<s>
is	O
a	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Konami	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
Tokyo	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Konami	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
,	O
and	O
the	O
third	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Suikoden	B-Application
video	O
game	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
other	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
features	O
an	O
intricate	O
,	O
detailed	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
is	O
presented	O
through	O
the	O
"	O
Trinity	B-Application
Sight	I-Application
System	I-Application
"	O
;	O
rather	O
than	O
having	O
only	O
one	O
"	O
hero	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
plot	O
is	O
explored	O
through	O
three	O
different	O
viewpoints	O
,	O
allowing	O
events	O
to	O
be	O
seen	O
from	O
multiple	O
sides	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
three	O
struggling	O
factions	O
in	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
each	O
with	O
their	O
own	O
divisions	O
and	O
politics	O
,	O
and	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
unambiguous	O
"	O
right	O
"	O
side	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
other	O
Suikoden	B-Application
games	O
,	O
which	O
generally	O
feature	O
a	O
silent	O
protagonist	O
,	O
the	O
Flame	O
Champion	O
and	O
the	O
other	O
main	O
characters	O
all	O
have	O
personalities	O
and	O
dialog	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
shares	O
many	O
elements	O
with	O
other	O
role-playing	O
video	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Suikoden	B-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
Suikoden	B-Application
V	I-Application
,	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
has	O
no	O
"	O
time	O
limits	O
"	O
for	O
character	O
recruitment	O
;	O
assuming	O
certain	O
plot	O
decisions	O
are	O
made	O
"	O
correctly	O
,	O
"	O
it	O
is	O
always	O
possible	O
to	O
recruit	O
all	O
108	O
Stars	O
of	O
Destiny	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
other	O
RPGS	O
,	O
characters	O
in	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
possess	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
statistics	O
that	O
determine	O
in-game	O
combat	O
ability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
characters	O
can	O
also	O
learn	O
specific	O
skills	O
;	O
for	O
instance	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Parry	O
"	O
skill	O
allows	O
a	O
character	O
to	O
defend	O
against	O
attacks	O
more	O
often	O
,	O
while	O
other	O
skills	O
may	O
increase	O
damage	O
output	O
or	O
hasten	O
the	O
casting	O
of	O
spells	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
all	O
6	O
characters	O
lose	O
all	O
their	O
hit	O
points	O
(	O
and	O
are	O
thus	O
incapacitated	O
)	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
game	B-Application
over	I-Application
and	O
the	O
player	O
must	O
restart	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Battles	O
in	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
take	O
place	O
on	O
a	O
continuous	O
field	O
of	O
battle	O
,	O
unlike	O
the	O
static	O
front	O
and	O
back	O
rows	O
of	O
earlier	O
Suikodens	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
selecting	O
to	O
cast	O
a	O
rune	O
spell	B-Application
with	O
the	O
character	O
in	O
the	O
back	O
row	O
of	O
the	O
pair	O
will	O
cause	O
the	O
character	O
in	O
the	O
front	O
row	O
to	O
defend	O
them	O
while	O
they	O
are	O
casting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Runes	O
,	O
the	O
primary	O
source	O
of	O
magic	B-Application
in	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Suikoden	B-Application
,	O
are	O
generally	O
handled	O
similarly	O
to	O
other	O
Suikoden	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Characters	O
have	O
a	O
certain	O
number	O
of	O
spell	B-Application
usages	O
per	O
"	O
spell	B-Application
level	O
;	O
"	O
for	O
instance	O
,	O
a	O
character	O
with	O
4	O
level	O
1	O
spell	B-Application
slots	O
and	O
a	O
Water	O
Rune	O
could	O
cast	O
"	O
Kindness	O
Drops	O
"	O
(	O
the	O
level	O
1	O
Water	O
Rune	O
spell	B-Application
)	O
4	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
Suikoden	B-Application
IIIs	I-Application
combat	O
takes	O
place	O
on	O
a	O
free	O
movement	O
field	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
rune	O
effects	O
were	O
reinterpreted	O
from	O
other	O
games	O
to	O
strike	O
areas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
some	O
Fire	O
rune	O
effects	O
that	O
only	O
struck	O
enemies	O
in	O
earlier	O
Suikoden	B-Application
games	O
now	O
strike	O
a	O
generalized	O
area	O
,	O
meaning	O
they	O
could	O
affect	O
allies	O
who	O
moved	O
in	O
too	O
close	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rune	O
spells	B-Application
cause	O
the	O
caster	O
to	O
begin	O
chanting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
time	O
required	O
for	O
chanting	O
varies	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
abilities	O
of	O
the	O
character	O
and	O
the	O
magnitude	O
of	O
the	O
spell	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
army	O
units	O
engage	O
in	O
combat	O
(	O
generally	O
by	O
one	O
unit	O
moving	O
into	O
a	O
space	O
occupied	O
by	O
a	O
hostile	O
unit	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
standard	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
battle	O
system	O
is	O
used	O
,	O
albeit	O
an	O
extremely	O
sped-up	O
variety	O
in	O
which	O
no	O
orders	O
are	O
issued	O
and	O
characters	O
act	O
on	O
a	O
simple	O
AI	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Leaders	O
can	O
aid	O
their	O
army	O
units	O
with	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
special	O
abilities	O
and	O
rune	O
magic	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
also	O
features	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
minigames	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
gambling	O
on	O
dice	O
,	O
card	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
horse	O
racing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
IS	O
475	O
,	O
roughly	O
16	O
in-game	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Suikoden	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
diverse	O
Grasslands	O
region	O
,	O
an	O
area	O
to	O
the	O
northwest	O
of	O
Dunan	O
from	O
Suikoden	B-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
which	O
itself	O
was	O
to	O
the	O
north	O
of	O
the	O
Toran	O
area	O
from	O
Suikoden	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
clans	O
are	O
considered	O
rather	O
backward	O
and	O
barbaric	O
by	O
neighboring	O
powers	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
clans	O
have	O
comparatively	O
smaller	O
towns	O
than	O
the	O
cities	O
seen	O
elsewhere	O
in	O
the	O
Suikoden	B-Application
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
architecture	O
,	O
politics	O
,	O
and	O
citizenry	O
are	O
similar	O
to	O
Renaissance	B-Application
Western	O
European	O
civilizations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
magic	B-Application
in	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Suikoden	B-Application
comes	O
from	O
Runes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
turn	O
,	O
all	O
power	O
from	O
individual	O
carved	O
runes	O
ultimately	O
descends	O
from	O
the	O
27	O
True	O
Runes	O
,	O
which	O
created	O
the	O
world	O
in	O
Suikoden'''s	O
mythology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
50	O
years	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
Harmonia	O
attempted	O
to	O
extend	O
its	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
Grasslands	O
,	O
and	O
eventually	O
invaded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Trinity	B-Application
Sight	I-Application
System	I-Application
contains	O
three	O
chronological	O
chapters	O
per	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Afterward	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Destroyer	O
"	O
forces	O
seen	O
in	O
the	O
background	O
earlier	O
attack	O
to	O
claim	O
the	O
True	O
Fire	O
Rune	O
themselves	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
masked	O
bishop	O
is	O
revealed	O
to	O
be	O
Luc	O
from	O
the	O
earlier	O
Suikoden	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DevelopmentSuikoden	O
III	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
same	O
team	O
as	O
Suikoden	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
for	O
the	O
most	O
part	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2002	O
,	O
just	O
a	O
month	O
before	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
's	O
team	O
left	O
Konami	O
,	O
including	O
series	O
creator	O
Yoshitaka	O
Murayama	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
opening	O
video	O
sequence	O
for	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
and	O
produced	O
by	O
the	O
team	O
responsible	O
for	O
animating	O
the	O
Suikogaiden	B-Application
games	O
;	O
following	O
the	O
second	O
Suikogaiden	B-Application
game	O
's	O
completion	O
,	O
the	O
Suikogaiden	B-Application
team	O
and	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
team	O
merged	O
and	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
develop	O
Suikoden	B-Application
IV	I-Application
and	O
Suikoden	B-Application
V	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
to	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Michiru	O
Yamane	O
,	O
Keiko	O
Fukami	O
,	O
and	O
Masahiko	O
Kimura	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
vocal	O
to	O
the	O
opening	O
track	O
"	O
Ai	B-Application
wo	O
Koete	O
"	O
(	O
usually	O
translated	O
as	O
"	O
Exceeding	O
Love	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
Transcending	O
Love	O
"	O
)	O
was	O
performed	O
by	O
Himekami	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
soundtrack	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
2	O
CDs	O
on	O
July	O
24	O
,	O
2002	O
as	O
Genso	B-Application
Suikoden	I-Application
III	I-Application
Original	O
Soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miki	O
Higashino	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
composed	O
the	O
main	O
Suikoden	B-Application
themes	O
and	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
music	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
games	O
,	O
did	O
not	O
participate	O
in	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
which	O
explains	O
the	O
noticeable	O
difference	O
in	O
style	O
from	O
the	O
earlier	O
soundtracks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
11	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
Genso	B-Application
Suikoden	I-Application
III	I-Application
Collection	O
~	O
Rustling	O
Wind	O
~	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
featuring	O
10	O
tracks	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
new	O
arrangements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2002	O
,	O
377,729	O
copies	O
of	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
were	O
sold	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Konami	O
did	O
not	O
release	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
in	O
PAL	O
territories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
would	O
finally	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
European	O
territories	O
on	O
June	O
23	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
PS2	B-Device
Classic	O
on	O
PlayStation	O
Network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
"	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Official	O
PlayStation	O
Magazines	O
review	O
,	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
dragged	O
too	O
much	O
:	O
"	O
With	O
each	O
chapter	O
I	O
became	O
more	O
discouraged	O
by	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
action	O
and	O
the	O
overwhelming	O
amounts	O
of	O
story	O
thrust	O
upon	O
me	O
...	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
forces	O
you	O
to	O
spend	O
so	O
much	O
time	O
weaving	O
in	O
and	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
different	O
storylines	O
that	O
you	O
barely	O
have	O
time	O
to	O
enjoy	O
any	O
combat.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
were	O
from	O
some	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
Suikodens	B-Application
who	O
felt	O
that	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
had	O
tampered	O
too	O
much	O
with	O
what	O
they	O
enjoyed	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
runner-up	O
for	O
GameSpots	O
annual	O
"	O
Best	O
Story	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
"	O
award	O
,	O
which	O
went	O
to	O
Medal	B-Application
of	I-Application
Honor	I-Application
:	I-Application
Frontline	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
,	O
IGN	O
awarded	O
Suikoden	B-Application
III	I-Application
the	O
24th	O
spot	O
on	O
their	O
Top	O
25	O
PS2	B-Device
Games	O
of	O
All	O
Time	O
retrospective	O
list	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
in	O
2010	O
it	O
was	O
awarded	O
the	O
47th	O
spot	O
on	O
IGN	O
's	O
Top	O
100	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
was	O
also	O
a	O
small	O
amount	O
of	O
merchandising	O
done	O
with	O
the	O
three	O
main	O
characters	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
figurines	O
of	O
them	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
Japan-only	O
Suikoden	B-Application
Figurine	O
collection	O
by	O
Yamato	O
Toys	O
.	O
</s>
