Suikoden Cheats & Secrets for PlayStation

Konami’s Suikoden is the studio’s now-legendary JRPG for the Sony PlayStation and from the mind of creator Yoshitaka Murayama. Originally released in Japan on December 15, 1995, the title was one of the first major role-playing games to launch on the Sony PlayStation, cementing it as an important leap forward for the genre as the 5th generation of home consoles began in earnest. The title would eventually release on both Windows PC and Sega Saturn in 1998, with the Saturn version being exclusive to Japan thanks to the console’s success in that region.

Development for Suikoden was reportedly a very swift and seamless process, with many of the team already having worked on a scrapped RPG for Konami that they were able to revive certain elements from for Suikoden. Upon release, Suikoden received plenty of praise for nailing the fundamentals of what players had come to expect from a great RPG, even if it adhered closely to those conventions. The title would go on to amass a major cult following, which helped spawn the Suikoden franchise containing 5 mainline entries and several spin-offs and is generally regarded as one of the best RPGs on the PS1.

Suikoden Premise

The story of Suikoden sees players enter a world governed by 27 True Runes, where the powers that be are in a never-ending search to find and control these great magical items to attain ultimate power. That search for power has corrupted the empire from within, leading to a rising rebellion aimed at returning justice and peace to the land. As the son of an imperial general, one dissatisfied with the current regime but resigned to his duty, you set out to recruit allies and build up a Liberation Army intent on toppling the corrupt empire and fulfilling your destiny as ordained by the stars.

In terms of its gameplay, Suikoden is familiar territory for anyone who has played JRPGs before. In fact, there’s a strong case to be made that Suikoden is an ideal place to start for anyone new to the genre. Players control a party of up to 6 heroes that they take on journeys through both an overworld map and within towns and dungeons. Encounters with enemies occur randomly and battles take place using turn-based fighting and menu commands. The main draw of Suikoden is its recruitment system and base-building, which allow players to amass an impressive army of allies to topple the corrupt Scarlet Moon Empire.

Suikoden Main Characters

The story of Suikoden puts players in the shoes of the hero, the son of a highly regarded imperial general whose first mission for the Imperial Army sets him on a life-changing collision course with destiny. To stop the corrupt empire and bring justice to the land, the hero must ally himself with 107 other allies, each ordained by heaven to assist the hero in his task. These 107 heroes are the game’s supporting characters to the main protagonist, but several noteworthy villains stand in the hero’s way. Main characters in Suikoden include:

• Hero/Tir McDohl: The main protagonist of Suikoden, the hero (referred to as Tir McDohl in official game documents) is the son of a Scarlet Moon Empire general destined to topple its corrupt emperor as the head of a liberation army.
• Teo McDohl: A renowned general in the Scarlet Moon Empire and the father of Suikoden‘s hero.
• 107 Stars of Destiny: The 107 heroes ordained by the heavens to assist the hero in toppling the corrupt empire.
• Emperor Barbarossa: The Emperor is the current reigning head of the Scarlet Moon Empire and Suikoden‘s main antagonist. He is a power-hungry ruler seeking to control the 27 True Runes that govern the world.

Games in the Suikoden Series

The original Suikoden represents a major leap forward for the RPG genre as one of the first major role-playing games on the then-new PlayStation. Accordingly, the game would end up being a major sales success, even if its critical reviews at the time might have reduced it to a title to hold players over until the release of 3D RPGs like Wild Arms or Final Fantasy VII. Suikoden‘s success and appeal among RPG fans would lead to a sequel arriving just a few years later, and the series has only continued to grow since that pivotal second game in the franchise. Games in the Suikoden series include:

• Suikoden (PlayStation, 1995)
• Suikoden II (PlayStation, 1998)
• Suikoden III (PlayStation 2, 2002)
• Suikoden IV (PlayStation 2, 2004)
• Suikoden Tactics (PlayStation 2, 2005)
• Suikoden V (PlayStation 2, 2006)
• Suikoden Tierkreis (Nintendo DS, 2008)

Suikoden Cheats and Secrets

While there are no official cheats for Suikoden, there are several secrets players can uncover and some glitches to exploit. Additionally, the game has many Pro Action Replay codes available for use, provided players have both native hardware and a Pro Action Replay device or a compatible emulator.

Suikoden Character Recruitment (108 Stars)

An important component of both Suikoden‘s story and its gameplay is recruiting all 108 Stars – the different warriors who will join the hero on their journey. Recruiting certain characters will happen automatically as a result of story segments throughout the main quest, but others will require meeting certain conditions. The following list compiles all 108 Stars as well as how to recruit them to your party.

Stars 01-20

Stars 21-40

Stars 41-60

Stars 61-80

Stars 81-100

Stars 101-108

Suikoden Secrets

Old Book Locations

The Old Books first appear in Suikoden and then go on to become recurring key items throughout the franchise. These items provide players with valuable, and sometimes hidden, knowledge on how to recruit some of the game’s 108 Stars (the different recruitable characters). To get the most out of the Old Books, players will also need to recruit a Librarian (Hugo). The Old Books in Suikoden can be found at the following locations:

Paint Locations

Collecting all the Paints and bringing them to the recruitable artist (Ivanov) opens up a unique trick where players can use the 2P controller to change the camera angle during battle. The Paints can be found at the following locations:

Sound Set Locations

Sound Sets are special items that players can use to change the in-game sound effects in Suikoden. Like the other special items, they can be given to a certain recruitable character (Melodye). Sound Sets can be found at the following locations:

Window Set Locations

Window Sets are special items players can use to change the appearance of the game’s text boxes during dialogue. Players can find Suikoden‘s Window Sets at the following locations:

Refill Multi-Use Items

Using the Storage option allows players to infinitely recharge multi-use items. When items with more than one use (such as Medicine) only have a single charge left, place them in storage. Retrieving the item will replenish it back to full.

Infinite Money/Gambling Trick

There’s an exploit that allows players to amass money quickly in Suikoden. After arriving in Rockland, talk to Marc. Bet 100 Potch and check where the coin is located. Repeat this a few times and note the order in which the coin is placed each time. Quit the game, then reload your save file and talk to Marc. Bet 10,000 Potch this time. The coin will appear in the same order as it was the first time when betting 100 Potch. Repeat this procedure to build your wealth. The coin will always be in the same place as long as you quit and reload the game before each bet.

Infinite Use Stat Items Trick

There’s an exploit players can use to get infinite use of any stat-improving items. First, save your game, then use all the stat-improving items on any character you wish to advance. After, get into a random encounter and let your party be wiped out. Choose “Continue” on the Game Over screen. The game will load your most recent save, but you will have your stats upgraded and all the stat-improving items still in your inventory. You can use this trick to easily max out every character’s stats.

Secret Runes

At the beginning of the game, after the audience with the Emperor, do not go home. Instead, travel to Saraday and interact with the NPC in the northeastern house there. He will give you a Fortune Rune. Alternatively, head to Saraday as soon as Ted joins the party and speak to the same NPC. He will give you a Prosperity Rune instead.

Secret Dialogue Scenes

There is a small handful of hidden dialogue scenes between key characters players can uncover.

• Bring Clive to Rockland and examine the headstones in the graveyard.
• Bring Filk to the Warrior’s Village and enter the house in the northeast.
• Bring Meg to Lenankamp and visit her parent’s house (the first house on the left).
• After fighting the Bandits, examine the well in Rockland.

Suikoden Pro Action Replay Cheat Codes

Like many other PS1 games, Suikoden has several Pro Action Replay cheats players can take advantage of. To use the following cheats, players will need a PlayStation console and a compatible Pro Action Replay device. Alternatively, players using a PS1 emulator can enter any of the following cheats into the emulator’s “Cheat” menu.

General Cheats

Experience Multiplier Cheats

Suikoden Cheat FAQs

How do you get the best ending in Suikoden?

To get the best ending in Suikoden, players must recruit all 108 Stars (characters/party members) and ensure they all survive by the end of the game (except for those that die as part of the story). The best way to do this is to try and recruit as many Stars as early as possible, making sure that you have 107 recruited before the fight with Sonya. After defeating Sonya, speak to her in your jail to have her join as the 108th Star, then proceed through the story to trigger the final sequence — the invasion of your castle. When Gorudo attacks Nanami, spam the dialogue button as fast as possible to deflect his arrows and save her. Doing so will see you earn the best ending.

Does anything carry over from Suikoden to Suikoden II?

Interestingly, several bonuses carry over to Suikoden II with a save file from the first game. In addition to the head and body armor worn by the hero on the complete game file from Suikoden, certain characters will have their last-used equipment still active when they join in Suikoden II. Further, there are certain chests in Suikoden that, if left unopened, will still be available in Suikoden II.

What is the max stat value in Suikoden?

The max value of all stats in Suikoden is 255. However, it is possible to push past this limit using bonuses from Armor and Runes.

How many hours to beat Suikoden?

Compared to a lot of contemporary RPGs of the era and the great RPGs on the SNES, Suikoden is a fairly short experience. Most players will complete the game’s main story in roughly 20 hours. Should you attempt to complete all the side content and recruit all 108 characters to achieve the best ending, Suikoden still only lasts about 25-30 hours, which is significantly shorter than the 80+ hour completion times for other RPGs on the PlayStation.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©CheatCC/Matt Karoglou.