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Developer: Aruze Corp
Publisher: Xceed Games
Genre: RPG
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 07 Mar 06
User Rating
6 (1 vote) -
- Best known for the revolutionary judgment ring combat system, this game continues with a well-paced story for a refreshingly different RPG.
Overview
You can always pin point the blockbuster games, and those games that are going to appeal only to a target audience. It is like in the movie industry where you have the amazing million dollar action thriller and then the independent documentary. Today we are talking about a game that would probably fall closer to the second category. We are talking about Shadow Hearts: From the New World, a game that attempts to continue its success with its core audience by introducing another turn-based RPG. So how does From the New World end up doing? Read our full review to find out!
Gameplay
As most of you know for an RPG, one of the big influences that decides whether or not a game is going to be successful or not is the story. It must succeed in intriguing the player to keep him or her occupied and interested throughout. So one of the things that I was hoping to find in the latest Shadow Hearts game was a great storyline, something that I felt I was kind of left wanting more.
Like in most RPG's, you take the role of a young lad. Due to the death his father and sister, our hero Johnny Garland has taken over the family estate. He has taken this estate and decided to make a new business, which is investigation work. So obviously this new track adds some different story elements to the game, and which begins with what seems to be a very typical detective work but then turns into a huge case. The story remains a very simple and somewhat lackluster, as I just never felt like I cared about what was going on in the story.
So the story isn't bad, but then again it is still not something that drives the game to further progress. For those who have not played the previous Shadow Hearts games, I will say you will be a lot happier with the battle system in this game then you would be with other games of the same genre. Shadow Hearts uses this judgment ring combat system, which is really intuitive and works really well. The system is all about timing, which is a real interesting twist on the RPG genre. I think for anyone who is just tired of the same old combat system, then Shadow Hearts will be a breath of fresh air.
I could go on for hours on Shadow Hearts, but to just wrap up what this game is all about is that it just offers up what you would expect from an RPG. The game's story does get better in the later end of the game, but even then you will not be overly interested in the game story. What does work in the game is the pace, which combines plenty of battles, boss battles, and just a good flow of everything. The character development in the game is good and the whole experience is enjoyable. This is not a great RPG, but it is a game that offers solid RPG experience.
Graphics
Visually, From the New World is a game that doesn't really go crazy but does do some really nice things. I really liked the cut scenes in the game were done in very nice CGI. The character models were also very good, as they have good detail and good feel to them. The environments were really the problem child of the game, as they seemed rather bland and just did not manage to bring in much detail. The look of the game is good, but still had room for improvement.
Fun Factor
I am not the biggest RPG fan out there, but Shadow Hearts is a game that I really did find some things very enjoyable. The game is good in the sense that the combat system is a lot more intuitive compared to other turn-based RPGs in the market. It offers more strategy and keeps you more involved in the experience. The story could have been better, and had it been better, I think this game could have really been a huge success.
Overall
Shadow Hearts: From the New World is going to surprise a lot of people who have not looked the game up before. I found the experience to be a very enjoyable and a heart-warming experience that a lot of RPG fans are going to enjoy. If you like RPG's and wants to try a different style system, then give Shadow Hearts From the New World a chance. It has a lot of great things to offer.
- Gameplay
7.0 - Graphics
7.0 - Fun Factor
7.0 - Overall
7.0
