Vandal Hearts

"A rather bland SRPG"

Vandal Hearts was my first SRPG. I got about half way through it and got stuck due to flaws in the games design. I bought the game again about a year ago and just replayed the entire game. Is it worth hunting a copy down? Read on!

Political intrigue is the theme of this games plot. You're a young soldier whose father is a traitor (a story element that is constantly brought up) and he feels he needs to do what he can to get past that shame. The country seems split though and he's sent to find a man who may be causing trouble. The characters have mild development and it's nice to play a SRPG that actually has characters that do have back stories, even if they aren't all fleshed out. Sadly the overall plot is the typical kind and the twists and turns can be seen from miles away due to the clichés.

The graphics in this game really amuse me. Killing an enemy causes a geyser of blood to spray all over. It looks really fake and pixilated but it's so amusing. The character models are a little blurry and the portraits that go along with the text are rather unattractive and make it so it's very easy to be confused on if a character is male or female.

The game has an interesting musical score. It actually seems a little too good for the game and it's purely instrumental. I did like it though. No voice work in the game except during the openings for the chapters. I didn't care for the narrator's voice. The sound effects are nothing special but the sound of a sword slicing and the sound of blood spraying is a nice little touch. It just makes it that much more amusing.

Control in the game is simple. The entire game is menu based. Move with the D-pad and select menu options. Very user friendly.

Vandal Hearts is your average SRPG (strategy role playing game). The game is made up of 30 or so stages. Each stage has an objective (reach exit, kill this person or kill everyone) and it has a fail status as well (usually it's don't let the main character die, which can be tough).

The combat is turn based but your guys always go first and then the enemy. Everyone can move a specific amount of blocks. It's best to move behind or besides a character and attack their blind side to do some extra damage. Everything is pretty much menu based besides the moving.

The game doesn't have a real world map. You just select the next name from a list. When you reach towns you can enter the bar and talk to people (this usually opens the next area) and you can shop. Your guys are already preset as types like archer and what not. So you can buy them equipment that suits them. Later in the game you can go and change the classes but for the most part I found it best not to mess with it. There's a reason for each of the types you get.

The game isn't exactly hard. It does provide a challenge but it only happens in random spurts. I was stuck on one mission early on forever because the archer were destroying my guys. I just wasn't prepared and my archers were under leveled and easily killed.

The problem is the game doesn't allow you to go back and level grind or anything. You gain exp from hitting guys so you need to not only just finish the maps but make sure everyone gets a lot of play time. This becomes hard in the later levels because you have a lot of characters and there's a ton of bad guys so it gets very strict in how much you'll want to adventure out there.

The game is average length. The plot doesn't get too wordy so that never drags it down. There are some bonus dungeons and stuff to make the game last a little longer. I just don't think I'll ever have interest in revisiting this game now that I've beat it.

Vandal hearts was the first SRPG I played and the first on the PS1. It's far from my favorite and I have played worst. The plot is decent enough and the blood spurt would make it worth a rental but you can't rent it. If you're a srpg fan and just need something to tide you over then find a copy, you may enjoy it. For those new to the genre, look else where because this can become frustrating with its little flaws.

Story - 7/10
Graphics - 6/10
Sound - 7/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 6/10
Replay Value - 3/10

Final Score - 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/22/07