The player controls a silent protagonist who is the adopted son of Genkaku, a hero who saved the City-States of Jowston in a war against Highland years ago.

[6][7][8][9] Suikoden II is a role-playing video game with strategic elements, with multiple gameplay formats ranging from one-on-one combat to large scale confrontations between two armies.

In towns, the player can gather information, sharpen characters' weaponry, and buy equipment and runes; wilderness areas generally feature random encounters with monsters.

A transfer of data from the prior game in the series enables returning characters to enter the fray with higher levels and improved weapons.

The Rune, whose name references the creation myth of the Suikoden universe, governs conflict and war, and steers the destinies of Riou and Jowy so they must fight each other until one is defeated and the two halves are reunited.

Their fated conflict causes much pain for Nanami, who wishes for the three friends to run away and live a quiet and happy life together.

Luca is a brutal and bloodthirsty madman who developed a strong hatred for Jowston at a young age after witnessing his mother's rape by City-State soldiers during an earlier war.

Riou is rescued from the river by a group of mercenaries working for Jowston, led by Viktor and Flik from the first Suikoden game, but is detained as an enemy soldier of Highland.

After reuniting with Nanami, the two are captured, accused of espionage, and sentenced to death by the Highland army to cover up the truth of the youth brigade massacre.

Entering the shrine, they each receive half of the Rune—the Bright Shield Rune and the Black Sword Rune—and continue to flee to the capital city of Jowston, Muse.

Riou and Nanami, distraught over Jowy's betrayal, flee with the surviving members of Viktor's mercenary group south across Lake Dunan to regroup.

In the winter of 1993/1994, Konami newcomers Yoshitaka Murayama and Junko Kawano were tasked with creating an RPG for an internally developed video games console.

[11][12][13] Murayama, Kawano and ten other employees were instead assigned with developing Konami's first games for Sony's upcoming console, the PlayStation.

With the pick of making a baseball game, a racing game or an RPG, Murayama and Kawano decided to reopen their RPG project, although Murayama has stated that given the opportunity, he would have preferred to make a shoot 'em up, citing his preference for arcade action titles such as Taito's Metal Black.

Committed from the start to make a franchise to rival series such as Enix's Dragon Quest and Square's Final Fantasy, Murayama wrote the scenario of the first Suikoden.

After reading fan letters Murayama decided that the selling point of the first game was its story, and thus it became the main focus of the second title.