Japanese role-playing games are often accused of being monotonous. In terms of gameplay, they say, in all games of the genre you just need to click the attack command. And according to the plot, most often an ordinary guy accidentally gets involved in an epic adventure, gathers a team and in the end fights Godzilla. And such claims often turn out to be fair. Although, any fan will explain to you in 5 minutes how Final Fantasy differs from Suikoden, for example. The devil, as we know, is in the details.
Japanese developers are great at making these parts unique to different games. These entertainers will either add an unusual magic system (Kiseki series, Legend of Legaia), or force you to fight in real time (Tales of… series), and in special cases they will also add a dating simulator (Agarest series). The game that I want to talk about today, at first glance, also suffers from the ailments characteristic of the genre. But thanks to its unique discoveries and mechanics, it makes an impression on any avid fan of such a phenomenon as jRPG. We’re talking about Shadow Hearts.
What is it about?
Yuri Hyuga is an ordinary Japanese guy who loves to pump his fists with all his heart. Fortunately, there is someone, because his father is a military man, as well as a member of the clan that has been protecting Japan for many centuries. A special feature of the clan is that all its representatives are harmonizers. This is how people in the game universe are called who are able to absorb the souls of demons and merge with them to use their powers in battle.
The game takes place in the early 20th century. World events are gradually approaching the beginning of the First World War. And since we have mysticism in every field here, the impending disaster increases the concentration of negative human emotions. Which, in turn, causes various evil spirits and people who want to become these evil spirits to become active.
For the first time we meet Yuri in a train carriage, where he witnesses an attempt to kidnap a young girl by some suspicious guy. The guy introduces himself as Roger Bacon, says that he needs a girl named Alice to carry out a certain ritual to awaken an ancient god. Having seized his power, the scoundrel wants to take over the whole world. However, Yuri has other plans, and he, merging with the demon, gives battle to the enemy and saves Alice. The heroes find themselves in the middle of the Chinese wilderness and head to the nearest village to take a breath and understand what to do in this situation. Only one thing is clear – Bacon must be stopped.
Thus begins a journey of a good 40-50 hours. The heroes will visit many cities in Asia and Europe. Along the way they will meet some very colorful allies, including an ancient vampire, a spy, a Chinese sorcerer, and a hooligan leader with a slingshot. The latter’s story arc sends a huge shout-out to fans of the PS1-exclusive game Koudelka and makes Shadow Hearts its direct sequel.
Thanks to such a motley cast of characters, the plot is very interesting to follow, despite its formulaic structure for the genre. There are enough skeletons hidden in everyone’s closet that we have to bring out. And since there can only be three in a combat team, different combinations of heroes will react differently to what is happening. The narrative doesn’t have enough stars in the sky, but it does an excellent job of maintaining interest until the end credits.
Yuri is the son of a Japanese officer and a Russian girl. Being a harmonizer, he is able to transform into various mythical creatures. Armed with various types of brass knuckles.
Alice is not only the main female character of the game, but also the catalyst for all events. Possesses light magic and uses spell books as weapons.
Keith – Vampire Aristocrat. His manners are reminiscent of the classic Dracula performed by Bela Lugosi. Wields rapiers and swords.
Hayley is the son of Koudelka Isant and the leader of a gang of London street children. Excellent use of magic and armed with a slingshot.
Margaretha is a German spy https://primespielhallecasino.co.uk/ who joins the heroes in pursuit of her own motives. The prototype of the heroine was the legendary Mata Hari. Relies on firearms in combat.
Zhuzhen – a wandering sorcerer from China. Possesses fire magic and wields staves.
How to play it?
The main thing that makes the game stand out is the Judgment Ring mechanics. As soon as the player initiates an attack, spell or use of an item, a ring appears on the screen, divided into sectors along which an arrow begins to move. The player’s task is to press the button in time to successfully complete the action. Each sector has a special zone, entering which will enhance the effect of the action used. The attack will deal critical damage, the healing spell will restore more HP, the buff effect will increase by one turn, etc. d.
The same Judgment Ring. Each character has a different number and area of sectors, so pressing an attack automatically will not work. The most reaction-demanding hero is Keith. His timings literally need to be memorized.
Speaking of buffs and debuffs. They can also affect not only heroes, but also Judgment Ring. Enemies can speed up or slow down the arrow, make the sectors narrower, or even reduce their number. The player, in turn, with the help of items, increases the number of sectors from 3 to 5, thereby strengthening his attack or expanding the critical hit area.
But not only in battle will the player need the ability to press the cross on the gamepad in time. If you want to get a discount from a merchant, go through the verification process. Outside of combat, you need to activate some mechanism – pass the check. You found a lottery operator and want to take out a valuable item – well, you get the idea. In general, the game does not let you relax even for a second, thereby maintaining interest even in the most routine JRPG processes.
To perform special techniques and magic, heroes spend SP. But these are not Skill Points or even Special Points. In Shadow Hearts, these points are called Sanity Points and are responsible for the mental health of the characters. Anyone who has played board games based on Lovecraft’s works (Ancient Horror or Arkham Horror) should be familiar with this characteristic. A hero whose SP has dropped to zero becomes insane and is no longer under the player’s control. Therefore, mindlessly spamming Yuri with the most powerful spells and demonic forms will not work.
Being a harmonizer, the main character uses the souls of demons to reincarnate into them. In addition to the usual experience, after the battle the player receives souls of different elements. There are 6 of them – Darkness, Light, Fire, Water, Earth and Wind.
Each element has its own monster, into which Yuri turns by using the “Merge” command in battle. There are three monsters available in each element, or rather, three forms of one monster. As soon as the player collects a certain number of souls of the desired element, he needs to go to the Cemetery – a hidden dimension in Yuri’s soul. There a battle with a monster awaits him and after victory – the monster is at your disposal. You can only equip three forms at a time, but you can change them at any time from the menu. To obtain the final form of each element, souls alone will not be enough; you will need to find a special item. For particularly meticulous players who like to explore everything up and down, a bonus and also the most powerful demon in the game is available.
I would especially like to mention the bosses. According to my personal scale for determining the degree of coolness of bosses in a JRPG, if the leader can simply be overwhelmed with attacks and powerful skills, the developers have clearly cheated. In Shadow Hearts, each boss requires an individual approach. To fight with one you need to wear a certain accessory, the other is better to poison first and only then attack, the third reacts only to a certain element. In general, in boss fights you will have to think, and I strongly approve of this.
These 4 masks are optional bosses. Each requires its own approach, and they must be destroyed in a certain order in order to save the person dear to Yuri. Regardless of whether you succeed or not, the sequel accepts the bad outcome of the confrontation with the masks as canon.
As for the rest of the usual mechanics for the genre, everything is pretty standard here. You need to replenish your strength by relaxing in hotels. Weapons, armor, items – buy in stores and find in dungeons. The game was released in 2001, so all battles begin with classic random encounters while you explore the next dungeon, abandoned monastery or old castle.
What it looks and sounds like?
The graphics in the game, despite its age, look very nice. Thanks to the pre-rendered backgrounds, the diversity of which is pleasing. Which is no wonder, since the heroes travel to different cities and countries. Each location has its own individual personality, and the early 20th century surroundings add a few more points to the atmosphere. Animations of attacks, spells, monsters and other actions are drawn well and emphasize the individuality of the characters.
Gloomy locations and surroundings are the calling card of the game.
Gloomy locations and surroundings are the calling card of the game.
Gloomy locations and surroundings are the calling card of the game.
The design of enemies and bosses was also good. What kinds of creatures are not in the game bestiary – zombies, skeletons, animated armor, demons and many other creatures are presented in abundance. There are, of course, repainted models of the same enemies, but extremely rarely. This does not spoil the impression at all, but looks like a tribute to genre traditions.
The enemies in the game are extremely diverse. . ..
. there are even such copies!
The soundtrack also works to create a dark atmosphere. However, it’s impossible to call him outstanding. Only peaceful locations delight with a variety of melodies, while in dungeons they play gloomy ambient music that quickly becomes boring. In general, the musical accompaniment does its job well, but there are not enough stars in the sky.
Results.
The gaming press in 2001 received the game very warmly. The rating on Metacritic is a shameless 73 points. They praised the dark atmosphere atypical for the genre, the interesting combat system and colorful characters. The game sold well, and the developers started production of a sequel, which I’ll definitely tell you about if you’re interested.
The authors of the game were able, without violating the canons of the genre, to make their game unique and memorable. Their previous game, Koudelka, laid the foundation for the series, and the authors of Shadow Hearts were able to develop it, developing their own, unique style. A dark and creepy JRPG stands out very favorably against its peers in the genre and attracts attention.
For me, a JRPG player who has the Kiseki series, Final Fantasy, Tales of… and many other titles behind me, Shadow Hearts holds a special place in my heart. Despite a number of rough edges, impressions of the game remain purely positive. I can confidently recommend the game to all fans of the genre who missed the game at one time. Moreover, an excellent fan translation into Russian is now available. If you have no energy to wait for Final Fantasy XVI, but really want a good RPG from the Land of the Rising Sun, then Shadow Hearts is an excellent choice.
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