The year 1997 was known for having some of the biggest gaming releases
ever, namely role-playing games. With a mass of widely known, big-hit
titles in its way, Konami experienced trouble showing off their
turn-based RPG, Vandal Hearts. Although Vandal Hearts continues to be
overlooked, it still shines greatly by immersing you in a plot-twisted
story line, and exciting barbaric, yet strategic warfare.
The protagonist in this story goes by the name of Ash Lambert, a
vigorous platoon leader of the Ishtarian Security Forces. Known as the
son of a man who betrayed the under appreciated hero Arris the Sage, he
finds himself caught between a political war. While Ash leads his party
to attempt an overthrow on the corrupt government, they find themselves
meeting new characters along the way to eventually uncover an
interesting, surprise-filled plot. The story is both enjoyable and
original, but in a lot of ways standard fare for the genre.
The battle system can be loosely compared to chess, as each character
in the battle can move a set number of squares. First, you'll move your
forces, then select to either attack, cast magic or use an item. After
you've spent all the moves on your side, it will be the enemy's turn to
do the same. Fortunately, it's slightly more complex from there, as
this is where the battle system transitions from chess, to the hand
game, rock, paper, and scissors. Each character has a class that does
beneficial damage against another class, but is weaker to other
classes. Taking this hierarchy that is involved with seven classes
results in a lot of safety precautions to be considered before
maneuvering. Also, when a character is hurt, no matter what side they
are on, that character will counter-attack. Simply put, the battle
system has easy to learn mechanics, but a hard to master mentality; it
provides a fun time out of what it attempts to do.
One of the other things you can do is train your characters at the
dojo. At levels ten and twenty, your characters may be upgraded from
their current class to a more adept, convenient class. It's cool to see
this used, as it refreshes your approach on battles. If there's
anything to bog the game down, though, is that the sense of exploration
is limited. Moving about towns consists of nothing more than shifting
through menus, giving the battles responsibility of entertaining story
progression. The character models themselves are also visually
admirable. It's entertaining to see your characters attack animations,
as well as to adore the surroundings.
Each level has a vast difference from one another, as you'll explore
various kinds of environments. Whether you're fighting on a high-speed
train, or through a poisonous swamp, a majority of the levels are
generally innovative and tend to keep things fresh. Special effects
used with items and magic look crisp and are used very well, as a fire
dragon swarming around the map burning enemies is always appealing.
During battles, you can always expect to hear lively music appropriate
for the situation. An orchestra of large instruments seems to be at
hand, as it plays a beat of war to liven the situation. The sound
effects of weapons smashing against foes armor, and the fountain-like
spray as blood cannons into the air really does the trick.
Vandal Hearts was unfortunately overlooked by many. While the game may
take elements that are familiar in other series' to put a new spin on
it, it stands out from the rest by having an impacting presentation and
style. Vandal Hearts takes very well driven, unforgettable story, and
welds it with an enjoyable, bloodthirsty battle system, and ties it
together with a collection of memorable characters. A combination of
these things, and more, make Vandal Hearts at least worth spending the 20-some hours with.
