65%Emulated

每月通关游戏：9月，影之心。32小时一周目好结局达成。
大多数收集要素完成不过欧洲斗技场没打因为最后才发现福引券会员有漏且无法弥补，一下失去了对主线之外其他所有热情😂。

通关了一款号称是jrpg但不管人设还是背景一点儿都不j，说是回合制但必须在每个回合做出精确操作不然就会吃大亏的游戏，
没错，就是我影之心哒😂。
只不过，前者是家庭伦理剧，而影之心，某种抗日神剧吧。

而且，前者能让玩家堆出大数字秒杀爽，而影之心，全游戏第一个正经boss的血量和全游戏倒数第二个boss的血量只差了一个数位。
所以，jrpg里常见的套路打法技能组合都没有，相性克制弱体无效就完事了，突出一个简单粗暴。
精力全花在怎么用它那个qte大转盘折磨玩家上了。
也因此，这游戏用模拟器和不能即时存取档的实机玩肯定是天差地别的游戏体验。
肯定比它那boss血量位数差大得多。
不过01年的游戏，比异度传说ep1还早一年，也能接受。

希望2代别再用大转盘子折磨我了。

80%PlayStation 2

I was a bit hesitant to start playing a game on an old PS2 console. How do saves work again? Will combat be punishing and save points infrequent? There is no other way to play Shadow Hearts though so I had to buckle down and get back into this older generation of consoles.

What I liked:
* All the aforementioned worries were needless. There are plenty of save points and even though grinding is required, I never felt the game was unfair or punishing.
* The love story is beautiful. The gothic setting is cool (although I wish it would be a little bit less political and a bit more haunted house).
* The characters all have unique personalities (even Yuri grew on me) and powers. Yuri with his fusion skill is fun to always control but I liked testing out the other characters too.
* Side quests (especially the end game ones) don't feel particularly impossible (I'm looking at you FFX).
* Judgement ring brings an interesting dynamic to the fights. You always have to time your attacks well. Otherwise you don't hit at all. It's very fun. Perfect was a bit hard to get consistently so I just focused on good, which in the end game was hard too.
* Music is very atmospheric. End credits song is beautiful, and the awoooooo during fights never got boring.

What I didn't like:
* It could be that it's because I'm playing on a new TV but the game is dark even with the brightness fully up. It's hard to see what's on the screen, especially chests so I would just mash x and run around.
* The different 'dungeons' are tiny. Literally one room sometimes. This means that you have to run in circles until you've levelled up a bit. I didn't hate it, but I hope future instalments fix that a bit.
* Good ending is not canon. Sadness. All that effort for nothing!
* Towards the end I had a hard time with the Judgment ring because the final boss took me almost an hour. It wasn't particularly hard, but he just has massive HP. Watching the ring turn so many times made it harder to focus on the green zones if thst makes sense.

All in all I'm thankful I could play this older game that's never been released on newer consoles. It was fun to experience and I can't wait to continue the journey in Covenant.

90%PlayStation 2

Best

100%PlayStation 2

Fantastic game! As a followup to Koudelka, if you did not enjoy Koudelka, that's fine. This game uses the cool setting of Koudelka and makes a more traditional kind of RPG. This game features a timing system somewhat similar to Legend of Dragoon. You need to succeed to do attacks, cast magic, and even use items. The targets are generally easy to hit unless you have a disability with timing, in which case the game would basically be impossible then.

The gameplay overall is a bit basic other than needing to time button presses for attacks, but it's not a bad system at all. You can equip 3 accessories, and you pretty quickly get some really broken ones. Combine them together and you'll be one-shotting regular enemies and making very quick work of bosses. I do wish combat had a bit more depth to it because it's a pretty simple system of "hit them with your hardest attacks and heal when you're about to die." There's also a third energy bar called SP. It reduces by 1 every turn, and if it reaches 0, your character goes berserk and they will randomly attack any target (even allies) and may even use items. It's mostly a nonissue as fights are generally over before that happens. If it does happen, just use an item to replenish it.

Shadow Heart's two main praises are its setting and pacing. The Lovecraftian setting is done perfectly here. Enemy designs are cool and the setpieces look just right. The pacing is also amazing. It's a brief game for RPG standards and is easily sub-20 if you skip sidequests that you will need a guide to even discover. You will quickly go from location to location. Most places are just a couple screens long with the main dungeons having around a dozen. The screens are big though, so it does not feel small at all. The story rapidly advances, so there is no moment that feels boring.

I think this game easily deserves to be among the PS2 RPG greats. It is almost perfect.

50%Emulated

An adequate JRPG. Out-of-pocket monster designs are great, the CG cutscenes look... odd. Honestly feels like it yoinked the Koudelka setting for no reason. Story doesn't have me invested. Battle system is different but not anything particularly special. I wish there was a better connection between the first half of the story where you are chasing Tokukai and and the second half where you are chasing Simon.

75%PlayStation 2

Shadow Hearts is pretty decent all things considered. From a technical point it feels more like a late PS1 game rather than a PS2 title though.
There's quite a lot of sidequests in end game which I would have completely missed without a guide. The game itself doesn't tell you about them at all or give you hints. The true / good ending is pretty hidden too without a guide. Sadly the second game is based on the bad / normal ending.

The setting, characters and story are very unique compared to most other RPGs. The aesthetics feel more like a horror game instead of RPG. Though the prequel Koudelka on PS1 also was a Horror RPG. I don't know why this subgenre doesn't exist nowadays anymore. You had Parasite Eve and Shadow Hearts on the PS1 and PS2, and that's about all I can think of in that niche, unless you count the SMT series.

85%PlayStation 2

Amazing game. The style and setting are obviously the best, with their inspiration from cosmic horror, all kinds of Western and Eastern myths, horror Hong Kong movies, etc. The story is also really great. Gameplay is also really fun, a bit simple in some points but fun. The script it's very inconsistent though, but you forget about it later on.

75%PlayStation 2

Shadow Hearts, an interesting RPG that takes place in the early 1900s. Main character is a bit of a brash brute that talks with his fists, and together with a random assortment of colorful characters we fight a god and save the world... all in time for the start of WW1.

This was the sequel to the game Kuldelka, though one does not need to beat that game to understand this one since there is very little reference to it.

60%PlayStation 2

Shadow Hearts would be a great game had it been released for the PS1 it was originally meant for. On PS2, however, it suffers from drab outdated graphics and the lack of voice acting. The Judgement Ring system, that relies on timed button presses for literally everything, including normal attacks, is curious, but it just never "clicks" due to weird timing. What the game is worth playing for, is the plot. Yuri is an unusual, badass, and entertaining main character, and the entire game serves as a lead-up to the fantastic sequel. 6/10.

70%PlayStation 2

Pretty good story and characters, an original take for combat and worth grinding for fusions and more! I will say though, some stuff was very questionable, as in, dialogues that Yuri had, or the fact that some black panties are an obtainable item too smh smh, but, this game was done many years ago and it was a different time for games, so I guess it's kinda whatever. Still enjoyable and def want to play the next ones and Koudelka.

50%PlayStation 2

The game was okay for a one-time-playthrough, but compared to its predecessor, Koudelka, it fell a little short. Koudelka felt more immersive when it comes to the number of cutscenes, the surprisingly good voice acting and the overall (creepy) atmosphere, let alone the epic ending scenes.

In Shadow Hearts, it feels like they left out a lot of the "good" stuff (maybe to save disc space?), and the characters feel a lot more stiff and replaceable. Plotwise, I was lost in the beginning and had no idea where this would be going. It was confusing at first that all the Koudelka vibe was gone - but then again, maybe I shouldn't have expected a game LIKE Koudelka. In late game, the story then did actually get back to its roots, but the ending didn't leave a "damn! I want to see more of this sh*t!" impression.

The German translation is absolutely incomprehensible, by the way. Unplayable.

100%PlayStation 2

The darkest fairy tale I've ever experienced in video game form.

**Gameplay 7/10**: While the game boasts an innovative and unique combat system with the Judgement Ring, it has yet to reach its full potential. The sequel introduces more quality of life improvements to this system, including enhanced visual quality, more customization options, and an overall superior experience. This isn't to say the system in this game isn't fantastic—it’s just not flawless.

**Story 10/10**: An incredible journey spanning two continents, set in an alternate universe where historical events are intertwined with fiction and mythology, creating a plot rich with mystery and the occult.

**Visuals/Atmosphere 8/10**: Despite the graphics occasionally resembling PS1 games and the cutscenes being almost atrocious (possibly the worst I've seen on the PS2), the atmosphere and haunting backgrounds elevate this game significantly. The ambiance is top-notch, eerie, and captivating (the Blue Castle background might be my favorite setting in any game I've ever played).

**Characters 8/10**: For me, the main characters of the game are Yuri, Alice, and Halley. These characters are well-crafted, deeply developed, and thoroughly fleshed out. The rest of the cast served more as comic relief without significant character development. For instance, I felt like I knew nothing about Margarette or Zhuzhen. I wish the rest of the cast had been better developed, especially given the game's relatively short length.

**Music 9/10**: The OST is largely memorable and perfectly complements the game's atmosphere, adding a sense of mystery and darkness. Unfortunately, a few tracks (mostly town themes) broke my immersion.

**Voice Acting 5/10**: The voice acting is borderline bad, but tolerable. Voice acting wasn't a major focus in the West during the PS2 era, so this is understandable. Would I prefer the game without voice acting? I'm not sure, but I would like to try the Japanese voice acting in my next playthrough.

**UI 10/10**: While not typically a major concern, I found the menus and index in this game to be exceptional. I read every description of every item and enemy, and it was truly engaging.

Overall, this is realistically an 8.5/10 game. So, why am I giving it a 10? Because I have never played anything like it. While the sequel surpasses the first game in almost every aspect, improving significantly on all fronts, it loses some of the atmosphere that defined Shadow Hearts and Koudelka. It takes a more humorous approach, which I also enjoy, but the first game’s haunting tone resonates more with me.

Ultimately, I've decided to give a 10/10 to any game that compels me to start a second playthrough immediately, and this is one of those rare games.

90%PlayStation 2

Unusual game combining horror and turn based RPG. Shadow Hearts, second to only Final Fantasy in my favourite RPG series list, is sadly one of the most cult following games of cult following games having both very traditional JRPG elements and horror aspects, its about as niche as you get and on top of everything it came out a week before FF10 came out meaning it never stood a chance to get the recognition it deserved. I wasn't sure at first when my sister gave me her copy to play but after trying it I soon fell in love with its grim tale and genius combat system.

If there's one thing people do know about Shadow Hearts its the Judgement Ring battle system that combines turn based combat with a dose of rhythm game timing, now I am not too much of a rhythm game enjoyer but when you have something as perfect as the ring system you'll soon become a believer in its genius, it hits the sweet spot of rewarding risk reward and ease of use, like most video game mechanics its hard to describe in words but its just one of those things that once you try it'll click for you. The rest of the RPG system is pretty traditional with arbitrary stat/skill upgrades when levelling up and the usual equipment slots, its lacking some of the customisation options for sure but you do get access to some interesting accessories later on that spice things up like there's one that makes the ring invisible but doubles your ATK power so there's some thinking outside the box.

I always love it when games combine history with fantasy and that is something that the Shadow Hearts game do very well, you go from doing Taoism rituals in Shanghai to exorcisms in eastern Europe to battling against inquisition witch hunters, there's rarely a boring local that you'll visit. The cast of characters is just as colourful as the places you visit with people from extremely different walks of life making up your party and who doesn't like having a gallant vampire guy doing doing anime sword swings for his attacks? The horror aspect is done well with a steady supply of creepy imagery that walks the line of being unsettling but not too vulgar and you'll often be exclaiming "what am I looking at?" when fighting the Lovecraftian like monsters.

OK, as you may have gathered, there isn't too much I don't like about this game but I have to admit that this an ugly game with graphics that were dated at the time (see; FF10 coming out a week later for proof), the special effects are probably the worst offenders with basic particle effects very commonly repeated for magic but just different colours. Also this is probably the record holder for recoloured enemies being used so brace yourself for fifty shades of kappa. The VA is pretty bad but thankfully there's not much of it but when it hits, it hits hard, looking at you Sea Mother...slurp...slurp...splat.

Overall story is your standard "party of heroes trying to stop the world being destroyed" that we've all seen hundreds of times but I think having the game set in the real world does add that extra level of gravitas to it and its told pretty well with character motivations being explained. The Koudelka stuff does feel a little tacked on, I didn't feel like I missing out by not knowing about it so there's no need to play it to enjoy this. Some of the themes are kind of just thrown out there now and again like the anti war stuff making some of the story a little unfocused at times but like I said overall the story is engaging and any game that has the cojones to kill off characters gets a pass from me.

The first game in the Shadow Hearts series and yes its rough around the edges but what progenitor in a series isn't? Love the characters, love the setting, love the dark themes and love the combat but I'm going to reluctantly give this a 9/10 for the above mentioned graphics and unbalanced combat that's too easy but when Penny Blood arrives you can bet I'm playing that straight away for another dose of Shadow Hearts inspired goodness.

80%PlayStation 2

Gran spin off de Koudelka, con algunas referencias para quienes jugamos el primer juego, pero que se puede disfrutar igualmente como aventura independiente.

80%PlayStation 2

I loved the combat system with the wheel and liked how they used it in a way where it can be manipulated in battle and even used for things such as buying and selling items for higher prices. The story always had a creepy vibe to it with what situations you got into, locations you went, and enemies you fought.

My biggest problem would be that the Fusion mechanic probably could have been done a little better as I didn't find too many battles where I would switch to different forms from the one I started out on because it costed too much SP. The writing is actually pretty entertaining and has a lot of great moments, it can get a little confusing with how certain lines are written but it's nothing major.

The music was very different and most all of the tracks were pleasing to listen to and had nice beats to them. The characters were all pretty interesting and likeable although I do think some members could have got a little more development. It was also pretty challenging and one thing I loved and wished it did more was split up the group and essentially force you to use every member of the party. This made the game feel fresh every time this happened because it's as if they're pushing you to get better at using everyone instead of sticking to the same characters.

It was a very enjoyable game and I'm excited to see how they'll evolve the combat system in future games.

80%PlayStation 2

fixed camera, pre-renedered background; unique judgement ring and sp system, I enjoy the horror vibe, great characters and interesting locations, battle system and magic animation extremely slow, story pretty generic evil villain tries to summon god to destroy the world

70%Emulated

Shadow Hearts places the aesthetic of Koudelka on a more traditional gameplay model. The now-expanded world certainly delivered on the promises of its predecessor, merging old urban fantasy with cosmic/religious horror and a wide variety of other influences. Weak as the cast and dungeons can be, the environments and in-town substories clearly stand out, the latter indulging in bizarre yet morbid themes and situations. Despite the unique setting, the structure heavily harks back to the village/dungeon rosary of old JRPGs, which often feels a bit out of place.

Towering over the rest - however, is the battle system. The 'Judgement Ring' (reminiscent of D-Attacks from The Legend of Dragoon) takes SMRPG's timing-based combat to new heights, not only expanding on the concept in-battle but applying it to shops, objectives, and minigames too, with several ways to alter it. Additional mechanics synthesized Breath of Fire's transformations with FFVI's Espers and SMT's enemy designs with a web of further ideas. While the RPG aspects are a little conventional, systems such as Malice, the Graveyard, Acupuncture and Sanity Points provide a flavor to gameplay both distinct and thematically appropriate. Turn-based JRPG distorted through the lens of rhythm and fighting games.

100%PlayStation 2

Shadow Hearts deserves more than just a cult following. It's a wonderfully stylized gothic JRPG.

The pre-rendered cutscenes had an inspired mix of styles and narration. Even if the plot didn't stray far from the usual JRPG formula of 'beat the villain who wants world domination and kill God,' it was so well-told and the adventures along the way meant nothing felt tired or unoriginal. The soundtrack is excellent, using organs, bells, vocals, Chinese instruments I can't remember the name of, and even some hard rock. What really impressed me is how well they used dissonance for the creepy tracks. Yasunori Mitsuda worked on this, so it was guaranteed to be good.

The unique battle system ensures that you're constantly involved and can't play through it on monkey-brain mode. It rewards good reflexes, something I haven't seen in many turn-based JRPGs, and I would alternatively cheer inwardly when I got Perfects, or cringe when my turn got wasted because I pressed the button a millisecond too late. There's a lot of customizability to the battle system with the items and equipment you get too.

Overall, this is one of the most fun JRPGs I've played in a while. The story and characters are cool, the dark gothic style is right up my alley, and the battle system is one of the best I've seen in a turn-based JRPG.

40%PlayStation 2

Do you want jank? Play this game, because that's all it is. The characters are cringeworthy, the story makes no sense besides random exposition dumps. The combat is okay? The judgement ring system is whatever. If you have bad timing or any type of impairment that gives you bad timing, you will NOT be able to play this game. The last dungeon's boss rush towards the end were just straight up damage sponges that couldn't kill me and the fights lasted over 20 minutes some times.

I got fed up with the final boss(es). It was such a random difficulty spike that makes no sense. I tried whatever I could, I couldn't do it and it wasn't worth any more time. First time i've ever retired a game on the last boss. Not even going to bother with the other games in the series.

70%Emulated

Great art style and combat with involving characters, but not nearly on the level as Koudelka.

60%PlayStation 2

https://mybrainongames.com/2019/05/08/shadow-hearts-playstation-2-review/

80%PlayStation 2

Shadow Hearts did not make a big splash on the Western PS2 scene when it was released in 2001. This may have had to do with the game being released all of five days before Final Fantasy X. But it's just as likely that most gamers would be put off by the very nature of this experience. Shadow Hearts is a seriously dark and unusual game, a continuation of the themes brought on by being a sequel to Koudelka. Yes it is true that Shadow Hearts is a sequel to the sinister JRPG Koudelka, although it's not until late in Shadow Hearts' plot that it's apparent just how much of a sequel it is. Regardless, even those who've never played Koudelka would be fine starting things off with Shadow Hearts. That is if the player can enjoy such a macabre ride as this.

Shadow Hearts' plot is very unique for a JRPG. It takes place in our own world for starters, although during the time period just before World War I. The story involves a protagonist who can fuse into demons alongside an exorcist who casts away demons, and your party's cast only becomes more varied from there. The plot takes you from China to England, and dungeons exist in a wide variety of locales... everything from a runaway train to a haunted dollhouse becomes a dungeon in Shadow Hearts. Truly if you are looking for themes, characters, and locations that do not fit the cookie cutter JRPG mold; you'd be hard pressed to find a more esoteric entry in the genre than this one. Shadow Hearts is named aptly, this game definitely has a dark heart. It deals with subject matter that is often brutal and even at times obscene, yet also has a romance element and laugh out loud humor. With a better localization, I'm sure the idiosyncratic plot would be even more enjoyable. But what's here is highly enjoyable nonetheless.

Gameplay itself is more typical of the genre however, with one big caveat. The Judgement Ring. Every time you perform an action in Shadow Hearts, a ring appears onscreen with a spinning pointer. Your job is to stop the point on specific parts of the ring. When done successfully, you will properly attack, or when done with high precision, your attacks or item usage will have bonus stats applied. This simple system constantly keeps the player engaged during battles, and adds an element of arcade reflex skill to boot. It's pretty impressive how many different ways Sacnoth found to utilize the Judgement Ring system. One other unique aspect of the gameplay is that Yuri (the main character) expands his demon transformation abilities by first having to fight said demons as mini-bosses.

Graphically Shadow Hearts is a mixed bag. There are some really nice prerendered backgrounds and CG cutscenes to be seen here, but the actual 3D character models are lackluster. Honestly the 3D characters and monsters only marginally look better than what could be done on a PS1. However, I was very impressed in seeing that every single item or piece of equipment has its own hand drawn art to view upon examination. Musically, Shadow Hearts is simply astounding. This JRPG has a seriously fantastic OST, with lots of uniquely instrumented songs that are well outside the typical symphonic generics most JRPGs exude. Sound effects are pretty crazy too, with monsters making all manner of unearthly gasps, moans, and squeals. Voice acting though is a mixed bag. Some of it is actually decent, but no one will ever forget the infamous "Sea Mother's Tale" once they cringe through it.

Ultimately if you're a JRPG enthusiast, you've likely gone through the big hitters of the PS2 era. But it's also likely you glossed over Shadow Hearts as many did. If that is the case, I implore you to go back and give this gem of a bygone fruitful era a fair chance. While this JRPG has some issues (unskippable slow battle animations, inferior 3D models, spotty localization, sidequests that need a guide to even find them), its pure uniqueness and horrific atmosphere make up for its few flaws with gusto. There are so many labor of love touches (such as the most entertaining beastiary I've ever seen) it's quite obvious that Sacnoth truly cared about their creation. If you think you've seen it all in JRPG land but haven't played this yet, you're dead wrong. There may be some shadows on this old heart, but it still beats strong and true.