Game Card
Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment (Xbox360)
- Publisher:
- Konami
- Developer:
- Konami
- US Release:
- Winter 2010
- EU Release:
- n/a
- Number of players:
- n/a
- Type:
- Action
- Reality Factor:
- Fantasy
- Extra:
- Other World
- Age:
- Futuristic
Preview
Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment Preview
If there’s one genre that is lacking on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, it would have to be the role-playing genre. The line could be drawn even further by recognizing that RPG games in general have waned this generation on every major console and digital distribution network. So gamers should be welcoming Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment with warm arms, right? The answer to that question is a big, fat yes!
Taking control of the unsung hero, Tobias Martin, Vandal Hearts is a strategy role-playing game that will have RPG fans begging for more when it’s all said and done. Serving as a prequel to Vandal Hearts I and II, Flames of Judgment is a fresh breath of air on the two services that are being overwhelmed with shooters and puzzle titles. Even though the original two iterations in the series weren’t smash hits that lit the sales charts on fire, the franchise still has a good fanbase yearning for more.
Set in the land of Balastrade, players take control of Martin as he walks about the land that is owned by the Church of Restoration. Before the game takes place, two nations went to war and were wiped out by a giant fireball (akin to the events in the Xbox 360’s Lost Odyssey). Before too long, a new war is rising and it’s up to Martin to figure out the events and how they tie into the war that ended 16 years prior. From the first few hours of the story, gamers will come to understand the situation that is occurring and get a grasp of what’s likely to transpire by the conclusion.
The combat is all turn-based and grid-based. Long-time veterans of the genre will have no difficulty learning the controls and mastering the tactics to every battle. As with any S-RPG, positioning is key to each and every victory. Players can gain an advantage by having the high ground, locating archers in the distance and many other similar situations. If players are able to attack an enemy from behind or from the side, they’ll gain an increase of the damage that is applied to the enemy after the attack. There are even team attacks to pull off if players can fully surround an enemy. But along the lines of the general gameplay, Vandal Hearts doesn’t step too far away from the standards that already dominate the genre.
Each character can utilize multiple weapons at one time, so the characters aren’t stuck in a rut using a bow for the entire campaign. Want to have a character equip a sword and carry a bow as a secondary weapon? No problem. Would you rather have magic be the primary attack method and have a melee weapon as the alternative? That’s no problem too. The longer an enemy has a weapon equipped, the more proficient they’ll become with said weapon. Players are eligible to upgrade their character’s skills in battle by training in those skills individually such as: melee fighting to become a better warrior, sniping enemies to improve ranged attacks, using magic to become a better spellcaster. It’s up to the user if they’d rather have a bunch of characters that are diverse and well-rounded rather than specialists in one area of expertise.
On the technical side, Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment isn’t going to shock and put gamers in awe. The graphics aren’t astounding and the audio work is somewhat comedic due to the funny delivery of dialogue spoken. The character art style is along the lines of a “hip” and “American-ized” version of a Japanese role-playing game. With that said, the characters aren’t the most inspired creations and the cut-scenes are on par with the PlayStation 1 era of games. It’s fitting since Vandal Hearts I and II were on the PlayStation 1 (Vandal Hearts was also released on the Sega Saturn). As an Xbox Live Arcade release, the graphics are adequate enough to overlook the unattractiveness of the art and appreciate how crisp the visuals look.
Though nothing is set in stone, Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment is set to release sometime this fall. Let’s cross our fingers that the final product turns out to be superb so it starts a trend with developers bringing their RPG titles/franchises to the digital distribution services of Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Until Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment releases, it’s best to dig out your PlayStation 1 to play through the originals to get a full grasp of what to expect with Flames of Judgment.
Taking control of the unsung hero, Tobias Martin, Vandal Hearts is a strategy role-playing game that will have RPG fans begging for more when it’s all said and done. Serving as a prequel to Vandal Hearts I and II, Flames of Judgment is a fresh breath of air on the two services that are being overwhelmed with shooters and puzzle titles. Even though the original two iterations in the series weren’t smash hits that lit the sales charts on fire, the franchise still has a good fanbase yearning for more.
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Set in the land of Balastrade, players take control of Martin as he walks about the land that is owned by the Church of Restoration. Before the game takes place, two nations went to war and were wiped out by a giant fireball (akin to the events in the Xbox 360’s Lost Odyssey). Before too long, a new war is rising and it’s up to Martin to figure out the events and how they tie into the war that ended 16 years prior. From the first few hours of the story, gamers will come to understand the situation that is occurring and get a grasp of what’s likely to transpire by the conclusion.
The combat is all turn-based and grid-based. Long-time veterans of the genre will have no difficulty learning the controls and mastering the tactics to every battle. As with any S-RPG, positioning is key to each and every victory. Players can gain an advantage by having the high ground, locating archers in the distance and many other similar situations. If players are able to attack an enemy from behind or from the side, they’ll gain an increase of the damage that is applied to the enemy after the attack. There are even team attacks to pull off if players can fully surround an enemy. But along the lines of the general gameplay, Vandal Hearts doesn’t step too far away from the standards that already dominate the genre.
Each character can utilize multiple weapons at one time, so the characters aren’t stuck in a rut using a bow for the entire campaign. Want to have a character equip a sword and carry a bow as a secondary weapon? No problem. Would you rather have magic be the primary attack method and have a melee weapon as the alternative? That’s no problem too. The longer an enemy has a weapon equipped, the more proficient they’ll become with said weapon. Players are eligible to upgrade their character’s skills in battle by training in those skills individually such as: melee fighting to become a better warrior, sniping enemies to improve ranged attacks, using magic to become a better spellcaster. It’s up to the user if they’d rather have a bunch of characters that are diverse and well-rounded rather than specialists in one area of expertise.
 |
 |
|
On the technical side, Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment isn’t going to shock and put gamers in awe. The graphics aren’t astounding and the audio work is somewhat comedic due to the funny delivery of dialogue spoken. The character art style is along the lines of a “hip” and “American-ized” version of a Japanese role-playing game. With that said, the characters aren’t the most inspired creations and the cut-scenes are on par with the PlayStation 1 era of games. It’s fitting since Vandal Hearts I and II were on the PlayStation 1 (Vandal Hearts was also released on the Sega Saturn). As an Xbox Live Arcade release, the graphics are adequate enough to overlook the unattractiveness of the art and appreciate how crisp the visuals look.
Though nothing is set in stone, Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment is set to release sometime this fall. Let’s cross our fingers that the final product turns out to be superb so it starts a trend with developers bringing their RPG titles/franchises to the digital distribution services of Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Until Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment releases, it’s best to dig out your PlayStation 1 to play through the originals to get a full grasp of what to expect with Flames of Judgment.
User Comments
By stuntkid (SI Core Veteran) on Oct 01, 2009
