Vandal Hearts (PlayStation)

CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
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Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)
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Gamespot editors' review

• Reviewed by: Peter Bartholow
• Reviewed on: 03/27/1997
• Updated on: 05/02/2000

Is 32-bit gameplay better than that of the 16 or 8-bit eras? While the graphics are beyond anything fathomable five years ago, most gamers are still unsure of whether the games they are playing today are actually more fun than those of a few years ago. Konami's Vandal Hearts is a prime example of the industry's lopsided development. It's a solid, terrific looking game - yet it lacks the features that made RPGs like Shining Force instant classics.

The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the youth are getting restless. So goes the story of Vandal Hearts (and if it sounds familiar, that's because it basically the same as Konami's last game, Suikoden). Government corruption and a growing unrest among the common folk are steadily coming to a head, leaving the player as the only one to prevent "anarchy in the RPG" from breaking out.

Vandal Hearts builds on the Shining Force motif and sticks to RPG basics. Players lead a sizable team of warriors, mages, clerics, and other role-playing types against a variety of enemy monsters and bosses. Combat is strategically driven, requiring players to prepare in town and carefully map out strategies for each battle. Between fights, the plot unfolds and players are given time to prepare for the next conflict.

One unique addition to the game's combat system is the tactical interplay among the seven character classes. For instance, knights have the advantage against bowmen, who have an advantage over flying characters, and the flying characters in -turn have an advantage against knights. Keeping track of all of this, as well as factoring in the advantage offered by boulders and similar useful items strewn throughout polygonal battlefields, can be pretty mind-boggling, and players will need to remain sharp in order to succeed in this unique mix of chess, rock-paper-scissors, and Dungeon & Dragons.

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