Koudelka

I stumbled across this game while working at a game crazy in 200. i stole it on a whim since i had never heard of it before. it was one of the best things i ever lifted.

set in Wales of 1899, the game begins with an various riding scenes set to an operatic soundtrack, each shot taking it's time to help invoke a sense of isolation. as the game progresses, the main character, Koudelka Iasant, encounters a dieing Edward Plunkett in the abandoned nemeton abbey. saving his life, they continue to search the abbey, later meeting a catholic priest named James O'Flearty, who was sent to the abbey on order from the Vatican to retrieve a certain document that would cast the church in a bad light.

Graphics (7.0):though the graphics are more than a bit dated, for the time they were more than sufficient, and being primarily provendered, continue to be acceptable today. The polygonal characters and monsters don't hold up so well, however, there were some imaginative and nightmarish creature designs.

Sound (7.5): I had a love/hate relationship with the sound in the game. most of the tracks were terrific, but the battle music was repetitive and annoying. the voice acting was a mixed bag. koudelka sounded like a spoiled rich California girl one moment, and sounds perfect for the part the next moment. Edward probably had the most consistent performance, while i wanted to strangle the priest. but that OK, because that is the kind of character he is.

Gameplay (5.0): unfortunately, gameplay was the weakest point in this game. and that can be a killer to most people. it was a mix of survival horror and typical late 90's RPG formulas. it works, but it's dull.

Story/Script (10): this is were the game really shines. the story was killer. for being made in the time it was, i had a VERY mature storyline involving topics such a church related murder, child rape, and drug abuse. sure, nothing new now, but at the time, it was a forerunner. the characters in your party never really get along all too well, occasionally trying to kill each other. and the spoken dialog, despite being said by sub-par voice actors, was some of the best i ever heard in a game. more memorable lines per capita than many movies.

Though many people will not be able to get through the gameplay, i strongly suggest you persevere, as this game will pleasantly shock you over and over again. HIGHLY Recommended!!!!

The best way to describe this game I would think is a survival horror game with the fighting being the type one would find in a turn based role playing game such as found in the Final Fantasy series of games. This game is also pure Gothic horror, something that the Shadow Hearts series started as with the first game of the series. The second one would have a bit of it in there, but in that game the series would use more humor and by the third all the Gothic had just about been removed and we were left with giant talking cats. Though I still say the third Shadow Hearts game is a bit better than this one, but only by a little. This one trumps that game in atmosphere, however there are glitches in this one that make this game seem like it was rushed to the finish line. The best in the series is by far the second Shadow Hearts game as it was the most complete game and the most well done in the series. In this game a young woman named Koudelka (who also has a bit part in the first Shadow Hearts), a person named Edward looking for treasure (though I am not sure about his motives as I am the other two) and James a bishop on a mission from the Vatican converge on a old abandoned church and monastery. During their adventures they come across lots of mysteries as this place seems to hold many unholy beasts. There is also the question behind the nice caretakers of this place and that of the spirits who dwell within. The combat is random encounter turn based and a bit tricky to get a hold of at first. However, once you get the gist of it, you can power up your characters rather quickly and you can even customize them to some degree. The graphics are okay for late playstation one, but there does seem to be a lot of glitches here and there. The music is rather plain as it does not really vary much at all. However, all the dialog is spoken, which is probably why there are four discs to this one and there are some rather good looking film sequences as well. This game also does something very different in that if you get beat by the final boss you get a better ending than if you win. Very strange indeed. So my final verdict, this game is fun and enjoyable and easy once you get the hang of the battle system and leveling. They could have taken some times in parts of this game though and kind of smoothed over the rough edges and they would have had a really great game. Let's face it, Final Fantasy 9 looks a heck of a lot better than this.

I originally bought this game because I liked the cover art(back then that was good enough for me) and I soon discovered that it was one of the best choices I've made. Gameplay is very hard and will annoy you a lot but the rest of it is so amazing that you don't really care Wonderful eerie atmosphere, music that captivates you and one of the best if not the best voice acting jobs I've heard. The look of the game is also phenomenal. From mold ridden places to beautifully decorated rooms, courtyards to towers, this game has stunning locations The characters all feel very real and subtly make you sink into their world. The voice acting is a big help but they are also very nicely written. Unfortunately, I don't have the game anymore but I plan to buy it again as soon as I find it. Definitely worth playing. It's a must have.