Shadow Hearts: From The New World

THE GOOD:
Some of the sexiest cutscenes ever
Plenty of sidequests to do.

THE BAD:
A huge leap back from Shadow Hearts 2 in almost every way.

SUMMARY:
Shadow Hearts: From the New World [FTNW] is the third game in Nautilus' Shadow Hearts series. I'll start by saying how much of a fan I was of the second game (Covenant), which was a perfect completion to the fabulous story set up by the original. So, when Shadow Hearts 3 was announced, I was naturally excited to see all my favourite characters make a return. Unfortunately, this isn't what happened. Shadow Hearts: FTNW completely separates itself from the first two games, with exception to a few minor characters and concepts. Not only that, but just about every element in the game is far worse than its predecessors. Despite being somewhat enjoyable at times, Shadow Hearts: FTNW completely fails to live up to...

Shadow Hearts. A series that really isn't all that mainstream, such as the Final Fantasy, Star Ocean, or Kingdom Hearts series. Back in late 2001, Midway took a gamble, and took the game Shadow Hearts over to American Shores. Though it seemed enough copies were sold, the release date was around when Final Fantasy X was first released. Midway then took up the Shadow Hearts: Covenant project. After it was released, many fans of the series claimed it the best of the Shadow Hearts series, which is easy to say since there were only two games out there, but many still held the first one dear. Now, the newest installment, Shadow Hearts: From the New World has been released by a new company called XSeed Games. By playing the game, both fans of the series and newcomers to the series can play this game, but newcomers will most likely enjoy the game more.

The game starts off with 16 year old detective Johnny Garland. Johnny lost his memory in a freak accident years ago, and can't...

Since Koudelka, Nautilus (then Sacnoth) has been responsible for some of the greatest oddities of the RPG realm. While their titles attracted equally strange people, they were never destined for widespread commercial success. With From the New World, Nautilus appears to be aiming for a new, larger market, and so this title is as dramatic a departure from their past as their line-up is from the norm.

Gameplay has finally hit its stride through a combination of further developing some of the series staples, and kicking others to the curb. The dungeons feel the least familiar to a fan, their rhythm entirely rewritten. Previous Shadow Hearts games featured veritable labyrinths with high enemy encounter rates, which meant that your party would crush the area's boss with ease due to over-leveling—should you manage to find your way out of the web of twisting corridors and poorly-explained, convoluted puzzles.

From the New World has turned 180 degrees in this...