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One of the better Tactics Games

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Published before Final Fantasy Tactics, I didn't even know this tactics game existed until last month. An epic story, interesting combat, and enough content for one replay (hidden items on the maps). The story doesn't suffer from random encounters, the boards are challenging, often with twists unique to any tactics game, and the characters are diverse.

While short, it is high quality. I dropped a star for length (it could easily have had a few bonus boards), but otherwise this is one of the better tactics games I've played. The blood gusher from a defeated enemy earns the mature rating, and is sometimes very satisfying. While I wouldn't pay more than $30 for it (length is 20 hours tops), I do recommend it.

This game is the BOMB

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is tight! I just bought it and could barely put it down just to write this review!!! I thought the other games I own were pretty good, like Final Fantasy 7 and Valkyrie and Final Fantasy Tactics and San Andreas were pretty sweet... but they come no where close to this game! MY ALL TIME FAVORITE!

Not really an RPG but a helluva lot of fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Vandal Hearts is definitely one of the sleeper hits of the year. No one expected it to be a great game, as it wasn't hyped up before its release. But Konami put something into the game that usually helps: fun and addictive gameplay. Vandal Hearts claims to be an RPG, but it really isn't. Actually, it's a strategy game with RPG elements and a story intertwined. Unlike Command and Conquer, where you can have hundreds of "units" at a time, in Vandal Hearts you usually have around 7. But rather than having units with identical abilities, each of your characters have different skills, spells, and strengths that set them apart. They advance in levels, again making Vandal Hearts look like an RPG, but all it really does is add more spells and raise endurance.
For every ten levels you advance, you can choose a path of study for your character. For example, when your archer reaches level 10, you can either have him become a Bowman (a more skilled archer) or a Hawknight (a flying, spear-wielding character). Since your characters can be different every time you play, Vandal Hearts has some unprecedented replay value.
During the actual strategic part of the game, you navigate bitmapped characters throughout a polygon map. The maps range anywhere from really small to quite big - it can take up to 20 minutes to get from one side to another. The landscapes are varied with mountains and valleys. The textures that are slathered on the polygons look great, and the bitmapped characters and enemies fit in like a charm. The spells don't look quite as good as Final Fantasy 7, but they are still really cool. Vandal Hearts did receive a rating of Mature, and there is really only one reason for it. When you kill an enemy, even if you just poke it with your finger, an artery-busting spray of blood is released. Although it may be a little gratuitous, it sure does look neat. The game is turn-based and you navigate each character individually. Because of the vastly different maps and buildings that would block your view of the action, you can rotate the camera around 360 degrees, as well as switch from a blimp view to a side view (and everything in-between). The camera is really intuitive, not hindering the game at all. Before you decide to start moving your characters and spewing some blood, you might want to observe the landscape and plan out your attack. Because you can see the whole map from the beginning, having an actual plan can be extremely helpful. I can attest that blindly running around attempting to kill things doesn't work as well as you'd think. The music is an orchestral score that will definitely get you pumped up into killing the baddies. The sound is equally as good; squishy blood sounds and the clashes of metal upon metal are all superbly done. The sounds that accompany the spells also follow suit, and you won't be disappointed by leaving the sound turned up LOUD.
This game is so ridiculously addictive, you'll soon find yourself taking time off from work to play it. Its combination of a good story, great control, and strategic play set it apart from all the other games on the market today.

hands down one of the greatest tactical RPG game every

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game, pretty straight forward, no side quest to distract you, and an awesome story line. The game is not particularly tough, but you do have to think through the battles. Likewise, it's not that long of a game and the replay value of it is very high in my opinion. Trust me, you won't get bored with this game :)

This game got me started loving RPG's

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is an awesome game, like reviewers before me I have played it numerous times and have never gotten tired of it. Ir is easy to play with a great storyline and many different ways to play it by the choice of characters you take along any part of your journey through the game. I rented it to start off with, and after 2 days I decided that I had to have my own copy. What more is left to say that hasn't already been said by others.

Vandal Hearts

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Though not one of the longer strategy -RPG's out there (that honor would have to go to Disgaea, or the epitome of all strategy RPG's Final Fantasy Tactics), Vandal Hearts is one of the most overlooked games on the Sony Playstation. Starting out the game you are put in the role of Ash who along with his friends Diego and Clint fight off a group of bandits who are attacking them. This sets the games gameplay in place, with blood flying and a soundtrack that only the fine folks at konami could produce, one that still echoes in my head to this day. Although the graphics are quite dated by todays standards the gameplay elements of this game are where it truly shines. After leveling up at level 10 or level 20 you are given the option to upgrade your character, thus allowing you access to new moves and enhanced abilities. For example archers can continue along the bowman path, or can get rid of their bows in exchange for the ability to fly which becomes irreplaceable later on in the game. Someone elses review said that this game had little replay value, but I would have to disagree, having beaten this game on at least 4 different occasions. Clocking in at somewhere around 16-22 hours it is not a long game, but there are somewhere around 6 or 7 seven secret levels, which are really tough and require precise skills, but if accomplished correctly open up not only a slightly secret ending, but also the class of Vandalier for Ash, opening up every skill in the game for the main character, and making him basically a God among the other soldiers. The realtionship between Ash and Elena develops throughout the game very well and the ties of friendship are established between other members of your party, just like any great RPG. Konami was on one hell of a roll back in the day, releasing this game, Suikoden, Metal Gear Solid, and Castlevania: SOTN within a year or two of each other, signifying them as one of the premiere publishers during the original Playstations golden Age, and producing all of these A class titles. Definitely do not miss out on the chance to own this game, especially if you grew up with games like Shining Force. Not to be passed up.

No replay value?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Is that a joke? This game is fantastic and still fun today.

Basically it is like Shining Force 2 where you get people and can upgrade them. You get a choice for most of your characters and each game you can try different jobs to see what you like. This game has alot of memorable characters and pretty nice graphics. The story is also impressive and stays interesting. I've played it numerous times and still love it. Do I reccomend this game? Of course I do. Will you get your moneys worth when you buy it? Yea, you will...
5 stars!

My favorite game of all time!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is plain awesome! I was amazed by how much fun I was getting. It is (as you know by my title) the best game ever! What it lacked in graphics it sure made up in the game. Turn-based fighting just means you attack, they attack, you attack, they attack...You are challenged at many places and have to think at every level.

I Can't Believe I Waited So Long To Review!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is one of many that i am taking the liberty to review, that i have owned now for atleast five years. Vandal Hearts (VH) is a one of a kind game. Even though there is a second VH out, there is no link whatesoever in the two stories. If you get sucked into this story, don't expect anything after the end, because that's all your getting. That is really the only bad thing about this game, because everything else is great. I am now going to give you a low down on the game.

You are playing the character of a man named Ash. He is the head of a security force for a local governement. The game starts with you pretending to be merchants, taking goods across to another town, when your suddenly ambushed by cutthroat thieves. Little do they know, is that they were the ones ambushed. When you suddenly reveal yourselves and attack them first. From this point on in this game, the strorie becomes very interesting. Eventually your sent across the sea to discover the wherabouts of a missing person, and then to ancient tombs, and just about anywhere else you can imagine. Along the way you pick up allies that help you along the way.
The intersting thing about VH is the battling system, and the way you upgrade your units. First you start with a basic class. Like Archer, Knight, Sorcerer, Priest...etc. Then you can upgrade their classes once they hit a certain level. In this case, levels 10 and 20. The only person with a special job class is your hero Ash. Also he is the only person with the opportunity to upgrade three times, instead of two. The problem with this is that you have to unlock six differnet keys. One for each chapter, and then you have to hope that you can defeat all the enemies behind each of these "locked doors". If you can do that, be can upgrade to the ultimate class, The Vandaler! This class is godlike. You basically become damn near impossible to kill.
This game is wonderful and very intense. I suggest you order this from Amazon as soon as you can. This game is awesome and will make you very happy to have bought it. One of the main reasons for that is the replay value. It is very high. Higher than most games created by Konami. ENJOY!!!

A definite PS strategic classic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Although you may not come back to this game for a while after beating it, anyone who loves the game for the action and the fight will instantly like this game. There is no nonsense, time-wasting, 30-minute Xbutton-clicking dialouge-intro. The first thing you do is fight, the last thing you do is fight, and in between you fight.

Basically you assume control of characters on a square-based map. As your characters fight they become tougher and you choose what class they evolve into. The battles in the last few hours of the game are HUGE. It's exactly what a good game should be 90% action 10% enrichment.

People have been comparing it to FF Tactics which is really unfair to this game as it's very different. I played this game 5 years ago and beat it. Now I'm looking for a copy to buy b/c I miss it.

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