Shadow Hearts

"An outcast among glam-o-rama RPGs and all-around good show"

Various gaming websites and publications gave Shadow Hearts mediocre reviews, but since I'm naturally drawn to role-playing games (I just so love the genre), I breezed into the video game store to pick up a copy and decide for myself. What I've concluded from finishing the game is that Shadow Hearts is a criminally underrated RPG for the PlayStation 2. It's not your usual run of the mill game; it's morbid and dirty, consistently interesting, surprising and above all, fun to play.

{Story + Presentation} -- [8/10]

The player begins the game as Yuri, a ''rude boy'' who saves a girl upon hearing her screams and discovers her to be the object of a pursuit by a man named Roger Bacon. She introduces herself as Alice Elliot, the daughter of a priest - (daughter of a priest? That boggles the mind). Following the rescue, he begins to hear a mysterious voice in his head, urging him to protect her, which he is compelled to do. From there, the story unravels piece by piece as we learn that Alice is obviously a very important asset to the evildoers who wish for world domination. We meet another set of characters, do the required recruiting for our party and the plot takes a turn when Bacon is now the one being hunted down. The story isn't shoved in your face the first hour you start playing, instead, you follow along as the game progresses, which is preferable since it's not predictable.

The first thing I noticed during the first half hour of the game was how awful and juvenile the dialogue was. It was certainly no great introduction to the story or our two main characters, but improvement follows shortly. I'd definitely say it got a lot better as the game progresses. The dialogue was much more sophisticated and the conversations were better able to illustrate the characters' personalities. Yuri is something of a refreshing change from the usual heroes in various Final Fantasy titles. In other words, he wasn't sexless - there's some dirty humor here and there and sexual implications, but nothing out of bounds. Despite Alice being a rather weak heroine, the characters were as carefully developed as the story itself. While I don't particularly like spoilers, I definitely like how the characters are not static. They do change and interact with one another nicely and are all endearing on some level. The villain, who is not your typical cackling idiot, actually have motive for being the badass that he is, and it's not what you'd guess.

One of the game's intrigue is the setting in which the story takes place. It shifts from Asia to Europe during the 19th century time period and finds its inspiration in Asian folklore and mysticism. You will experience both Eastern and Western culture as you travel to exotic locales such as Shanghai and Prague. Aside from the unusual environment, Shadow Hearts has its fair share of quirks that add to the game's unique design. From time to time, real video footage is weaved into the game for a more authentic feel. Some cut scenes feature panels of artwork similar to those you would find in a manga (Japanese comic). You will find in the menu, a library complete with info on all the enemies you've fought. The creators even include an erotic book, ''Shanghai Angels'' - I'm not sure if the magazine exists, but it was quite a laugh to see an actual photo-realistic cover for it. Shadow Hearts also plays with macabre themes throughout the game, setting off the tone when Yuri literally tears off Bacon's arm from his shoulder, yet the man re-attaches it without so much as a blink.

{Gameplay} -- [9/10]

Shadow Hearts' clever battle system provides more of a challenge, but won't be alienating to RPG fans. You still have the standard Attack, Item, Magic/Skills, and Defend commands, however, to determine the success of these commands, you must refer to the almighty Judgment Ring. This reminds me of the timed hits in Legend of Dragoon, but the Judgment Rings plays a role beyond battles (and are far more enjoyable). The ring is a circular plate with an indicator similar to a clock hand and one or several areas are highlighted. Depending of the character and action, the colored areas will be placed variedly. To succeed at certain things like attacking or picking up items, you must stop the indicator at the colored area. I'm sure you already got the idea. Each character comes equipped with their own special skills, whether it is magic or additional combat skills. In the game, Yuri is a ''Harmonixer,'' someone who wields the power of Fusion - that is, he can fuse with the souls of the monsters he killed and acquire their skills and power for the time he becomes one with them. Usually, you don't worry too much about fighting monsters and lowlifes, but in Shadow Hearts, you'd best be aware about your mental health. When your SP (Sanity Points) begin to decline and reach 0, you go berserk and lose control of your party member for the rest of the fight.

Although the game is mostly linear, there are mini-games and a very good number of side-quests scattered through out that can be an enjoyable and provide a nice diversion. (In fact, completing the essential side-quests will unlock an alternate ending to the game.) Sometimes, you might find yourself needing to visit the Graveyard to satisfy a feeling of growing malice. It's not that Yuri is a necrophiliac, but the enemies he bashed to death tend to harbor feelings of hate towards him. I guess you can't really expect anything else, but you must fight the entity that I assume to be an accumulation of scorned souls to quiet the malice before worst comes to worst and you literally confront your living nightmare. The Graveyard is also a haven for Fusion monsters - attaining them is a game within the game itself.

{Graphics} -- [8/10]

The weaknesses in Shadow Hearts lie in its second-rate graphics. The FMVs are incredibly well done and the backgrounds are gorgeously rendered to fit the gothic mood of the story. My only complaint is that the characters and enemies beg for the same attention to detail, despite creative character designs. The enemies are a mixture of strange colors, making them seem like a painting gone ugly. Some are too generic (frogs, snakes, insects, etc.) and are generally unimpressive to behold. Others are about the most disgusting and repulsive things you'll ever see in an RPG. Really, you'll have to see it to believe it, such as human/animal hybrids and the ''wang'' monsters you encounter in Dehuai Tower - any mental images forming there? You gotta give these guys credit for drawing a reaction when gamers hardly blink at the enemies presented in RPGs. Some bosses are tweaked variations of another, an aspect that makes boss battles less enjoyable. The same doesn't hold true for the Fusion monsters; they're all innovatively designed and are larger than life, with a sinister demeanor that makes it all more satisfying when you've acquired them. I think Sacnoth did a spectacular job on them, for they are the most visually pleasing bunch in the game.

{Sound} -- [7/10]

The sound during fights, for the most part, is something that can use drastic improvement. During some parts, it can get really cheesy. A snake-man type creature is not supposed to oink and Margarete should not suddenly switch from sounding grown to sounding like a Japanese schoolgirl. The fault is the fact that only some of the characters' in-battle lines were translated, while retaining some of the Japanese voices at other times. Voice acting during cut scenes is decent, if over-the-top at times. The music, however, is a mixed bag. Sometimes it's darkly beautiful (and I quite like it), other times it is unmemorable and repetitive.

{The Verdict} -- [9/10]

You're missing out if you believe reviews that emphasize what the game is NOT. ''The graphics are NOT good enough, the story is NOT precise, I'm NOT pulling this out of my...'' Whatever. You know what's important here, don't you? (Pity, if you don't. ;) I'll admit there are areas for improvement, but the game is a solid blend of story, action, and gameplay. Shadow Hearts is a standout title that deserves at least a rent from true RPG fans.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/12/03, Updated 01/12/03