simply presents a menu for each location for basic transportation. To make matters worse, levels themselves are essentially linear, with small arrows indicating the different directions on a path that you can take. While this is great for directionally challenged people such as me, it certainly removes a level of depth from the game, at which many RPG enthusiasts may balk.

Visuals in Suikoden Tierkreis are fairly good, with 3-D characters sporting some sharp but simplistic design. The different environments, however, feature some striking design. As I stated before, the different levels all have a very linear design, but there are plenty of interactive elements that make the environment feel appealing nonetheless. Though there might not be much to explore, at least the view is nice!

Even though most aspects of this title are fairly good, I have to say that the audio is not quite up to par. While the music and sound effects are quite good, the voiceover is enough to make your ears hurt. Yes, it is that serious. The characters all sound like teenagers with attitude problems, and for some reason, all of the lines sound really rushed. The best way to describe how the characters sound is by comparing it to talking to a girl at the mall about her new boyfriend while there is a sale at Macy’s. It’s painful, squeaky, disjointed, and just plain ear-shattering overall.

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Although Suikoden Tierkreis may not have been the most deep or immersive RPG to hit the DS in recent months, I have to say that I was impressed with the effort. The fact that the 108 Stars of Destiny all made it into the game was notable. While the compact landscape hinders it from achieving a lot of depth, I still found it very enjoyable. No matter whether you are a Suikoden diehard or someone new to the franchise, this little handheld is definitely worth looking into if you like turn-based RPGs.

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Staff Contributor