Although it may never reach the
massive status set by role-playing king Final Fantasy, over the past several
years Shadow Hearts has managed to accumulate a cult following of its own. With
the uncanny ability to take real-life locations and transform them into a
twisted demon-filled apparition of their former self, it’s easy to see why
reaching this status is possible. But Shadow Hearts has something that many
other niche titles don’t; not only does it have a wonderful cast of characters,
an intriguing battle system, and one of the most immersive worlds to date, but
most importantly Shadow Hearts is a technical achievement from the ground up.
After last year’s Shadow Hearts: Covenant, the second game in the series, won
several awards, developer Nautilus knew they had to incorporate some new ideas
to keep things fresh and stop the series from losing momentum, and thankfully,
that’s exactly what has happened.
The first two games in the series
whisked players all over Europe, taking them from western China all the way to
the dark and treacherous hills of France and Germany, making dark undertones a
must to help set the mood. Keep in mind, however, that even with this setting
the developers were able to implement an enormous amount of humor that helped
make Shadow Hearts one of the most unique series around. So instead of
revisiting former lands, this time the story makes the jump from East to West by
taking place in numerous locations throughout America. But don’t worry; just
because places like Chicago, the Grand Canyon, and even Roswell offer up lighter
moods for the most part, From the New World still has the ability to jump from
the normal to the completely twisted in only seconds, despite the new setting.
Of course, no Shadow Hearts game would be complete without a unique cast of
characters, and From the New World delivers in this department as well.
This time around the story follows
young 16-year old Johnny Garland through the streets of New York, who despite
his young age, is hired to find a missing person located somewhere in the city.
And as unlikely as it sounds so far, this is actually the normal part of the
story, as shortly afterwards things make a bee-line towards the sick and
twisted. In the dusty confines of an abandoned theater the story starts to
unfold; the located missing person is soon eaten after recognizing you, a
beautiful angelic apparition comes to your aid against the demon, and together
you partake in a journey across America. And after meeting a seductive Native
American, an oversized cat proficient in drunken martial arts, a ninja who
apparently cannot speak Japanese, an Antonio Banderas wannabe, and a female
vampire who gets her shape-shifting ability from eating, it’s safe to say that
From a New World not only tops its predecessors in originality, but also
everything this side of a Shin Megami Tensei title.
The story isn’t the only draw to the
series; in fact many fans will tell you the superb battle system plays a big
part in Shadow Hearts success. This is mostly due to the game’s Judgment Ring,
which seems to become more fine tuned as the series goes on. Each and every
action requires the Ring, even smaller tasks like using items and moving around
the battlefield. After selecting the appropriate action you wish to use, the
Ring will appear in the upper right corner of the screen, which will differ
depending on what action you chose to perform. Shortly after appearing the
Ring’s needle begins to spin, where stopping it over the correct color can mean
the difference in accomplishing your action, or missing it all together. Not
only is the Ring system very clever and engaging, but it also makes you pay
attention throughout the whole game, rather than just when you want to.
The impressive combo system also
makes a return, and has seen a slight facelift as well. During battle each
player has a stock gauge that slowly fills up after inflicting damage on your
enemies, which then the player can use the gauge to perform several different
actions. Players have the option of not only executing combos and
double-attacks, but you can also use your stock points to damage your enemies
gauge, therefore keeping him/her/it from inflicting some major pain on your
party. In fact, many of the game’s harder boss battles require you to keep an
eye on their gauge, as they possess some serious power and allowing them to fill
it up is almost certainly suicide. The magic system is also done very well, and
allows for a great deal of customization on the players’ behalf. Each spell is
represented on what is a called a stellar chart, which can be modified and
allows the player to add more spells, or even change things like HP effect and
elemental classification. Overall, there’re very few negative things to say
about the battle system, and with the slight improvements to almost every
feature, From the New World is nearly perfect in this regard.
While the mediocre voice-acting
won’t make you a believer, the background music and soundtrack will have you
excited throughout your adventure. Each situation is greeted with its own unique
style of music that ranges from classical to rock to something that could only
be conjured up by Trent Reznor himself. Visually the game is stunning as well,
and what cutscenes that do exist are on par with the best in the genre, and are
quite simply stunning. Each location you visit is nicely represented as well,
and each animation, enemy or not, is fluid and matches the environment
appropriately.
In the end Shadow Hearts: From the
New World will surprise newcomers, and will likely only add to the hardcore
fan’s belief that the entire series is underrated. With a third impressive
release, the Shadow Hearts franchise has officially joined the ranks of the RPG
elite. Let’s just hope that the rest of the gaming world figures this out as
well.
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Gameplay: 8.9
Some noticeable improvements to some already existing features make the battle
system in From the New World that much better. The unique cast of characters and
off-beat story make every RPG this side of a Shin Megami Tensei title seem
boring. There’re more than enough side quests to keep you occupied, but the
story does suffer slightly from poor pacing, and it is likely that the
uninspired dungeon layouts and punishing random battle frequency may cause more
frustration than necessary.
Graphics: 8.4
Visually the game is right on par with the top of its class, and the few
cutscenes that exist are absolutely stunning. Each location resembles its
real-life counterpart closely, but overall the character models and environments
could’ve used a little more polishing.
Sound: 8.3
Most of the main character’s voices are very well done, but it seems like the
minor characters got neglected a little bit. The soundtrack, however, is
brilliant, and often shifts tones in a matter of seconds. Sound effects in
battle are just as good, too. A few disappointing tracks and some disappointing
voice-overs are the only drawbacks here.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Concept: 8.5
Shadow Hearts prides itself on its
originality, and From the New World takes that notion to extremes. Everyone who
may be a little tired of the typical RPG will definitely want to give this game
a try.
Overall: 8.5
Developer Nautilus definitely tried to keep the series from growing stale by
taking it in a new direction, and even with the new cast of characters and
Western setting, FTNW is able to execute nearly perfectly. While it may not be
neck and neck with the big boys yet, the series has however now become a legit
contender in the RPG genre.
