Shadow Hearts: Covenant

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Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Developer(s)	Nautilus
Publisher(s)	JPN Aruze NA Midway PAL Midway
Designer(s)	Matsuzo Machida (director) Takamasa Ohsawa (art director) Miyako Kato (character design) Yoshi Takashirota (composer)
Series	Shadow Hearts
Release date(s)	JPN February 19, 2004 NA September 27, 2004 PAL March 11, 2005
Genre(s)	Console RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	CERO: 15+ ESRB: T PEGI: 16+ USK: 12+ OFLC: M
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Media	2 DVDs

Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a console role-playing game developed by Nautilus and published by Midway in 2004. It is a direct continuation of Shadow Hearts and the second official game in the Shadow Hearts series. The game features two DVD-ROM discs instead of the usual one, which provides, according to the publisher, over forty hours of gameplay.

The game is also known as Shadow Hearts II (シャドウハーツII, Shadō Hātsu Tsū^?) This is the name used within the game itself: the name "Shadow Hearts: Covenant" was used only on the American and European packaging and in advertising.

The story follows six months after the events of Shadow Hearts in the midst of World War I. The heroes are drawn into an intriguing plot involving the demons of demonolatry, the chief advisor of the tsar of Russia and a man from main character Yuri's past.

The release of Shadow Hearts: Covenant generated much more fanfare than its predecessor. As such, the series gained a much wider following in the United States.^{[citation needed]} It was named IGN PS2 Game of the Year for 2004 [1].

Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 3 Characters 3.1 Main playable characters 3.2 Villains 3.3 Other characters 4 Development 5 Directors Cut 6 Audio 7 Reception 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Gameplay

The Judgment Ring from Shadow Hearts returns with many modifications and improvements. Also, battle has been greatly expanded by different types of attacks as well as combo attacks. An element of physics has been added to battles as well, which links to the types of combo attacks which can be performed.

In Shadow Hearts: Covenant, players are able to customise the Judgment Ring to their own preferences with the introduction of two new Ring items: Hit Area Expand and Strike Expand, making the game easier or more challenging to the player, depending on what they want. Several ring types are also introduced to cater to the different players e.g. Practice Ring for beginners, Normal Ring for amateurs, Technical Ring for veterans and lastly, Auto Ring for gamers who simply are just too lazy to aim at the Judgment Ring.

A worthy mention of the new battle mechanism would be the introduction of the Crest Magic system, where players are able to equip Crests to certain characters that would allow them to cast different types of elemental magic. Along the journey, players are able to collect new crests and use more powerful magic. The crests may also be positioned in a key item known as Solomon's Key. Postioning the crests correctly will unlock new spells for each crest for a certain region. It should be noted that most of the crests' names are derived from the names of various demons in several ancient mythology.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant also includes "Hit Classes" which are incorporated with the physical and magical attacks. These include: Standard, Hard Hit, High Angle and Knock Down. Depending on the "weight" of the opponent monster, you'll be able to do more damage when connecting a combo during battle. Conversely, if an attack with an inappropriate Hit Class is used to continue a combo, the end result is a missed attack, or rather, a Combo Break.

For example, a Standard hit will simply push an enemy behind while attacking. This allows for any other type of Hit Class attack to be connected to do a Combo. A High Angle and Knock Down combo attack is another similar example. However, say if a Knock Down attack is applied to an enemy who has a "Heavy" weight followed by a High Angle hit, it will most probably miss since the enemy is still Knocked Down at that moment when the combo attack is made.

Combo shortcuts are also introduced where players are able to assign physical/magical attacks onto the controller buttons. This reduces the time taken to create a Combo attack as one character can attack immediately after another with a simple press of the button. However, this makes the game more challenging as players have to decide quickly what kind of attack they should follow up next as the combo shortcut menu appears only for a short amount of time i.e. when the precediing character is in the midst of launching his/her attack.

[edit] Plot

The town of Domremy has stubbornly refused to fall to the German advance at the beginning of World War I thanks to the aid of a "demon" which seems to defend it. Lieutenant Karin Koenig of the German army is sent along with a person who claims to be an Inquistor from the Vatican, Nicolai Conrad, to acquire a means of exorcising this demon. However, the 'Demon of Domremy' is actually the Harmonixer Yuri from the first Shadow Hearts. Yuri, Karin, and Nicolai soon become entangled in a plot involving secret conspiracies, the Russian royal family, the Japanese foreign minister, the mystical tome from Koudelka, and more.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Main playable characters

• Yuri Hyuga: Returning from the first Shadow Hearts, Yuri settles in the town of Domremy after burying Alice Elliot. He uses his Fusion form to scare invading soldiers away from the village, but runs into problems when Nicolas Conrad from the Vatican strikes him with the Holy Mistletoe, cursing him and diminishing his powers. He now travels with the party, hoping to regain his abilities and fight off the new evils infecting the world. His aloof and rude attitude have been somewhat tempered by the loss of Alice, but are still there in many situations. As in the original game, he uses claws to fight.

• Karin Koenig: An officer in the German army and descendant of a long line of Bavarian nobility, Karin first encounters Yuri at the church in Domrey, when he saves her from an errant grenade. After accompanying Nicolai to obtain the Mistletoe and watching the ensuing events, Karin joins Yuri's side. Fiercely independent and well-mannered, she harbors a crush and later deep love for him, and sticks by him in any situation. She uses swords, especially rapiers, in battle and obtains Sword Art power-up through the score of a Wagner opera.

• Gepetto: Once a renowned showman and puppeteer, Gepetto retired to the quiet village of Domremy, only to become mixed up in the affairs of Yuri and Nicolas. He offers good advice, but also has a bit of a lecherous side. He uses his beautiful puppet Cornelia (named for his late daughter) to fight and control his magic-based Marionette skills.

• Blanca: A white wolf, and unofficial guardian of Domremy, he joins Yuri after Jeanne is killed by Sapientes Gladio. Loyal and wise, Blanca frequently encounters other wolves, which he can fight in Wolf Bouts to raise the power of his Manifestation skills. He uses his claws to fight, which he sharpens with different kinds of files and rasps.

• Joachim Valentine: After briefly appearing in the original game taunting his brother Keith, Covenant finds Joachim as the protector of the French village of Le Harve. Joachim is both a vampire and a trained wrestler who joins the party when he succeeds in defeating the mayor, who has been pestering Granny Lot for her store. He uses several forms to fight in battle, which change depending on his Joachythms. His regular form is most frequently seen; "Invisible" form lowers his chance of being targeted; "Golden Bat" form greatly raises his physical strength but eliminates his magic abilities, and his super hero form, "Grand Papillon" (which is French for "Butterfly"), is a powered-up version of his regular form (Grand Papillon, however, turns into "Great Question" after completing the Man Festival side quest). He uses his Muscle Arts, given to him by his teacher, to improve his fighting skills, and he battles with large objects he picks up from the local environment, usually to hilarious results.

• Lucia: A master fortune-teller as popular for her beauty as her abilities, Lucia is sent by her mistress, Carla, with the party to train her abilities. She is short-sighted, flighty, and tends to speak without thinking. Lucia uses several magic skills, including Aromatherapy and Tarot Cards, and fans to fight with in battle.

• Princess Anastasia Romanov: Outgoing and inquisitive, Anastasia is suspicious of her father's adviser, Grigori Rasputin. When he frames Yuri and party for controlling Anastasia, and almost forcing her to murder her little brother, Alexei, she joins Yuri to stop Rasputin. She uses a special camera to take Snapshots of creatures, capturing their abilities, some of which she can then pull from her Album to use in battle herself. She does physical attacks with mechanical Fabrage eggs.

• Kurando Inugami: The samurai bodyguard of the Kawashimas, Kurando, as suggested by his master, Naniwa Kawashima, decides to join with Yuri and party after rescuing Yoshiko Kawashima, Naniwa's adopted daughter. Like Yuri, Kurando can fuse with demons using the skill Demon Morph, though he is limited to only two forms. It is later revealed he is cousins with Yuri. He uses katanas to fight in battle.

[edit] Villains

• Nicolas (Nicolai) Conrad: A representative for the Vatican, he asks for Karin's help in obtaining the Holy Mistletoe to get rid of the "Demon of Domremy", temporarily becoming a playable character. After he uses it on Yuri, he reveals his true nature as scheming and relentless. A member of the secret society, Sapientes Gladio, Nicolas is the boss of Lenny and Veronica, and schemes to take over the throne of Russia with the help of his master, Rasputin.
  • Nicolai Conrad is a playable character

• Lenny Curtis: A high ranking member of Sapientes Gladio, Lenny is strong and stubborn, but also somewhat slow and, as later revealed, soft-hearted. He causes many problems for the party early in the game, but seems to repent after the problems in Russia are settled.
  • Lenny Curtis is a playable character in the Directors Cut

• Veronica Vera: Referred to in-game by Lenny as "that S&M broad", Veronica is a loyal ally to Rasputin. An accomplished assassin, she constantly torments the party, even torturing them at one point for information.
  • Veronica Vera is a playable character in the Directors Cut

• Grigori Rasputin: The leader of Sapientes Gladio, Rasputin wishes to use the influence he has gained in Russia to eventually take over the world. He has made a pact with the demon Asmodeus to achieve these ends, making him extremely powerful and dangerous.

• Garan: An oracle and advisor to the Foreign Minister of Japan, Garan compensates for his weak form with powerful magics that he uses to confuse and trap the party on several occasions. The mystical pillow he floats on is a constant source of bemusement for the party.

• Special Agent Masaji Kato: An underling in the Japanese army who appeared in Shadow Hearts, Kato seems to have been promoted following the death of his superior officer, Yoshiko Kawashima. He seeks to form an alliance that will allow Russia and Japan to become allies and win the war against China. He, with the help of the Japanese government, creates three special agents to assist him in his endeavours...the Mutant Apes.

• Raiden: "Hear no evil" of the Mutant Apes. In life, he was a soldier in the Japanese army killed in the war with China. Given a second chance by Kato by becoming the first Mutant Ape, Raiden's size gives him great strength, and the battery on his back enables him to fight with powerful electrical charges.

• Hien: "Speak no evil" of the Mutant Apes, and second to be created, Hien has amazing agility and cunning; combined with the special blades wielded to his arms, he is a formidable opponent. Like Raiden, Hien is a deceased soldier.

• Ouka: "See no evil" of the Mutant Apes, the most refined and advanced, and the most human, lacking the machinery of her older counterparts, Ouka is nonetheless as fierce and dangerous of a warrior as Raiden and Hien. Unlike Hien and Raiden, Ouka is a clone, and has no memories of the past. She is cloned after Kato's deceased love, Yoshiko Kawashima.
  • Ouka, Hien, and Raiden are playable characters

[edit] Other characters

• Jeanne: The friend of Blanca and of Yuri, Jeanne is murdered by Sapientes Gladio after witnessing Yuri being cursed with the Mistletoe. Her spirit takes up residence in Yuri's subconscious, where she attempts to guide him to happiness and fulfillment.

• Pierre Magimel: A tailor, Pierre custom makes special costumes for Gepetto's puppet, Cornelia. However, he only takes a collectible called a Stud Card in payment, which usually feature muscular, near naked man holding strategically placed props.

• Gerard Magimel: Pierre's brother, Gerard runs a traveling item shop from his truck. Eager to make a sale, the two seem to have the ability to travel literally anywhere, and appear in the most unlikely and secretive of places.

• The Great Gama: Joachim's teacher, Gama is a renowned wrestler and the world champion. He can be found in Southhampton and the Imperial Capital, ready to teach Joachim his skills. He is the last thing standing between Joachim and the vampire's ultimate power, courtesy of a little event known as the Man Festival.

• Carla: The mistress of Lucia, Carla is an accomplished fortune-teller herself. In her younger, more beautiful days she was once a member of Sapientes Gladio, but she fled when she realized just how violent the group was. She offers assistance, information, and healing to the party.

• Roger Bacon: A famous magician who is over four-hundred years old. Once again, Roger is drawn into Yuri's affairs when he is kidnapped by Lenny. After he is freed, he provides information and transportation to the party, the latter in the form of the Bacon Jet.

• Edgar: A clockmaker in Petrograd. He is like an uncle to Anastasia. Edgar gives Anastasia the camera that helps her acquire extra abilities, as well as the egg she uses in battle. He also assists the party in the latter half of the story.

• Jovis Abraham: A former archbishop of the Eastern Orthodox church and the founder of the true Sapientes Gladio, Jovis split with it when Rasputin corrupted its purpose, fleeing into seclusion. Now living in Goreme Valley, he agrees to help the party to put a stop to Rasputin's evil plans.

• Albert Simon: The late Simon, residing as a spirit in Yuri's soul, reveals that the events of the last game were a misguided attempt to stop Sapientes Gladio and Rasputin. Simon helps Yuri make a pact with the demon Amon.

• Yoshiko Kawashima: The adopted daughter of Naniwa Kawashima and named for her older "sister", Yoshiko is actually a Chinese princess spirited into hiding. Yoshiko inadvertently causes trouble for the party when she is kidnapped from under Kurando's nose shortly after they arrive in Japan. She develops a certain affection for Blanca.

• Saki Inugami: Mother of Kurando and aunt to Yuri, Saki leads the Inugami clan and assists the party with her powers of divination and sound advice. Like Kurando and Yuri, Saki has the power to fuse.

• Alice Elliot: Yuri's lover, and Gepetto's late wives niece, from the original Shadow Hearts. She died of the Four-Mask curse, six months before the events of Domremy. Like Albert Simon, Alice's spirit now lives within Yuri's soul.

[edit] Development

The game as a whole was revamped from Shadow Hearts, including the graphics, the way the Judgment Ring worked, and the cast of characters. Game critics have also smiled upon Shadow Hearts: Covenant much more than the original, and a general consensus seems to be that the game is an overall improvement on the first.

An interesting bit of trivia, is that, when this game was in its early stages of development, Aruze "leaked" that the story revolved around only Nicolai, Karin and other yet-to-be-named allies. Yuri was unmentioned and Shadow Hearts 2 was believed to be absent and this game a separate story. However, once the game was released, many players and fans were delighted and surprised to see that Yuri had made his return as the main focus of this game.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Directors Cut

After the release of the original game, a directors cut version was released in Japan, and never saw US shores. This Directors Cut included:

• The Sea of Woods optional dungeon
• The Nahasu Temple Dungeon (Played after the Neam Ruins)
• Veronica Vera and Rene (Lenny) Curtis as playable characters
• Extra scenes between Veronica and Lucia in Gerome Vally, the Curry men at the Yokohama Warehouses, and Lucia and Anastasia in Florence
• Panda/Kappa weapon for Yuri
• New "Beautiful Fool" dress for Cornelia
• Scene between Yuri and Alice is prerendered
• Trailer for Shadow Hearts: From the New World

Changes also include some different music tracks, a slightly bigger Judgment Ring, and support for the PlayStation 2 HDD.

[edit] Audio

The voice actors in the English version of the game are as follows:

• Joey Capps — Yuri Hyuga
• Michelle Ruff — Alice Elliot/Ouka
• Kari Wahlgren — Karin Koenig/Carla
• Bob Papenbrook — Rasputin
• Ardwight Chamberlain — Nicolas 'Nicolai' Conrad
• Jamieson Price — Special Agent Kato
• Stephanie Sheh — Princess Anastasia Romanov
• Amos Nandy — Gepetto/Roger Bacon/Naniwa
• George C. Cole — Joachim Valentine/Albert Simon
• Richard Cansino — Lenny Curtis/Kurando Inugami/Blanca (Blanca only in Wolf Bout cutscenes)

[edit] Reception

It was named IGN's RPG Vault PS2 Game of the Year for 2004 [2].

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Shadow Hearts: Covenant site
• Shadow Hearts series at MobyGames
• Shadow Hearts II Official Site (Japanese)