There is that one series that exists for you. Yes, just for you. The series of games/movies/comics/etc. that has brings a smile to your face. The one where you remember everything, everyone. The one that affects you deeply. Enjoy it to the fullest.

This is mine. Shadow Hearts, a under-appreciated game from the PS2. A game series that take place from before the beginning of WWI and right before the Great Depression. A historcial fiction JRPG, where you actually control the Mata Hari and Princess Anastasia, and meet Roger Bacon, Edward Lawrence, Al Capone, Elliot Ness, and even Lovecraft himself!

So everday, I will add a new entry telling about the series and explaining the plot and characters. So yeah...

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I'm done today. Stay tuned!

Next: Koudelka, the prequel and general info.

Edited by Hardman on February 18, 2011 at 13:07:46

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Before I start to gush about Shadow Hearts, I should talk about the prequel, Koudelka. I've played this game and before I go further, I shall explain why I never did.

1. Hard to find (PS1)

2. EXPENSIVE

I would like to spend my money a bit better than that. For now, at least.

But what turns me off is the music. I heard the boss music, it sounds like a mini-game. However, what I seen and what people say, the voice-acting is amazing. Close to Metal Gear Solid acting. Here, check this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Int_Iu-dc

Anyway, story (From Wikipedia): Koudelka is a gypsy who, after having some visions, heads over to Nemeton Monastrey, where in the first two Shadow Hearts games it shall be a dungeon. She meets with Edward, a adventurer, and Father James, a bishop. All three dive deep into the dark mystery of the Monastery, and discover a deadly love triangle.

The gameplay also sent me off a little. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1oSdHdkSbQ&feature=related

However, the music here is pretty good. It's called Waterfall. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Eu_zij3Rz8

The CGI for special scenes is clunky, but given the time it came out, it's acceptable. Also items. You can re-name any item you want. Yes, I would to use Cthulhu's Blood to heal, whack enemies with my Horse Penis, and then shoot them with the GIGANTIC TAGER! gun. However, they will break, though some will take a while. (255 hits for the secret sword) The weapon types: Knuckles, Swords, Knives, Clubs, Axes, Spears, Guns, Crossbows.

Roger Bacon appears for the first time, as he always will be. A perverted old man. If this game is to be counted, he's the only character to be in all games. Also, his cane is a weapon in this game, but it's the hardest, most complex, and completly baffling weapon to get. It can only be aquired by having 45 items in the iventory total, and saving the game at exactly 22:22:22.

Yes. Have exactly 45 items, and save when your play time reaches 22 hours, 22 minutes, and 22 seconds exactly. Reminds you of FFIX Excalibur II, huh?

The only real connection to Shadow Hearts is that Koudelka's son is a playable character and she herself plays a pivotal role. Edward gets a small mention, and James is known by the main heroine, Alice.

I won't tell you the ending, mostly because I ever played the game. So, play it yourself, or look it up.

Moving on to the main event.

Shadow Hearts, the first game,takes place in 1913, right before the Great War. You start in China, and move on to Europe, but don't worry, you don't kill the Archduke.

It begins on a train...

Next: The Rude Hero, The Key of Light, and the Quack Oracle.

Shadow Hearts begins on a train. Somewhere. In China!

Sorry, but the game does use real life locations.

Alice Elliot is a girl who just watched her father got tore apart by magic and then got captured by the Japanese army to be sent to Japan for experiments. However, her father's killer had caught up with her, and in the scene that earned the game the M rating, has the soldiers killed by a familiar. His name is Roger Bacon, a rather gentleman like figure...

Wait. If you played Koudelka and considered this game as a sequel, you would know this guy in the suit and tophat isn't Roger Bacon. His real name is Albert Simon. I warned you about spoilers. Anyway, the powerful magician has come to take Alice away...but he forgets about his own stalker.

Enter Yuri Hyuga, aka the Rude Hero. The familiar manages to chop off Yuri's arm, but right before his skull gets squeezed to pulp. Yuri just puts his arm back on. Is that all you got, his body language says to Roger. (For the point of the tribute, I call him Roger...for now.)

But Roger ain't going to stick around. He knocks out the girl and knocks Yuri back though the train by three cars.He gets up, shrugs and heads off to rescue the girl.

Yuri is special, you see? He's a Harmonixer, which means he fuses with demons to become the demons and take their powers.

To explain the series's mechanics, they use a Judgement Ring. http://media.photobucket.com/image/judgement/skgang/Other%20Pics/JudgmentRing.gif?o=9

The ring is a timing game. Orange, blue, green areas appear on the ring, and you need to hit them to do everything. EVERYTHING. Attack, magic, items, thankfully not defense. The first game is the most annoying, but still playable. When you decide on the action ,the ring appears, and the line cursor. Hit the X button at the right time to go! Orange are Hit Areas, for normal attacks and items. Green is Step Area, you need to hit this to use magic and personal abilities. And Blue are Modulation Areas, for the finish on Magic and personal abilities, the further you go in, the more damage. At the end of the Hit and Mod. are Red Areas, the Critical Areas. Hit these to increase the effect of the action, even items! (Ex: Thera Leaf heals 75 HP. 100 HP for hitting Red) These are small, but some equipment can effect the length of the areas and speed of the cursor. The first game has little customization, but the next two allows to determine number of Attacks, the length, and even add a effect, like Poison or Instant Death.

This game can be considered a steeping stone for the next two. Everyone's Ring has three Hit Areas, weapons affect the Hit Areas, a creepy guy (Who I will explain later) can make weapons stronger and hit areas bigger, and a party of three work like a traditional RPG.

Anyway, Yuri tracks down Roger on the top of the train and fight. Ah crap, Revelation is instant kill! Don't bother wasting the items you found on the dead bodies of the Japanese soldiers.

However, Alice's cross begins to glow and blinds Roger. Then Yuri FALCON PUNCHES his face in! Ah,yeah, Yuri is badass!

Yuri jumps off the train with Alice, leaving Roger to heal his face. Yuri does some exposition, talking about the voice in his head (Which is real), hints of his past and other facts. Alice wakes up, and runs away from the Rude Hero.

Yeah, I forgot to mention. Alot of the men in Shadow Hearts are perverts. Edward? He went to the Monastery because he heard there were hookers there. Yeah, guess where Yuri looks at Alice ?http://shadowhearts.wikia.com/wiki/Alice_Elliot

So the two reunite and exchange chit-chat and names. You can name whatever you want, but thier real names will be used in cutscenes. Though you won't be able to hear it, like the Persona series. Turn it up! Turn it up!

Anyway, after naming and doing a suprisly hard little task of fixing the watergate, the two go to sleep. Fox Face, Yuri's father ghost, appears. He wants to devour Yuri's soul!

!!! is a skill that kills Yuri instantly now, but later reduces health to one. Yuri is getting the crap beaten out of him.

This fight ends with Yuri being taken to the Graveyard, the place in his soul that allows him to gain new fusions and deal with the Four Masks, that of Grail, Gold, Staff, and Sword Mask. They also want Yuri's soul, but have a alternate way of doing it. After fighting several battles, a malice meter will slowly turn red, and when it does, Fox Face appears, and Yuri must fight alone in a helpless battle. You can empty it completly after a easy battle which the Masks bring.

Getting new fusions monsters works like this. Enemies have seven elements, fire, water, wind, earth, light, dark, and neutral. The elements are double-bladed sword, each element is put into groups of two and they do double damage to each other and half to the same.

Fire-Water

Earth-Wind

Dark-Light

When you defeat enemies with a element, you gain their souls, once you collect enough souls of a element, go into the Graveyard and fight the monster at the correct gravestone.

Yes. Yuri beats up demons to use them.

Each elemental (Sans neutral) has three fusions monsters, the last one needing a item to get to. There are neutral fusions, but these are obtained later. Sadly, in this game, you have to equip fusions. Three at time. The later games have all fusions once. Talk about going in blind.

There is something important I need to tell you. There is a third stats. in the battle, the Sanity Points, SP. This is a time meter, taking away one point per turn. Harmonixers spend more SP to fuse. The first game, there is a cost to fuse. The later games just makes you use more SP per turn. The Pure items restore SP. SP is instantly restored after every battle. If SP is depleted, the character goes Berserk, and the music becomes twisted. The character wildly acts out of control, of course. But the worst part? If you don't fix the problem and the battle ends, the character gets no exp.

So Yuri and Alice goes to the nearest village, where the village warns them of cannibals. And the voice is right, the cannibals are literally over-acting! So the two feint sleeping and catch two demon cat boys in the act.

And this famous line came up. By Yuri, of course.

"Heh heh heh! Tough luck, kids! If anyone going to eat her, it's going to be me!"

Sadly, not a one liner. Boss fight.

And then...one of the scariest moments in RPG history.

The village's floor is littered with bloody corpses and organs. When you walk, the bodies make squish noises. There is a fog, like Silent Hill Bloody Otherworld. Zombies and demonic dead girls wanting to kill you make the enemies.

I met people who said they stopped the game due to one reason.

THE DESCRIPTION OF MONSTERS.

EXAMPLE: The first few monsters? Skinned corpses. There is one from the next game stating that the monster devour a pregnant woman and absorbing her into itself and the person trapped inside is screaming constantly.

But that okay. We have a loony oracle, and a gay acupuncturist! The oracle is Zhuzhen Liu, our fire mage. The acupuncturist is Meiyuan, who over for a expensive price, can upgrade weapons to increase attack and the hit areas. (Attack upgrade is more costly.) Each weapon must be upgraded individually.

A shrine holding a artifact has been stolen by a wizard who shall be the villain of the first part (Roger is put on the sidelines for now.) He has familiars, called Yamajara, and the one of the Earth element is blocking the shrine and bringing in evil spirits. But first you need to kill the mayor, who is also a demon cat called Felinus. After getting the Anti-Cat powder, and kill it, you get to fight Earth...

...WHO IS WATER ELEMENTAL.

Not only does the game flat-out lie to you, but that leaves Zhuzhen weak to attacking and defense. And there are no fire monsters to obtain the Fire Fusion. Yamajara fights are hard, save for one.

After you beat the Yamajara, the evil spirits are lifted and you can leave. Talk to the shopkeeper, he'll give you a Discount Card for the shops. There are five cards in total, discount goes up 10% each, re-sale 5%. You have to use the ring for each discount/re-sale. And they get smaller each time. The later games simplify this by allowing higher discounts/re-sales once you buy enough stuff and move up in the ranks. You only have to use the ring once. Going back to the first game, fail the ring once, and buy at set price. Fail a few times, you lose the card. The other games just remove points for fail.

Zhuzhen leaves to report back to his employers for his pay. Yuri and Alice head out to the next city.

The villain is named Dehaui, and he has a peg-leg and a metal arm with a claw-like fingers on his left side. He talks about his plans with Roger and cut.

Next: Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich.

So Yuri and Alice get to the next town, unknown to them, a certain Colonel Kawashima is after them, for you know, the bodies of the train. Nice clean up, guys.

Anyway, Alice is still sleeping and a puppy is bothering Yuri.

Oh, gee, I-wonder-if-the-dog-that's-following-the-two-is-going-to-be-important.

Anyway, you meet a Lottery member, he gets you on the one of the hardest mini-games in the series, the Lottery Ring. Like before, press the X button to stop the cursor on the color areas, or suffer the most useless item in the game, the TISSUES. Hit the red areas for the special one-time prize, like equipment. The other areas will give you items, but don't waste your time getting the smaller prizes. You have to use one Lottery Ticket for one spin, and it is best to save first, and then try to get the Red on one go. Later member rings will have Ring Effect (I explain later) that make the going harder. One of them will have the next character's ultimate weapon. Play once on every member to unlock the chairman, who holds something...PERVERTED.

Anyway, Ring Abnormalities. Like most JRPGS, characters can be affected by ills. But so can the Ring. The Ring can move faster, go at a random speeds, have a smaller Ring, have smaller Hit Areas, make the Hit Areas disappear, make fake Hit Areas, even make the cursor goes backwards! Items can heal the affects, and do it quick, these are far more annoying than any other Status Effects. These go away after battle, but remember, The Judgement Ring is the only way to fight.

You also recieve a Pedometer from the merchant. If the Pedometer is equipped on the character in a enemy area, steps are added. Reach 10,000 in three games to obtain a ultimate armor. This counts as a trade, so if you have a 1,000 steps and trade it for the 1,000 prize, you have 0 steps left. They offer up the best restorative items, special accessories and the ultimate ATK boost accessory. There is also other accessories that double or triple your steps, but you can only hold three accessories, and only one Pedometer and one multiplier. The first game allows you to BUY multiple Pedometers, but at a high price. Also, the 10,000 prize is given free, so spend it on the Ultra Belt.

Also, you buy new weapons for Yuri and Alice. Yuri gets to replace his Leather Gloves with some Knuckles Blades. Alice? She gets a new Bible. I forgot to mention, Alice books zombies, bats, and wolfs with her arsenal of Bibles. Her ultimate weapon? A bible made with the skin of a priest. Yuri's ultimate weapon has the power of Ashura.

Anyway, after buying new weapons, a radio announcement makes Alice the insane killer and people start to panic. The two run out...

...and get in the middle of a bomb.

Let's go back. Margarete Gertrude Zelle, the Mara Hari of Europe, is on a mission to bomb the train station to stop Kawashima. Under the codename Malkovich, she has only one bomb, because she didn't want to hurt the train station workers and their 'cute lunchboxes.'

Yes.

So the three jump into the sewers, because they're always is one,(This one is short)And try to escape without running into the Japanese army. A manhole is blocked by both a seal and a monster, and you have to first navigate the pre-rendered sewers to find the key and then fight the monster. Take some training to get some new moves and new fusions.

A word about personal abilities. In this game, everybody but Yuri (Who has fusions.) has personal abilities, which they learn at certain levels. Yuri's ultimate attacks for all seven elements have to be unlocked by making him going berserk in the ultimate fusions. Alice uses White Magic, and Margarete uses Special Weapons. She calls on her cellphone...

...HISTORICAL FICTION....

...to get grenades, a sniper rifle, pain killers, a special switch, a bazooka, and ask for a bomber to fire the best bomb available. She uses a pistol in battle.

So after you escape the army, you make it to a airfield, where you fight the Japanese soldiers for real, yo. And because the airfield was only guarded by two ELITE soldiers, you decide to take a plane.

But it explodes! Oh noez!

And yes, that puppy you named Tiny did blow them up! And it's possessed by Dehuai! Boss fight with the Beast Dog!

One thing I need to mention. Remember the elemental weaknesses? Well, Yuri is Dark, Alice is Light, Zhuzhen is Fire, and Margarete is Water. Despite this, they attack in neutral. In order to attack with the elements, you have to use a skill named "---- Touch". Each character gets his elemental touch, save for Yuri. So you if you're fighting a Light monster, good luck, because if Yuri is normal or using a Dark Fusion, he gets double damage. Later games stop this problem with equipable magic.

For the battle, have Yuri transform into his Water fusion, have Margarete use Water Touch, and spam grenades until you put the dog down.

The three grab a wooden plane as they fly off into the night. After a day of playing the lottery, being labeled as terrorists, getting bombed by a actual one, going though a sewer with frog-men, killing two ELITE soldiers, getting involved in a second bombing, defeating a evil possessed puppy, and stealing a wooden plane, you escape with less sanity than ever before!

Oh, by the way...the train, the plains, the cannibal village, the nice town, the sewers and the airfield? Once you leave, you can never come back. At least until New Game+. But it doesn't matter. You only get to keep your fusions and library of characters and monsters. Go back to Start.

Next: The one fish that WON'T get away.

So we get a little of Yuri's backstory. Yuri's dad, Ben, was from Japan, and his mom, Anne, is from Russia. His dad had been sent on a mission in China regarding Dehaui's first plan. But he still has time to play with his son, who's carries around a fox mask. Huh.

Flashback ends when the wooden plane starts to stall. See?

But don't worry, they land in the ocean near a fishing village. They're picked up, but kinda of stranded. The army is all around in the sea and land, Kawashima has got a new partner named Kato and a plan, and people are dying due to a curse, and we being the heroes means we have to handle things. Want more? Alice is going to die if you don't break the curse. Don't worry, Zhuzhen is back, and is willing to help break the curse of Li Li.

Spend some time picking up some Light souls for the Light Fusion. Light class monsters are hard to come by, and the Light Fusions are the strongest magic casters that Yuri can use. After all, healing all and attack magic are always a good combo. Also, spend time to level up, the next boss is a Yamaraja! It's Yamaraja Wind, but he's Earth!

Anyway, his name give you his weakness. Use either the light fusion or the wind fusion. But wait!

USE ONLY SPECIAL ATTACKS. PHYSICAL ATTACKS DO NOTHING.

Grenades, Ogre Flamedance, and whatever fusion's attack to finish him off. The Light Fusion is actually the best, as it can raise Special Attack. Once the bastard dies, the curse is lifted and Alice is saved.

TIME FOR BACKSTORY

Sea Mother, the town's spiritual leader, tells us Li Li's back story. Complete with noises and creepy grandma voice. Li Li's story is long, and I don't have time, so here's the copy from the Shadow Hearts wiki.

A traveling troupe had come to Dalian, and soon she fell in love with one of the performers. It was not meant to be, as soon after, her father's fishing boat was caught in a storm, and thought to be lost. In greif, she sacrificed her voice for the life of her father. He returned, but his own voice was replaced with her feminine voice- her voice now her father's gruff voice.
Her only way to return her voice was to kill her father. Li Li borrowed a ritual knife from Sea Mother, and every night awaited to try and kill him. Every night, Li Li could not do it. Unknown to her, her father awaited awake every night as well, completely aware of her actions. He wanted nothing more for his daughter to be happy, and have her voice back. Her new voice had already made her too scared to confront the performer she loved.

Some time after, her father went out to fish. Just as before, his ship was caught and sunk. Li Li greived, again because she believed her father was gone for sure, and because she would never have a chance to regain her voice. Days later, a slimey creature krept from the sea, and confronted Li Li. It was her father, come back to return her voice. She could not do it- she scooped the mass that had become of her father, and used his weight to drown herself in the port.

So now we have to find a way to Shanghai to handle Dehaui. What luck! Smugglers! And yes, Margarete, a person out to stop Kawashima, DOESN'T KNOW WHAT SHE LOOKS LIKE EVEN WHEN THE SAID PERSON IS STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER. And Kato. He's not important...for now...

So now we're a boat. And Yuri is seasick. So seasick, he can't walk right.

And now Li Li is back. Of course, WE DIDN'T KILL HER!

So now we need to send her off. Zhuzhen and Sea Mother (Who stowed away) are preparing a ritutial, and you're given all the time to prepare. Monsters are storming the boat, and they're the first fire monsters. Use them to gain the best physical fusion to Yuri. Not only do they have Attack boosts, but can also heal status effects. Kato in the captain's room serves as a shop, so get the items and fusions needed and get ready for a two part fight. Kato is also a lottery member, so deny his shop request to be a step further to the chairman.

The first fight is easy, but can be annoying. Use either the light or fire fusion to fight. Alice should have her first magic attack, Blessed Light. Use it when the party doesn't need healing. Li Li is dark, so use Light Touch and the fire fusion to finish the fight fast.

But then comes the hard part. Dehaui appears, and Li Li becomes even more demented....

Ursula (It looks like her, but actually scary.) has a strong all-party attack, so you may need to use the Light Fusion and Alice to heal. Margarete is going to be your main attacker...

...or if you're me, you would do the same thing you did in the last fight. Remember, fusioning costs a lot of SP, and if Yuri is killed, he reverts back. Choose the correct fusion, and keep Yuri healthy.

Li Li get to move on, but sadly so does Sea Mother. Good-bye.

And now we're in Shanghai. But the question is...

...HOW DO WE GET INSIDE DEHAUI'S TOWER?

Next: The Battle in the Past, And the Trials in the Present.

So yet another flashback. Don't worry, this is the last one for a while. This time, it's Zhuzhen's flashback, as he tells the party, sans Yuri (Thanks to his seasickness) how he met Ben Hyuga and the first showdown with Dehaui, 15 years ago. You even get to play as Ben!

Ben has access to the ultimate dark fusion, Czernobog. You fight Wugai, Deuhai's right hand man and a few frog man (Kappa) during the fight. If you use magic on Wugai, you heal him. KEEP THIS MIND. YOU FIGHT HIM THREE TIMES.

Ben has a item called a 'key' in his inventory. Keys in this game unlock only one thing, the Judgement Ring. The Ring goes around just once, but each key allows for more spins, allowing more attacks and to do massive damage. There are Third Key, Fifth Key, and Seventh Key in his game, allowing for a total of 21 attacks, if you hit all areas seven times. The Ring picks up speed during each spin, so get ready! In the later games, due to the customization of the ring, it's possible to land 35 hits. Also, a fourth key is available at the end for a one-time deal. The Eternal Key, able to do unlimited spins and attacks. If you set the Ring just right, you don't stop until the enemy is dead! But there is only one Eternal Key, and keys don't carry over to New Game+.

Flashback ends, and you control Zhuzhen for the first and possibly last time. (I explain) You only have to go a few screens to expand the plot, but you can explore and pick up a new stave for Zhuzhen. Stock up, and head to the club that a old friend owns.

Inside, you get to hear Zhuzhen's voice for the only time...

...am I getting repetitive?

...over a scene of the friend's daughter playing the Chinese violing. After the solo, you discover that the friend no longer owns the place, but Wugai, wanting revenge for what happened years ago. Solo fight with mooks! Use his healing move if necessary.

Remember, Wugai heals with magic attacks, so stay with physical, but it doesn't matter, the third hopeless boss fight! Yeah, the game tends to have a few of these.

About Wugai. Out of battle, he's serious and imitating. In battle? He fight like Luffy with Bruce Lee sound effects. He has a instant death move, named...well, Game of Death. Zhuzhen dies, thanks to Wugai's silly pose.

But Yuri is back! And for now, immune to the Game. So use the fire fusion, power up, and whack him! (Hope you equipped it before you entered the club, because you will not have a chance to fix Yuri's stuff) Wugai leaves, and you now have to visit Zhuzhen's master to get help and protect the last artifact, over the last three being stolen by Dehaui for his plan to summon a god to take over Japan. The smugglers, who're now planning to invade Shanghai, offer to help to the location.

The Temple Ruins offers up new armor. The shopkeep? A cat turned into a human by Master Xifa. But before you get to talk to Xifa, you need to pass three trails, with the four going into duos of the same gender.

The first trial?

Yuri and Zhuzhen! Fight battles without items! Okay! Boss!

The second trail?

Alice and Margarete! Fight without magic! Wait, Alice is nearly useless! Boss!

The third trial. Oh god, the third trial.

Yuri and Zhuzhen! Fight without either MAGIC or ITEMS! And yes, there is a boss. You either win, or you die. Spend time levelng, and talk with the shopkeep, he's a lottery member. Buy three Leonardo Bears. You will need them a little later.

So you meet Xifa. But it's short lived, as Dehaui possess the catboy, steals the artifact, and captures Alice! Xifa saves you from death, but it's time to play the Game of Death one last mandatory time...with the next Yamajara! The one of War!

Like the original Wugai, magic (Even Sniper rifles and grenades have no effect) heals him, so focus on boosting attack. Yuri is no longer immune to instant death, so I really hope you equipped the Bears right before the battle.

Roger takes the body of Wugai away as the temple finally falls.

Another recurring trend in the series are torture scenes with multiple choice answers that unlocks some good stuff. Answer all questions with the top answers to unlock the secret dungeon. Or...if you're interested in this kind of stuff, just insult Dehaui to get shocked. But still, the secret dungeon is going to be useful.

Next: We got too many problems....