Shadow Hearts

"A moody, well-characterized horror/adventure RPG"

Shadow Hearts is an RPG set in the early 20th Century, on an alternate earth where magic is real and not questioned by those in the know. Starting play as the mysterious, handsome, and not-exactly-all-there shapeshifter Yuri, you travel the world, make friends, fight monsters, and unravel a strange plot that binds you and your companions together. Taoist magic, spies, ancient secrets, stolen documents, and mysterious identities swirl around you as fate draws you and your companions towards a showdown with forces that both are and are not what they seem . . .

Graphics:7/10
Shadow Hearts graphics really are a mix. Sometimes the monsters and effects look like they just escaped from a PS1 game. Other times there are impressive effects or nicely done ''drawn'' cutscenes. The FMV sequences are good, with some very spectacular effects.

There is a great deal of artistry to the designs, the effects, and the images. This helps smooth over less-than-stellar graphical elements.

Gameplay: 10/10
Gameplay is very, very smooth. Controls are logical and rational, the kind where you don't have to pause to remember what a button does after a few minutes.

There are plenty of nice aids in the game - you can see the impact of equipment on your characters traits, there are helpful ''blurbs'' in combat, and so forth. There's even an auto-equip option for characters which is very helpful. Throw in the library of monsters and NPCs (complete with graphics to show off to your friends), and the game manages to mix complexity with playability and detail.

Combat, skills used in combat, and some other actions use a ''Judgment Ring.'' This is, simply a ring with colored areas and a pointer spinning around. You hit the ''X'' button to make it hit an area (or occasionally do other things) to get an effect. Some rings have smaller colored areas allowing for ''critical'' effects. Though this may sound dumb, odd, or difficult, it works overall, and adds a ''twitch'' factor to a turn-based game. One will eventually find certain characters and skills are ones with Judgment Rings'' that one becomes more ''in tune with,'' and can thus use them better.

There's a variety of characters to play as well, a lot of equipment (each of which has a picture and historical summary, some of which may be relevant to the plot), and a decent amount of monsters (though sadly too many are variants on each other).

One very, very important element of Shadow Hearts is that the so-called ''Sidequests'' are really more vital to the game and to the plot than it may seem. They provide good equipment, flesh out characters, add more to the plot, and let you power up for some supernatural rear-kicking. The plot from the middle on is a bit less linear than it seems, and also varies with what characters are in your party at the time.

Some of the puzzles in the game are a bit odd, simple, or out-of place, and not always original. This isn't bad, but it can be annoying to have a great plot temporarily interrupted by a sequencing puzzle or wonder why a water-sealed door is built into a regular house.

Sound: 7/10
The sound varies as well. The music is rather nice. The voice acting varies from mediocre to good. The basic sounds are decent. Like the graphics, a mixed bag that does its job, if not consistently.

Story: 10/10
The story is good. Imagine a mix of Oriental mysticism, European occultism and mystic Christianity, and HP Lovecraft all co-existing at once and you have an idea of the feel of the story. It dives into responsibility, love, freedom, life being worth living, and God and religion, as well as having bizarre and disturbing monsters. It's heady and interesting (though there's enough here to offend people that I can see why it wasn't over-promoted).

Enjoyably, though it has some familiar elements, the story and gameplay is far more original (and involving) than many CRPGs I've played, and in a few cases, I swear was meant to mock overdone stereotypes. Though the two female characters have fanservicey elements, there's also two male character leads that I think are meant to appeal to female audiences (I can't explain Keith the Hunky Vampire's little hip-shaking Spellboogie any other way . . .)

Most importantly, a great deal of the story is in ''sidequests'' many of which really aren't so much sidequests but ''extras.'' Don't go expecting linear gameplay in the middle of the game on, and don't take character comments for granted - they may be vital clues or explain people's actions later. Even the equipment you pick up can hold clues, so examine everything carefully.

Characterization is great overall, and almost every character gets a deep ''characterization moment'' or two, some of which are unlocked by sidequests, many of which are really delightful or help one better understand the characters. Shadow Hearts is one of those games that is a good game or could have been a good TV show, but never forgets its a game. I actually kind of miss the characters now that I've finished the game - now that's the sign of good game!

Sometimes the story is hampered by questionable translations, and in at least one spot, a ''search and replace'' that obviously went to far. This doesn't make it unplayable, it means you have to pay attention and remember it's a translation if you want to get the full experience.

Replay Value: 7/10
There are multiple endings, and there's a great deal of treasure to find, monsters to fight, and plot extras to discover. As gameplay is about 25-30 hours per game, you won't get burnt out easily on the game. I'd say it's worth playing twice.

The combats are actually very fun and rather strategic. They don't wear on one as much as many CRPG games, and the Judgment Ring adds a certain level of adrenaline to the proceedings. This seems to help the enjoyability (and thus replayability) of the game.

Buy Or Rent:
It's admittedly hard to find a rental copy, so buying is your best option. I paid $35.00 for my copy and it was worth every penny, and I would have paid $5-$10 more. I always reccomend renting if at all possible, but if you're an RPG fan and this sounds like your cup of tea, you can't go wrong.

Conclusion
Shadow Hearts is a worthwhile addition to any RPG enthusiasts library, especially one who needs a break from Final Fantasy And Spawn. Moody, mysterious, well-paced, with good characters and gameplay, it's definitely worth the time and money.

Overall:9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/13/02, Updated 09/13/02