[Japanese version reviewed]
Debuting less than a month before Final Fantasy X in Japan, Shadow Hearts was the only other PS2 JRPG at the time that came even close to FFX in quality while also staking out its own unique identity.
The art direction is great, and the monster designs are suitably creepy.
I was intrigued by the historical horror setting and the blend of various occult traditions, but Shadow Hearts doesn’t live up to its premise. The depiction of the Japanese Imperial Army was a surprise, but in typical Japanese pop culture fashion, the game makes absolutely no political statements other than “War bad. Religious extremism bad. Summoning a Lovecraftian horror from outer space to utterly destroy humankind and remake the world according to the personal vision of a sorceror in a top hat—also bad.”
The judgment ring system is an entertaining gimmick, but ultimately a gimmick nonetheless. I’m not sure if the game even needs it, because the turn-based battle system is solid and well-balanced on its own. You have elemental affinities, Yuri’s monster summoning, the malice and sanity systems, resistances, and all kinds of status ailments to deal with.
There's no large overworld and very little grinding, so the game moves along at a brisk pace, but since the towns and most dungeons are small, the majority of the game feels like a succession of cutscenes punctuated by boss fights.
The game was clearly rushed, and the character you meet at the Nemeton Monastery even breaks the 4th wall to make a joke about it. There is a lot of optional endgame content, however.
Debuting less than a month before Final Fantasy X in Japan, Shadow Hearts was the only other PS2 JRPG at the time that came even close to FFX in quality while also staking out its own unique identity.
The art direction is great, and the monster designs are suitably creepy.
I was intrigued by the historical horror setting and the blend of various occult traditions, but Shadow Hearts doesn’t live up to its premise. The depiction of the Japanese Imperial Army was a surprise, but in typical Japanese pop culture fashion, the game makes absolutely no political statements other than “War bad. Religious extremism bad. Summoning a Lovecraftian horror from outer space to utterly destroy humankind and remake the world according to the personal vision of a sorceror in a top hat—also bad.”
The judgment ring system is an entertaining gimmick, but ultimately a gimmick nonetheless. I’m not sure if the game even needs it, because the turn-based battle system is solid and well-balanced on its own. You have elemental affinities, Yuri’s monster summoning, the malice and sanity systems, resistances, and all kinds of status ailments to deal with.
There's no large overworld and very little grinding, so the game moves along at a brisk pace, but since the towns and most dungeons are small, the majority of the game feels like a succession of cutscenes punctuated by boss fights.
The game was clearly rushed, and the character you meet at the Nemeton Monastery even breaks the 4th wall to make a joke about it. There is a lot of optional endgame content, however.