A fun, addicting and quirky RPG that impresses in every way
Without giving away anything important, you play as the protagonist from the first game, Yuri. Very early in the game, Yuri gets afflicted by a curse by a mysterious organization called "Sapientes Gladio". Then together with a group of friends, you set out to find out more about the organization and what it is planning.
Gameplay- 10
If you've played the first game, or know a little bit about the series, you probably know about the Judgement Ring system. The Judgement Ring handles everything from Attacking, and using magic to getting discounts at shops. The ring consists of a pointer that spins around a circle. On this circle are different colored pie-shaped slices. Your ability to stop the pointer in these colored areas will determine how successful you will be in using magic/attacking, etc. There are also often smaller colored areas at the end of the normal pie slices that allow you to execute a stronger physical or magic attack, but missing will consequently lessen or negate the effect of the move.
This mechanic gives the battles an added layer of depth and prevents the random battles from getting stale.
There's also a lot more to the combat than just the Judgement Ring. Having quick reflexes will help you in battle, but it's equally important to strategize well especially during boss encounters.
Other features of the combat include a Sanity meter, that when depleted causes a character to go (suprise) insane,, four different basic attacks (standard, knock back, knock down, and hit up into the air) Combos with up to four characters increasing the potential damage but also increasing the risk of failure, and full movement on a plain, meaning where people are on the field matters, (ie, two characters close together could be hit by a single spell)
Graphics- 9
The ingame models are all nicely detailed and the locations you travel to are varied and quite nice looking. The game also features some CGI cutscenes, all of which are very high quality.
Sound- 8
The sound effects in battle are all fine and the voice work is top notch. The background music is also quite good, but is also reused quite a bit.
Value- 9
The game should take you between 30-45+ hours depending on how much of the side quests you complete. There's also a new game+ option and two different endings to acquire.
The story is also one of the better ones seen in a recent RPG. One thing that you'll have to take to heart when playing this game however is that the game doesn't always take itself that seriously. Granted, the game overall has a mature and dark feel, but there are several quirky and outrageous moments throughout the game. If you're looking for a completely serious RPG story, then this may not be what you're looking for.
Overall- 9.2
All things considered, Shadow Hearts Covenant is a great experience and one of the best RPGs of this generation. Those looking for something more than your standard drab turn based battling, look no further than this game.