Suikoden HD dev on using PSP version, delay improvements, future

In an interview with Famitsu, Suikoden I & II HD Remaster director Tatsuya Ogushi commented on a few topics related to the release and more, including using the PSP version as the base, improvements that were made thanks to the delay, and the series’ future.

PSP versions of the games launched in 2006, but only in Japan. These are the versions that the new HD remasters are based on. Because of this, there won’t be any additions from the SEGA Saturn version.

The original plan for Suikoden I & II HD Remaster was for it to be ready last year. However, Konami ended up delaying the project quite a bit, and we’re now getting it in early 2025 instead.

Below is what Ogushi shared regarding what the team was able to do with the extra time:

A fairly long time has passed since the announcement, does this mean that fixing bugs has taken a fair amount of time?

That was part of, but also in order to deliver an HD remaster, time was needed for improving the quality of aspects that initially had not been adequate.

As well as fixing bugs, we also brushed up the visuals and revised the translations many times, all of which takes time.

How was the optimization for each platform?

Things such as load times and the frame rate did require checking and adjustments on each platform.

We did have some trouble regarding the load times, but as seen in the battles we showed on stage (at the Tokyo Game Show), the screen changes now happen quickly and I think players can enjoy the game with peace of mind.

Finally, fans might be curious regarding what the future holds for Suikoden. Konami’s Takahiro Sakiyama is happy to see the franchise return, and hopes that it will continue to expand in the future.

Suikoden I & II HD Remaster launches for Switch on March 6, 2024. We covered the release date news here.

Thanks to Famitsu for the interview excerpts.

Translation provided by Simon Griffin, Philip Proctor, and SatsumaFS on behalf of Nintendo Everything.