PS1 REVIEWS: Vandal Hearts II

While the first Vandal Hearts game was Konami's attempt at making a traditional Tactical RPG, its sequel was in many ways a complete revolution of the genre. Through its innovative "Dual-Turn" System and abandonment of fixed classes, it went out of the comfort zone of the first game.

These changes could not have worked, and indeed, the new gameplay system will need some adjustments. However, thanks to a brilliant story that followed Konami's attempts at more "mature" storylines in the PS1 era, the game ended up being one of the finest Tactical RPGs on the system.

#A16: Vandal Hearts II:-

Year: 1999.
Genre: Tactical RPG.
Publisher: Konami.
Developer: Konami.

"If only... If only there had not been that chance encounter, my destiny perhaps would never have changed"

At its core, the story of Vandal Hearts II is about a group of childhood friends whose fates were forever impacted by their war-torn lives. The concepts of fate, destiny, and the roles they were born into play heavily in the narrative. Starting from the prologue in which the main character finds himself accidentally instigating the latest chapter in the country's civil war (by saving a man who turns out to be a missing prince), the game reflects on whether a person can control their own fate.

What ensues is a story of political intrigue in an extremely well-defined world. Through the many factions vying for influence in the war, including an emerging doomsday cult, we see the different motivations for war but uniformly see its devastation regardless of any intentions. The game starts with a brutal village massacre in which there are clear indications of sexual war crimes, but at no point does the "heroes" of the game escape from the reality of their own killings.

The game deals a lot with morally grey characters

Yet, what gives the story more poignancy is the story of the childhood friends and how this massive war impacted their fates. Multiple endings reflect the ending for these characters, and only the best of those endings fully redeems all of them, suggesting that redemption is a possibility regardless of how remote it is.

One thing that stuck with me is how the path of evil was paved with the good intentions of everyone involved, including your ally Baron Pratau who could have easily become the worst villain of the lot if the war extended further beyond.


"The designs and whims of a handful of nobles won't grow a grain of wheat"


With its strong story and Konami pedigree, Vandal Hearts II did not need to reinvent the TRPG wheel and simply iterated on the passable mechanics of its predecessor. Instead, the game completely flipped long-held conventions of the genre by introducing the "Dual-Turn" system, which allows for both the player and the enemy to move single units in each "turn". Once moved, the unit cannot take another action until all other units finish moving (or standing by).

In its most basic form, this means that you could control Ally Unit A to attack Enemy Unit A, but in the same "turn" the computer moves Enemy Unit A to attack Ally Unit A, thereby both missing their targets. As you can imagine, this can create a lot of confusion, as you attack targets that could move out of your range, and you can end up being sitting ducks for more enemy units as your plans whiff miserably.

You could potentially whiff all your attacks in a round, if you are that bad that is

Initially, this system promised to be a nightmarish bore that demanded very slow and careful play to minimize the chance of enemies ganging up on you. However, once I started noticing a pattern of enemy movements, it dawned on me how brilliant the system can be. This can be considered a massive programming language puzzle. Figuring out the enemy programming, you can theoretically manipulate their actions into more favorable positions, or efficiently swarm the battlefield, anticipating enemy attacks and countering them effectively.

In theory, you could realistically predict every enemy attack and finish an entire stage without getting hit once. However, that would be a little boring, and an all-attack swarm that trades blows makes for more satisfying fights that are faster than average due to sharing turn-time with the computer.


"You can dream up fantastic ideals, but without the power to put it into effect, they are wasted!"

The other major innovation in Vandal Hearts II is the choice to eschew character class and instead link them to armor and weapon choices. This, in theory, means that every character can become any class depending on the equipment you give them. For instance, I can trade the mage staff and robe I gave to Baron Pratau with the spear and armor I gave to Lady Knight Lira and they will swap classes and roles in battle.

This level of flexibility in crafting your part is aided by the fact that all class "levels" are carried by your weapons. This means that you can transfer the skills between weapons of each class to the stronger versions of the same weapon. Most skills are straightforward area-of-effect or ranged attacks, but some skills are pivotal for strategy and rewards, constraining at least two of your characters to support roles.

Support can also include summoning large eyeball to rain thunder on your enemies

For example, the "search" and "unlock" skills locked to the dagger class mean that you will have a dedicated dagger wielder (preferably in flying armor) for chest unlocking and item searching in each level. Another set of skills, the "block" making, and destroying abilities allow for amazing tactical maneuvers and are locked to the "special" weapons class.

While this flexibility can allow for very interesting party compositions, I feel that it robs characters of their individuality. This is apparent graphically as well since the character sprites change equally with the armor they wear and the weapons they carry.


"The world will sink in a sea of blood, and divine bells will chime with joy!"

These two systems are tested to their limit in the game's 40+ battles across the prologue and 4 chapters. While the majority of battles task you with defeating all enemies, some of them only require you to kill the leading general. Thanks to the game's focus on elevation and terrain, there is a lot of strategic depth about how to move through the fields. However, it must be said that some levels are a bit too large and slow down the gameplay as a result.

Most story level are well-balanced though

Another aspect that slows down the game is the ever-present pursuit of finding treasure in specific squares on the map. This will cause you to intentionally prolong some battles as your designated "search" unit goes for a faraway treasure, but this is less of an issue than in the first game.

A bigger issue is the large number of optional battles, which you need to complete all if you are aiming for the best ending. These battles are typically harder than the main story battles, but a lot of them are boringly big, and I wish they had some story justification as well.


"To hell with destiny! I won't give up until my dying breath! I'll fight till I can no longer fight!"

Some people consider the unique Western-inspired characters of the first Vandal Hearts to be exceptionally ugly. While I disagree with that sentiment, I understand it. I would equally understand if someone is not impressed with the sequel's more realistic portraits, which are not exactly the most well-defined.

Moreover, the sprites are acceptable, but not particularly interesting. While the fact that the sprites change with the equipment the characters wear, that does detract from the individual design. Other graphical aspects such as level design, backgrounds, and spell effects fare better. Nothing is impressive per se, but everything still looks very good today.

Including the massive amounts of blood

Thankfully, the musical department does some heavy lifting. With a beautiful classical-style score, it gives a lot of gravitas to the proceedings and adds a storytelling touch through its use of specific themes and motifs. While to track specifically stands out, it all works as a whole.


In Conclusion:

There was little reason for Konami to revolutionize the TRPG genre with this game. It would have been perfectly acceptable to iterate on the first game, especially with how good the story is. Instead, the game took a big risk with its new gameplay style; a risk that I can imagine some did not understand or appreciate.

For me, once I figured out that the "Dual-Turn" system was basically a massive programming logic puzzle, it made every battle such a brilliant strategic puzzle. One that is entirely unique within the genre.

Final: 9/10 (Highly Recommended)

Nothing but the best ending is worth it

Pros:

• Solid story and characters.
• Mature themes.
• Brilliant story.
• Good world and character building.
• Innovative "Turn-Dual" system.
• The system is very satisfying once you figure out the puzzle elements in it.
• A lot of flexibility in equipping your party.
• The game is not short of content.
• Solid and suitable classical soundtrack.

Cons:

• Dialogue is a bit stunted.
• The "Dual-Turn" system can be very boring if you don't treat it as a programming puzzle.
• Characters lose their individuality.
• Too much time is spent on menus transferring skills and equipping characters.
• Too many optional battles to get the best ending.
• Searching for items in each battle can drag things down.
• Can be considered ugly in places.

Tips:

1. The directions of attacks matter a lot (attacking from the back hurts more)
2. Elevation is key for ranged weapons.
3. Always buy the latest weapons and equipment.
4. The "Search" and "Unlock" skills you find in early daggers are key to finding items in the game.
5. The "Blockmake" skill is key to finding items on higher ground and introduces a lot of tactical possibilities.
6. Some skills require you to reach a certain "EP" level to cast.
7. Always attack even if you are just attacking the air.
8. Figure out the enemy programming to enjoy the most of this game.
9. Enemies typically do the following in order whenever possible: Heal damaged allies, cast AOE spells/skills, shoot at targets from the most elevated angle, attack from behind, and attack from the side.
10. Using the above programming order, you can both predict and force the enemy to move as you like.
11. Transfer useful skills forward when upgrading weapons.
12. You can only transfer skills from a weapon after using it enough in battle.
13. The "Recover Mark" skill from Golem Shields is particularly useful to keep the main character and scouts alive.
14. Transfer skills from weapons you are planning to sell.
15. Have dedicated characters for each weapon class and at least one mage/healer in the party.
16. Visit shops after every battle for new items.
17. Items in maps can either be "Unlocked" from chests or "Searched" in weird-looking squares.
18. The most important thing: TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE PROGRAMMING LOGIC.

The game does a good job at showing the horrors of war

Series:

For those reading one of my PS1 review blogs for the first time, here is the basic concept:

I already reviewed both major Generation 4 consoles, and am now reviewing Generation 5 consoles. I already finished reviewing the Sega Saturn, so I am now reviewing the PS1. In these reviews, I take a top 100 games list and review the games that interest me in that list.This time, my review series is based on this list from Retro Sanctuary and other sources, since the PS1 can handle a list bigger than a top 100.

And it also shows the moral difficulties facing your group

Next Game:

I ended up loving this game much more than the first Vandal Hearts, and this again proves how great Konami was in those days.

The next game I was supposed to be reviewing was the Cinematic Platformer Heart of Darkness. However, I immediately realized that I was not going to enjoy its pixel-perfect platforming, and therefore I am skipping it and going straight forward to the potentially great or awful Legend of Dragoon.

Stay Tuned

For Previous PS1 Game Reviews:

The List