Vandal Hearts II

"Deep and engrossing, easily the best strategy RPG since Final Fantasy Tactics"

The first strategy RPG I got for my PSX was Vandal Hearts. Since I couldn't find FFT anywhere (found it a few weeks later), I thought I would try out another strategy RPG. I really liked Vandal Hearts, the gameplay was addicting like mad, however, I thought the storyline was a little weak. I beat the game about a week later, and then it sat on my shelf collecting dust while I played FFT. A couple of months later, I saw a used copy of Vandal Hearts 2 at my local Funcoland, for a whopping 35 dollars. I didn't know if it was worth it, but from the people I spoke too, the majority said it wasn't as good as the first one. Still, I really wanted to play it, but was it worth the 35 dollars? Anyway, soon after , I went to a different gaming place and saw another used copy of VH2 for 20 bucks, and I immediately bought it.

When I got home and started playing, there was only one thought that popped into my head, ''What the?'' The game was completely different from the first one, not in a bad way, but completely different.

The first thing that got my attention was the graphics. The graphics are very, very sloppy. Sorry Konami, but come on, VH1 had better graphics. Next, the character portraits, my god. The character portraits were even sloppier than the graphics, each character looked, I dunno, messed up, ugly, stupid, and a bunch of other negative adjectives that ran through my head at the time. However, this was the only flaw, the rest of the game is fantastic, easily topping it's predecessor, and every other strategy RPG next to FFT and Tactics Ogre.

When I finally got used to the graphics, I got into the story, and yes, the story of VH2 is outstanding. It's one of the deepest storylines i've ever played in a game in a long while. The story puts you in the shoes of the game's protagonist, Joshua. Joshua is a peasant boy who is good friends with noble girl, Adele, who is the daughter of the town's mayor. One day, Joshua, Adele, and few other friends are playing together, when a wounded soldier enters the town. This leads to a chain of events in which Joshua is framed for a murder, which shatters his life and the people around him. He flees the town, and the game takes off from there.

The story is engrossing and gripping, I played for long hours each day while playing VH2. Each character is deeply developed. This is some of the best character development since Xenogears.

Now, the battle system. The original VH ran on a system in which the player moved his characters and then his turned ended. VH2 runs on a completely different engine called the ''Dual Turn System''. This system has the player and his enemy moving characters at the same time. For example, the player moves his/her character, and while the player's character is carrying out his move, an enemy character is also moving while the player's character is moving. This adds a new strategic element to each battle, they fold out just like a game of chess. This might turn off fans of the first VH though, but I was fine with it.

The music is good, nothing too bad, nothing downright spectacular, but it fills the mood of the game well.

So, that sums it up. Vandal Hearts 2 is an excellent game that's only flaw is it's awful graphics. The story is outstanding, and will keep the player engrossed for many hours. The new battle system is good, and adds a new, original strategic element to the strategy RPG genre. While the game is not for everyone, it is a must for fans of FFT and strategy RPG's. If Hoshigami's story can outdo it, I will be very impressed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/24/01, Updated 07/24/01