Japanese gamers who purchase the upcoming director's cut version of Shadow Hearts: Covenant will not only be privy to the tweaked version of the second Shadow Hearts, but will also receive a disk that contains a trailer for the next installment of Nautilus' Koudelka series, Shadow Hearts III. Along with this revelation, a feature in Japanese gaming magazine, Famitsu, has given the world more specific details than those that came along with the Shadow Hearts III trailer.
The game is set in the United States in 1929, and features Johnny Garland; a street-smart 16-year-old New Yorker with an attitude. Johnny is a self-proclaimed private investigator who "investigates" events in the back streets of New York City. More often than not, Johnny finds himself in over his head as a consequence of his investigations. One particular investigation leads to a grim end, with Johnny's father and older sister passing away, and Johnny losing his memory of what transpired.
After being asked to track down a suspect by a suspicious-looking man, Johnny agrees thinking that it would be an easy-money job. He finds the suspect quickly--almost too quickly--when something goes wrong. A greenish glow envelopes the area, and a monster comes out of nowhere and devours the suspect. The monster stares Johnny down as if he were going to be next, when something vaguely human with two enormous wings falls between the two.
The green glow that Johnny witnessed turns out to be a portal to another plane called a "window." These windows have been appearing all over the United States, and are usually accompanied by a ravening monster. Shadow Hearts III will follow Johnny as he travels all across the new world, taking on these monsters.
Similar to its predecessors before it, Shadow Hearts III will feature a cast of unique and unusual traveling companions. As of yet however, the only character announced besides Johnny is Shania, a 21 year old native American. Shania uses Shaman-like powers and makes a living as a hunter of the beasts that have come through windows.
Needless to say, the Judgment Ring system will make a return for the latest incarnation of Shadow Hearts, and familiar customization and combo systems concerning the ring will be present. Furthermore, the Emigre manuscript, a focal point of all three previous Koudelka titles, will make a return. Game locations will once again be based on locales in the real world, including Brooklyn, Chicago, and the Grand Canyon.
Presently, Shadow Hearts III is 60% complete and is scheduled for a Japanese release in the summer. A North American localization has not yet been mentioned. For those who want to take a gander at the Famitsu article for themselves, check out RPGamer's
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