Story & Characters

This review is for Shadow Heart : Covenent, the second in the series. The story is very in-depth and in many parts it suggests scenes from the first Shadow Hearts. Unlike some game sequels I've played where you absolutely have to have played them in order to understand the story as well as play the game to its maximum, Shadow Hearts 2 paves its own way into a very new story, where one doesn't have to have beaten the first to understand.
Thinking back on the game, I can't really remember any boring parts, the dungeons are full of puzzles, which may or may not be a good thing to a listener. Some people perfer a straight out dungeon that takes only strength to transverse, where as others, like a little mind play as well as combat. In my own opinion, the puzzles get a little old after awhile, by the end of the game I was throwing myself at the, just hoping by some fluke I would get past them, and I did. What I'm trying to say is for those of you who don't exactly have outstanding patience for puzzles in games might find yourself frusterated nearing the end.
But overall. there is very little wasted in the story, dungeons fit in nicely considering this is a game and not a movie. Which brings up my next point. Shadow Hearts 2 makes extremely good use of their cinematic scenes, the good voice actors and dialoge keep the story fresh and involving. This game has a very wide variety of characters roaming from the cool headed, laid back main character, to the unique wrestling vampire! There is a character in this game that everyone will remember.

Rating: 8

Art

Another stunning part of the game is its visuals. All around good graphics for the dungeons and towns, given the 1915 look by the way, are just another reason gamers will be drawn into this adventure. A lot of time was put into this games visuals, from realistic mouth movements, down to fantastic lighting in dark places. Human models were used when animating the games characters, making the movement in story scenes as realistic as can be. Although, one problem I can think of off the top of my head, concerning visuals, is sometimes to objects will pass through eachother, like when a character folds his arms, you may notice that his wrist is literally coming out of his other arm! Or Karin, the character in the game with the longest hair, sometimes you might notice that her hair passes through her shoulder.

Rating: 8

Sound

Shadow Hearts 2 music has come a long way since the first installation. Anywhere you go the music will justly represent the situation. The music is clear and enjoyable to listen to, and some of it can be quite catchy! So far I haven't come across any dull or flat out bad pieces, but thats not to say the music is perfect in this game. Anyone playing will definatley notice that the music get quite repetitive, like evey town in Europe has the same music, same as every town in Japan has the same tune. The music isn't bad, but they certainly play it enough. The last thing I will mention about music is the combat music. So far Shadow Hearts 2 is the only game I've played where the music in battle hits the situation right on the bulls eye! As you listen to the music during battle you will find that it is serious in nature and goes along with the adrenaline of combat. Where as other games could either be not serious enough about battle and the music becomes dull, or too serious and the music becomes kinda cartoonish.

Rating: 9

Presentation

Shadow Hearts 2 was the only game in three years that had me playing ten hours a day. Its presentation isn't perfect, but to me it was. The variety of scenes in the game made me laugh and some made me stiffle a tear. I found this game to be so great that I went out and purchased it after I beat it, just so I'd have a fantastic game to look back on. Some of the humor in the game was very clever and funny, where as some was plain, but still humorus. The personality of the characters fit so well that the game could have easily become a best selling movie. The gameplay was smooth and responsive, and with the innovative "judgement ring" used in combat, players couldn't become tuned out, because the characters performance in battle relied on split second timing and precision. Players would also have to keep an eye on their characters mental stability during battle, to keep them from going berserk. I will say this however, I breezed through the game without once encountering a hard part, I didn't get one single game over and not only that, I never even came close to dying in battle. The games bosses were a little too easy, and not only that, I had to go out of my way to make the game harder. There is an accessory in this game that will cut the speed of the judgement ring by 50%, making it far too easy to score perfects during battle, I went through without equipping anything that lowered ring speed, for I enjoyed the fast paced-ness. The last thing I will mention about the game a bit on the easy side is the combo system. Its a neat thing to do in combat where you can link your characters attacks together, but it makes for an easy victory over even the most intimidating looking bosses. Cause the damage really adds up.
Overall this is one of the better games I've played in my life even though it had its pit falls.

Rating: 8

Final Verdict

8.17 (good)

Reviewed by shadowsibling, Sep 28, 2005

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