Last week, Konami officially launched Suikoden STAR LEAP – the Suikoden series’ first new entry in 14 years – in Japan, with the global release date due to be announced in the near future. Commercially, the game has come off to a strong start, ranking within the top 10 domestic earners on both the Google and Apple app stores, but critical reception also seems to be quite strong among Japanese Suikoden fans, with many admitting that their expectations have been betrayed in a (mostly) positive way.
Much of the apprehension leading up to Star Leap’s release came from the fact that it’s a live-service game. Though Konami positioned it as a full-fledged entry in the series with a proper place in Suikoden’s canonical storyline (promising a “console game-like experience“), it’s inevitable that the playerbase, accustomed to traditional, offline RPGs, wasn’t very eager for the shift, especially when it comes to the introduction of microtransactions and a gacha system.
Now that the game is out, however, many Japanese X users and reviewers on the App store are expressing surprise at how “proper” a game Star Leap is, (with some caveats, of course). To get the downsides out of the way first, the game is having some optimization issues experienced even by players on higher-performance phones, which will likely be addressed through future updates. Less likely to be addressed, on the other hand, is the gacha system, which players have described as “quite stingy at the moment,” particularly when it comes to pickup characters (0.5% pull rate).
While this is likely to be a headache for completionists and players who really want to get their hands on a specific favorite character, Japanese players say that overall, they did not feel a strong pressure to spend real money in order to progress in the main story.
As one reviewer says, “You can’t simply brute-force your way through battles using high level or high rarity characters alone; you need to consider elemental affinities, skill selection, and sometimes even character compatibility. Conversely, there are ways to win even with low-rarity or lower-level units, making it highly recommended for fans of strategy games.”
In fact, many were surprised with how much volume Star Leap offers for a free-to-play title, with the story being among the most highly-praised aspects of the game (alongside the warm and scenic pixel art). “I’ve been playing for nearly 17 hours straight, and I still haven’t finished the main story, it’s rare to find a mobile game you can enjoy so fully without feeling pressured to spend, so if you have time on your hands I’d definitely recommend it. It’s basically like a Suikoden 0,” one X user wrote. Another fan said, “Just when I thought the story had wrapped up and that was all the initial release had to offer, a new arc kicked off and I couldn’t believe it. To all mobile games, please include this kind of volume at launch, seriously.”
Over on the App Store, players also appreciated how the developers avoided going for a nostalgia-grab with Star Leap. “To be honest, I initially expected a game that would simply let me indulge in nostalgia, but it far surpassed those expectations. I found myself eager to keep playing to see what happens next. The game successfully carries on the series’ signature ensemble storytelling and world-building, making it feel like Suikoden has truly returned.”
Below are some extra reactions from Japanese players:
Despite Star Leap’s strengths, however, (or perhaps, because of them), many say they still wish the game had been a standard, full-price game. While the live-service model is here to stay, perhaps the game’s upcoming Steam version will make the title easier to pick up for those less fond of mobile gaming.
Suikoden STAR LEAP is out now for iOS and Android in Japan. The global version and PC release dates are TBD.
