Vandal Hearts 3

Vandal Hearts II is in my top 2 or 3 favourite games of all time. The fact that you move at the same time as your opponent makes it require much more strategy than the average SRPG. I've finished it a few times without a single one of my party members perishing which I think is a huge accomplishment. I absolutely love Vandal Hearts II - it's a. Vandal Hearts Review It's a shame to see that Vandal Hearts does not live up to its potential. By Peter Bartholow on March 27, 1997 at 12:00AM PST.

As far as interacting with NPCs goes, you can stop into taverns and poke locals for info. However, there's really little of value they have to offer, and if anything, it's just another unnecessary aspect of the game that makes Flames of Judgment feel a bit cheap.In spite of my criticisms of the game, it's still a very competent SRPG with hours and hours of content. It doesn't offer the type of story or gameplay variety that makes it a fun option for long bouts of play, but it's certainly good for a skirmish here and there.On the production front, the game's definitely a bit of a disappointment. The visual style isn't particularly interesting, and the chibi-esque character models seem to be at odds with some of the more mature content: blood geysers, harsh language, and some seriously heavy-handed lines of dialogue. The real issues I had with the game's presentation, though, are of a technical nature. Flames of Judgment does precious little to take advantage of the power of the hardware, and having the camera locked to the grid of each battlefield posed many problems when trying to map out a decent strategy. You can move the camera to one of four positions, but environmental objects often obscure the view.On the upside, the feedback the game gives you while playing is really entertaining.

The music is nothing special, but the sound effects and controller rumble add a surprising level of excitement to what would otherwise be a fairly dry gameplay experience. I'm not one to ask for gore for gore's sake, but defeating enemies in this game is always viscerally satisfying. The voice work during cutscenes also isn't half bad, though again, some of the hammed-up voice blurbs during battle don't seem to match up well with the serious nature of the story.

Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment is pretty much your typical SRPG affair. There are a handful of elements tossed into the mix that give the game a subtle waft of freshness, but it's solely something for those jonesing to play this type of game on their console. Like boxed wine, you get a lot of product on the cheap, but don't expect the taste to be great. The production values get the job done - nothing more, nothing less. Though the overall adventure isn't at all compelling, the gameplay is fun in small spurts.ByTony CapriCCC Freelance Writer.

Game Features:. Classic gameplay, expanded and streamlined - Combines the speedy RPG pace of the original Vandal Hearts with improved user mechanics and top-notch presentation. Strong story - Serving as the prequel to the original Vandal Hearts, Flames of Judgment delivers a rich, focused, and character-driven storyline.

Party members adapt to the player's style of gameplay - Player characters naturally and automatically improve at whatever they do, providing a wide range of customization options.

EnglishFrenchGermanMenus and gameplay are in Multi-3 (English, French & German).Joshua's day started out simple enough. Climb up on a roof to catch a butterfly for Adele. Once he actually catches it, he promptly falls off the roof. That would be the beginning of the end. His stepsister Rosaly comes running over to say a stranger is being attacked in the field. With the help of his two friends Yuri and Clive, they save the stranger and bring him back to the village so the doctor can treat his wounds.

Little do they know, this act of kindness will change their lives forever, for this is no ordinary stranger.The stranger, Nicola, is not what he appears to be but Joshua sees him as a hero and wants to help him. Since Nicola is a wanted man being hunted by the relentless Blood Knights, Joshua hides him in his secret tree house. Unfortunately, his stepfather sees Nicola as a troublemaker for bringing the Blood Knights to the village, and thus turns him in. Furious, Joshua sets off to the mayor's manor to save Nicola.Wandering through the manor, Joshua makes a wrong turn and finds that he is trapped in a room with the kindly old mayor. Suddenly the court diviner teleports into the room and puts the mayor into a murderous rage.

Joshua is forced to fight the mayor and slays him in front of the very eyes of the only woman he will ever love, Adele. After she sees him kill her grandfather, she denounces him and calls for the guards to arrest him. Joshua jumps through a window into the waiting current of the river. He must leave his family, his town and the woman he loves, in hopes of clearing his name and winning back Adele.As a result of his actions, the country of Natra becomes embroiled in a Civil War that has gone on for seven years, and which still continues. Finally Joshua, now 20, resurfaces as leader of the Red Wolves, a group of bandits that have stricken terror into the hearts of both sides of the Civil War.

They only attack military cargoes and people, and have yet to be defeated or captured. They know no allegiance and have no country. They just have each other, but that too will change.Once again, a chance meeting alters Joshua's life. After taking over a new cargo train, he finds two prisoners, Baron Pratau and his captain Lira. Immediately Joshua tells them to go. He wants nothing to do with them but they offer him 100,000 gold pieces to escort them to Fort Gusta. Wanting the money, Joshua and his two new compatriots Vlad and Pike agree to help them get there on one condition: once there, the Red Wolves get paid and everyone goes their separate ways, never to meet again.

However, what one wants and what actually happens can be two very different things.In Vandal Hearts II by Konami, you play as Joshua, a bitter bandit whose very life has been stolen from him, along with up to four other characters under your control. In this RPG, the battles are turned-based. However, the enemy is much smarter than your average RPG and even moves around before you can attack. Wander from site to site fighting different enemies and monsters as you piece together your destiny. You won't be forced to battle all the time, sometimes you can choose to enter the fight or just move on. Reenter previously finished battle maps to search for items or to just build up your experience points.In each town, be sure to buy and sell weapons, armor and items to make your war party the strongest and most powerful force. Stop by the local tavern to gain valuable knowledge from the patrons, or possibly go on a mini-quest.

You must decide who to help and who to harm. Choose wisely because it just may effect the outcome of the game itself. Solve the mystery of who the real evil is behind the Civil War that now rages around you as you become the hero you were meant to be.Can Joshua stay out of the war he was forced to create? Can he rise up to be the mighty leader that appears to be his destiny? Will he ever be able to explain to Adele why he was forced to kill her grandfather and win her love? He is the world's last hope and your wits and skills are his.