Line #17 VideoGame/SuikodenTactics


1	[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rhapsodia_7579.jpg]]
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5	''Suikoden Tactics'' (released as ''Rhapsodia'' in Japan) is a GaidenGame in the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' series and a sequel to ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV''. The game tells the story of Kyril, the son of a Scarlet Moon officer, as he investigates and uncovers a massive conspiracy revolving around Rune Cannons. A complex web of political intrigue, rebellion, insurrection and a dying empire is further complicated by other agents of the Scarlet Moon with their own priorities regarding Kooluk and the Rune Cannons.
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7	''Tactics''/''Rhapsodia'' ties up many of the loose ends left over from ''IV'', providing key information that helped the plot of the prior game ''make sense''. Most of the cast returned, with a higher Stars of Destiny retention rate than even ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'' boasted, and several got fleshed out a fair bit more in the process, mostly via party chatter and optional campfire scenes.
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10	!!''Suikoden Tactics'' provides examples of:
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12	* AdventureGuild: Middleport's quest guild, run by Lalacle.
13	* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: The American game cover shows Kyril, Andarc and Seneca holding their weapons and getting ready to fight; the Japanese and European ones shows Kyril fainted (or sleeping) and Yohn embracing him (see above image).
14	* AnotherDimension: The World of Emptines, homeland of [[spoiler:Yohn]], the Giant Tree and [[spoiler:the Evil Eye.]]
15	* ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: Most plot-related battles limit you on using eight party members ([[CantDropTheHero Kyril being mandatory]]), but you can switch characters in the middle of the fight. Side-quest related battles and the "Monster Hunt" Free Battles are more generous on the number of deploy units.
16	* AscendedExtra: Frederica, who was an optional character hunting Graham Cray in ''IV'', returns as a major character in this, getting embroiled in the plot when Kyril's party comes to her village. True to this, she's unique (as opposed to the other returning minor characters) in that she has PlotArmor, unlike a lot of them.
17	* TheAtoner: Andarc, for [[spoiler: [[ShootTheDog slaying Walter]] after he was turned into a fishman and almost killed Kyril.]] Also, [[spoiler: Snowe Vingerhut.]]
18	* BadBoss: The Merseto merchant who kills Ralph, a kid, for an accident involving his Kangacorn. [[spoiler:Also Iskas, who leave Roget to die once he have served his purpose.]]
19	* BadassFamily: The Kooluk Royal Family: Martin, Busk, Ornela. Each of them lead an army an fight in the front lines. Also [[spoiler:the RebelliousPrincess Corselia.]]
20	* BattleCouple: Akaghi and Mizuki, though they [[EveryoneCanSeeIt insist]] [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend otherwise]].
21	* BigDamnHeroes: Kyril ends up on ''both'' ends of these; one memorable example has [[spoiler: Selma, Paula and Jewel show up with TheCavalry while riding Giant Owls.]]
22	* BlindIdiotTranslation: Noah is a girl, but the in-game tutorial calls her a "he."
23	* BonusDungeon: The Obel Ruins.
24	* CantDropTheHero: Kyril is a required party member for plot-relevant battles, but he can be switched out during monster hunting levels.
25	* TheCavalry:
26	** Some of the recruits send by Lino En Kuldes to aid Kyril in his quest join during a ongoing battle, in which there are too many enemies to the party to handle.
27	** [[spoiler:When the group is ambushed, in Graska, Lino himself arrives just in time to help them.]]
28	* CelShading: The game uses this for the characters and monsters.
29	* CitadelCity: Kooluk capital, Graska is a fortress, build in the top of a mountain.
30	* CityOfCanals: Merseto, a port town in Kooluk. During the battles fought in there, there are boats who keep moving between the scenario and can be used as a shortcut.
31	* ContractualBossImmunity: The Golem of Obel Ruins and the story final bosses are extremity resistente against [[spoiler:Lazlo's Rune of Punishemnt]], as it would kill them in one turn if they weren't.
32	* CuteMute: Yohn, who combines this with BeastMan.
33	* DeadPersonConversation: Yohn has the ability to communicate with the souls of the recently departed people.
34	* DemBones: The Skeleton enemies at the Obel Ruins.
35	* DiscOneFinalBoss: The evil pirate Steele, who is the adversary fought before the three years time-skip.
36	* DoubleWeapon: Kyril's weapon is a double sided weapon.
37	* DramaticIrony: Late in the game, Kyril [[spoiler: kills a fishman to defend Corselia, finally overcoming the mental block that's prevented him from doing so in the past... only to realize he just slew her father, mirroring the trauma that ''caused'' said mental block in the first place.]]
38	* EasterEgg: After being hidden for 18 years since the game's release, [[https://suikosource.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=15055 the people at Suikosource]] discovered that at the start of Chapter 2, the date where it begins is dependent on the current time and date on the [=PlayStation=] 2.
39	* ElementalEmbodiment: The non-hostile rune fragments enemies that wanders the battlefield dying it with its respective element.
40	* ElementalRockPaperScissors: There is five elements in the game and each character (except Mitsuba) has an innate one. Standing on a platform of the same element gives status buff and gradual healing, while standing at one whose his innate element is weak to lower his status and causes damage. The elemental order is: Fire > Wind > Earth > Lightning > Water > Fire.
41	* EvilSorcerer: Roget [[spoiler:and his boss, Iskas]] are sorcerers who use their magic to control the fishmen.
42	* FacelessMasses: Non-named characters still get portraits, but nobody who isn't important to the plot has any ''eyes''. Not even the Mercenaries you fight now and then... [[spoiler:and can eventually recruit into your team.]]
43	** Their weapons also have generic names: "Sword", "Bow" etc.
44	* FishPeople: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Fishmen]], normal people who are involuntary transformed by the Rune Cannons.
45	* GameplayAllyImmortality: As mentioned above, anyone with a speaking role in the plot ''can't die'' in battle, making them good {{Stone Wall}}s.
46	* GeoEffects: During battles, the use of spells and the wandering elemental spheres dye the terrain with their element. Each character has a innate element, and standing on a square of the same element will boost their attack, defense and gradual heal them. Likewise, if the character occupies a space with an element the character is weak to, his atributes will decay and he will take damage every turn, as if he ere poisoned.
47	* GiantEnemyCrab: There is some of them at the Deserted Island. You also fight them during Rene and [[spoiler:Lazlo]] recruitments.
48	* {{Golem}}: Powerful enemies fought at the optional Obel Ruins that can attack you with their RocketPunch.
49	* GuestStarPartyMember: [[spoiler:Walter, Edgar, Brandeau and Peck.]]
50	* GuideDangIt: Recruiting the four mercenaries, as you have to keep doing Chiepoo's quests and, at the same time, avoiding any requests from his rival company: "X & Co".
51	* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Busk, Ornela and Roget]].
52	* HelpfulMook: The Elemental Fragments wandering the battlefield. They are harmless, may benefit you depending of the elemental affinity and gives experience points when killed, making them good punching bags for under-leveled charterers.
53	* HeroicBSOD: Kyril goes through a major one after [[spoiler: witnessing his father's PainfulTransformation and death. Having the ship blow up didn't help much, either.]]
54	* HeroicMime: Averted. Kyril TALKS. [[spoiler:And suddenly, so does Lazlo]].
55	* HowWeGotHere: The first few chapters are set ''before'' the events of ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV'' and provide some critical {{Backstory}}.
56	* HumanResources: The fishmen are humans transformed by the Evil Eye who serves as TheBigBad personal army.
57	* InterfaceSpoiler:
58	** [[spoiler:Kyril being the true protagonist, as Walter isn't even on the game cover or in the opening, and his weapon cannot be upgraded.]]
59	** Subverted with the number of recruitable allies. The party management screens displays an 8x8 grid, meaning a total of 64 playable characters. However, only 60 are main party members, as the remaining four slots are for the temporary characters.
60	* LevelUpFillUp: As in Suikoden IV, leveling up fully heals the character HP.
61	* LethalLavaLand: The Flame Chamber of the Obel Ruins.
62	* MarketBasedTitle: Suikoden Tactics was originally released in Japan as ''Rhapsodia''.
63	* MountedCombat: Playable units can mount armored kangaroos and giant eagles.
64	* NewGamePlus: The game has this option. Playing on a New Game + will retain all the money, gear, skills, [[RelationshipValues Affection Levels]] and the Quest Guild's History. You will also be able to skip cutscenes and recruit [[SecretCharacter Lalacle]].
65	* NonActionGuy: A few recruits that you can call into battle can't fight (or aren't very good at it), but provide various support skills and bonuses. For instance, Rene, a Glasses Girl who can locate and unearth [[PirateBooty buried treasure]].
66	* ObviouslyEvil: Steele, a {{Gonk}} pirate fought early on.
67	* OldSaveBonus: Transferring data over from ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV'' lets you recruit [[spoiler: Lazlo and Snowe. Lazlo, fresh off the [[MultipleEndings Best Ending]], promptly becomes [[strike:a bit of]] a GameBreaker. Snowe is...a guy with a sword]].
68	* OneWingedAngel: Pulled at the end by [[spoiler:Iskas turning the Evil Eye on himself]], making him [[spoiler:the second person to not be turned into a mindless monster.]]
69	* PainfulTransformation: [[spoiler: How fishmen are made.]]
70	* {{Permadeath}}: Plot-relevant characters are immune to this, but anyone else ''can'' die permanently if fallen in battle (and will let you know via dramatic LastWords).
71	* PermanentlyMissableContent: The Ancient Dish, an quest item found at the 5th floor of Obel Ruins. After you beat that level once, the poisoned water will vanish and the item will no longer be in there. Consequently, the other quests involving finding items in the ruins won't became available.
72	* PrivateMilitaryContractors: The four mercenaries led by a blue-haired elf.
73	* ProtectionMission:
74	** When Kyril meets Simeon, he has to aid him during a battle against the Kooluk soldiers.
75	** There is also some Quest Guild missions in which you have to win a battle with a guest character alive. It isn't always necessary, but doing so will cause them to join the group afterwards.
76	* RelationshipValues: The affinity system. A character with "Good Will" for other and is nearly may take [[TakingTheBullet damage in their place]], executes follow-up attacks or learn a CombinationAttack.
77	* ShaggyDogStory: During one of the camp events, Simeon asks Kyril to bring him two very rare items for an experiment, with the goal of opening a gate to the World of Emptiness and find a way to reverse the fishmen transformation. [[spoiler:After Kyril does so, he accidentally summons some fishmen, which the party has to kill. Afterwads, he concludes that the experiment failed and that the transformation is irreversible.]]
78	* StartOfDarkness: Brandeau, a seemingly one-shot villain who gave Glen in IV the Rune of Punishment, has one here. We see how he [[spoiler:loses his best friend Edgar (Kika's boyfriend), involuntarily acquires the Rune of Punishment from a {{Pirate}} (Steele), loses one of his eyes and saw his {{Sidekick}} Peck transfigured into a goblin-like creature. He left Kika's crews after being too overcame with guilt, and returns in IV as the AxCrazy pirate.]]
79	* TakeYourTime: Despite the game having a calendar system, and that it takes many days to traverse from one place to another, no one ages and nothing about the plot changes. There is also a Quest Guild in Middleport, where you can deploy some members to do a quest, which can last up to 30 days.
80	* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler: Roget and Miranda, to Iskas.]]
81	* WeaponOfMassDestruction: The Rune Cannons in general.
82	* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Patriarchal Faction. They believe that Kooluk should be ruled by those who are fit to it, rather than by those with noble bloodline.
83	* WhamEpisode: Being the last one before the timeskip, Chapter 3 is very dramatic, as it features [[spoiler:Walter and Edgar's death]] during the final showdown against the pirate Steele, the previous bearer of the Rune of Punishment. This chapter also marks the downfall of [[spoiler:Brandeau and Peck.]]
84	* WhiteMagicianGirl: Corselia, your youngest recruit [[spoiler: and a RebelliousPrincess]]
85	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Happens to Roget after he's put in charge of more fishmen than he can actually ''control''.]]

Context VideoGame / SuikodenTactics