It was only a matter of weeks ago that Suikoden I and II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars was announced in a Konami Tokyo Game Show Stream. At the time, the games were announced for release in 2023, but now there’s reason to think that the duo are on track for release in incredibly early 2023, or even coming forward a bit, to early 2022 – with the collection having been submitted for a rating at the ESRB.

Both games were rated separately by the board with Suikoden I HD Remaster receiving an E10+ rating, while Suikoden II HD Remaster was considered worthy of a Teen rating. The difference in rating is down to the nature of the content, suggestive themes, mild language, and the presence of blood. Interestingly, in 1996 Suikoden was rated “Kids To Adults” before the modern rating of “E10+” was issued.

Suikoden is a beloved Konami RPG series that debuted in 1996, but the core franchise itself hasn’t been seen since the most recent PS2 entry Suikoden V in 2006. Fans have been pleading Konami for new entries in the franchise for the bulk of the last 15 years, but it is only now, with this remaster that fans are finally getting the franchise return that they’ve craved.

A press release, issued by Konami in September, outlining the changes present in the remasters read,

The critically acclaimed RPG franchise returns – Suikoden I & II are back in HD remaster!

Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. today announced the return of the Suikoden series, with Suikoden I and II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars launching on PS4, Xbox One, Steam and Nintendo Switch in 2023!

Announced during Tokyo Games Show 2022, Konami confirmed several fundamental improvements and quality-of-life features in the upcoming remaster collection:

Graphical Improvements

– Pixel sprites and environment art enhanced with new screen effects including lighting, clouds, and shadow animations Flickering flames, smoldering smoke, the movement of leaves and insects, all add up to a lively in-game atmosphere!

-The effects and direction have been redesigned, bringing memorable scenes back to life in more beautiful ways!

New Character Drawings

– All character portraits have been updated in HD. Junko Kawano, who designed the characters for the original version of Suikoden released in 1995, has newly re-drawn all the character portraits for Suikoden I HD Remaster Gate Rune War.

Sound Improvements

– Field Sound – A large number of environmental sounds not found in the original version, such as the sound of running water in the river, wind, insects, and running footsteps, have been added. You can enjoy an immersive experience like never before!

– Battle Sound – All sound effects are now in HD. In addition to the impact of the 3D effects, the realistic sound greatly enhances the dynamism of the battles!

Game System Improvements

– Many new features have been added, such as dialogue log, auto-battle, double-speed battles, etc

As outlined above, Konami has brought a number of excellent modern touches to the classic games, similar to what they’ve done with other recent remasters Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.

Suikoden I and II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars launches on PS4, Xbox One, Steam and Nintendo Switch on an unspecified date in 2023, presumably early given this rating