Shadow Hearts Retro Review – Dark History

Gary Green said: Most JRPG fans look back to the PS1 era and smile. It was a time when narrative masterpieces were being released regularly, which was a good thing since most gamers were very hungry for more. It’s no wonder the late 90s is referred to as ‘the JRPG golden age’. Sadly, all things must come to an end, and the dawn of the PS2 would see ambitious developers try to set new trends with expensive visual upgrades, deviations in gameplay to include more focus on either action or strategy, or even online gameplay.

Not all hope was lost, and a handful of dedicated developers would attempt to revive the ‘traditional’ JRPG. While many attempts would be lost to time and obscurity, others would slowly rise to cult status as respectable masters of their craft. One such game would put its growing franchise on the map and captivate many a gamer with its unique theme of real-world characters and locations, and recurring use of Lovecraftian horror. It’s time to revisit Shadow Hearts.

[Seth_hun]

I loved the trilogy. Dark and edgy, very good battle system, good characters. 3rd game has gone extra silly, but it was still very fun. I hope one day a remaster comes out

[Redgrave]

It's probably not impossible.... not sure where the rights sit currently after Midway went under but somebody somewhere owns the IP, and somebody somewhere else has to be asking how to get these games out again (please not Aspyr)

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I would love a collection with Koudelka, Shadow Hearts, Covenant and From the New World... I never got to play Shadow Hearts, that game was stupidly rare before Covenant came out. From the New World isn't too expensive or difficulty to find for a reasonable price, but Shadow Hearts is impossible unless you want to fork over $200 for a copy.

[gold_drake]

i love shadow hearts trilogy, its soo good