Just started Shadow Hearts: Covenant

Board 8

Board 8 » Just started Shadow Hearts: Covenant
TomNook7
03/14/2025
05:28 AM
#1
I know theres gotta be at least one die hard Shadow Hearts fan on this board

I beat the original a couple years ago, and even though it felt more like a late Ps1 game than an early Ps2 one, it was still a pretty good time

But man so far the sequel took everything that was good about the original, and fucking built on it

Fully rendered environments, voice acting, they took what worked about the original's combat and made it even cooler, so much customization now, 4 party member teams, etc like holy shit

And man this game is such a weird / distinct Ps2 vibe. Like bro this game is SO sick

Anyway is there anything I need to know? Missables or anything? Also I can't seem to figure out how combos work so far. It's like I get my characters together for a combo, and then after one attacks, it just says COMBO BREAK and nothing happens
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
ChaosTonyV4
03/14/2025
05:32 AM
#2
There used to be someone who had it in their signature, I think? Cant remember who
Phantom Dust.
"I'll just wait for time to prove me right again." - Vlado
pezzicle
03/14/2025
07:04 AM
#3
Its one of my favorite rpgs of all time
stop victory lapping around your desk, your chair has rollers, it's not even really exercise
transience
03/14/2025
07:48 AM
#4
it's been some time, but there are 3-4 different types of attacks (up, down, knock forward) and if the one you choose misses then you get a combo break. some attacks hit high so if you knock an enemy down, you'll miss. it's kind of a dumb system but you get the hang of it through experimentation.
xyzzy
Leonhart4
03/14/2025
08:31 AM
#5
ChaosTonyV4 posted...
There used to be someone who had it in their signature, I think? Cant remember who

Kyle Bowen

Covenant is a great game. Battles are easy 99% of the time, so you'll figure it out.
https://imgur.com/WqDcNNq
https://imgur.com/89Z5jrB
TomNook7
03/14/2025
08:35 AM
#6
Aw man missed opportunity to finally have an excuse to interact with kyle bowen's bar and social lounge
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
RikkuAlmighty
03/14/2025
11:15 AM
#7
Shadow Hearts Covenant is amazing. I dont really follow playthrough topics but Im paying attention to this.

also, unpopular opinion but Shadow Hearts 3 has one of the best JRPG battle systems ever. The rest of the game isnt as good as Covenant but its still really fun.
https://backloggery.com/cwistofu
https://letterboxd.com/cwistofu/
transience
03/14/2025
11:37 AM
#8
that's not an unpopular opinion at all!
xyzzy
RikkuAlmighty
03/14/2025
01:05 PM
#9
SH3 and Wild Hearts 5 best jrpg battle systems fite me

edit: arms
https://backloggery.com/cwistofu
https://letterboxd.com/cwistofu/
Metal_DK
03/14/2025
01:10 PM
#10
you mean wild arms 5? Because if so the battle system is definitely up there for best.
Casual Revolution 2007 - 2015
Casual Double Down 2015 - ??
RikkuAlmighty
03/14/2025
01:13 PM
#11
Oops yes
https://backloggery.com/cwistofu
https://letterboxd.com/cwistofu/
TomNook7
03/14/2025
06:33 PM
#12
Trying to get through the subways of paris now

I got my ASS BEAT at first. The game spawns like 8 dudes per random encounter and they were beating the SHIT outta my team

But then i figured out combos. Gotta make my guys pair up and hunker down their defense, and the thing i was messing up was i was forgetting to press the command prompt after the first party members attack

Speaking of party members - man these guys are all instantly fun. Yuri still has his fusion from sh1, gepetto and his little girl doll he dresses up is the most "lol japan" thing ive ever seen (but i aint mad at it - its pretty unique and cool), blanca is cool for just being a literal wolf, and karin has a great design and cool personality

Add to that each character has their own unique little systems and side quests to customize their moves, and its like holy shit this game didnt have to go THIS hard, but im so glad it did

Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
transience
03/14/2025
07:55 PM
#13
wait til you see his, uh, art collection

anyway the character of the game is on the other side of the sewer
xyzzy
RikkuAlmighty
03/14/2025
10:18 PM
#14
Joachims theme still randomly gets stuck in my head.

The names GRAN PAPILLON!
https://backloggery.com/cwistofu
https://letterboxd.com/cwistofu/
TomNook7
03/15/2025
08:41 AM
#15
Well the boss of the subway dungeon killed me

Its really fun applying the right elemental buffs to characters and having them do combo attacks to exploit the enemy's weakness. They even made it so the characters weapons change colors depending on what elemental buffs they receive, which is a cool little touch

But i forgot to manage my SP, and like half my party went insane, and everyone started killing each other, and i completely wiped in two turns lol
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
TomNook7
03/15/2025
09:00 AM
#16
Ok i beat it. Just had to keep throwing the pure leafs out. I thought maybe defending would recover SP, but it doesnt

But man the combat in this game is so cool. Fighting a flying fire enemy, and equipping water elements to jump up and knock them out of the sky while another party member catches them on the ground with the combo
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
transience
03/15/2025
09:34 AM
#17
you won't even need pure leaves in a few fights if you keep leveling up a single fusion. yuri can do so much damage
xyzzy
TomNook7
03/15/2025
10:01 AM
#18
RikkuAlmighty posted...
Joachims theme still randomly gets stuck in my head.

The names GRAN PAPILLON!

just had my first encounter with GRAN PAPILLON

this game is legit funny as shit
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
TomNook7
03/15/2025
10:31 AM
#19
Aw yeah gran papillon is a party member

The party members in this game are the most hodgepodge group of people lmao
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
transience
03/15/2025
10:36 AM
#20
teacherrrrrrrrrrrr
xyzzy
Leonhart4
03/15/2025
10:48 AM
#21
You're making me wish I could play this game again
https://imgur.com/WqDcNNq
https://imgur.com/89Z5jrB
Big_Bob
03/15/2025
10:49 AM
#22
Obligatory old Penny Arcade comic:

https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/10/04/the-utility-of-rare-erotica
azuarc beat me.
RikkuAlmighty
03/15/2025
11:43 AM
#23
Did they ever figure out emulation for these games? I remember PCSX2 had a really bad graphical issue with the battle wheel that made the game unplayable.
https://backloggery.com/cwistofu
https://letterboxd.com/cwistofu/
TomNook7
03/15/2025
11:53 AM
#24
Big_Bob posted...
Obligatory old Penny Arcade comic:

https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/10/04/the-utility-of-rare-erotica

lmao

Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
TomNook7
03/15/2025
12:41 PM
#25
Oh yeah, gepetto said that yuris old girlfriend was killed, so im wondering if alice is actually dead or if the story just wants me to think she is. In the first game i went out of my way to do a bunch of extra shit to keep alice alive and get the good ending, but maybe the ending where she died is the canon one?
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
Isquen
03/15/2025
01:36 PM
#26
Well that would be a spoiler now, wouldn't it?

Can't really spoil much else regarding party members - you've hit high, but not the lowest low yet.
[Rock and Stone] <o/
transience
03/15/2025
07:57 PM
#27
it's not a spoiler to say that this game follows SH1's bad ending
xyzzy
TomNook7
03/16/2025
10:26 AM
#28
So Joachim will just randomly become golden bat or invisible sometimes? Is there a reason for that? Advantages/ disadvantages?
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
TomNook7
03/16/2025
11:07 AM
#29
lucia get

time to figure out a whole tarot card aromatherapy system. so cool. love how every party member has their own unique little systems

theres so many weird / cool party members i cant pick just 4. good thing it lets you rearrange your team on the fly
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
transience
03/16/2025
11:30 AM
#30
Andre is coming, get ready

so Joachim has 'joachythms' or something in the menu that show you his random transformations. basically, invisible means he won't be targeted, bat is really high attack but low hp, and papillon is the best of everything. in general, don't worry about it and just let it happen. the only time it might matter is if you get bat on a boss due to the low hp.
xyzzy
TomNook7
03/16/2025
03:35 PM
#31
Thank you transience for your hot tipz

I went to fight a boss with lucia in my party, and drew a tarot card that dropped my entire party's sp to 0, and just put the controller down and watched as insane antics ensued

After like 5 minutes of my dudes killing themselves, using my best items on the boss, and surprisingly doing plenty of damage to the boss, i finally got control of joachim with 1 hp left and the rest of the party dead, and i was able to finish the boss with one final attack

im ok with this result

Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
RikkuAlmighty
03/16/2025
05:46 PM
#32
This topic has inspired me to figure out ps2 emulation
https://backloggery.com/cwistofu
https://letterboxd.com/cwistofu/
transcience
03/16/2025
06:10 PM
#33
Ive emulated SH2 before. it works okay but you cant frameskip well if I remember right
add the c and back away
iphonesience
RikkuAlmighty
03/16/2025
06:36 PM
#34
Is there any kind of english fan patch for the directors cut content? Was that even anything worth experiencing?
https://backloggery.com/cwistofu
https://letterboxd.com/cwistofu/
transcience
03/16/2025
06:37 PM
#35
not really. I have the original and its a couple of scenes here and there, nothing Ill talk about in this thread. theres a brutal superboss and maybe some backstory on some of the villains. its been like 20 years.
add the c and back away
iphonesience
Isquen
03/16/2025
07:30 PM
#36
TomNook7 posted...


im ok with this result

You've now hit lowest low. Lucia is "interesting" but a self-destruct button does not make for a good RPG party member.
[Rock and Stone] <o/
TomNook7
03/19/2025
08:50 AM
#37
Lmao i cant stop laughing at this game

Yuri: now we gotta figure out where this island is

Joachim: you mean you dont know where it is???

Yuri: how the hell should i know? Do YOU know?

Joachim: no

everyone: ....

lmao
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
TomNook7
03/19/2025
10:58 AM
#38
So far my setup is blanca buffs joachims strength, and i gave joachim the 5 hit ring so he just becomes a DIESEL TRAIN COMIN THRU

And I have heal magic equipped to karin, buff/debuff to blanca, and nukes to gepetto and lucia. And i constantly rotate everyone in and out because theyre all fun

Ive made yuri and joachim into such heavy hitters im getting through the game pretty efficiently
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
transience
03/19/2025
11:00 AM
#39
yep you're playing it right. Yuri is on a whole other level though with his fusions
xyzzy
RikkuAlmighty
03/19/2025
11:49 AM
#40
I dont think I ever properly used Blanca. What was his gimmick?
https://backloggery.com/cwistofu
https://letterboxd.com/cwistofu/
Isquen
03/19/2025
12:39 PM
#41
RikkuAlmighty posted...
I dont think I ever properly used Blanca. What was his gimmick?

Speedy, consistency, available early, gets more abilities by 1v1 dueling other dogs.
[Rock and Stone] <o/
transience
03/19/2025
04:11 PM
#42
he's a good healer too
xyzzy
TomNook7
03/20/2025
04:52 PM
#43
Well as much as i didnt wanna take blanca off the team, anastasia's summons are too powerful and her being able to scan enemy weaknesses is too useful. I put blanca's buff/debuff magic on her as well

Running around snowy russia was pretty cool too

This game gets a lot of mileage out of it's setting for sure
Hey TomNook play me in smash for your account
RikkuAlmighty
03/20/2025
05:30 PM
#44
Covenant has one of the coolest JRPG settings. We need more historical globetrotting JRPGs.
https://backloggery.com/cwistofu
https://letterboxd.com/cwistofu/
Leonhart4
03/20/2025
06:09 PM
#45
ya go my Anastasia
https://imgur.com/WqDcNNq
https://imgur.com/89Z5jrB
transience
03/20/2025
06:50 PM
#46
anastasia is a must have for the snaps. you don't even really need it but I have to catch them all

speaking of blanca, hope you found r-3, the best pup
xyzzy
Board 8 » Just started Shadow Hearts: Covenant