Vandal Hearts (PlayStation)

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Had Final Fantasy VII never existed, Vandal Hearts' combination of sprites and polygons would be rather impressive. The various battlefields, which appear to hover, lack polygonal detail giving objects a peculiar "squared-off" look with a high level of pop-up. Even so, the game's textures are colorful and detailed, and give the game a look reminiscent of Pandemonium. The battles start off unimpressively, but as your spells build, the visual effects rival those of the ultra-impressive Suikoden. Between chapter cinematics are also a nice touch, if somewhat compressed. Game sound is a mixed bag, offering effects that vary wildly in quality and music that can only be described as nondescript.

In the end, Vandal Hearts' fatal flaw is its lack of the explorative aspect that made games like Shining Force so great. Instead the game's progression is perfectly linear and completely lacking in replay value (don't bother looking for hidden characters and other special items you won't find either). Players should expect roughly fifteen hours of gameplay, mostly spent in battle.

Considering how much it borrows from classic strategy/role-playing games, it's a shame to see that Vandal Hearts does not live up to its potential.

See more CNET content tagged:: Konami Corp.,; role-playing game,; battle,; character,; gameplay

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