Shadow Hearts: Covenant

"An epic adventure for the Playstation 2 you won't want to miss"

The Playstation 2 is known for having multitudes of RPG's to pick from. It's the RPG gamers dream console, and some of the top games for its line-up consist of this genre. The huge success of these games is probably due to their stories. RPG's, unlike other types of games, tend to have the narrative of an epic struggle, and who can say they do not enjoy being part of such a grand tale? Characters, setting, and the game system itself come next, and each has their differences. Shadow Hearts: Covenant, is one of the few RPG's that I can truly say captured the best of every aspect that a good RPG can show, and remains one of the top games that I've ever experienced.

What makes this game so special? It shares typical RPG cliches, true, but there is something different about the way the characters during story sequences act. It could also be the many quirky characters with their own little mini-game system that bolster their fighting potential. Let's see what makes Shadow Hearts: Covenant a truly great RPG that every Playstation 2 owner should try.

Game play:
The most important aspect of any game is the game play. RPG's are known to have game play that can range from repetitive and boring to fast and fun. While games like Tales of Symphonia host a real-time combat system that is fast paced and requires on the spot thinking on the players part, Shadow Hearts Covenant is more standard. Its turn based, but it contains something that makes it unique unlike many RPG's this generation.

The blood work behind SHC's battle system in the Judgment Ring. This is a circle that appears during every characters turn in battle. On it, are colored “hit” zones. Each hit zone is different depending on the attack type, physical or magic, and the ring is different from character to character. In the center of the ring is a line that spins once the action is chosen. If you choose to attack, the ring comes up and the line starts to spin around the ring. You have to hit X once the line is over the hit zones to score a successful attack. Hitting the orange areas during the rotation will yield you a regular hit, but hitting the small red areas on the outskirts of the orange zones will allow you a “strike” attack which is greater in power. Obviously, timing is everything. This sounds simple, and it is, but there is much more to it.

Each character can also utilize different ring types. If you feel you are very competent with the timing of the ring on a certain character, you can customize their ring to be a Technical ring, which has smaller hit zones but yield greater power. However, if you miss any of the areas even once, you will fail your attack entirely. The trade-off benefits are very apparent. Experimenting with each character and seeing how well you can pull of their attacks is fun, and the game never requires you to stray away from Standard ring if you don't want to. There are other ring types, like Practice ring and Gamble ring as well.

The battle system and the ring are even more customizable. You can add on effects to your rings, like adding poison or you can even widen the strike or hit zones on each character's ring if you are having trouble hitting certain areas. You can also add more areas on the ring to hit, allowing the characters to have more than one attack. There are limits to each character but boosting their ring to your preference is defiantly a cool aspect of the battle system.

Besides the judgment ring, each character in the game has their own unique special skills to add to battle. For instance, Yuri is a physical attacker that can transform into creatures using soul power you gain from fighting. You can transform into many different monsters ranging from a fiery knight to a dark demon. They all are unique and share different skill types, and have their uses in any battle.

The other characters all have some sort of little mini-system that augments their battle skills. Yuri and his fusions, Karin collects music pieces to add sword techs, Blanca fights wolves in a one-on-one competition to add to his attacks and powers etc. All of them are unique and some of them are very deep. I would love to go into detail but its fun finding out for yourself, especially with characters like Gepetto and Anastasia.
There is more to the combat that what I described, like linking characters together to make combo chains and adding magic into the fray, but its best left to those who wish to play it to find out for themselves.

Out of battle, you control Yuri mainly running around various towns and dungeons. This is very similar to Final Fantasy X, and there really isn't anything to say about it other than the random battle's are few and far between, which is actually a welcome blessing.

Game play score: 10/10

Graphics and Sound:
Graphics are important to a gamer nowadays, I won't argue. SHC contains some great visuals. The character models and effects are very good. Animations from the characters are great and add life to the characters during cut scenes, along with some nice voice work to compliment their personality. Spell effects range from mundane to spectacular, but nothing extravagant and drawn out. There are some cool things to see in Shadow Hearts, the graphics do not disappoint, I'd be lying if I were to say this wasn't one of the better looking games on the Ps2.

The music during battle is surprisingly good. I really never got bored of it. The battle music changes once you progress half-way into the story, to liven it up, as does the boss tracks. I'd have to say the music in this game is outstanding, but that's just me. Some may not like the way it's used, especially in the second half of the game. The one thing I'd say I didn't enjoy was the re-use of some tracks during town visits and in dungeons.

Graphics score: 10/10
Sound score: 9/10

Story:
Ah, the meat of any good RPG. The story in Shadow Hearts: Covenant is epic and contains some great plot progression and dialogue. Without revealing too much, the game begins with the backdrop of World War I. Karin Koenig is an officer in the German army who is sent in with a battalion of troops into the French village of Domremy to investigate a strange sighting. Upon entering the town, they are assaulted by a fierce demon creature which mutilates her men, yet keeps her alive and even protects her from friendly fire. She escapes the village only to be sent back by orders from her superiors, but this time as a guide. She escorts Nicolai, a holy man from the Vatican to the village to eradicate the threat of the demon influence, so they can occupy the village. From there, the story is set into motion that leads the characters on a trip throughout Europe, into the heart of Russia all the way into Far East.

The characters of Shadow Hearts are what make it so special to me. Yuri is a cool headed, cocky wise cracking vagrant who lives his life on the edge. He seeks something to make himself feel whole again, as a huge part of his soul was ripped away a year earlier. He walks a fine line on darkness and light, and his inner struggle is the main chunk of the story. Karin, the German officer plays an important role in Yuri's search for what he needs to become whole again. She provides that typical female lead love interest, but also a tragic player in an interesting love triangle. Most of the other characters have more minor roles, and some are there as comic relief even, but they are all full of personality and they don't feel like hollowed bodies. Even some of the side characters that play parts in the story are very well done. A certain character in the game actually turned out to be one of my favorites in any RPG, and his tale is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end of the game.

One of the great things about this games story was how it progressed. You start out fleeing France, and you have a clear indication on who your enemy is, and where you need to go. Later, you find out there is more power behind the supposed enemy, and a new pathway lies open for the characters. Even then, things change and the party is then thrust into something even more dangerous and eventually you will be caught off guard on where the story is going, which is a great thing. It may sound slightly off track, but the game always seems to keep the pace of the story flowing and during the second half, the story picks up and stays riveting. A must play.

Story: 10/10

Misc:

Shadow Hearts: Covenant is an excellent length for an RPG, lasting anywhere from 30 to 50 hours depending on how much you invest into doing side quests. The replayability may be the only drawback about this wonderful game. There are two endings and each can be viewed without playing the game over again. Playing it again however would be highly recommended, as the game is stellar, and there is just such a great story and battle system. The game isn't difficult, and may actually be on the easy side towards the middle half of the game, but that doesn't stop it from being outrageously fun.

There are challenges to be had in this game, if you are up for them, and like any good RPG, you can handicap yourself if you like to add challenge. Playing through the game normally I'd say its medium at first, then easy towards the end with a few hard parts scattered in for good measure. Overall, a hardcore RPG gamer will find this game adequate.

I recommend if you haven't played this game to check it out. It's fairly cheap right now, if you can find it, and it's a wonderful game to add to your collection. It contains one heck of a story, some great music and visuals, and a great battle system that can cater to the standard or the hardcore player in us all. A solid choice for your RPG fix. This is a must own, must play game for the Playstation 2. Don't miss it.

Score average: 9.75/10 - 10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/02/05