Shadow Hearts is a small series of role-playing games for the Sony PlayStation 2. The original Shadow Hearts was developed by Sacnoth & released by Midway in the United States during December 2001. The sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant ("Shadow Hearts 2"), was done by the same group, although Sacnoth reformed itself into a company called Nautilus for the project. It was released in October 2004 in the United States. It should be noted that the Sony PlayStation (I) game Koudelka, Sacnoth's first effort, is technically a predecessor to Shadow Hearts, although the connection to it as not as strong as the connection between the other two games. While not amazing sellers, the Shadow Hearts games have developed a reputation as "cult" games that have done very well in their niche.
Koudelka
Hiroki Kikuta, most known for composing the music to Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu III (also known as Secret of Mana II) while working at Squaresoft, created Sacnoth in 1998 with funding from the gaming company SNK. Koudelka was to be his magnum opus to show Square he could make a succesful game. Unfortunately, Koudelka received poor critical reviews and little word of mouth. Additionally, the game was released towards the end of the PlayStation I's lifecycle, with more interest being shown in upcoming PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast games at the time. Most people agreed that the game showed some promise, but had serious flaws. Kikuta resigned from Sacnoth over accusations of poor micromanagement as well as the financial failure of the game. Aruze Entertainment took over control of Sacnoth after SNK folded.
The initial plot of the game centered around 3 investigators coming to Nemeton Monastery in Wales: Koudelka, a young girl with supernatural powers; Edward Plunkett, adventurer; and Father James O'Flaherty, sent by the Vatican to recover a special tome of knowledge. The monastery was used as a prison in the 1700s, and more recently as the site of a dark ritual from the stolen manuscript that Father O'Flaherty seeks.
The style of the game was a composition of survival horror games such as Resident Evil, and tactical RPGs with a grid-based system for combat.
Shadow Hearts
Koudelka was set in 1898. Shadow Hearts moves considerably ahead and starts in late 1913 on a branch of the Trans-Siberian Railroad in Manchuria. The game's protagonist, Yuri Hyuga, hears a voice in his head telling him to rescue the young Alice Elliot, whose priest father was recently murdered in a most brutal fashion in Rouen, France. After an English Gentleman by the name of Roger Bacon attempts to abduct Alice from the Japanese army himself, Yuri saves her, and starts a quest through China (and eventually Europe) to discover Alice's importance, Bacon's intent, the identity of the mysterious voice, and his own relevance.
This game plays more similarly to standard console role playing games than Koudelka, yet features some innovations that set it apart. It marks the introduction of the "Judgement Ring" system, where players must press the action button as an arm circles the Ring. It also introduced Sanity Points, a somewhat Lovecraftian addition, in which characters are slowly poisoned by the insanity & malice of nearby monsters during combat. If a combat drags too long, the afflicted character becomes "Berserk" and uncontrollable.
Shadow Hearts is also considered unique by its fans for its quirky style- the alternate setting of an Earth where monsters & mystical forces seem common is well-done, and the game boasts a sense of humor unusual considering the seriousness of some of its subject matter and the horror elements in the setting.
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant directly continues from the story at the end of Shadow Hearts, assuming the "bad ending" was correct. The town of Domremy has stubbornly refused to fall to the German advance at the beginning of World War I thanks to the aid of a "demon" which seems to defend it. Liuetenant Karin Koenig of the German army is sent along with a person who claims to be an Inquistor from the Vatican, Nicholas Conrad, to acquire a means of exorcising this demon. However, the 'Demon of Domremy' is, of course, actually the shape-shifting Yuri from the first Shadow Hearts. Yuri, Karin, and Nicholas soon become entangled in a plot involving secret conspiracies, the Russian royal family, the Japanese foreign minister, the mystical tome from Koudelka, and more.
The game as a whole was revamped from Shadow Hearts, including the graphics, the way the Judgement Ring worked, and the cast of characters. Game critics have also smiled upon Shadow Hearts: Covenant much more than the original, and a general consensus seems to be that the game is an overall improvement on the first.
A listing of historical references in the Shadow Hearts games can be found here.
Shadow Hearts: From The New World
The latest installment in the series, Shadow Hearts: From The New World, was announced in March, 2005. It will begin in North America and feature two new main characters; a 16 year old New Yorker named Johnny Garland, and a 21 year old Native American woman named Shania. Unlike the other Shadow Hearts games, it will not feature Yuri as the main character. Early images would seem to indicate that the game will follow similar life-and-death themes, with the Émigré Document making an appearance.
Shadow Hearts: From The New World is scheduled for a Summer 2005 release in Japan.
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