Top Class

Reviewed by Cravendark on February 13, 2008  |  report this review

Shadow Hearts: Covenant is probably one of the best RPG's I've ever played, up there with the ranks of Final Fantasy VII (although not quite). This game is interesting from beginning to end, and it has taken everything the original Shadow Hearts had to offer, doubled it, and improved every aspect possible.
The characters all have a very distinctive and unique personality, keeping the storyline very fluid, unlike other RPG's with characters that are so boring that you almost forget they exist. There are plenty of CGI scenes, and storyline scenes, but without taking away all of the action.
The combat system, like the first game requires you to stop a marker on a circle called the "Judgement Ring", easily compared to stopping a hand on a clock moving at sometimes incredibly fast speeds. Only this time around, there are improvements to be made to the ring, such as adding more than 3 attacking points (unlike the 1st, where 3 was the maximum).
And most of all, the main points that I myself look for in a great RPG, this game has.

1. A deep and involving plot that keeps you laughing, crying, frightened, and content, through the entire game.

2. A wonderful battle system that keeps things interesting.

3. Very imaginative characters with deep personalities and quirks.

4. Extremely lengthy. 2 full DVD disks worth of playtime.

5. The souls that Yuri fuses with are just plain Awesome.

6. A busload of extras and sidequests to keep you busy for many, many hours once you reach the end of the game.

7. And finally, replay value. Once you complete the game, you have the ability to replay through, keeping alot of your money, abilities, etc. intact. (Which is always a great thing to have!)

In conclusion, this game is a MUST HAVE for any RPG enthusiasts. Genuinely a diamond in the rough.