History YMMV / SuikodenIV

** The game is shorter than ''[[Videogame/SuikodenI Suikoden I]]'' and it has about four dungeons. During battles [[MovesetClone every character that shared a weapon type had the same attack animation]].

* MostAnnoyingSound: Playing the minigames can quickly get grating due to the voice acting. They repeat 1-2 lines for every choice you pick before starting the game (ie, which rules, which level of bet, how many potch), and can't be skipped by button-mashing. Rita's is especially grating, as she has a lot of lines of dialogue in the minigame...

* MagnificentBastard: Graham Cray.

** Cutting the standard ''Suikoden'' party size from six to four is ''the'' most hated thing about this game. When you've got several dozen playable characters, only being able to use four at a time is quite bad. In addition to reducing the party combinations you can play with, it also makes unlocking and using all of the {{Combination Attack}}s a pain. In particular, the 4-person combo attack by the Razril knights (minus Lazlo and Snowe) can ''only'' be used during ship travel by calling them in as a reserve party, since that's the only way to remove Lazlo from the active roster.

* {{Sequelitis}}: ''Suikoden IV'' is generally considered the worst game in the series thanks to some bad gameplay changes (limiting the player to four party members, upping the random encounter rate, and shortening the overall length of the game) and for being set 150 years before all the other games (meaning fewer returning characters). On top of that, the game fells [[ObviousBeta unfinished]]. Particularly, the combination of the smaller party size and shorter game made it very hard to get to know most of the cast.

* {{Sequelitis}}: ''IV'' is commonly considered the weakest Suikoden due to a a serie of bad design choices (limiting the player to four party members, upping the random encounter rate, and shortening the overall length of the game), for being set 150 years before all the other games (meaning fewer returning characters) and because it fells [[ObviousBeta unfinished]]. Particularly, the combination of the smaller party size and shorter game made it very hard to get to know most of the cast.

* {{Sequelitis}}: ''IV'' is commonly considered the weakest Suikoden due to a a serie of bad design choices (limiting the player to four party members, upping the random encounter rate, and shortening the overall length of the game) and for being set 150 years before all the other games, meaning fewer returning characters. Particularly, the combination of the smaller party size and shorter game made it very hard to get to know most of the cast.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Warlock, a powerful sorcerer who invented the rune cannons, who was used for warfare. He could have been a much bigger role, but is only a optional character with minimal dialogue interactions. To make things worse, [[spoiler:he is [[DroppedABridgeOnHim unceremonious killed off]] in the epilogue, despite the sequel, ''Videogame/SuikodenTactics'', being focused on the Kyril's journey to destroy his inventions.]]

* NeverLiveItDown: Snowe's poor leadership during his first real crisis continues to haunt him, both [[ButtMonkey in-]] [[TheScrappy and out-]] of universe.

* {{Padding}}: Recruiting Taisuke and Travis are extra lengthy affairs.
** For Taisuke, you have to go cross the small dungeon cavern in the Deserted island five times[[note]]one time to talk to him, backtrack to get his clothes, go in again and give it to him, backtrack while he got dressed and go in again to recruit him.[[/note]] And then you have to go again to recruit a mermaid.
** As for Travis, Lazlo must travel right through the Obel Ruins to find him. When finally encountered, he asks the hero if he has an Escape Talisman and asks him to prove it by using it. This (irritatingly) warps the hero right to the start of the Obel Ruins, which must be navigated again to finally recruit him.

* NightmareFuel:
** Mao and Nao. There is a genuine sense of dread about who or ''what'' has set up shop in the ship's "Forbidden Room". Even when he is revealed, his presence is still pretty creepy--showing up secretly on the bottom level of the ship, talking to nobody, and growing mushrooms/mint in the darkness... Even worse? Tov's(the guy who built the ship) comment box cards have him commenting the room wasn't there before they showed up... It just appeared out of nowhere, hence the nickname, The Forbidden Room...
** The entirety of the optional Fog Ship side quest. It comes out of nowhere, and Lazlo is beckoned by a mysterious hooded figure who leads him down a long dimly lit path inside the ship to a fight with the Ship's guide, an Eldritch Abomination who exists beyond time, and steals people's energy.
** The Rune of Punishment itself, being destructive enough to annihilate entire fleets of ships, while stealing the life force of its owner. It will latch itself onto a new owner when its old one expires. Lazlo then confronts the shades of its past owners.

* DesignatedVillain: Troy.

* NightmareFuel: Mao and Nao. There is a genuine sense of dread about who or ''what'' has set up shop in the ship's "Forbidden Room". Even when he is revealed, his presence is still pretty creepy--showing up secretly on the bottom level of the ship, talking to nobody, and growing mushrooms/mint in the darkness... Even worse? Tov's(the guy who built the ship) comment box cards have him commenting the room wasn't there before they showed up... It just appeared out of nowhere, hence the nickname, The Forbidden Room...

* {{Padding}}: Recruiting Taisuke and Travis.