Suikoden 2 Had A Ridiculously OP Cheat That I Really Hope The Remaster Skips

The first time I played Suikoden 2, I used an exploit to recruit powerful mid-game heroes. They were severely over-leveled and wore the strongest armor, making them deadly and nearly invincible. Having one or both in my party made most of the game a breeze. It trivialized most challenges until very late in the narrative. But despite the major advantage, something like this busted should be fixed in the remastered version.

Polishing up the remaster would be a good sign that Konami is now taking the Suikoden games seriously. Konami has previously stated that it would like to continue the franchise and make it as popular as it was nearly 30 years ago. While leaving in major bugs is authentic, it also comes off quite rushed. Considering the remaster has been delayed for years, it is expected to be the definitive release of Suikoden 2.

Original Suikoden 2 Had A Cheat That Made The Game Too Easy

The Gateway Was Locked But Not Attached To The Wall

In the PlayStation release of Suikoden 2,it was possible to access a side quest nearly 25 or more hours before it was intended to be found. Around the third major narrative beat, the party arrives in Muse. Allies like Nanami and Jowy will suggest exploring the town and taking a rest. However, nothing stops players from leaving town and exploring the whole open map. I traveled far north-west and found a border crossing separating Muse from neighboring Matilda.

Due to a programming error, the door is registered as one of these movable blocks. This allowed me to push it away and enter Matilda dozens of hours ahead of time.

Going to this border gateway, the guards proclaim that no one can cross. At first, this seems to be true, and the wall seems solid. However, a component of Suikoden 2 is block-pushing puzzles. Due to a programming error, the door is registered as one of these movable blocks. This allowed me to push it away and enter Matilda dozens of hours ahead of time. Still, with the Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster being announced back in 2022, I hope this no longer occurs.

As Suikoden 2 was released in 1998, it is now mostly unknown who first found the Muse-Matilda glitch. The trick was being discussed readily in 1999 on Suikoden forums and guides, meaning it was already becoming notorious. It is likely that people who had already completed the game were looking for new things to do. Without those sites and walkthroughs, I probably would have been clueless.

Suikoden 2's Matilda Border Cheat Was Great - But Problematic

My Party Was Far Too Strong For Story Battles

The first thing I noticed was that the Matilda province is very dangerous. I was around level 12, fighting enemies designed for a full team of level 34. This makes it imperative to run from nearly every fight. There isn’t much to visit in Matilda early on, except for a single city of Highway Village. This town grants access to recruiting two of the most useful party members: Humphrey and Futch, both being heroes returning from the first Suikoden.

Humphrey is considered the toughest melee fighter in Suikoden 2. He always has extremely high hit points and physical defense. Additionally, if you imported the save data from the first Suikoden, he would come wearing Windspun Armor, one of the best pieces of gear available in Suikoden 2.

Futch is also no slouch but favors high speed and is very competent at magic. Spells at least look more impressive in previews for Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster. Futch won’t amaze most players with physical damage output, but he is a solid jack of all trades. Being many levels above my current party made him seem more deadly.

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The duo will not join outright, and instead they asked me to fight a harpy a top nearby Rakutei Mountain. This might at first sound impossible with several other low-level party members. However, experience points in Suikoden 2 prioritize lower-level party members; a similar leveling system was laterused for party members in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. This means Humphrey and Futch can quickly power-level anyone else up to 34 while in Matilda. After killing the harpy and finishing the quest, both fighters gladly joined my team.

While this exploit was initially interesting, it removes most dangers until Matilda is properly introduced into the story. Having the main character, Riou, at such a high level means that your party always has a really strong attacker and healer due to his Bright Shield rune. Humphrey is also nearly invincible against other fighters and is only in peril when fighting mages.

This cheat eventually self-corrects, as level 34 is only mid-game power. I finished Suikoden 2 with most of my favorite characters at level 50. But, so much in-between content becomes watered down. This includes upcoming events like challenging the vampire leader Neclord, finding the Star Dragon Sword, and saving Greenhill City. Worst of all, having a few characters at level 34 made me pass on some other great party members, namely Viktor and Oulan, who are powerhouses when trained correctly.

Suikoden 2 Remaster Needs To Skip This Cheat

Even Helpful Exploits Should Be Fixed

Removing the Matilda border glitch is important for several reasons. First, anyone who uses it will likely spoil their experience going through Suikoden 2. While you can remove Humphrey or Futch from the team, Riou is always mandatory. And even with most experience points going to other characters, he will still level up slightly, resulting in an even more broken main character beyond level 34.

Removing all bugs, even ones that help a player will also show that Konami cares about the product they are releasing. Other recent releases, like The Sim: Legacy Collection, which fixes nothing from the original but urges fans to buy the game again. Otherwise, some players may be concerned that the developers aren’t really as dedicated as they claim. I would be skeptical about other Suikoden games - new ones and remasters - if they ship with numerous glitches.