 |
A History of Shadow Hearts |
 |
Hello and welcome to the very first installment of a set of features I am calling, "The History of..". Throughout the next couple weeks (or months; depending on popularity), I will be compiling histories of some of the more obscure RPG franchises available. I am sure we have all read one too many "History of Final Fantasy", so I will be sticking to the more underground franchises that don't normally get the recognition they deserve. Without further ado, I present to you the History of Shadow Hearts.
The year is 2000 and the Playstation has brutally dethroned the N64 as the RPG system of choice. A slew of mediocre RPGs are streaming out of Japan to test the North American waters. Amidst the more powerful franchises such as Final Fantasy, the room for low profile titles was rather slim.
It was within this time that a little known game called Koudelka snuck its way into my game library. And stayed there. For about 4 years before I managed to boot it up after playing through Shadow Hearts and being interested in where the series had come from.
Koudelka is an odd mix of gaming components. Mix a little survival horror (the setting) with some turn based action (many RPGs), and then stir in a lot of cinema scenes (ala Final Fantasy) and an annoying weapon maintenance system and you have Koudelka.
I still consider Koudelka to be a unique RPG due to its blatant eschewing of the mold. The fact that your weapons can become unusable over time combined with creepy enemy encounters and a dark and macabre environment and storyline and this game feels more Silent Hill than Shadow Hearts.
Little did I know however that this rather average foray into dark themed RPGS would a year and a half later turn into one of my new favorite gaming franchises.
When Shadow Hearts was first released, I must admit that I was not highly thrilled. I had never heard of the series until that point in time and Final Fantasy X was consuming my every waking moment. Then, one fine Sunday afternoon, I became rather bored with FFX and decided to pick up Shadow Hearts on a whim.
Let's just say that I am rather glad that I did. While sporting some of the worst voice acting in the existence of games, Shadow Hearts did a lot of things right. The story, while dark and foreboding, maintained a humorous air to it that truly made you feel connected to its diverse assortment of characters.
The gameplay itself was very reminiscent of the turn based RPG system everyone is used to, but with one unique twist. The entire game is governed by a ring system that forces you to react to a spinning cursor that rotates around a disc. While this may sounds somewhat unexciting, in actuality it gave the battles just the edge they needed to keep me in the heat of battle.
While most gaming franchises are ok to simply start a new game off with no connection to its predecessors, in Shadow Hearts you will find full tie-ins to its predecessor, Koudelka. The locale that the entire game of Koudelka takes place in is a prominent location in Shadow Hearts and the star of Koudelka shows up as an interesting character in the plot.
With decently detailed graphics and cinemas, a well orchestrated yet rather strange soundtrack, and a set of sidequests that would be any masochist's dream, Shadow Hearts endeared itself to all who played it. Sadly, this game would have to wait until its sequel arrived before it would see any wide spread fame.
While Shadow Hearts was quite overlooked (mainly due to its release date coinciding with Final Fantasy X), Covenant was received with open arms and grand praise. Reviewers found it to be a charming romp through a very unique world with even more original characters.
Rather than having only slight ties to its prequel, Shadow Hearts 2 is a true sequel. The game, in fact, starts off pretty much right where its predecessor left off. You once again assume the role of bad boy Yuri, but over time you will hook up with a brand new band of rejects to help you on your quest. That is not to say that old faces won't show up now and again...
The gameplay for Covenant remains largely the same as Shadow Hearts. The world is still governed by the same ring system (and a new guardian of the ring to guide you along), but everything about the game has been expanded. There are more secrets, more dungeons to explore, more intense plot points; heck even more hidden, erotic outfits for the female characters.
Covenant's new found success can probably be attributed to three major factors. First off, as a pre-order bonus, you received a free copy of Shadow Hearts, a great game in itself. Everybody likes free games. Secondly, this game was actually marketed. I do not remember seeing a single advertisement for either Shadow Hearts or Koudelka where Covenant was made quite prominent. Lastly, reviews for this game are astounding! Pretty much everyone who has played it has loved it; word of mouth is a great way to move product.
Covenant truly put the Shadow Hearts series on the map and, with such critical (and corporate, I would assume) success, there was little doubt in everyone's minds that a sequel would soon be announced...
Shadow Hearts 3 - From the New World
Little did the general populace know, however, that a sequel would be announced so soon. Not only has a sequel been announced, it actually looks as though it will be ready to go sooner than later (July 28th in Japan).
Subtitled "From the New World", this newest entry in the Shadow Hearts mythos looks to be the first one that will take place on this side of the ocean. While previous games in the series have sported characters from North America, the game has never allowed a trip to good old NA.
From early impressions it looks as though the graphics have been bumped up another notch and the judgment ring system looks to be back and firmly in place.
Early character impressions look as though the endearing, yet vaguely odd, typical set of characters will be returning for the fourth chapter. Typical North American stereotypes appear to be in place and I look forward to some genuinely funny parts in this game as well.
Following in the mold of its predecessors, it looks as though we will definitely be seeing some cross characterization from previous titles as several known characters have already been announced. Will this be the end of Yuri's storyline and finally tie up his tragic past? Perhaps, but only time will tell...
Lee Babin | 5.12.2005 [return]
Comments (0)
Add Comment
The beauty of this game cannot be put into words. That being said, the plot so far is somewhat lacking...
A very punny game starring the Dragon Quest series' lowest of the low beast - the Slime!