The gameplay is somewhat challenging, but unfortunately, much of the game's difficulty comes from an overabundance of enemies during skirmishes. It's a good system, one that makes planning your strategy on the battlefield quite enjoyable. You can view the stats of any unit, including their strengths and weaknesses, by simply highlighting them and pressing the triangle (or Y) button. You can use either the left analog stick or directional buttons to move your cursor around the map and the appropriate face button to execute commands. The controls are also fairly straightforward. The actual mechanics, though, are the same throughout - move around the grid like pieces on a chess board, attack enemies, heal allies, and so on and so forth. "Defeat all enemies" is often the order of the day, though you'll occasionally be tasked with escorting V.I.P.s or escaping without losing a single party member. Neat little tidbits such as these definitely go a long way to giving the gameplay of Flames of Judgment some much-needed personality.īattles are varied up in terms of your objectives, but there's nothing really out of the ordinary here. Once the character has used the spell enough times, they'll no longer be required to equip the corresponding book(s), though doing so will increase the power of the spell.
Using magic, however, requires that you first equip your character with books that teach them specific spells.
Executing melee attacks, for example, will increase your power with melee weapons, and the same goes for ranged combat and magic. Rather than giving you the option to level up your characters, your party members will increase in power simply by using their skills. One of the more interesting elements of Vandal Hearts is in how the game allows you to use characters in almost any capacity you see fit. Rather than distinguishing party members by specific classes, each character has strengths and weaknesses based on three main attributes - melee, ranged, and magic. Like many games of its ilk, Flames of Judgment starts you out with just two characters in your party, but new faces will quickly join in on the quest. What's on offer here is standard fare, really, though there is a small handful of well-devised mechanics that give the game a mild flavor of its own.Īfter a bit of tutoring, your adventure promptly gets underway. Through battles, you'll build up a small group of characters, and skirmishes take place within grid-based locales.
Unfortunately, it's not enough to make you care about the characters, as the presentation just doesn't quite get the job done in terms of conveying the seriousness of the story.įor those who haven't played either of the previous Vandal Hearts games for the original Playstation, Flames of Judgment is a strategy RPG much in the vein of Tactics Ogre or Final Fantasy Tactics. The plot is certainly cliché, but smart writing and decent pacing help to keep things interesting. Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment is set up as a prequel to the first game in the series, and the story is mostly told through still art and text. Does this latest tactical RPG breathe new life into the genre, or will fans be better off letting the adventure pass them by?
#GAMES LIKE VANDAL HEARTS FOR PC SERIES#
Konami resurrect the Vandal Hearts series on current-gen consoles in the form of a downloadable title for the Playstation Network and Xbox LIVE Arcade.
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