Recommended way to play the game?

[TwoFaceTony]

I'm curious what people think the best way to enjoy these games are. I've looked around online but people seem to disagree quite a bit. Some people say that it's fine to just play through the game and get what you get. Others say you should follow a spoiler-free guide to ensure you get everything and don't screw up the 2nd game when you bring over your save if you miss some characters. I'm not sure how important it is to get all the characters in the first game before moving on to the second.

Related question: How is the game to replay?
If I were to do a regular blind playthrough first, would I essentially be starting from scratch if I then wanted to collect all characters?

[Tenshu]

You can go in blind but paying attention to NPCs and things you find that you can read and you'll find the stars pretty clearly. S1 gives you clues while S2 just flat out tells you.

[Vex]

So, first of all, consider how much time you have to play, and whether or not you enjoy repeat playthroughs of games.

With that in mind, you could do a blind playthrough, and then download a save for the first game, that you can load into the second, with all the characters so that you don't automatically miss stuff in the second game.

The real question is, are you a completionist, or not? If you're a completionist, then follow a guide. There are plenty out there spoiler free, and the story is great no matter what.

[Sol]

There are two best paths to me, and others might disagree:
1. Beat the game as you want. Then, use New Game+ to use your memory with some spoiler guides to ensure a perfect completion. At this point, even cheat engine is an option.
2. Just use all the guides to ensure a perfect completion the first time without having to play a second time. Sometimes you just don't want to do it more than once and you want it right the first ime.

I believe when you start a game you should think about which of the two better applies to your playthrough and act accordingly.

[Tenshu]

Originally posted by Professor Hardknocks:

There are two best paths to me, and others might disagree:
1. Beat the game as you want. Then, use New Game+ to use your memory with some spoiler guides to ensure a perfect completion. At this point, even cheat engine is an option.
2. Just use all the guides to ensure a perfect completion the first time without having to play a second time. Sometimes you just don't want to do it more than once and you want it right the first ime.

I believe when you start a game you should think about which of the two better applies to your playthrough and act accordingly.

What NG+?

[Sol]

I will try not to spoiler here, but in the Suikoden series there is an overall theme that something awful/bad will happen, but if you get the 108 Stars of Destiny, that thing can be undone or person be saved, etc. So if you want the "Disney Ending" you need the 108 Stars of Destiny. This can include turning the other cheek to rude characters, sparing every enemy no matter what. Sometimes a star will be an enemy rather than a friend so to get the Disney Ending you have to do the Disney Thing of always forgive and always be nice.

All of this said, it's fair to have a playthrough where you go for The Disney Ending and a second one where you just do what you actually feel, whether you want to execute someone or refuse to forgive, or simply don't want X person on your team.

In Suikoden 2, there are some instances where you have to choose between recruiting a few Stars of Destiny or Non-Stars at the cost of losing the Stars of Destiny. In a run where you just don't care about the Disney Ending, you can feel free to just recruit all the Non-Stars and roll with it instead of resetting when someone dies during a war battle.

I believe in Suikoden, it's best to play one playthrough first just do what you please, then New Game+ to get the Disney Ending.

[Sol]

Maybe there is no NG+, I thought the clear save data could be used for New Game+ as well as loading data for the next game.

[Tenshu]

Originally posted by Professor Hardknocks:

Maybe there is no NG+, I thought the clear save data could be used for New Game+ as well as loading data for the next game.

Nooo... that WOULD be great but sadly not a thing. The save editor for the PSX S2 though does let you create a NG+ save like the FF7 save editor though.

[Minneyar]

It's not impossible to find every character on a blind playthrough, but there are a few who are easy to miss, and it's unlikely you'll do it without looking at a guide.

But whether you should do it or not is entirely up to you. It's a short game, for a JRPG--you can beat it blind in under 20 hours, and under 10 hours is doable if you know what you're doing and follow a guide--so it's not a huge timesink. Getting every character gives you a different ending and also has some minor changes in the second game. Personally, fInd that following a guide for a game I've never played before significantly reduces how much I enjoy discovering things on my own, but your mileage may vary.

[Ray Rook]

The only way to get the true endings and all the achievements/trophies is with a guide.

So if you don't mind that... then don't use a guide.

[Gen X Gal Gamer Skye]

These games are user-friendly enough that they are easily replayable, so if you want a blind experience, go for it. Replayability is 10/10.

[valium]

Best way to play game is mostly blind, but with a spoiler free recruitment guide.

[KharnTheKhan]

Originally posted by TwoFaceTony:

I'm curious what people think the best way to enjoy these games are. I've looked around online but people seem to disagree quite a bit. Some people say that it's fine to just play through the game and get what you get. Others say you should follow a spoiler-free guide to ensure you get everything and don't screw up the 2nd game when you bring over your save if you miss some characters. I'm not sure how important it is to get all the characters in the first game before moving on to the second.

Related question: How is the game to replay?
If I were to do a regular blind playthrough first, would I essentially be starting from scratch if I then wanted to collect all characters?

Only use a guide if you want 100% theres nothing extra for getting all characters except the "True Ending" and one extra character appearance in the 2nd game. Even the ones that you might let die in the first game other than that extra character will respawn like Pahn. Now if you want tips for battles use Luc for his magic

[ColtNoir]

Originally posted by Vex:

So, first of all, consider how much time you have to play, and whether or not you enjoy repeat playthroughs of games.

With this in mind, if you have a lot of time to squeeze all the fun you can get from these games, play them both twice.

1. Go blindly, no guides. Get what you get and embrace the trauma if you get someone killed (yes, there's permadeath on some chars). This is the easiest route, you won't have to soft reset and just go straight for that ending.

2. Use a guide. You already saw the overall story, now you can use any guides you want even with spoilers and take your time using multiple save files to avoid missing anything, reset when someone dies, etc. Get everything, take your time to farm whatever you want, build your favorite characters, etc and get the good ending on top.

No time to play both twice? Spoiler free guides, then. Weirdly enough, the best ones on GameFaqs are written in some weird mistranslated english, but they are gold.

Have fun!

[Gen X Gal Gamer Skye]

Also, especially due to QoL changes from the original and load times being way better than PS1 era, the game isn't long. I did Suikoden 1 in 35 hours despite having some time wasted on menus and prepping characters for transfer using the Level 36-96 trick.

That said, I would recommend reloading if someone dies in war.

[NikDanger]

I can tell you what I'd do, but I can't tell you what you'd prefer. Some people need that 100%, they need to feel they did everything right, and if they play sub-optimally, or don't see all the content, or get the "bad" results, then the experience is ruined.

On the other hand, some people want to make their own decisions, want to do the best they can and live with the consequences, and want to give the story every opportunity to surprise them.

Most are somewhere in-between, but these are basically what you're going to be prioritizing and sacrificing. Personally, my view is that I have my entire life to 100% a game, but I'll only ever have that one opportunity to play it blind.