It is no coincidence that Hugo, Chris and Geddoe, the first speaking protagonists of the series (Nash in Suikogaiden aside) are among the best characters in all of Suikoden. The game nicely crafts a narrative that spans both time and culture, where the viewpoints of a backwater village's people hold the same weight as those from a more advanced civilization. Ultimately, Suikoden 3 tends to fall flat as it gets into the later parts of its narrative and isn't able to hit the same levels of suspense as the Jowston-Highland War of Suikoden II. Perhaps this series can be too conservative for its own good.