Vandal Hearts

by Konami

Product Details

• ASIN: B00002SV4N
• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,265 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

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.

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. --Peter Bartholow
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Product Description

This is the game Vandal Hearts for the Playstation 1. This game may not come with the original case and instructions. We stand by our products and offer a 60 day guarantee. If a game does not work within 60 days from the time you receive it we will gladly exchange it for you.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Battle strategy and RPG combined............, April 12, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Vandal Hearts (Video Game)

Ok, I'm 33 years old, and a girl, and I like battle games! Sometimes.

This is one of those games that works. The characters are interesting because you can choose the direction in which they develop. There are enough classes, that if you play wisely, you will have a real solid fighting force with many attack strategy possibilities.

Amazingly enough, there's even a story line to follow. :)

There are plenty of places to go and lots of secrets to find. The more secrets you uncover, the more battles you may fight, some of which are on interesting terrain with interesting problems to overcome if you intend to win.

The graphics are ok. Nothing fabulous here, except I really loved how all the places you go float in space. Why do they do that? I have no idea. It just looks neat.

This game is not overly difficult to play. You just have to do some planning. It's not rocket science, just a few hours of honest, game playing fun.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vandal Hearts, January 5, 2005

By 

Chris Nielsen (FL) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Vandal Hearts (Video Game)

Though not one of the longer strategy -RPG's out there (that honor would have to go to Disgaea, or the epitome of all strategy RPG's Final Fantasy Tactics), Vandal Hearts is one of the most overlooked games on the Sony Playstation. Starting out the game you are put in the role of Ash who along with his friends Diego and Clint fight off a group of bandits who are attacking them. This sets the games gameplay in place, with blood flying and a soundtrack that only the fine folks at konami could produce, one that still echoes in my head to this day. Although the graphics are quite dated by todays standards the gameplay elements of this game are where it truly shines. After leveling up at level 10 or level 20 you are given the option to upgrade your character, thus allowing you access to new moves and enhanced abilities. For example archers can continue along the bowman path, or can get rid of their bows in exchange for the ability to fly which becomes irreplaceable later on in the game. Someone elses review said that this game had little replay value, but I would have to disagree, having beaten this game on at least 4 different occasions. Clocking in at somewhere around 16-22 hours it is not a long game, but there are somewhere around 6 or 7 seven secret levels, which are really tough and require precise skills, but if accomplished correctly open up not only a slightly secret ending, but also the class of Vandalier for Ash, opening up every skill in the game for the main character, and making him basically a God among the other soldiers. The realtionship between Ash and Elena develops throughout the game very well and the ties of friendship are established between other members of your party, just like any great RPG. Konami was on one hell of a roll back in the day, releasing this game, Suikoden, Metal Gear Solid, and Castlevania: SOTN within a year or two of each other, signifying them as one of the premiere publishers during the original Playstations golden Age, and producing all of these A class titles. Definitely do not miss out on the chance to own this game, especially if you grew up with games like Shining Force. Not to be passed up.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No replay value?, June 10, 2004

By 

mdizzog (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vandal Hearts (Video Game)

Is that a joke? This game is fantastic and still fun today.

Basically it is like Shining Force 2 where you get people and can upgrade them. You get a choice for most of your characters and each game you can try different jobs to see what you like. This game has alot of memorable characters and pretty nice graphics. The story is also impressive and stays interesting. I've played it numerous times and still love it. Do I reccomend this game? Of course I do. Will you get your moneys worth when you buy it? Yea, you will...
5 stars!