Shadow Hearts
Developer(s)	Sacnoth
Publisher(s)	JPN Aruze NA Midway PAL Midway
Designer(s)	Izumi Hamamoto (director) Matsuzo Itakura (writer) Miyako Kato (character design) Yoshitaka Hirota (composer) Yasunori Mitsuda (composer)
Series	Shadow Hearts
Release date(s)	JPN June 28, 2001 NA December 11, 2001 PAL March 29, 2002
Genre(s)	Console RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	CERO: 15 ESRB: M (Mature) ELSPA: 15+ USK: 12 OFLC: MA15+ VET: 15
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Media	1 DVD

Shadow Hearts (シャドウハーツ, Shadōhātsu^?) is a console role-playing game developed by Sacnoth and published by Midway in 2001. It is the first official game in the Shadow Hearts series and Koudelka is its prequel. Shadow Hearts follows the adventures of a Harmonixer as he is guided by a mysterious voice in his head. He finds himself thrown into the conflicts prior to World War I and eventually having to save the world from destruction. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1528x2144, 606 KB) Game cover for Shadow Hearts This image is cover art for a computer or video game, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the games publisher or developer. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates computer or video games. ... Sacnoth, is a small Japan based video games developer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... ... Aruze Company Logo Aruze Corp. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) (formerly Midway Manufacturing) is an American video game publisher. ... The PAL region is a video game publication territory which covers Australasia and the majority of Eurasia. ... Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) (formerly Midway Manufacturing) is an American video game publisher. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... A game director is a person who is in-charge of significant creative aspects of a video game. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Yoshitaka Hirota , born 1 September 1971) is a Japanese video game music composer. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Yasunori Mitsuda (光田 康典 Mitsuda Yasunori, born January 21, 1972) is a Japanese composer and musician best known for his soundtracks for various video games. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 186 days remaining. ... 2001 2001 in games 2000 in video gaming 2002 in video gaming Notable events of 2001 in video gaming. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001 2001 in games 2000 in video gaming 2002 in video gaming Notable events of 2001 in video gaming. ... The PAL region is a video game publication territory which covers Australasia and the majority of Eurasia. ... March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in leap years). ... 2002 2002 in games 2001 in video gaming 2003 in video gaming Notable events of 2002 in video gaming. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) is the organization that rates video game and computer software in Japan with levels of rating that informs the customer of the nature of the product and what age group it is suitable for. ... The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles for computer and video games in the United States. ... The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (or ELSPA) is an organisation set up in 1989 by British software publishers. ... Usk (signposted in Welsh as Brynbuga) is a small picturesque town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport. ... The Office of Film and Literature Classification is a statutory classification body which provides day to day administrative support for the Classification Board which classified films, video games and publications in Australia, and the Classification Review Board which reviews films, computer games and publications when a valid application has been... Valtion elokuvatarkastamo (VET) is the Finnish Board of Film Classification. ... The PlayStation 2 (PS2) ) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ... DVD (commonly Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sacnoth, is a small Japan based video games developer. ... Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) (formerly Midway Manufacturing) is an American video game publisher. ... 2001 2001 in games 2000 in video gaming 2002 in video gaming Notable events of 2001 in video gaming. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Shadow Hearts is a small series of role-playing games for the Sony PlayStation 2. ... Shapeshifting, transformation , transmogrification or morphing is a change in the form or shape of a person, especially: a change from human form to animal form and vice versa a change in appearance from one person to another Shapeshifting is not considered scientifically or medically possible for humans (and animal shapeshifting... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Franz...

Shadow Hearts was released around the same time as other productions and was consequently overlooked by many gamers. Nevertheless, Shadow Hearts has gained a cult following in video gaming circles for its quirky use and misuse of historical facts and situations in a form of secret history. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A secret history (or shadow history) is a version of history that is at odds with commonly accepted historical events and which is claimed to have been deliberately suppressed or forgotten. ...

Gameplay

Shadow Hearts contains many elements of a traditional role-playing game (RPG). Like its predecessor Koudelka, the player controls a 3D character and maneuvers around in a 2D pre-rendered background representing the environment called a Submap. Throughout the course of the game, there are many items that can be found in the submap in the form of chests while some are marked with a shining dot. There are also items that are less obvious and are only noticeable when the player is directly in front of them.^[1] To change locations in Shadow Hearts, the player can choose from a World Map. The world map is essentially a drawn map with different locations indicated by dots.^[2] A role-playing game (RPG, often roleplaying game) is a type of game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters and collaboratively create or follow stories. ... A 3D rendering with raytracing and ambient occlusion using Blender and Yafray 3D computer graphics are works of graphic art created with the aid of digital computers and 3D software. ... 2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models (such as 2D geometric models, text, and digital images) and by techniques specific to them. ... Pre-rendered graphics, in computer graphics, is a video footage which is not being rendered in real-time by the hardware that is outputing or playing back the video. ...

Battle

Like many RPGs, Shadow Hearts uses a turn-based battle system where the player chooses their actions from a menu. The list of actions include many basic commands such as Attack, Items, and Escape.^[3] Enemies are encountered through random encounters and are not visible in the submap. Here the characters battle in a 3D environment which is modeled after a section of the character’s current location. The characters and enemies stay in their respective positions and never move. This is different from the grid-based battle environment used in Koudelka where both characters and enemies move around. The characters are controlled by the player and the enemies are controlled by the CPU. RPG is an abbreviation with several different meanings: Role-playing game, in which players assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create narratives Computer role-playing game (sometimes CRPG), a video game with the setting and game mechanics of a role-playing game Console role-playing game, a CRPG for... A BlueGene supercomputer cabinet. ...

The party is made up of three characters and can be changed, with the exception of Yuri, by speaking with the NPC Meiyuan.^[4] Characters can be positioned either in the back row or front row. The back row is suited for characters with lower physical defense and attack while the front row is suited for characters with higher physical defense and attack.^[5] Another aspect of the battle is the character's base statistics. There are the traditional Hit Points (HP) and Magic Points (MP) plus the new Sanity Points (SP). Like many other RPGs, the character's HP will decrease every time they receive damage and their MP decreases when a skill is used. SP decreases every turn and dictates how long a character can last in a battle before they become 'mentally unstable'. When SP decreases to zero, the character automatically goes into a state of Berserk and the player will lose control of that character. At the end of every battle all the character’s SP is replenished. Each character gains HP, MP, and SP every time they gain a level and there are many items which help restore lost HP, MP, and SP. There are also items which alleviate status ailments as well as revival items.^[6] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In many wargames, role-playing games, and combat-oriented video games, hit points are an abstraction for the amount of damage an object or player in the game can take before becoming ineffective. ... Magic points (MP), or “mana”, are units of magical power that are used in many role-playing, computer role-playing and similar games. ... Look up berserk in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Judgment Ring

The Judgment Ring is a unique element in Shadow Hearts and is used in many aspects of the game including battles, minigames, and even shopping. The success of the characters actions is dependent on the outcome of the Judgment Ring. Essentially, the Judgment Ring is a circle with different colored segments and a rotating needle which is stopped by the player's input. When an action is chosen, the Judgment Ring is presented on the screen. Players then have to watch the rotating needle carefully as it rotates and hit the colored segments.^[7] In Fantastic Dizzy, the player has to complete a sliding puzzle to get an extra life. ...

• Physical Attack Rings possess three Hit Areas coupled with Strike Areas. By hitting all of the hit areas, the character will perform three attacks. If any of the hit areas are missed, the character’s turn will be skipped or their amount of attacks will be reduced depending on which hit area is missed. If the first hit area is missed the turn is automatically skipped. If the player hits the first hit area but misses the subsequent hit areas, the amount of attacks will be reduced.^[9]

• Magic Attack/Special Ability Rings differ from Physical Attacks Rings. These rings possess Step Areas and a Modulation Area with a Strike Area. All the step areas must be hit or else the special attack will fail. The modulation area operates like the hit areas of a physical attack.^[10]

• Item Rings only possess one Hit Area by itself or coupled with a Strike Area. This depends on the item being used and its effect. Items that cure HP, MP, or SP for a specific amount can be enhanced by strike areas whereas items that cure fully or alleviate status effects don’t require a strike area to enhance the effect.^[11]

• Minigame Rings only possess Hit Areas which must all be hit in order to win the minigame (with the exception of the Lottery). The Push Ring is a timed game, which has only one hit area, where the player must make the needle move towards the hit area and keep it there until the time runs out. The Normal Ring has three hit areas and the player must hit all three of them and for as many rotations the game states. Lastly, there is the Lottery. The Lottery has many different colored hit areas each corresponding to a different prize. The player only needs to hit one of the hit areas to be successful.

A lottery is a popular form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. ...

Special Abilities

Every character in Shadow Hearts has their own unique special abilities. These abilities include offensive, restorative and supportive spells. Every character, except for Yuri, will gain their abilities as they gain experience and level up. Yuri on the other hand must acquire his Fusions by collecting Soul Energy.^[12]

Malice

Malice in Shadow Hearts is the vengeance of the enemies that the party has killed. Malice accumulates every time the player finishes a battle. Most enemies give one point of malice while bosses give higher amounts.^[13] Yuri possesses an accessory called a Talisman that can display how much malice has accumulated. It changes color from Dark Blue (lowest) to Red (maximum). Once it has reached the maximum, the door to the dark side opens and the Grim Reaper is summoned to the real world.^[14] The Grim Reaper manifests itself as the one Yuri fears the most.^[15] Once this occurs, the party will randomly encounter the Grim Reaper forcing Yuri to fight him alone. The term Malice has several meanings: Malice (legal term), a legal term describing the intent to harm Malice (movie), a 1993 movie starring Nicole Kidman, Alec Baldwin and Bill Pullman Malice (noun), a way to describe the feeling of hatred or disrespect. ... Talisman can refer to: An amulet sometimes believed to have mystical, and amazing powers The Talisman board game from Games Workshop Talisman - Sacred Cities, Secret Faith by Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval Talisman (band) - a hard rock band. ... Death, personified is an anthropomorphic figure or a fictional character who has existed in mythology and popular culture since the earliest days of storytelling. ...

To clear the malice the player must go into the Graveyard in Yuri’s mental realm. Once inside, there are four masks (Sword, Grail, Staff, and Gold) that will allow the player to fight a monster to clear the malice. This monster is a manifestation of the accumulated malice. Depending on the amount of malice, the monster will be different.^[16]

Shopping

Shopping in Shadow Hearts is similar to most RPGs. The player can buy items or equipment using the in-game currency, Cash. The element that sets shopping in Shadow Hearts apart from other games is the use of the Judgment Ring. Throughout the course of the game, the player can collect certain Guild Cards to attain different ranks. Once the player has a card, they are automatically given an option to get a discount when buying or a price rise when selling. By collecting different guild cards, the player can receive different privileges. RPG is an abbreviation with several different meanings: Role-playing game, in which players assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create narratives Computer role-playing game (sometimes CRPG), a video game with the setting and game mechanics of a role-playing game Console role-playing game, a CRPG for...

Once the player chooses to receive a discount a ring with three Hit Areas is presented. To be successful, all three hit areas must be hit. Depending on the item being bought or sold, the size of the hit areas and the speed of the needle changes. When the player aims for higher discount or price raise rates, they must complete individual rings for each level.^[17]

Characters

Playable Characters

• Yuri Volte Hyuga (Urmnaf "Uru" Bort Hyuga in the Japanese version) is the protagonist of the game and was born in Katsuragi in 1890 to a Japanese father, Ben Hyuga, and a Russian mother, Anne.^[18] As the protagonist, Yuri does not possess the qualities of a true hero. He speaks his mind and is not very polite. He was aptly named Rude Hero before his name was revealed to the player.^[19][20] At the beginning of the game it is clear that his actions are not of his own will and are influenced by the mysterious voice. The thrill of battles was the only thing that kept him interested.^[19] But after he meets Alice Elliot he begins to change. His will to change is fueled further when he discovers Alice had used her own soul to save him after failing to successfully fuse with the god Dehuai summoned.^[20][21] He is influenced to fight for the world he lives in and the world his father died to protect.^[22] As a character, Yuri is the strongest out of all the characters in the game. He is a Harmonixer with the ability of Fusion. He inherited his fusion abilities from his father but could not use these abilities until they were awakened. One night, he and his mother were attacked by zombies and his mother was killed trying to protect him. The trauma triggered his fusion powers to arise.^[23][24] Being a Harmonixer, he has the ability of Fusion. He can fuse into demons of all the elements and even some non-elemental demons. By fusing, Yuri can use different abilities these demons have to offer.^[25] When Yuri is not using his fusions, he uses knuckle mounted blades as his weapon.

• Alice Elliot was born in 1893 to Father Morris Elliot, an English Priest. She was raised in London, England and began to hear supernatural voices at a young age. She later became an exorcist and helped her father perform exorcisms.^[23] When Alice was saved by Yuri, she was not sure how to think of him. But after spending more time with him and seeing him risk his own life to defeat Dehuai, she grew attached to him. After Yuri attempted to fuse with Seraphic Radience, Alice chose to use her own soul to save him.^[20] In battle, Alice has the ability to do White Magic allowing her to heal party members and damage enemies. ^[26] Out of all the characters, Alice is the best healer in the game. She uses books as her weapon.

• Zhuzhen Liu (劉朱震, Hanyu Pinyin: Liú Zhūzhèn) was born in China and is believed to be over 60 years of age. He is a Sage who was taught by Master Xifa along with his peer Dehuai.^[27] 15 years prior to Shadow Hearts, Ben Hyuga helped him when he was being harassed by Dehuai’s underlings. As a result, Zhuzhen helped Hyuga to stop Dehuai from succeeding in the Demon's Gate Invocation. ^[28] One night he happens to meet Yuri and Alice in the village of Zhaoyang.^[29] In battle, he is able to perform Yin and Yang allowing him to heal allies and do damage to enemies.^[30] He uses staffs as his weapon.

• Margarete Gertrude Zelle is a world famous spy and she happened to meet Yuri and Alice during her mission in Fengtian. Her mission was to keep the Japanese soldiers stuck in Fengtian by destroying the railway with a bomb but Yuri and Alice get caught in the explosion.^[27][31][32] Margarete uses Secret Weapons during battle to deal damage to enemies. She receives her weapons by using her cell phone to call for aid.^[33] Her weapons are guns.

• Keith Valentine is a vampire who is believed to be over 400 years old. He occupies Blue Castle, the home of his ancestors, and has been sleeping for a long period of time before he meets Yuri and everyone else.^[27] He decides to join them as a result. Keith performs Rituals during battle allowing him to heal himself as well as dealing damage to enemies.^[34] His weapons are swords. Keith is also someone who appreciates other types of rituals or powers.^[35]

• Halley Brancket is the son of Koudelka Iasant, the main character of Koudelka. He was separated from his mother in London when she was taken away due to a Witch Hunt.^[36] He takes the role of a big brother to the orphans in London and is aided by Yuri to save the orphans at the orphanage from Jack's attempt to revive his mother using the Émigré Manuscript.^[37] Like his mother, Halley has the ability of ESP.^[38] However, he is not able to control it very well unlike his mother.^[35] He uses slingshots in battle.

Yuri Volte Hyuga is the hero of the video games, Shadow Hearts, and Shadow Hearts: Covenant. ... The main character is the central figure of a story. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Shadow Hearts (video game). ... For other uses see Zombie (disambiguation) A zombie is a kind of undead, or figuratively, a very apathetic person. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Shadow Hearts (video game). ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Roman Catholic priests in clerical clothing. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... An exorcist is a person who performs exorcism, the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who have possessed a person, or (sometimes) a building or other object. ... Saint Francis exorcised demons in Arezzo, fresco of Giotto Exorcism (from Late Latin exorcismus, from Greek exorkizein - to adjure) is the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual entities from a person of which they have possessed (taken control of). ... Pinyin (拼音, Pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of... Look up sage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Chaoyang (simplified Chinese: 朝阳; pinyin: Cháoyáng) is a prefecture-level city in Liaoning province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Taijitu, the traditional symbol representing the forces of Yin and Yang The concepts of Yin and Yang originate in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. ... Mata Hari, exotic dancer and convicted spy, made her name synonymous with femme fatale during World War I. For the Indonesian supermarket/department store chain, see Matahari. ... Spy and secret agent redirect here; for alternate use, see Spy (disambiguation) and Secret agent (disambiguation). ... Fengtian (Chinese: 奉天; Pinyin: Fèngtiān; Wade-Giles: Feng tien; Postal System Pinyin: Fengtien) is: The name of an old prefecture under which Shenyang city was administered. ... Motorola T2288 mobile phone A mobile phone is a portable electronic device which behaves as a normal telephone whilst being able to move over a wide area (compare cordless phone which acts as a telephone only within a limited range). ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopaedia entry. ... Philip Burne-Jones, The Vampire, 1897 This article deals with vampires in folklore and legends. ... A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... A witch-hunt was traditionally a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, which could lead to a witchcraft trial involving the accused person. ... ESP can mean: In the paranormal: Extra-sensory perception Effective Sensory Projection In music: E.S.P. (Miles Davis album), an album by Miles Davis E.S.P. (Bee Gees album), an album by the Bee Gees Ectopic Shapeshifting Penance-propulsion, on The Mars Voltas De-Loused in the...

Non Playable Characters

• Albert Simon is the antagonist of the game and very little is known about him. At the beginning, he uses his past teacher's identity, Roger Bacon, to deceive everyone. His birthplace and date is unknown but it is believed that he might be older than Roger Bacon. In order for his plans to work he must use Alice's powers.^[23]

• Roger Bacon is an alchemist who discovered a way to keep himself alive for over 600 years. He was present in Koudelka and aided Koudelka Iasant in Nemeton Monastery.^[39] In Shadow Hearts the party finally meets Roger and he reveals Albert Simon's real identity and goals to them.^[40]

• Dehuai was a student of Master Xifa along with Zhuzhen. 15 years prior to Shadow Hearts, he tried to perform the Demon’s Gate Invocation to summon to god Seraphic Radiance; a being of pure power who is neither physical nor spiritual and destroys all in his path. He planned on destroying Japan and at the same time rule Shanghai. He was stopped by Ben Hyuga and most of his power was eradicated. But over the years he regained his powers and again tried the same ritual. However, this time Yuri was able to stop him and at the same time killing Dehuai.^[28]

• Kawashima Yoshiko (川島芳子) was sent in to investigate the incident in the train at the Trans-Siberian Railroad and pursues Alice to discover how the men escorting her were slaughtered. It is revealed that Kawashima planned Alice’s capture and was sending her as a gift to her father.^[41] She was also planning to take Alice because she knew Dehuai required her to destroy Japan. She used her power and status to make sure nobody could defeat Japan. Because of this, Kawashima does not trust people very easily and will eliminate anyone who, to her eyes, aren’t trustworthy.^[42][43] Kawashima never reported back any details of her actions to the Capitol. This caused an investigation to be done and coupled with her father deserting her, eventually led to her execution.^[44]

• Koudelka Iasant plays a small role in Shadow Hearts. She is the mother of Halley but was separated from him due to a witch hunt.^[36] Albert Simon reveals to the party that Koudelka is the opposite, in terms of her power, of Alice and could replace Alice as a key for his goal.^[45] Although unknown at first, it is revealed later in the game that Koudelka is the source of the mysterious voice who has been guiding Yuri on his various quests, including the one seen at the game's beginning that eventually led him to save Alice from Albert Simon.

• Ben Hyuga (Jinpachiro Hyuga in the Japanese version) was the father of Yuri and the person who Yuri inherited his Fusion abilities from. He died after attempting to use his fusion powers to forcefully merge with the god, Seraphic Radiance. Apparently no Harmonixer was ever able to successfully fuse with Seraphic Radiance except for him, but this fusion cost him his life.^[28] He protects Yuri which is revealed by Koudelka when she told Yuri that he was being protected by a being that is even feared by Albert. Eventually Yuri was able to contact his father's spirit and battle him to acquire the fusion of Seraphic Radiance.^[46]

An antagonist is a fictional character or group of characters, or, sometimes an institution of a story who represents the opposition against which the hero(es) or protagonist(s) must contend. ... Look up alchemist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Kawashima Yoshiko (1907 - October 22, 1947) (川島芳子) was a Manchu princess brought up as a Japanese and executed as a Japanese spy by the Kuomintang after the Second Sino-Japanese War. ... Trans-Siberian line in red; Baikal Amur Mainline in green. ...

Plot

Setting

Shadow Hearts takes place in an alternate reality of the real world in the year 1913. The major areas that are visited include many locations in China and Europe. Here is a list of the different locations found in Shadow Hearts: This phrase may be used: to refer to a group of computer games called Alternate Reality. as another way of describing the concept of a parallel universe in physics or metaphysics. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Europe at its furthest extent, reaching to the Urals. ...

China: Trans-Siberian Railroad, Zhaoyang Village, Fengtian, Dalian, Shanghai, and Kowloon
Europe: Prague, Bistritz, Rouen, and London. Trans-Siberian line in red; Baikal Amur Mainline in green. ... Chaoyang (simplified Chinese: 朝阳; pinyin: Cháoyáng) is a prefecture-level city in Liaoning province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Fengtian (Chinese: 奉天; Pinyin: Fèngtiān; Wade-Giles: Feng tien; Postal System Pinyin: Fengtien) is: The name of an old prefecture under which Shenyang city was administered. ... Dalian (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Dàlián; Japanese: Dairen; Russian: Далянь, Dalian or Дальний, Dalny) is the governing sub-provincial city in the eastern Liaoning Province of Northeast China. ... Shanghai (Chinese: ; pinyin:  ; Wu (Long-short): ZÃ¥nhae; Shanghainese (IPA): ), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the Peoples Republic of China and the eighth largest in the world. ... In modern day Hong Kong, Kowloon refers to the urban area made up of Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon, bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutters Island in the west, Tates Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... County BistriÅ£a-Năsăud County Status County capital Mayor Moldovan Vasile, Democratic Party, since 2000 Population (2002) 81,467 Geographical coordinates Web site http://www. ... Rouen Cathedral The entrance to Rouen Cathedral Abbey church of Saint-Ouen, (chevet) in Rouen Rouen, medieval house Rouen (pronounced in French, sometimes also ) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and presently the capital of the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) région. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Story

Koudelka was set in 1898. Shadow Hearts moves considerably ahead and starts in late 1913 on a branch of the Trans-Siberian Railroad in Manchuria. The game begins with Yuri hearing a voice in his head telling him to rescue a girl named Alice Elliot, whose priest father was recently murdered in a most brutal fashion in Rouen, France. After an English gentleman by the name of Roger Bacon attempts to abduct Alice from the Japanese army himself, Yuri saves her, and starts a quest through China, and eventually Europe, to discover Alice's importance, Bacon's intent, the identity of the mysterious voice, and his own relevance. 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Trans-Siberian line in red; Baikal Amur Mainline in green. ... Manchuria (Manchu: Manju; Traditional Chinese: 滿洲; Simplified Chinese: 满洲; pinyin: Mǎnzhōu, Russian: ) is a vast territorial region in northeast Asia. ... Rouen Cathedral The entrance to Rouen Cathedral Abbey church of Saint-Ouen, (chevet) in Rouen Rouen, medieval house Rouen (pronounced in French, sometimes also ) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and presently the capital of the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) région. ... Statue of Roger Bacon in the Oxford University Museum Roger Bacon (c. ... Japans honor guard often marches to greet the arrival of foreign dignitaries. ... Europe at its furthest extent, reaching to the Urals. ...

Endings

There are two endings to Shadow Hearts: the "good" and the "bad" ending. The good ending occurs when Yuri fights alongside Alice in his mental realm, the Graveyard, and defeats Atman, the protector of the Four Masks. The "bad" ending occurs when Alice fights an impossible battle against Atman and "dies" in the dream. Graves at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York A cemetery is a place (usually an enclosed area of land) in which dead bodies are buried. ... Atman may refer to a concept in Hindu and Buddhist traditions: Atman (Hinduism) Atman (Buddhism) See also Anatta (anatman) This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

The difference between the two endings is only seen when the game credits are rolling after one has completed the game. Alice and Yuri are seen sleeping on a train back to her hometown, Zurich. In the good ending, Alice wakes up on the train after a while. In the bad ending, Alice does not wake up since she has sacrificed her soul to Atman to protect Yuri's life. Shadow Hearts' sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, dictates that the bad ending of this game is canon. Location within Switzerland   Zürich[?] (German pronunciation IPA: ; usually spelled Zurich in English) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ...

Development

The brainchild of Matsuzo Itakura (art director of Koudelka), who succeeded Hiroki Kikuta as the president of Sacnoth, this game plays more similarly to standard console RPGs than Koudelka yet features some innovations that set it apart. It marks the introduction of the "Judgment Ring" system as well as Sanity Points, a somewhat Lovecraftian addition. Hiroki Kikuta (菊田 裕樹 Kikuta Hiroki, born August 29, 1962) is one of the more known composer of video game music. ... Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction. ...

Audio

Shadow Hearts only features vocals during certain [cut scene]s and FMVs. Most of the game consists of written dialogue accompanied by emoticons to display emotions or reactions. Screenshot of an FMV from Final Fantasy VIII. Full motion video, usually abbreviated as FMV, is a popular term for TV-quality movie or animation in a video game. ... An emoticon (pronounced (IPA) ), also called a smiley, is a sequence of ordinary printable characters, such as :-), ^_^, ._. ...

Voice Acting

The voice actors in the North American and PAL versions of the game are as follows [1]: A voice actor (also a voice artist) is a person who provides voices for animated characters (including those in feature films, television series, animated shorts), voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... For other uses, see PAL (disambiguation). ...

• Eric Stuart — Yuri Hyuga
• Veronica Taylor — Alice Elliot
• Madeleine Blaustein — Margarete G. Zelle
• Scott Rayow — Zhuzhen Liu
• Ted Lewis — Keith Valentine
• Carter Cathcart — Roger Bacon

Eric Stuart (Born October 18, 1967 in Brooklyn, New York), is a singer and a voice actor, who resigned on the properties of 4Kids Entertainment. ... Veronica Taylor (b. ... Madeleine Blaustein (also credited as Adam Blaustein and Addie Blaustein) is a voice actress born in Long Island, New York, USA in October 9, 1960. ... Ted Lewis is a voice actor who does voiceover work in the English dubbed versions of certain anime. ... There are several men named Carter Cathcart (and similar spellings), among them: Carter Cathcart (voice actor) Carter Cathcart (1940s Artist) This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

Soundtrack

The OST (Original Soundtrack) of Shadow Hearts was released as two Compact Discs under the name of Shadow Hearts Original Soundtracks Plus1 by Scitron in Japan on July 18, 2001. It was composed and arranged by Yoshitaka Hirota and Yasunori Mitsuda and recorded at TwinTail Studios. OST can have more than one meaning: Office Supply Technology Established in 1987, OST Group, Inc. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Scitron is a Japanese record label that publishes video game music albums. ... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Yasunori Mitsuda (光田 康典 Mitsuda Yasunori, born January 21, 1972) is a Japanese composer and musician best known for his soundtracks for various video games. ...

The OST packaging was unique in that it was released as a small hardcover book with the CDs contained in cardboard sleeves serving as the first and last pages. The soundtrack was later re-released on January 19, 2005 in a regular plastic CD case and having an altered cover. A review of the soundtrack along with some samples can be viewed here[2]. January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The ending theme, titled Ending Theme ~ Shadow Hearts, was composed by Yoshitaka Hirota and the lyrics were written by James H. Woan. It features vocals by Hiroko Kasahara and Kyoko Kishikawa.^[47] Hiroko Kasahara (笠原 弘子 Kasahara Hiroko) is a popular seiyu and J-pop singer who was born on February 19, 1970 in Tokyo, Japan. ...

The 'Plus1' in the OST title refers to a bonus track titled Bonus Track ~ true voice. The track was composed by Yoshitaka Hirota with lyrics written by Kyoko Kishikawa who also performed the song.

Reception

Shadow Hearts is considered unique by its fans for its quirky style. The setting is an alternate Earth where monsters and mystical forces seem common. Throughout the game, the seriousness of some of the game's subject matter and the horror elements clash with its sense of humor. Adjectives: Terrestrial, Terran, Telluric, Tellurian, Earthly Atmosphere Surface pressure: 101. ...

Reviews were somewhat mixed, some gave the game a low score claiming that it lacked originality, while others praised it for being original and innovative. [3]

References

The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Historical references in Shadow Hearts

This is a listing of many of the various historical references found in the games Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant and Shadow Hearts: From the New World, for those unfamiliar with events of the time (the early 20th century). ...

External links

• Official Shadow Hearts site (Japanese)
• Shadow Hearts series at MobyGames