Post by Bytor on May 3, 2011 20:52:09 GMT -5
Shadow Hearts (シャドウハーツ Shadōhātsu) was released by Midway (by Aruze in Japan) for the PlayStation 2 on June 28, 2001 in Japan, on December 12, 2001 in North America and on March 29, 2002 in Europe. The game was developed by Sacnoth and designed by Izumi Hamamoto, written by Matsuzo Itakura, music composed by Yoshitaka Hirota and Yasunori Mitsuda with artwork by Miyako Kato. The game received somewhat mixed reviews from both critics and gamers. While some found the game play and story to be original and innovative others found it to be standard RPG fair with a poor story.
The story begins in an alternate reality of Europe and China circa 1913. You play as Yuri Volte Hyuga who while riding the trans-Siberian Train hears a voice telling him to rescue Alice, a young girl whose father was just murdered. The story unfolds as you discover a plot whereby God will descend upon the Earth and destroy it in order to start all over again. The story has many twists and turns and certainly will not unfold quickly or like expected in many instances. The game introduces many memorable characters including many important NPC's
The game play is basically a turn based formula any experienced RPG player will be familiar with. You fight along side two allies and choose whether to fight, run or use an item. Exploration takes place in 3D, but the environment is rendered in 2D. What makes the game play somewhat different is the use of the Judgement Ring. Basically it is a customizable ring which requires correct timing in order to implement the desired actions.
While the game was received lukewarmly did set the stage for the sequels and lay the groundwork for the series introducing many characters and game play situations.
The story begins in an alternate reality of Europe and China circa 1913. You play as Yuri Volte Hyuga who while riding the trans-Siberian Train hears a voice telling him to rescue Alice, a young girl whose father was just murdered. The story unfolds as you discover a plot whereby God will descend upon the Earth and destroy it in order to start all over again. The story has many twists and turns and certainly will not unfold quickly or like expected in many instances. The game introduces many memorable characters including many important NPC's
The game play is basically a turn based formula any experienced RPG player will be familiar with. You fight along side two allies and choose whether to fight, run or use an item. Exploration takes place in 3D, but the environment is rendered in 2D. What makes the game play somewhat different is the use of the Judgement Ring. Basically it is a customizable ring which requires correct timing in order to implement the desired actions.
While the game was received lukewarmly did set the stage for the sequels and lay the groundwork for the series introducing many characters and game play situations.