Shadow Hearts: From The New World
Encyclopedia
is a console role-playing game developed by Nautilus
and published by XSEED Games
in 2005. It is the third official game in the Shadow Hearts
series.
The game series departs from Europe and centers around the "New World
", the Americas
. It is not directly related to the previous games in the series but it occurs in the same universe. The main characters' quest is to investigate mysterious "windows" from which vicious monsters pop out.
The "Stock" system works by filling up a character's stock gauge when he/she performs or receives an attack. A maximum of two stock gauge may be stored. Stock can then be utilized in many ways. For example, doing a Double attack (a character performs two action on the same turn) or starting a Combo consumes one Stock. A Double Combo on the other hand consumes two Stock. The Judgment Ring system essentially remains the same from Shadow Hearts: Covenant
, with ring customization and added ring effect items being still available.
Magic returns in the form of Stellar Charts, where characters equip Stellars onto the chart. The charts are based on the constellations of the twelve zodiac signs. Finding and fitting all the Stellars onto the charts rewards the player with the Melt Crest Stellar, the strongest non-elemental magic in the game.
Fusion is also back in the game, albeit quite differently. Unlike Yuri, Shania does not possess the power of the Harmonizer where she is able to fuse into different demons. She makes spirit pacts with the different Guardian Spirits and draws on their power to transform. Shania is only able to fuse into four forms but through acquiring fetishes; statues of different animals, she is able to learn different techniques by powering them up.
Snapping photos is more emphasized in this game. Not only can Johnny obtain enemy data through his photographing enemies, he can also trade the snap cards obtained for prizes. Johnny can also draw upon the power of Malice to transform; though this ability comes rather late in the game.
named Johnny Garland, and a 21 year old Native American
woman named Shania, who has powers of fusion similar to Yuri and Kurando in the previous Shadow Hearts entries, however, Shania is not a harmonixer. She makes pacts with spirits while Yuri and Kurando turned into demons. The story begins with Johnny, a private detective, being hired by a man named Gilbert to find one Marlow Brown. When Johnny finds the man, however, a mysterious 'window' opens, and from it emerges a monster. The rest of the game follows Johnny, Shania, and company as they attempt to uncover the truth about Gilbert and his plans.
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, a wanted criminal who was severely injured was being pursued by the police. He met a mysterious woman who rescued him by finishing off his pursuers with ease. Then, she healed his wounds with the 'Kiss of Malice.' Nobody knows what her intentions or motives are, nor did she speak a single word. The man who identified himself as 'Killer', called her 'Lady' and thereafter followed her where ever she would go.
Shania later teams up with Johnny, accompanied by her guardian, Natan to investigate the strange happening Johnny has witnessed. Arriving at Arkham University, they meet Gilbert, who reveals his true intentions to open the Gate and rain Malice upon the world. Gilbert later teams up with Lady and Killer to achieve his goal. Johnny continues his pursuit to stop Gilbert and meets new allies along the way. They include: Frank; a wacky ninja, Ricardo; a lone guitarist, Master Mao; a feline cat specialized in the Drunken Fist and Hildegard Valentine; sister of the vampire brothers Joachim and Keith Valentine in the Shadow Hearts series.
Together, Johnny and his friends travel across the globe to stop the evil plans of Gilbert, Lady and Killer. Johnny finds out a shocking truth along the way - that he was revived using the Emigre Manuscript and that Lady was actually his sister, Grace Garland. Their father had revived them after losing them in an accident. He was eventually killed by Grace as she had transferred all her Will into Johnny in exchange for his Malice. This explains why Lady does not speak; she has no memories and is only acting instinctively on the Malice in her body.
An epic battle with Killer eventually defeated unlocks Johnny's "Awaker" powers and Lady calls out Killer's name for the first time. The ritual to invoke the opening of the Gate of Malice is going underway and Johnny is determined to stop his sister. The team battles Gilbert, powered by Malice, for one last time before the final confrontation with Lady. Lady is finally put to rest with Johnny delivering the final blow and she disappears along with Killer's body.
Months later, Johnny receives a case from his detective agency and he proceeds to investigate. There are two different endings, the Good Ending and the Bad Ending. In the Good Ending, Shania follows Johnny out of the agency. In the Bad Ending, Shania watches over from a building with red eyes; an evidence that she has been consumed by Malice. The Good Ending can be obtained by maxing out all of Shania's fetishes (including the ones for the optional fusion) and vice versa for the Bad Ending.
, Lenny Curtis, Joachim, Joachims little Sister Hilda, and Keith Valentine, and Gerard Magimel) and items (Émigré Manuscript), as well as a reference to Nicolai Conrad's release of Malice from the Apoina Tower from the last game, and a store in Times Square
named "Gepetto and Cornelia", named after said people in Covenant.
Shadow Hearts: From The New World was released in Japan on July 28, 2005, when Midway
decided not to translate the game, due to the weak sales of Covenant
. XSEED then picked up the license, and released the game on March 7, 2006 in the United States. A PAL version was released May 25, 2007 by Ghostlight
.
. Also, much later in the game, he gains the ability to change form, similar to Shania's Fusion power; his malice sword also becomes double-bladed. Johnny's element is None. As pointed out by Roger, he is not in fact sixteen. It is later revealed that Johnny was in fact resurrected using the Émigré Manuscript, and that Lady is in the failed resurrection of Johnny's sister Grace.
returned for the composition of the music for Shadow Hearts: From the New World. Yasunori Mitsuda
however was not involved and instead Battle Sound Effects Producer Tomoko Imoto joined Hirota in the composition of the game's music.
The OST
(Original Soundtrack) of Shadow Hearts: From the New World was released as two Compact Disc
s under the name of Shadow Hearts From the New World Original Soundtracks by Team Entertainment
in Japan
on August 24, 2005.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
's Oh smania! oh furie! ~ D'Oreste e d'Aiace was used in the game in the Chelsea Erick Theater with Soprano and Arrangement by Akiko Shikata
(who also provided chorus for a number of other tracks in the game along with Ikuko).
The ending theme, titled SPREAD MY WINGS ~ Ending sung by Takehara Tomoaki, was composed by Yoshitaka Hirota and the lyrics were written by Takehara Tomoaki.
, though it was still, for the most part, positive. According to review aggregator Metacritic
the game averaged 76 in reviews. Common complaints included the game's shift in tone from the darker nature of the previous two to a more light-hearted atmosphere. Despite these shortfalls, the game tended to receive positive comments about the improved graphics and gameplay.
X-Play gave the game a 4 out of 5.
Sacnoth
Sacnoth was a small Japanese based video games developer.Sacnoth’s high profile games include Koudelka for the PlayStation, the three Shadow Hearts games for the PlayStation 2, and Faselei! for the Neo Geo Pocket Color...
and published by XSEED Games
XSEED Games
XSEED redirects here. For the proposed supertall structure see X-Seed 4000.Xseed Games is a video game publisher and distributor founded by former members of Square Enix USA. Their goal is to bring high-quality interactive entertainment to the North American market...
in 2005. It is the third official game in the Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts
is a series of role playing games for the PlayStation 2. The original Shadow Hearts was developed by Sacnoth and released by Midway in the United States on December 11, 2001. The sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant , was also made by the same group, although Sacnoth reformed itself into a company...
series.
The game series departs from Europe and centers around the "New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
", the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. It is not directly related to the previous games in the series but it occurs in the same universe. The main characters' quest is to investigate mysterious "windows" from which vicious monsters pop out.
Gameplay
Gameplay follows that of its predecessors, using the Judgment Ring to decide most battle outcomes, as well as many other actions throughout the game. A new "Stock" system was made for this game which expands the combination attack system between party members from Shadow Hearts - Covenant and enables double attacks.The "Stock" system works by filling up a character's stock gauge when he/she performs or receives an attack. A maximum of two stock gauge may be stored. Stock can then be utilized in many ways. For example, doing a Double attack (a character performs two action on the same turn) or starting a Combo consumes one Stock. A Double Combo on the other hand consumes two Stock. The Judgment Ring system essentially remains the same from Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a console role-playing game developed by Nautilus and published by Midway in 2004. It is a direct continuation of Shadow Hearts and the second official game in the Shadow Hearts series. The game features two DVD-ROM discs instead of the usual one, which provides,...
, with ring customization and added ring effect items being still available.
Magic returns in the form of Stellar Charts, where characters equip Stellars onto the chart. The charts are based on the constellations of the twelve zodiac signs. Finding and fitting all the Stellars onto the charts rewards the player with the Melt Crest Stellar, the strongest non-elemental magic in the game.
Fusion is also back in the game, albeit quite differently. Unlike Yuri, Shania does not possess the power of the Harmonizer where she is able to fuse into different demons. She makes spirit pacts with the different Guardian Spirits and draws on their power to transform. Shania is only able to fuse into four forms but through acquiring fetishes; statues of different animals, she is able to learn different techniques by powering them up.
Snapping photos is more emphasized in this game. Not only can Johnny obtain enemy data through his photographing enemies, he can also trade the snap cards obtained for prizes. Johnny can also draw upon the power of Malice to transform; though this ability comes rather late in the game.
Plot
It begins in North America in the year 1929 and features two new main characters: a 16 year old New YorkerNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
named Johnny Garland, and a 21 year old Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
woman named Shania, who has powers of fusion similar to Yuri and Kurando in the previous Shadow Hearts entries, however, Shania is not a harmonixer. She makes pacts with spirits while Yuri and Kurando turned into demons. The story begins with Johnny, a private detective, being hired by a man named Gilbert to find one Marlow Brown. When Johnny finds the man, however, a mysterious 'window' opens, and from it emerges a monster. The rest of the game follows Johnny, Shania, and company as they attempt to uncover the truth about Gilbert and his plans.
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, a wanted criminal who was severely injured was being pursued by the police. He met a mysterious woman who rescued him by finishing off his pursuers with ease. Then, she healed his wounds with the 'Kiss of Malice.' Nobody knows what her intentions or motives are, nor did she speak a single word. The man who identified himself as 'Killer', called her 'Lady' and thereafter followed her where ever she would go.
Shania later teams up with Johnny, accompanied by her guardian, Natan to investigate the strange happening Johnny has witnessed. Arriving at Arkham University, they meet Gilbert, who reveals his true intentions to open the Gate and rain Malice upon the world. Gilbert later teams up with Lady and Killer to achieve his goal. Johnny continues his pursuit to stop Gilbert and meets new allies along the way. They include: Frank; a wacky ninja, Ricardo; a lone guitarist, Master Mao; a feline cat specialized in the Drunken Fist and Hildegard Valentine; sister of the vampire brothers Joachim and Keith Valentine in the Shadow Hearts series.
Together, Johnny and his friends travel across the globe to stop the evil plans of Gilbert, Lady and Killer. Johnny finds out a shocking truth along the way - that he was revived using the Emigre Manuscript and that Lady was actually his sister, Grace Garland. Their father had revived them after losing them in an accident. He was eventually killed by Grace as she had transferred all her Will into Johnny in exchange for his Malice. This explains why Lady does not speak; she has no memories and is only acting instinctively on the Malice in her body.
An epic battle with Killer eventually defeated unlocks Johnny's "Awaker" powers and Lady calls out Killer's name for the first time. The ritual to invoke the opening of the Gate of Malice is going underway and Johnny is determined to stop his sister. The team battles Gilbert, powered by Malice, for one last time before the final confrontation with Lady. Lady is finally put to rest with Johnny delivering the final blow and she disappears along with Killer's body.
Months later, Johnny receives a case from his detective agency and he proceeds to investigate. There are two different endings, the Good Ending and the Bad Ending. In the Good Ending, Shania follows Johnny out of the agency. In the Bad Ending, Shania watches over from a building with red eyes; an evidence that she has been consumed by Malice. The Good Ending can be obtained by maxing out all of Shania's fetishes (including the ones for the optional fusion) and vice versa for the Bad Ending.
Development
While some may argue that From The New World is closer to a spinoff than to a sequel, it is important to notice that the game has several links with the previous games. Beside a few returning characters (Roger BaconRoger Bacon
Roger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...
, Lenny Curtis, Joachim, Joachims little Sister Hilda, and Keith Valentine, and Gerard Magimel) and items (Émigré Manuscript), as well as a reference to Nicolai Conrad's release of Malice from the Apoina Tower from the last game, and a store in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
named "Gepetto and Cornelia", named after said people in Covenant.
Shadow Hearts: From The New World was released in Japan on July 28, 2005, when Midway
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
decided not to translate the game, due to the weak sales of Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a console role-playing game developed by Nautilus and published by Midway in 2004. It is a direct continuation of Shadow Hearts and the second official game in the Shadow Hearts series. The game features two DVD-ROM discs instead of the usual one, which provides,...
. XSEED then picked up the license, and released the game on March 7, 2006 in the United States. A PAL version was released May 25, 2007 by Ghostlight
Ghostlight
Ghostlight is a multiplatform video game publisher based in the UK, it was established as a subsidiary of Midas Interactive during 2004.-Published games:*The Plan*Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call*Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga...
.
Playable characters
: A sixteen year-old boy who runs a detective agency in New York City, Johnny is on his own after his father and sister died in a car accident. Like in all Shadow Hearts games, nothing is as it appears, and much of the story's main plot involves Johnny discovering the truths about his past. Johnny can use Handy Tools, such as a magic camera to photograph his enemies in order to reveal information about them, a magical vacuum cleaner to suck up his enemies' stock gauge and give it to himself, and a cell phone to call his butler, Lenny, who can attack Johnny's enemies no matter where Johnny is on the planet. Johnny uses knives as his main weapon, and early in the game gains the ability to channel malice through them in battle, creating a weapon visually resembling a lightsaberLightsaber
A lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
. Also, much later in the game, he gains the ability to change form, similar to Shania's Fusion power; his malice sword also becomes double-bladed. Johnny's element is None. As pointed out by Roger, he is not in fact sixteen. It is later revealed that Johnny was in fact resurrected using the Émigré Manuscript, and that Lady is in the failed resurrection of Johnny's sister Grace.
- A Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
woman, with the power of Fusion, which she controls by making contracts with spirits in order to use their powers. She's hunting the mysterious villain known simply as Lady in order to avenge her murdered tribe. Cold and single-minded, she and her companion Natan travel the continent looking for Lady so that she may have her revenge. Shania's element is darkness (unlike Yuri Hyuga from previous games, this does not changes depending on which fusion excluding her fourth fusion), and she uses twin tomahawkTomahawk (axe)A tomahawk is a type of axe native to North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. The name came into the English language in the 17th century as a transliteration of the Powhatan word.Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European Colonials...
s to fight. Later on, she is infected with malice by Lady. - Shania's guardian, Natan was the only other survivor of their tribe's massacre by Lady. He is faithful to the end, even as he questions many of Shania's motives throughout the story. Although he is quiet, he is also warm and affectionate. Natan's side quests involve searches for rare creatures called UMAs to power up his abilities. His element is Wind and his primary weapons are twin guns, allowing him to use the special abilities of a style he created, which he calls Gun Fu.
- First encountered at Arkham University, Frank joins the party hoping to learn more about Professor Gilbert. He is a skilled ninjaNinjaA or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
, which he became after the airplane he was traveling in crashed near a remote ninja village in the rain forests of Brazil. Highly eccentric, Frank fights to preserve America's freedom. He uses Ninja Arts that are obtained throughout the game by completing special missions from the Jonin. Frank's weapons of choice are giant sabres, which he usually constructs from found-objects, in the manner of Joachim Valentine from Covenant. Frank's element is Light. - Frank's master and good friend of Al CaponeAl CaponeAlphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
, Mao is most notable for being a giant talking cat with a penchant for alcoholAlcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
. Out of all the main characters, only Johnny expresses finding this at all crazy. She tolerates little foolishness, especially from her former student, but can be compassionate and wise when it is called for. She also harbors a secret desire to be a movie star; her side quest actually revolves around her making a film in which she fights her way through a five-story pagodaPagodaA pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
against other giant felines who are parodies of famous action stars, such as Sammo MeowSammo HungSammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
and Cat MoritaPat MoritaNoriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American actor of Japanese descent who was well-known for playing the roles of Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the The Karate Kid movie series, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.-Early life:Pat...
, this is also the second reference to the film Game of DeathGame of DeathThe Game of Death is a 1972 film starring Bruce Lee. It was almost the last film Bruce Lee had planned to be the demonstration piece of his martial art Jeet Kune Do. Over 100 minutes of footage was shot before his death, some of which was later misplaced in the Golden Harvest archives...
within the series. Mao's element is Water, and she uses flasks of alcohol to fuel her Drunken Fist-style of fighting. - Stranded in America after a crash-landing in an experimental ship with Roger Bacon in Roswell, New MexicoRoswell, New MexicoRoswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
, Hilda decides to travel with the party to sightsee while Roger fixes the ship. A vampire, like her older brothers Keith and Joachim, Hilda fancies herself to be a true super heroine. Hilda can change forms; while she has a bat form like the other Valentines, her main ability to change revolves around Calories; positive calories turn her from Slim form to Pink Bat form to Curvy form, while negative calories have the opposite effect . She uses wands and keys to attack, as well as an elemental set of Magic Arts learned from a brand of magazines called "Daily Arts". It is notable that Slim Hilda is the more magical based version, while Curvy Hilda is physical based. Pink Bat form actually has the strongest attacks, but is very vulnerable. Hilda's element is Earth.
- Ricardo Gomez ( in the Japanese version): Although he is seen early in the game performing at Capone's nightclub, he is the last character to actually join the party. He is the lover of Edna Capone, Al Capone's little sister. A talented flamenco guitarist, his thoughts are turned from music to revenge when he is forced to kill the woman he loves after she becomes tainted by Lady with malice. He uses his guitar in battle, which is modified to include a shotgunShotgunA shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
, rocket launcherShoulder-launched missile weaponA shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile is a projectile fired at a target, small enough to be carried by a single person, and fired while held on one's shoulder...
, and flamethrowerFlamethrowerA flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
. He also uses Serenata, which he learns by collecting certain items. His Serenades are musical tunes played on his guitar, which give status boosts to allies (though they don't affect Ricardo himself). His element is Fire.
Villains
: A mysterious woman of untold strength, she rescues a mortally-wounded suspect (Killer) from the police and restores his life with malice. She does not respond with speech (only saying the word "Killer" twice), nor does she show any emotion, therefore Killer dubs her "Lady". Although mute, she plainly holds regular existence in disdain as she interferes in the lives of the party and earns their wrath, especially from Shania and Ricardo. Her ultimate goal is to gain enough malice to open a sinister porthole known as "The Gate", which will rain terror and hatred down upon the world. According to Professor Gilbert, she may be driven by instinct and only wishes to open the Gate out of a desire to return "home". Whilst the main villain and depicted as pure evil, she shows a different side to Killer. Her true identity is that of Johnny's sister, who during the resurrection process gave up her Will (the blue light) to Johnny, leaving her none, turning her into Lady.- An American serial killer hunted by a majority of the U.S, he was granted malice powers by Lady when she saves his life; this action gains her his devotion, which is implied to border on romantic. When it is hinted that increasing the powers and opening the Gate will gain her happiness, he decides nothing will stand in her way. Ruthless and malicious, his newfound powers make him far from a pushover. He resembles the look of Yuri but with red hair and also thinner. He is responsible for activating Johnny's Awakener powers, and is quite shocked by them.
- At first, he seems to be a simple client of Johnny's; later he shows he knows much more about the affairs surrounding malice and Lady. He wishes to harness the powers of the Gate for himself; to do so, he must ally himself with Lady and Killer. Ultimately, he wishes to betray them and take the powers of malice for himself.
Other characters
- Lenny Curtis ( in the Japanese version): Johnny's loyal butler. It is revealed that after he was defeated at St. Marguerite Island in the previous game, he ended up stranded in a desert where Johnny rescued him. Lenny does all of Johnny's household chores, helps him practice his math skills, and often encourages him to take over his father's business. Lenny Curtis also appeared in Shadow Hearts: Covenant, where he obtained a soul contract with the demon "Godhand", thus can shoot a mystical ball anywhere on the planet so long as he has Johnny to call him on his cell phone.
- Gerard Magimel ( in the Japanese version): A homosexual shopkeeper returning from Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Gerard once again serves as the primary shopkeeper for the party. With his lover Buigen, he journeys across America in a motorcycle, appearing in the strangest and most remote places as a demonstration of the lengths he will go to in order to make a sale.
- Buigen ( in the Japanese version): Gerard's leather-clad, motorcycle driving boyfriend. Buigen is primarily responsible for aligning the party's Stellar Charts for a fee.
- Zonda ( in the Japanese version): Betrothed to Shania, Zonda is the chief of another tribe who helps Shania gain one of her Fusions. He is saddened by her desire for revenge at any cost, and hopes she will one day overcome it and come to love both him and life itself.
- Held in Alcatraz, he must be rescued by the party when an assassin is sent to kill him in prison. He is deeply indebted to them thereafter, assisting them on a number of occasions.
- Sister of Al Capone and infatuated with Ricardo and his masterful guitar playing. But when the MacManus family (which is rival to Capones) kidnaps her, and she is killed, she receives the Kiss of Malice from Lady and is transformed into a monster. Ricardo, her lover, kills her.
- The famous adversary of Capone, Ness tracks the party for information on the notorious gangster. However, he never quite seems to be able to get a hold of him. Despite the fact that Ness is trying to put Capone in jail, they both have deep respect for each other.
- Britney: A fellow ninja from Frank's village, she constantly plays helpless in order to trick Frank into doing things for her, but fails, as Frank gets the rewards anyways.
- Once again, Roger is mixed up in the affairs of Shadow Hearts when his experimental spacecraft crashes. Mistaken for an alien and taken to a government base, he is soon rescued where he goes about repairing his ship so he and Hilda can return to Europe. There are hints that he may know more about other, more serious affairs than he lets on. He knows the truth behind Johnny and Lady's true identity.
- Anne Lafitte ( in the Japanese version): A young girl who heads a band of ruthless CaribbeanCaribbeanThe Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
pirates, Anne is actually the guardian of a secret treasure left by her grandfather. She captures the party when they stumble upon her island on their way to find Lady, thinking that they came to steal the treasure that is on the island.
- The Great Q: Another returning character from Covenant. Joachim, the brother of Hilda and Keith, makes an appearance as The Great Q, a boss for Hilda's side-quest where he has another universe where he is having the Man Festival.
- Professor LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
: A character that replaces Gilbert during the game. He is also another truly existed character, and he appears as a special human who can create pit fights using people's feeling or memories.
Voice acting
The English voice actors are as follows:- Jamie McGonnigalJamie McGonnigalJamie McGonnigal is a voice actor, actor, producer, activist and director, who has worked for various companies such as 4Kids Entertainment, NYAV Post, DuArt Film and Video and FUNimation Entertainment....
— Johnny Garland / Roy McManus (ロイ・マクマナス) - Kelly Ray — Shania
- Matt HovermanMatt HovermanMatt Hoverman is an American actor, playwright, teacher of solo shows, and voice actor based in New York City.Matt Hoverman’s plays include "Who You See Here" , "In Transit" , "The Student" , "The...
— Natan / Killer (キラー) - Marc Thompson — Frank Goldfinger / Mao / Alfonso "Al" CaponeAl CaponeAlphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
(アルフォンソ・カポネ) - Bella Hudson — Hildegard Valentine / Okanagan (オカナガン)
- Sean SchemmelSean SchemmelSean Schemmel is an American voice actor, ADR director, and script writer who has worked for NYAV Post, Bandai Entertainment, Funimation Entertainment, OkraTron 5000, DuArt Film and Video, and 4Kids Entertainment...
— Ricardo Gomez - Scottie RayScottie RayScottie Ray , sometimes credited as Scott Rayow, is a voice actor who normally voices characters for properties of 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media and NYAV Post...
— Lenny Curtis / Gilbert (ギルバート) - Snazin Smith — Eliot NessEliot NessEliot Ness was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois, and the leader of a legendary team of law enforcement agents nicknamed The Untouchables.- Early life :...
- Marcia Belle — Edna Capone (エドナ・カポネ)
- Marty Keiser — Roger Bacon (ロジャー・ベーコン)
Soundtrack
Yoshitaka HirotaYoshitaka Hirota
is a Japanese video game composer and bass guitarist. His most notable works include the soundtracks to the Shadow Hearts series. Hirota was previously a sound effects programmer having worked on various Square titles...
returned for the composition of the music for Shadow Hearts: From the New World. Yasunori Mitsuda
Yasunori Mitsuda
is a Japanese video game composer, sound programmer, and musician. He has composed music for or worked on over 35 games, and has contributed to over 15 other albums...
however was not involved and instead Battle Sound Effects Producer Tomoko Imoto joined Hirota in the composition of the game's music.
The OST
OST
- Music :* Original Soundtrack, the soundtrack of a movie, TV series, or video game.* Open Source Track, a licensing and distribution model for music initiative* The alias of electronic musician Chris Douglas- Science and technology :...
(Original Soundtrack) of Shadow Hearts: From the New World was released as two Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
s under the name of Shadow Hearts From the New World Original Soundtracks by Team Entertainment
TEAM Entertainment
TEAM entertainment is a musical hobby group that publishes music that is licensed to them. Motoi Sakuraba's game compositions are best known in this group. The issue with Sakuraba's music is that the games are copyrighted by the companies that own it, many of which have the practice of not...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on August 24, 2005.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Oh smania! oh furie! ~ D'Oreste e d'Aiace was used in the game in the Chelsea Erick Theater with Soprano and Arrangement by Akiko Shikata
Akiko Shikata
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and composer, who is known for writing music for games and anime. She is best known for her contributions to the Ar tonelico, Shadow Hearts and Umineko no Naku Koro ni games, as well as anime adaptations of Umineko no Naku Koro ni and Tales of Symphonia.Shikata's...
(who also provided chorus for a number of other tracks in the game along with Ikuko).
The ending theme, titled SPREAD MY WINGS ~ Ending sung by Takehara Tomoaki, was composed by Yoshitaka Hirota and the lyrics were written by Takehara Tomoaki.
Reception
The game received a somewhat weaker reception than Shadow Hearts: CovenantShadow Hearts: Covenant
Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a console role-playing game developed by Nautilus and published by Midway in 2004. It is a direct continuation of Shadow Hearts and the second official game in the Shadow Hearts series. The game features two DVD-ROM discs instead of the usual one, which provides,...
, though it was still, for the most part, positive. According to review aggregator Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
the game averaged 76 in reviews. Common complaints included the game's shift in tone from the darker nature of the previous two to a more light-hearted atmosphere. Despite these shortfalls, the game tended to receive positive comments about the improved graphics and gameplay.
X-Play gave the game a 4 out of 5.