Vandal Hearts II is a fairly old game, released in 1999 for the psx. It's one of my favourite tactical RPGs, and has an epic, overarching storyline that spans something like fifteen in-game years, over five chapters.
A group of young people grow up together, nobles and commoners alike. They are forced apart as they grow up. Eventually, they are forced to take sides in the civil war which is carving up the continent. And all of that is just the prologue.
The plot is essentially political in nature, with the bitter flow of a tragic romance underneath it. It's long, and sometimes a little hard to follow, as some gamers have complained. The game does include a story log, which makes remembering where you were going a little easier, but it still requires a fair amount of time and commitment. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent playing it. To be fair, it probably wasn't any more than fifty or sixty, a little short for an RPG. Still, it felt longer, and part of that may have been the battles.
Fighting, in Vandal Hearts II, is serious business. It's also my favourite feature of the game.
Like many other strategy games, the Vandal Hearts II battle system involves your characters and the enemies moving around a 3d battle map, trying to destroy each other. However, unlike most games, where the enemies get a turn and then your characters get a turn, when one of your characters move, an enemy character moves at the same time, until every unit has taken their turn. Then another turn starts.
This battle system opens up a lot of strategical maneuvering. As frustrating as it is to waste mp trying to cast a spell on an enemy who just moved out of the way, it is equally satisfying to second guess the enemy, and send the character they were about to stab in the back to hit them from behind instead. This also means that being a 'good' fighter is more than a case of brute strength and a lot of levelling up (incidentally, the exp ratio is set slightly low, so over-levelling is more of a pain than it's worth). Whether you like the battle system or not depends a lot on you as a person. Personally, I like trying to predict what's going to happen, and, over time, I've gotten rather good at it. A couple of basic tips, while I'm here;
The enemy will try to attack your weakest character from behind. That's their priority. Check their movement, and it'll give you a good idea of their options.
Secondly, before you move a character, make sure you won't be moving them right into the middle of a group of enemies, especially not early in a turn. They'll pound on the little dude while you're unable to move him out of the way. Hitting "select" will show you the total move range of every enemy - try to stand somewhere that no one can reach for the rest of the turn.
Anyway, since the battles are tactical, each one takes quite a while, rather than the ten second Final Fantasy random battles. Each fight is rather a big deal, and with enough care and forethought, you can get through the game without dying once. However, if you become impatient, you may make a mistake that will cost you a character. You don't get any revival spells until around halfway through the game, and although death is not final, and each battle starts with a clean slate, if your main character dies, its an instant game over, which can be very frustrating. If other characters die, you lose your perfect win bonus (double the money you gain from the battle), and a percentage of your battle spoils.
I want to keep those battle spoils. I need them to buy weapons.
Going back to my point about random battles, there are none in the game, like in most tactical games (a notable exception being Final Fantasy Tactics Advance). You can choose to go back and fight again, if you want to level up a character or their armour, but you won't run into a random fight just by running around the world map. There are, however, hidden battle maps, which can be found in a variety of ways - by digging up the maps, or by talking to the right person in a pub, for instance.
The world map of Vandal Hearts II is simply a map, with glowing lines drawn on it, along which the characters travel. One thing I found interesting is that more of the world is implied than you actually see.
There's also a clock in the upper right corner. Although the hour of day will affect some battles (ie, whether you fight at night or in daylight), the clock doesn't count individual days, so they won't make any difference.
All characters can equip any kind of armour and any weapon. However, I find that having characters specialize in various weapon types is much easier. The game seems to have planned for this, since you end up with just enough characters to have one specialize in each weapon, and an extra mage, just in case. I've personally found that to be the most effective set-up.
Skills start on weapons, and are learnt after a certain amount of use. They can then be transferred to another weapon of the same type, similar to the specialists in Disgaea. There is no limit to how many copies of any given skill you can have; you just need to buy another shield or sword or whatever with the skill you want, and then simply learn it. However, some items, like the Goblin Shield (with the very useful recovery skill) are limited within the game.
Specialise might actually be the wrong word, since you can change any character instantly, by changing their weapons/armour. I just find it more convenient to allocate certain things to certain characters, rather than switch.
There are a few side-quests in Vandal Hearts II. The largest one would be collecting 100% of the weapons in the game, which isn't technically a sub-quest. It does, however, relate to which ending you see.
There are also sixteen or so extra battle fields which can be accessed if you get ahold of the right maps. Most of this is achieved through the use of a single skill, Searchmark, which is held on the dagger weapon. This allows you to dig up various items at certain points of the maps; most of these are rare weapons or accessories that you couldn't get elsewhere in the game. Be warned - finding these can be a complete pain in the arse. I have to admit, I used a guide purely to know where to dig.
The multiple endings are worth mentioning here. There are, essentially, four, although, if you count the slight variations, it's more like eight. These endings are determined based on choices made within the game, although your weapon percentage will mean the difference between the good ending and the best ending.
There are far too many characters to do justice to them all, and many of them don't get nearly the amount of screen-time they deserve.
The main character is, of course, Joshua. Since his childhood, he's never felt comfortable as a commoner around nobility, and the events of his teenage years hardly help. Throughout the years, he does somewhat manage to hold on to his sense of honour (although whether to make excuses or amends for his actions is, literally, a choice for the player).
Although his childhood friends, Yuri (the bookish one) and Clive (the brawny one) do make an appearance in Joshua's adult life, they don't show up much. Yuri is an important element in the St Nirvath element of the plot - St Nirvath being the founder of the country's religion - and both influence the ending. Then there are Baron Pratue, Lira, Agress, and Gilti, members of the original White Dragons. They aren't developed much, although Gilti provides a little camp humour (camp being the operative word - his homosexuality is heavily implied within the game).
My favourite characters, however, are Pike and Maria. Pike is a member of Joshua's Red Wolves, while Maria was an original White Dragon. It's hate at first sight for the pair of them, and we all know what that means. Their constant sniping is one of the more amusing parts of the game, particularly when they start yelling insults at each other mid battle.
Adele is also, of course, worth mentioning. Although as a young girl, she is attracted to Joshua, his mixed signals both intrigue and infuriate her. His apparent betrayal would appear to be what causes her to turn from a child to an adult, and has a large bearing on her future actions. Although not always seen, Adele remains an important part of the plot, and of the ending.
As I said above, the game's pretty long and involving. The plot is fairly complex, and the characters develop well, creating an intriguing web of relationships. It's interesting the way the plot forces the characters into changing, and occasionally sacrificing their old ideals as events change the world around them.
The game has multiple endings, which does allow a little replay value. However, the game is so long and involving, that you probably won't feel like replaying it again immediately. Considering there are at least six permutations of the ending, this means that most people won't see all of them. One of the most frustrating things about the varied endings is that one of the main differences is affected by how you answer a question very early on in the game. In other words, you have to replay the bulk of the game to change which ending you see, unlike in other games, such as the Breath of Fire series, where it is determined by a choice much later on.
In summary, Vandal Hearts II is a great retro tactics game. It's long and complicated, particularly when compared to, for instance, Disgaea, and it's a little harder to find than Final Fantasy Tactics. However, the dual-turn battle system is unique, and an amazingly fun way to fight. The weapons and ability system is just complicated enough to be interesting while still being fun, and the characters are curiously endearing for such odd little sprites. The game's hard work, and although not as obviously 'fun' and lighthearted as simpler games, it's satisfying and enjoyable.
Storyline
A group of young people grow up together, nobles and commoners alike. They are forced apart as they grow up. Eventually, they are forced to take sides in the civil war which is carving up the continent. And all of that is just the prologue.
The plot is essentially political in nature, with the bitter flow of a tragic romance underneath it. It's long, and sometimes a little hard to follow, as some gamers have complained. The game does include a story log, which makes remembering where you were going a little easier, but it still requires a fair amount of time and commitment. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent playing it. To be fair, it probably wasn't any more than fifty or sixty, a little short for an RPG. Still, it felt longer, and part of that may have been the battles.
Battles
Fighting, in Vandal Hearts II, is serious business. It's also my favourite feature of the game.
Like many other strategy games, the Vandal Hearts II battle system involves your characters and the enemies moving around a 3d battle map, trying to destroy each other. However, unlike most games, where the enemies get a turn and then your characters get a turn, when one of your characters move, an enemy character moves at the same time, until every unit has taken their turn. Then another turn starts.
This battle system opens up a lot of strategical maneuvering. As frustrating as it is to waste mp trying to cast a spell on an enemy who just moved out of the way, it is equally satisfying to second guess the enemy, and send the character they were about to stab in the back to hit them from behind instead. This also means that being a 'good' fighter is more than a case of brute strength and a lot of levelling up (incidentally, the exp ratio is set slightly low, so over-levelling is more of a pain than it's worth). Whether you like the battle system or not depends a lot on you as a person. Personally, I like trying to predict what's going to happen, and, over time, I've gotten rather good at it. A couple of basic tips, while I'm here;
The enemy will try to attack your weakest character from behind. That's their priority. Check their movement, and it'll give you a good idea of their options.
Secondly, before you move a character, make sure you won't be moving them right into the middle of a group of enemies, especially not early in a turn. They'll pound on the little dude while you're unable to move him out of the way. Hitting "select" will show you the total move range of every enemy - try to stand somewhere that no one can reach for the rest of the turn.
Anyway, since the battles are tactical, each one takes quite a while, rather than the ten second Final Fantasy random battles. Each fight is rather a big deal, and with enough care and forethought, you can get through the game without dying once. However, if you become impatient, you may make a mistake that will cost you a character. You don't get any revival spells until around halfway through the game, and although death is not final, and each battle starts with a clean slate, if your main character dies, its an instant game over, which can be very frustrating. If other characters die, you lose your perfect win bonus (double the money you gain from the battle), and a percentage of your battle spoils.
I want to keep those battle spoils. I need them to buy weapons.
Going back to my point about random battles, there are none in the game, like in most tactical games (a notable exception being Final Fantasy Tactics Advance). You can choose to go back and fight again, if you want to level up a character or their armour, but you won't run into a random fight just by running around the world map. There are, however, hidden battle maps, which can be found in a variety of ways - by digging up the maps, or by talking to the right person in a pub, for instance.
The World Map
The world map of Vandal Hearts II is simply a map, with glowing lines drawn on it, along which the characters travel. One thing I found interesting is that more of the world is implied than you actually see.
There's also a clock in the upper right corner. Although the hour of day will affect some battles (ie, whether you fight at night or in daylight), the clock doesn't count individual days, so they won't make any difference.
Weapons and Armour
All characters can equip any kind of armour and any weapon. However, I find that having characters specialize in various weapon types is much easier. The game seems to have planned for this, since you end up with just enough characters to have one specialize in each weapon, and an extra mage, just in case. I've personally found that to be the most effective set-up.
Skills start on weapons, and are learnt after a certain amount of use. They can then be transferred to another weapon of the same type, similar to the specialists in Disgaea. There is no limit to how many copies of any given skill you can have; you just need to buy another shield or sword or whatever with the skill you want, and then simply learn it. However, some items, like the Goblin Shield (with the very useful recovery skill) are limited within the game.
Specialise might actually be the wrong word, since you can change any character instantly, by changing their weapons/armour. I just find it more convenient to allocate certain things to certain characters, rather than switch.
Subquests
There are also sixteen or so extra battle fields which can be accessed if you get ahold of the right maps. Most of this is achieved through the use of a single skill, Searchmark, which is held on the dagger weapon. This allows you to dig up various items at certain points of the maps; most of these are rare weapons or accessories that you couldn't get elsewhere in the game. Be warned - finding these can be a complete pain in the arse. I have to admit, I used a guide purely to know where to dig.
The multiple endings are worth mentioning here. There are, essentially, four, although, if you count the slight variations, it's more like eight. These endings are determined based on choices made within the game, although your weapon percentage will mean the difference between the good ending and the best ending.
Graphics
The graphics really aren't amazing, and weren't at the time. The characters are sprites, which are very sweet, but not incredibly detailed. They're close, in style to those of Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and yes, the latter is a GBA game. The backgrounds are functional and clear, but not astonishing.
In fact, here's the intro. Take a look.
...the music's nice, too.
Characters
There are far too many characters to do justice to them all, and many of them don't get nearly the amount of screen-time they deserve.
The main character is, of course, Joshua. Since his childhood, he's never felt comfortable as a commoner around nobility, and the events of his teenage years hardly help. Throughout the years, he does somewhat manage to hold on to his sense of honour (although whether to make excuses or amends for his actions is, literally, a choice for the player).
Although his childhood friends, Yuri (the bookish one) and Clive (the brawny one) do make an appearance in Joshua's adult life, they don't show up much. Yuri is an important element in the St Nirvath element of the plot - St Nirvath being the founder of the country's religion - and both influence the ending. Then there are Baron Pratue, Lira, Agress, and Gilti, members of the original White Dragons. They aren't developed much, although Gilti provides a little camp humour (camp being the operative word - his homosexuality is heavily implied within the game).
My favourite characters, however, are Pike and Maria. Pike is a member of Joshua's Red Wolves, while Maria was an original White Dragon. It's hate at first sight for the pair of them, and we all know what that means. Their constant sniping is one of the more amusing parts of the game, particularly when they start yelling insults at each other mid battle.
Adele is also, of course, worth mentioning. Although as a young girl, she is attracted to Joshua, his mixed signals both intrigue and infuriate her. His apparent betrayal would appear to be what causes her to turn from a child to an adult, and has a large bearing on her future actions. Although not always seen, Adele remains an important part of the plot, and of the ending.
Summary
As I said above, the game's pretty long and involving. The plot is fairly complex, and the characters develop well, creating an intriguing web of relationships. It's interesting the way the plot forces the characters into changing, and occasionally sacrificing their old ideals as events change the world around them.
The game has multiple endings, which does allow a little replay value. However, the game is so long and involving, that you probably won't feel like replaying it again immediately. Considering there are at least six permutations of the ending, this means that most people won't see all of them. One of the most frustrating things about the varied endings is that one of the main differences is affected by how you answer a question very early on in the game. In other words, you have to replay the bulk of the game to change which ending you see, unlike in other games, such as the Breath of Fire series, where it is determined by a choice much later on.
In summary, Vandal Hearts II is a great retro tactics game. It's long and complicated, particularly when compared to, for instance, Disgaea, and it's a little harder to find than Final Fantasy Tactics. However, the dual-turn battle system is unique, and an amazingly fun way to fight. The weapons and ability system is just complicated enough to be interesting while still being fun, and the characters are curiously endearing for such odd little sprites. The game's hard work, and although not as obviously 'fun' and lighthearted as simpler games, it's satisfying and enjoyable.
No comments:
Post a Comment