Previously Pwn’d is our column about retro video games. You’ll see old favorites and unappreciated classics. Get your button mashing fingers ready.
An underrated, deeply, deeply buried gem that lies largely forgotten, Vandal Hearts is a tactical RPG on Playstation, released in 1997.
The obscure plot, full of terrible rebellions, governments and uprisings, is overshadowed by the colorful cast of characters and their emerging relationships. The hero Ash, swordsman Clint and archer Diego are ambushed by a bunch of thieves in the first level. It’s easy to bond with the eventual party of 12, as the player is able to select the roles. Rather than focusing on plot, the games keys in on the much more interesting relationships among the heroes.
The square-by-square, elevated battlefield is three-dimensional, while characters are flat like paper. However, the isometric camera, which can be turned in any way, creates an illusion that makes the heroes look 3D. On the player’s turn, each party member can move a specific number of squares, then attack or use an item. Attacking decreases enemy hit points, increases experience and invokes counterattacks. Once all characters move, the thieves move, and so on, until all of them are wiped out. Unless your strategic sense is limited to selecting whether you want bass or guitar in Rock Band, with some careful positioning the party should have no casualties – in the early battles at least.
At level 10, characters can change their class, a fundamental choice that modern role-playing games don’t always deliver. For example, an archer can become a bowman, improving attack range and power, or instead become an airman, complete with mechanical wings and a spear. In the latter case, wings allow for greater mobility and a battle advantage over ground units, while acquiring a weakness to projectile attacks. Mages, on the other hand, can advance their spell-casting abilities, or opt to “pwn” enemies with ninja skills – literally, by becoming a spell-slinging-melee-fighting hybrid.
The battles often have more complicated conditions than simple “defeat all enemy units” and “battle is lost if Ash dies.” The battles are surprisingly varied and creative.
Upon arrival at the “Island of Madness,” an unruly group of villagers greets the party. The cursed villagers lash out on the heroes, who must attempt to avoid them and kill mind-controlling statues. Other battles will have the party divided across the map, ambushing unsuspected enemies or running away from forces that the party would not be able to handle.
The devious AI (especially for a dusty 1997 relic) provides an ample challenge, and lack of serious strategic planning results in casualties, which decrease gold received through victories. Gold is traditionally used to purchase items and better equipment.
Unforgettable characters and difficult battles that cut into a player’s memory forge a relic worth digging out, as long as one can overlook graphics that handheld games have long since surpassed.
Vandal Hearts can be found on eBay or Amazon.