The fourth game in the main Suikoden series, Suikoden 4 is often seen by fans of the series as being one of the worst, or at least most disappointing, games in the series. There are many reasons for this, ranging from the gameplay (a paty of 4 when the series ALWAYS allowed for a party of 6, high random encounter rates) to the presentation (only five or 7 towns to visit, depending on how you count certain areas of the game, and only ten or so dungeons), even the story gets some flak. And it's true, the story of Suikoden 4 is very short when compared to the stories of Suikoden 2 or 3. But just because it's short doesn't mean the story has no meat to it. In fact, a close observation even reveals the main theme of the game: leadership.
The concept of leadership appears constantly throughout the game, both subtly as well as overtly. In fact, I can even make the claim that the concept appears within the first ten minutes of the game! When the game begins, you are introduced to a collection of young adults who are crewing a ship out at sea. Suddenly, the ship gets attacked, but one of the young men, one Snowe Vingerhut, assures his friends that he will take command. More on Snowe here: http://vidgameanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/08/character-analysis-snowe-vingerhut-from.html
Snowe does well enough, fending off the enemy ship, but gets boarded by invaders. It turns out the whole attack was actually staged, a final exam of sorts for the Gaien Marine Academy, which trains knights for the nation of Gaien. Snowe demonstrated a complete lack of awareness during the battle, which is suicidal when one is commanding a ship in foreign or hostile waters. Therein Suikoden 4 presents the tennent in leadership: a leader is always aware.
Glen Cott, the head of the Academy, clearly demonstrates why a leader should always have a sense of awareness in all times: an enemy can sneak up on you and BAM! Though this is not a lesson that needs to be repeated during the game, it is still a harsh lesson that Snowe, and to an extent Lazlo (hero of the game), needed to learn. The reason for that is because war is no game; your life is on the line at all times, even during the quiet ones. But when you're a leader, it isn't just YOUR life that's at stake, it's the life of everyone under your leadership. Those people are trusting you with your lives; if they lose their lives because of YOUR carelessness, it's as if you killed them too.
The next instance of leadership is as overt as it gets. Snowe is entrusted with captaincy over a ship that will sail over international waters, carrying important cargo for a privately owned company. During this mission, the ship is attacked by pirates. Snowe panics and orders the retreat, but the crew is unable to retreat not just because the cargo is too important (weapons of war) but because the pirates are too close for the ship to safely retreat. Snowe, in an unfathomable moment of cowardice, abandons ship. When Glen Cott finds him, he gives the boy a well deserved punch.
Why well deserved? "A captain is always the LAST to leave!" Those are the words Cott spoke to the boy. But why is the captain always the last to leave? Because the captain's, or the leader's, first responsibility is to the CREW! A captain does EVERYTHING he/she can do to make sure the crew is safe. A captain maintains a cool head on ALL times, and places the safety of the crew above his/her own. The captain is the last to leave a sinking ship because he/she would otherwise dedicate all his/her energy to ensuring that everyone else has left first. The game spares no chance to drill this lesson into the player's head; Snowe has lost ALL respect from not just his crew, but from all other members of the Knights of Gaien.
Lazlo, on the other hand, showed his leadership chops by taking over the ship and LEADING the crew in defending the cargo. He orders all hands on deck, commands the ship to begin a counter attack, and actually SUCCEEDS. The crew start following Lazlo almost immediately, all but forgetting about Snowe (who had THEN decided to abandon ship). But why? Because Lazlo showed courage, determination, and a level head, which are qualities that attract people, especially in dire situations. Snowe, on the other hand, showed cowardice, a repellant trait.
People look up to leaders who make them feel like anything is possible, which is why a leader must always maintain a cool head in emergencies.When under enemy attack, a panicking leader does NOTHING that can be considered helpful; decisions made under panic can, and often do, lead to unforseen but otherwise avoidable consequences. In Snowe's case, had his crew retreated when he gave the order, it is quite likely that the pirate, Brandeau, would have caught up tp them, or worse, saw one hell of an opening to sink the ship. When Lazlo took to fighting back, he denied the pirate this chance and managed to save the cargo, beat the pirates, and even save some of the crew.
Snowe, again, later demonstrates another trait that makes for terrible leaders: impulsiveness. When Razril got attacked by a fleet of pirates, Snowe was again given captaincy over a ship. In a bid to prove he was no coward, Snowe gave the order to chase the fleeing enemy, taking his ship and crew AWAY from the safety of the harbor and the backup provided by the OTHER ships that also defended the harbor. This impulse left Snowe's ship wide open for a counter attack, and he ended up needing to be bailed out.
Here, we see the game showing why impulsiveness, as well as thinking of how one is perceived by others, is a BAD trait for a leader to have. Impulsiveness leads to bad decisions and bad decisions can lead to death. Likewise, as I've said before, a leader puts the needs of the crew first and foremost. A leader who places him/herself before his/her crew is, invariably, somebody unfit to lead. This is best demonstrated with Snowe, who placed the lives of his crew at risk just for the sake of his own reputation. And what happened? He ended up screwing up, and once again he's shown the city of Razril he's unfit for any position of power.
The contrast between Snowe and Lazlo is astounding: one was bred to lead but was decidedly bad at it, while the other was bred to follow but ended up a fantastic leader. Lazlo showed courage at every moment that called for it. During the game, Lazlo just keeps demonstrating his leadership abilities, culminating in his use of a dangerous weapon, the Rune of Punishment, as a means to defend his crew.
Let me explain. The Rune of Punishment is a magical rune that imbues itself unto the first person it senses. Anyone who uses it dies, and using it is akin to a nuclear weapon. The rune is capable of destroying dozens of ships in one blow. Lazlo (in story) only ever uses it when the situation is extremely dire, such as when the enemy outnumbers his crew, and escape is literally impossible. Lazlo would rather risk his own life to ensure the safety of the people who have placed their trust in him, than to risk their lives fighting off an enemy that outnumbers and outclasses them. THAT is leadership.
Snowe and Lazlo are scarecely the only characters in the game to display leadership. One of the earliest leaders seen in the game was Vincent Vingerhut, Snowe's father. At first he seems like a jovial enough fellow, MCing the graduation ceremony, but then it's revealed that HE is the one who kept putting Snowe in charge of all these missions. The man didn't care that his son DEMONSTRATED he was ill fit to lead, he only cared to have him lead. But when Kooluk invaded, the man hid, leaving his young son, WHO WAS NO OLDER THAN SIXTEEN, to deal with an enemy invasion with no backup or support. Snowe surrendered to Kooluk, which allowed Razril to be taken over by the enemy invader, but unscathed.
Much later in the game, however, we see a contrasting figure: King Lino en Kuldes. When his nation gets attacked by Kooluk, he flees. Like Snowe, he left his country at its hour of need. UNLIKE Snowe, he didn't do it for himself; he knew his kingdom, Obel, did not have the strength to fight off Kooluk. Instead, he went off on a mission to gather allies, forming a new Navy that was large enough to take on the Kooluk navy, and with that he'd free Obel once and for all. Not one to leave his people behind and defenseless, however, Lino entrusted his daughter, Princess Flare, with helping to maintain some level of order while the Kooluk occupied the island of Obel. Like Razril, Obel was left unscathed, and like Razril, Obel was liberated with time.
Because Lino en Kuldes LED the charge to liberate his island, he was welcomed back with open arms. Vincent Vingerhut didn't even dare show his face until AFTER Razril was liberated, and even then it was to assert his authority...over the LIBERATORS. For this, he was chased off the island, never to be heard from again. That's a lesson to be learned: respect is earned. People respect a leader who is always there for them, and if they leave, it's because they are coming back with help. If someone in a position of power leaves when things get rough and only comes back when things quiet down, that person has shown themselves to be undeserving of leadership.
At its surface, Suikoden 4 is yet another story of war and resistance against invasion. But at its core, Suikoden 4 is a treatise on leadership and on what makes someone worth following. In fact, it's a continuation on Suikoden's trend to say something specific regarding war. In Suikoden 1, the game explored the concept of power, and how power without responsibility is corruption that gets dealt with by those who no longer consent to your authority. Suikoden 2 explored how war not only affects soldiers, it affects and destroys the innocent people that get caught up in it. Suikoden 3 explored the concept of perception, how each side in a war sees the other as "evil" and in need of being taken down, while reality is far more complex. Suikoden 4, then, is directly a complementary piece to the first game. Some people do not deserve power, but some do. Some people are not worth following, and some are. Fitting, considering the game chronologically takes place before the first.
Snowe does well enough, fending off the enemy ship, but gets boarded by invaders. It turns out the whole attack was actually staged, a final exam of sorts for the Gaien Marine Academy, which trains knights for the nation of Gaien. Snowe demonstrated a complete lack of awareness during the battle, which is suicidal when one is commanding a ship in foreign or hostile waters. Therein Suikoden 4 presents the tennent in leadership: a leader is always aware.
Glen Cott, the head of the Academy, clearly demonstrates why a leader should always have a sense of awareness in all times: an enemy can sneak up on you and BAM! Though this is not a lesson that needs to be repeated during the game, it is still a harsh lesson that Snowe, and to an extent Lazlo (hero of the game), needed to learn. The reason for that is because war is no game; your life is on the line at all times, even during the quiet ones. But when you're a leader, it isn't just YOUR life that's at stake, it's the life of everyone under your leadership. Those people are trusting you with your lives; if they lose their lives because of YOUR carelessness, it's as if you killed them too.
The next instance of leadership is as overt as it gets. Snowe is entrusted with captaincy over a ship that will sail over international waters, carrying important cargo for a privately owned company. During this mission, the ship is attacked by pirates. Snowe panics and orders the retreat, but the crew is unable to retreat not just because the cargo is too important (weapons of war) but because the pirates are too close for the ship to safely retreat. Snowe, in an unfathomable moment of cowardice, abandons ship. When Glen Cott finds him, he gives the boy a well deserved punch.
Why well deserved? "A captain is always the LAST to leave!" Those are the words Cott spoke to the boy. But why is the captain always the last to leave? Because the captain's, or the leader's, first responsibility is to the CREW! A captain does EVERYTHING he/she can do to make sure the crew is safe. A captain maintains a cool head on ALL times, and places the safety of the crew above his/her own. The captain is the last to leave a sinking ship because he/she would otherwise dedicate all his/her energy to ensuring that everyone else has left first. The game spares no chance to drill this lesson into the player's head; Snowe has lost ALL respect from not just his crew, but from all other members of the Knights of Gaien.
Lazlo, on the other hand, showed his leadership chops by taking over the ship and LEADING the crew in defending the cargo. He orders all hands on deck, commands the ship to begin a counter attack, and actually SUCCEEDS. The crew start following Lazlo almost immediately, all but forgetting about Snowe (who had THEN decided to abandon ship). But why? Because Lazlo showed courage, determination, and a level head, which are qualities that attract people, especially in dire situations. Snowe, on the other hand, showed cowardice, a repellant trait.
People look up to leaders who make them feel like anything is possible, which is why a leader must always maintain a cool head in emergencies.When under enemy attack, a panicking leader does NOTHING that can be considered helpful; decisions made under panic can, and often do, lead to unforseen but otherwise avoidable consequences. In Snowe's case, had his crew retreated when he gave the order, it is quite likely that the pirate, Brandeau, would have caught up tp them, or worse, saw one hell of an opening to sink the ship. When Lazlo took to fighting back, he denied the pirate this chance and managed to save the cargo, beat the pirates, and even save some of the crew.
Snowe, again, later demonstrates another trait that makes for terrible leaders: impulsiveness. When Razril got attacked by a fleet of pirates, Snowe was again given captaincy over a ship. In a bid to prove he was no coward, Snowe gave the order to chase the fleeing enemy, taking his ship and crew AWAY from the safety of the harbor and the backup provided by the OTHER ships that also defended the harbor. This impulse left Snowe's ship wide open for a counter attack, and he ended up needing to be bailed out.
Here, we see the game showing why impulsiveness, as well as thinking of how one is perceived by others, is a BAD trait for a leader to have. Impulsiveness leads to bad decisions and bad decisions can lead to death. Likewise, as I've said before, a leader puts the needs of the crew first and foremost. A leader who places him/herself before his/her crew is, invariably, somebody unfit to lead. This is best demonstrated with Snowe, who placed the lives of his crew at risk just for the sake of his own reputation. And what happened? He ended up screwing up, and once again he's shown the city of Razril he's unfit for any position of power.
The contrast between Snowe and Lazlo is astounding: one was bred to lead but was decidedly bad at it, while the other was bred to follow but ended up a fantastic leader. Lazlo showed courage at every moment that called for it. During the game, Lazlo just keeps demonstrating his leadership abilities, culminating in his use of a dangerous weapon, the Rune of Punishment, as a means to defend his crew.
Let me explain. The Rune of Punishment is a magical rune that imbues itself unto the first person it senses. Anyone who uses it dies, and using it is akin to a nuclear weapon. The rune is capable of destroying dozens of ships in one blow. Lazlo (in story) only ever uses it when the situation is extremely dire, such as when the enemy outnumbers his crew, and escape is literally impossible. Lazlo would rather risk his own life to ensure the safety of the people who have placed their trust in him, than to risk their lives fighting off an enemy that outnumbers and outclasses them. THAT is leadership.
Snowe and Lazlo are scarecely the only characters in the game to display leadership. One of the earliest leaders seen in the game was Vincent Vingerhut, Snowe's father. At first he seems like a jovial enough fellow, MCing the graduation ceremony, but then it's revealed that HE is the one who kept putting Snowe in charge of all these missions. The man didn't care that his son DEMONSTRATED he was ill fit to lead, he only cared to have him lead. But when Kooluk invaded, the man hid, leaving his young son, WHO WAS NO OLDER THAN SIXTEEN, to deal with an enemy invasion with no backup or support. Snowe surrendered to Kooluk, which allowed Razril to be taken over by the enemy invader, but unscathed.
Much later in the game, however, we see a contrasting figure: King Lino en Kuldes. When his nation gets attacked by Kooluk, he flees. Like Snowe, he left his country at its hour of need. UNLIKE Snowe, he didn't do it for himself; he knew his kingdom, Obel, did not have the strength to fight off Kooluk. Instead, he went off on a mission to gather allies, forming a new Navy that was large enough to take on the Kooluk navy, and with that he'd free Obel once and for all. Not one to leave his people behind and defenseless, however, Lino entrusted his daughter, Princess Flare, with helping to maintain some level of order while the Kooluk occupied the island of Obel. Like Razril, Obel was left unscathed, and like Razril, Obel was liberated with time.
Because Lino en Kuldes LED the charge to liberate his island, he was welcomed back with open arms. Vincent Vingerhut didn't even dare show his face until AFTER Razril was liberated, and even then it was to assert his authority...over the LIBERATORS. For this, he was chased off the island, never to be heard from again. That's a lesson to be learned: respect is earned. People respect a leader who is always there for them, and if they leave, it's because they are coming back with help. If someone in a position of power leaves when things get rough and only comes back when things quiet down, that person has shown themselves to be undeserving of leadership.
At its surface, Suikoden 4 is yet another story of war and resistance against invasion. But at its core, Suikoden 4 is a treatise on leadership and on what makes someone worth following. In fact, it's a continuation on Suikoden's trend to say something specific regarding war. In Suikoden 1, the game explored the concept of power, and how power without responsibility is corruption that gets dealt with by those who no longer consent to your authority. Suikoden 2 explored how war not only affects soldiers, it affects and destroys the innocent people that get caught up in it. Suikoden 3 explored the concept of perception, how each side in a war sees the other as "evil" and in need of being taken down, while reality is far more complex. Suikoden 4, then, is directly a complementary piece to the first game. Some people do not deserve power, but some do. Some people are not worth following, and some are. Fitting, considering the game chronologically takes place before the first.
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