IIRC, Koudelka’s voice actors all recorded their dialogue on a live set in each others presence in real time. That’s why the spoken dialogue feels so natural.
It'd be interesting to see a modern JRPG try that. Xenoblade 3 is extremely well acted but I think it would have benefitted from having its actors all together.
@@666slateran666 is Yalm like Yinz? im from Pittsburgh so some folks say yinz cuz that means yall so yalm made me think of that. & 2b fair im always wildin haha
Wow, Koudelka's drunken monologue was so heartbreaking, and so well-delivered... that alone could convince me to muddle my way through slow grid-based, breakable weapons gameplay.
It's a lot longer than that little clip. She also admits to having to trade her body for food and a place to sleep on many occasions after her mother abandoned her.
Just leave Edward without weapons. His fists never break, and the more you use them the better they get. Switch to other weapons for utility, but you'll always be capable of throwing hands against demons and undead when your knuckle weapons break at least. Then you can just use magic to buff Edward until he's Doomguy and can RIP AND TEAR through any boss fight.
Yes exactly. It is honestly one of the best cut scenes in gaming, IMHO. Especially considering the time and techonology from the time, they did amazing
Koudelka being voiced and performed by stage actors adds such a refined vibe to each cutscene. I love live theater so seeing that style of storytelling in a horror RPG of all things is awesome. It's such a unique feel for a game and it makes me sad it didn't take off like other RPGs. The monster designs ALONE put the game in a league of its own.
The fact you’re covering Shadow Hearts and Koudelka is literally a dream come true. If every JRPG went to the Koudelka school of cutscenes the world would be a better place. Those cutscenes still feel like they hold up.
No it would not be. A lot of people enjoy JRPGs for their leisure pace, and having every single conversation be unsubtitled fast paced conversation with everyone interrupting each other would just take away from that.
The reason that I love this channel is that it answers questions that I never knew I wanted the answer to, like "What font is used in Tales of Symphonia."
Yeah, I think that one hits extra hard at people who know that place --- the crossroads where "being needed/having meaning" is the hearts' true desire, plus drunk enough with a stranger in a dangerous place, saying it out loud. That was one of the top 5 "getting effed + vulnerable together" scenes I've ever seen in an artwork.
I struggle with his galaxy-brain thinking sometimes. But I like the art he has drawn as flavor chad-ing. I really like his commentary, he comes off as a nice person, with no egotism in sight! I really hope he develops more on his raunchy side of joking around in good nature, of course. Furthermore, I appreciate the c u next Tuesday, sometimes this is what the situation calls for. Cheers!
Can’t wait to sit here and take this one in. It’s a shame that the Shadow Hearts series has been lying dormant for like…3 generations now. Thanks for your hard work!
"I'm turning changing from your ordinary bad-boy type into a real psycho" Man, the early 2000s where such a mood. When I heard you say that line I was distracted for the moment, so when I re-watched it and saw that that was an ACTUAL line, I started giggling like crazy.
Upon watching, this is the magnum opus of reviews to me. The Xenogears one had an almost ethereal existential vibe of understanding and accepting the perception of gnostic beings granted in the setting. But this one, I have played through Koudelka (and Shadow Hearts) countless times and I have never perceived the characters struggles and development as well as you have described. Absolute masterpiece my man, the only way you can best this is to interweave Covenant (Easily my favourite and most emotionally connected piece of art, of my life) and complete the trilogy with a crescendo of paradoxical introspection, a weird love triangle, a fathoming of a butterfly vampire wrestler and a farewell to some of the best JRPGs to ever exist (And be criminally unknown). You now have a new Lordly Caliber follower.
To this day the voice acting in Koudelka is absolutely top of the line. Really wish other devs had picked up on their approach of having voice actors act out scenes alongside each other. Every cutscene in that game is captivating to me.
The one thing that this game (and series) is REALLY underrated for is the amount of heart (no puntended) they put into the inventory visuals of all places. In most JRPGs, it's just... [potion, heals 50hp] or something. Here, literally EVERY SINGLE THING, consumable, equipment, key items; has detailed art + lore flavor text to it. It honestly puts a wide smile to my face just going through my inventory and looking at the art and mini story descriptions to even something as menial as status effect curatives. So if you ever decide to tackle Shadow Hearts 2 and 3, don't forget to give these a gander. It's such a small detail that really goes unappreciated by many.
I agree - I had this in my notes, but didn't get around to mentioning it in the video. Great insight, and I'll be sure to include this in the Covenant video when it happens!
Gothic Horror combined with Turn Based RPGs are a combination rarely done, but very much appreciated! Koudelka's James is one of my favorite RPG characters ever, as he's handled with a heap more nuance and care than us usual for Jrpgs. You can tell there was a desire to explore the culture and history surrounding his archetype, alongside his personal struggles. It's a care I don't see applied as expertly as it was in this game. Thank you for talking extensively about the music. I know that it's not an easy subject to extensively include for reasons of pacing and TH-cam shenanigans, but I'm so pleased with your break downs here, it truly gives the respect that composition deserves!Gothic Horror combined with Turn Based RPGs are a combination rarely done, but very much appreciated! Koudelka's James is one of my favorite RPG characters ever, as he's handled with a heap more nuance and care than us usual for Jrpgs. You can tell there was a desire to explore the culture and history surrounding his archetype, alongside his personal struggles. It's a care I don't see applied as expertly as it was in this game. Thank you for talking extensively about the music. I know that it's not an easy subject to extensively include for reasons of pacing and TH-cam shenanigans, but I'm so pleased with your break downs here, it truly gives the respect that composition deserves! That line "the amount of time I spent gushing about it pales in comparison to the amount of time the composer spent arranging it" is so *dead on*. Shadow Hearts has my favorite system with it's transformations. Each one feels like a truly awesome exploration of "letting you play as a Jrpgs monster". The Light aligned creatures are especially my favorites, as I love being able to control a heavenly monstrosity that looks like the progenitor of a Sin Eater from FF14! A fantastic video sir! But now you know what comes next: the successor to the Judgement Ring system, and the first truly Turn Cringe RPG - *YIIK!*
Speaking of horror and RPG, have you ever tried Death End: Re;Quest? It is from the Neptunia devs but it was written by the lead writer of Corpse Party. The first game doesn't feel entirely like a horror game but its sequel goes full-on gothic horror/sci-fi. They are heavily flawed and janky but they are compelling experiences.
I can't believe you would go and make yet another a video specifically for me, the person who loves koudelka and the first shadow hearts more than the rest of the series. i'm still in awe at the level of writing and voice acting in Koudelka, and Shadow Hearts' pure mixed media strangeness and darker tone (compared to the other two shadow hearts games) are an experience i've never found elsewhere. Thank you for producing the content the world needs.
A smaller channel I admire started a playthrough of Koudelka and never had I seen a character like her especially with such strength of voice acting. I know that it’s expensive to get voice actors together and bounce off each other but if I heard more performances like this I would pay more for games
Koudelka was revolutionary for me when I played it. I literally rented it - remember those days - because of the fact it was a four disc Sqaresoft RPG. I was blown away by its music, story and full voice acting, which as a visually impaired gamer who reads text boxes very slow, was a literal game changer. I never got the "defeat the boss" ending, but I was satisfied by the "bad" ending. When Shadow Hearts was announced, it was an instant buy, especially after they showcased the FMV cutscenes. My understanding was that was much of what the game would be. Boy was I disappointed. It was still decent - especially the music", but it lacked that feel of Koudelka. I was so excited when I got to the sanitarium and saw Koudelka ... and then she was not to the same. Despite my disappointment, I enjoyed Shadow Hearts enough to be excited for the sequel, and despite its more humerous approach, it was a much, MUCH better game in almost every way. I think your video was fantastic and I really appreciate this series being revisited. I hope you enjoand Covenant if you haven't played it yet. It's disgraseful there's no non-emulator way to play this series anymore. It needs a revival, especially after Shadow Hearts From the New World.
We actually DO know what happens to Edward after the game ends! He goes on to be real-life early 20th century fantasy author Lord Dunsany, aka Edward James Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany, born 1878
Man Shadow Hearts is my favourite game of all time. I live in Ireland so as a teenager seeing an rpg like this having a section set so close to ireland was amazing. Thank you for this video and please please pleaae make one for covenant!
Please don't misconstrue this as an insult but your videos always put me to sleep in the best way possible. I go back and find the last thing I remember to finish the video the next morning but the tone of your voice is so soothing I just slip off into dreamland every time. I really appreciate all the hard work you put into these and I actually played Tales of Symphonia because of your review and had a phenomenal time with my play-through. I genuinely get excited whenever you drop a video so please keep doing what you do and keep up the good work my man. I'll drop some love in your patreon when I get the chance and you bet your sweet tookus I'll be buying some merch when it drops. Thanks again for all the love you put into these, it doesn't go unnoticed
Aww, this is so sweet. Reminds me of my own story too! A good friend of mine and I would talk for hours on end in skype and he always ended up falling asleep. His snores were so loud. When I asked him about it, he said that my voice was too soothing and he couldn't help it. I thought he was just being cheeky, but appreciated the compliment. ...we've been dating for 6 years now. Haha!
Dang, that drunken monologue... I felt that so keenly, deep inside my heart. I would never have had a glimpse into such a fascinating game as Koudelka if not for this video, and I definitely would have bounced off the glacial pacing if I tried to play it myself nowadays, so thank you, Majuular, for the work you do.
Well, Magenta is often the choice for the Color Out of Space, because Magenta doesn't really happen naturally in the world around us. You don't see 'Magenta flowers', you see Red or Pink or perhaps Purple, not Magenta. So artists usually go with that.
Honestly, thanks to the tone and setting FFXVI seems to be having, I always wondered why there isn't alot of horror or more specifically gothic jrpgs outside of the indie/fan game circle. Nice to learn about a game I've never heard about until today.
His content and revelation on how we are left with memories that leave an imprint of our souls when someone dies was definitely the healthier and greatest lesson to be learned for the player.
Why can't all TH-cam comments on other channels be like this? Every one in this section hasbeen on point, and seeing yours made me feel the need to say so!
44:20 "zlato" is actually a south slavic word for gold although we do sometimes use it to refer to people as "my precious" or "my treasure". Nice attention to detail
Discovered your channel like 3 days ago and I've already burned through like half of your content. Your presentation is always so introspective, and your voice/cadence makes for such a cozy video.
I love all the well deserved attention the Shadow Hearts series has been getting the past couple of years. They hold a very special place in my heart and I'm glad I snatched a copy of Koudelka before the prices skyrocketed, though they seem to be a little more reasonable now depending on where you get them.
All it took was one stray reference and now I'm desperate for Majuular to make a comprehensive, multi-hour retrospective vid about Anonymous Agony. Another great video, by the way!
Wow, I had never even heard of Koudelka before clicking this video. The bit about it being a stage play is spot-on, and got me thinking... I would love for more games to take that type of approach to their storytelling. It gives the acting from the characters such an undeniable sense of weight. I know indie games can't afford to mo-cap their actors (if they can even afford voice actors, period) but that really elevated Koudelka's presentation.
So glad you covered Koudelka! It's always been underrated in my opinion, I first played through it around 2008, replayed it a year and a half ago and beat the gargoyle. Love that game despite it's weird design choices.
Man, finally my memory of Shadow hearts is coming back while watching further. My friend and I've played shadow hearts both, extensively to the end. Im not sure if I even played the first game. Though the soundtrack and visual design look and feel very familiar to me. The music of Shadow hearts is absolutely brilliant. These dark industrial Nin Vibes and the melodic pieces.. must be one of the best soundtracks of his time and generation.
Good old Shadow Hearts, I hope some day they make some kind of HD compilation You thought I was going to add something meaningful, but I'm actually Lottery member No 42. Here's some tissues!
Fun fact, Roger Bacon is voiced by the same guy who voices James and Meowth in the dubs for Pokemon, definitely explains the power to get super whacky with the role
I loved Koudelka as a kid. The battle music was one of my favorites. I also got jump scared by the lady in the closet as well. The toughest part for me were the werewolves that would randomly spawn, and they were hard to run away from and forget about fighting them. It was also hard to come by items as well. I also often talk about its monster design, because there were monsters that were just creepy, and I honestly think I liked Koudelka more than Parasyte Eve. I also dabbled in Shadow Hearts Covenant as well, and liked that game as well. I really liked the doll in the game, and being able to change her outfit, unfortunately you could only change her outfit to different things once. Once you changed the outfit for the last time, it was locked out.
Koudelka is a game i remember from my child hood that i couldn't remember the name of, The day my mom finished it she sold it, i never got the chance to try it, but those scenes of the characters talking, brought the memories back to my head.
Majuular. The fact that you do this is amazing enough. But for you to do this for both Shadow Hearts AND Koudelka, my favourite series of all time and a place dear dear to my heart (I escaped life with this series when both my parents passed).... you are my favourite content creator of all time. SH3 is awful though. Thank you, genuinely, with the video I am about to watch. Means a lot to me (Also do Star Ocean Till the End of Time please!).
Damnit Majuular the speed in which you make these things is utterly amazing. My absolute dream would be you showing us a step by step of both your process and editing!
I watched this video right when it dropped, and I've watched it several times since because apparently I have a problem, and you inspired me to give Koudelka another shot after having given it a go earlier in the year. I'm not sure what's different this time around, but I'm enjoying myself much more now. So thank you. The dialogue and cutscenes really do hold up. A pretty early cutscene genuinely scared me when Koudelka channeled a spirit. I'm amazed at how realized these characters and this game's horror are.
omg they said THAT VOICE ACTING WAS BAD?? shit this is the first ive heard of koudelka and that drunken monolog had me in tears already just from the delivery. i remember being in that space before your thoughts drop all elegance and its just brutally blunt. thats hard to act. they let jsut anybody review games huh
Koudelka was one of the first RPGs I ever played. My mom loved Resident Evil, and introduced me to video games, and this game looked kinda like RE in the jewel case's screenshots on the back. I agree that a lot of the joy in it comes from how unlike 90's/00's JRPGs it really is, and the aesthetics, lore, and everything non-mechanics related still resonates with me a lot. Sadly, it's difficult for me to finish it these days as I've grown out of love with these mechanics. Love to see a video essay on it (and Shadow Hearts)!
Clicked on the video because i vaguely recognized the name Shadow Hearts from old game magazines. Came out with a newfound apreciation for Koudelka, a game I never heard of before today. That voice acting is insanely good for the time, the whole game gives me intense "passion project" vibes that makes cult classics stick out decades after their release.
i've very recently discovered your channel and binged all your content and loved basically every second of it so i cannot express the excitement i felt when i saw this video about two of my favorite jrpgs
Not sure if it's been suggested yet, but I would love a video on Dark Cloud 1 & 2/ Chronicles. Most retrospectives are around 20 minutes and pretty surface level for such a unique series.
Love Koudelka! Played a lot back in the day! The item illustrations are perfection. The aesthetic is also on point. The storyline and voice acting is also very well done. Again, loved playing it 💜
As soon as the boss theme started up when Koudelka fought the werewolf I was hooked, but then when I heard the regular battle theme I was in love. (I place a lot of stock in battle themes in JRPGs because you'll have to hear them for like 50% of your playtime.) You'll probably never replay it again but weapon durability is effected by a character's strength stat. I guess the idea is you get so strong that you just break the weapon over the enemy's head on hit. That's why the best weapon is fisticuffs, you can't break your own hands :P I usually have Edward punching things, Koudelka on full black mage duty until I get a Cat's Eye (a physical weapon that uses intelligence for its damage formula instead of strength), and James with a shotgun because it's funny, or as a D&D cleric with maces and healing/buffing spells. If it makes Kikuta feel better, I like the battle system. The grid combat's not deep or anything but it's different. But it's beans that if an enemy moves past a row where a KO'd character is you can no longer revive them.
I worked at a Software Etc. as holiday help temporarily during the release timing of Shadow Hearts. There was a PS2 demo disk that would play the demo for Shadow Hearts over and over again there. Because of my short time there, I ended up discovering my favorite RPG series of all time. That one demo immediately grabbed me. It was so unique compared to everything else out at the time.
Damn Majuula, Not only have you now covered the Koudelka/Shadow Hearts series, a series I’ve been longing for someone to properly review for years but also mentioned Sanitarium in a way that suggests you played it. You have earned my respect and sub for life! Well met! Well met!
I never finished Koudelka because I hated the weapon durability, it actually soft locked my initial playthrough which made me give up on it altogether, but watching this video makes me want to give it another chance. I beat Shadow Hearts awhile back, I thought it was a solid game and I think you reflected a lot of my own thoughts on the game. Anyways, thanks for another banger of a video dude, you've become one of my favorite content creators as of late, keep up the great work!
Im still impressed that this game have even an awesome spanish dub. I re-played again this game last year and man, the childhood memories, the feelings, the tension, and the fun i had back then returned fresh back to me.
Random and someone might have said it, but the reason magenta or purple is chosen for The Color Out of Space is because that's what colors look like to us that we can not actually perceive with our range of vision. "Magenta is an extra-spectral color, meaning that it is not found in the visible spectrum of light. Rather, it is physiologically and psychologically perceived as the mixture of red and violet/blue light, with the absence of green." from a google search about the color. So it is chosen as the color in Color Out of Space can not be described.
Honestly I don't think you spent enough time on the music, like wtf I never knew such amazing battle music could even exist in a game. His vision on the music truely came to life and you can truly feel his emotions coming out in every note and switch up. Breathtaking 🤯
Holy shit someone finally acknowledges Shadow Hearts. I know it's unlikely but I hope you get to cover Covenant and maybe even From The New World at some point, the sheer insanity and absurdity those games reach must be shared with the world.
I remember renting Shadow Hearts a lot when I was 11 or so, as I could never buy it in Spain and it was an imported rarity. Didn't know much English, but carried on using a dictionary and sheer will. Could never get past the fight against Yuri when he is in a cell and you have to rescue him. Such a good game, and so many good memories. Thank you for this video. Waiting for a video on Dark Cloud!
I just finished Shadow Hearts mid April. What a wild ride it was. Currently diving into Covenant and I’m already sad to see the pre-rendered backgrounds gone. I was surprised to see this video pop up and thought you were going to retrospect the entire series so I could see if Covenant and New World were worth it, but another comment in this thread says they get insane so I’ll keep pathing forward. Also, that remark about the industrial chain and Fear Factory made me feel personally attacked, hahaha
idk man making a lanyard out of industrial materials seems more genuine and cool than buying one for $12 at Hot Topic. the difference between having ripped jeans from sliding around at concerts and buying them pre ripped from the mall, theyre both questionable but one obviously has more merit to it
Another delectable reviewtrospective from one of my favorite channels! And a double header at that! So, so happy to see you moving onwards and upwards in the YT sphere; few people I know of are more deserving of success and growth. Congrats on your ever-increasing subscriber and view counts (or watch time or whatever metric our overlords measure success by these days). All the best, and keep em coming!
Yessssss!! This is the video I've been hyped for since you announced it on your Patreon!! I could only watch the first 30min rn but so far it's everything I dreamed it would be. Sooooo glad to see Koudelka get the love it deserves. And your editing skills are 🤌🤌🤌🤌 Thank you for this gift
There's a reason Magenta is often portrayed as the color out of space. The human brain perceives different wavelengths of light as different colors. However, magenta doesn’t have its own wavelength (unlike all the other spectrum colours), raising the question, ‘Is magenta a real color?’ It is believed that our brains have constructed a color to bridge the gap between red and violet because it doesn’t exist in the light spectrum. So, since it's basically impossible to create an "alien" color, Magenta is the closest we can get to a "weird" color, scientifically.
I love how deeply and detailed you cover these obscure but interesting gems. Id never even heard of either of these. Your work is a labor of love that is truly appreciated and I hope keep up the good work!
I only stumbled upon Koudelka last year alongside my brother. But the first time I heard Waterfall, it made me feel nostalgic immediately for some reason even having never heard or played the game before. It is a great track that mixes so well with the turn-base even if Hiroki Kikuta-san disagrees with the battle system. I was mesmerized. The first time it played and Kouldelka raises her arm up and casts her "magic" during battle, nostalgia kicked in. It immediately made me teary-eyed and recall seeing the first time Cloud, Aya and Ashley casting their magic for the first time in their own respective games. It's just something particularly special the way the character animation moves when casting magic. Like it was a "death-defining moment and this was their final stand" kind of thing. It's something special that just left a very deep impression on me. It's hard to explain, but the way I saw it, it felt like a tribute to all the other JRPG's even if Hiroki Kikuta-san disagrees. I think they did a wonderful job on this game. We sat and watch most of someone's walkthrough all night discussing how and why we never played this hidden gem. Pretty disappointed I missed out on it but satisfied discovering it. Thank you!
James' VA's delivery of the 'what have I been doing with my life' gets me every time. It sounds so real, it sounds like a man who has suddenly been confronted with what could have been and who lost one of the most important things in his life. Scott Larson, his VA, deserves a lot of credit for his performance in this game, genuinely.
![ลองสุ่มไอโฟน 990 โกงมั้ย? [ โกงมั้ยครับ ep.101 ] | DOM](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bfsWe0j492k/mqdefault.jpg)
IIRC, Koudelka’s voice actors all recorded their dialogue on a live set in each others presence in real time. That’s why the spoken dialogue feels so natural.
It'd be interesting to see a modern JRPG try that. Xenoblade 3 is extremely well acted but I think it would have benefitted from having its actors all together.
@@azimulhoque1497 won’t happen these days
Psx MGS also dos the same thing. Its great to compare the performances with the GameCube version.
Primal did that with the two main characters and it elevated that game like crazy
@@SergioValmont I'll never not be bitter that they de-"Moose and Squirrel"-'d Nastasha for literally no reason
Dude, yes! I really don't get why Koudelka's dialogue gets shit on so much. It sounds great. probably some of the best voice acting on the PS1.
I have found my people!
A great contender with Soul Reaver. The Legacy of Kain games in general had fantastic voice acting in general, not just for their time period.
Because it is bad and yalm are wildin
@@666slateran666 is Yalm like Yinz? im from Pittsburgh so some folks say yinz cuz that means yall so yalm made me think of that. & 2b fair im always wildin haha
@@RedSpade37 double yoy
Wow, Koudelka's drunken monologue was so heartbreaking, and so well-delivered... that alone could convince me to muddle my way through slow grid-based, breakable weapons gameplay.
It's a lot longer than that little clip. She also admits to having to trade her body for food and a place to sleep on many occasions after her mother abandoned her.
Just leave Edward without weapons. His fists never break, and the more you use them the better they get. Switch to other weapons for utility, but you'll always be capable of throwing hands against demons and undead when your knuckle weapons break at least. Then you can just use magic to buff Edward until he's Doomguy and can RIP AND TEAR through any boss fight.
Yes exactly. It is honestly one of the best cut scenes in gaming, IMHO. Especially considering the time and techonology from the time, they did amazing
It really pulled at my heart strings. 🥺
Koudelka being voiced and performed by stage actors adds such a refined vibe to each cutscene. I love live theater so seeing that style of storytelling in a horror RPG of all things is awesome. It's such a unique feel for a game and it makes me sad it didn't take off like other RPGs. The monster designs ALONE put the game in a league of its own.
The fact you’re covering Shadow Hearts and Koudelka is literally a dream come true.
If every JRPG went to the Koudelka school of cutscenes the world would be a better place. Those cutscenes still feel like they hold up.
I agree.
How does one learn to create cutscenes and what kind of programs would be required?
No it would not be. A lot of people enjoy JRPGs for their leisure pace, and having every single conversation be unsubtitled fast paced conversation with everyone interrupting each other would just take away from that.
@@hoyhoy852 You mean people dont want realistic conversations like the characters are actual real people?
The reason that I love this channel is that it answers questions that I never knew I wanted the answer to, like "What font is used in Tales of Symphonia."
The voice acting sounds like a stage play more than anything, it's pretty damn good. (He put five seconds before the host said stage play)
"I just want someone to tell me they need me." that hits in such a deep, vulnerable place.
Great video about a great game.
Yeah, I think that one hits extra hard at people who know that place --- the crossroads where "being needed/having meaning" is the hearts' true desire, plus drunk enough with a stranger in a dangerous place, saying it out loud. That was one of the top 5 "getting effed + vulnerable together" scenes I've ever seen in an artwork.
Majuular makes such high quality retrospective vids. Its great to see him cover a niche series like Shadow Hearts.
I struggle with his galaxy-brain thinking sometimes.
But I like the art he has drawn as flavor chad-ing.
I really like his commentary, he comes off as a nice person, with no egotism in sight!
I really hope he develops more on his raunchy side of joking around in good nature, of course.
Furthermore, I appreciate the c u next Tuesday, sometimes this is what the situation calls for.
Cheers!
Can’t wait to sit here and take this one in. It’s a shame that the Shadow Hearts series has been lying dormant for like…3 generations now. Thanks for your hard work!
We are getting Penny Blood so at least that's something.
I am hype foe penny blood but I would love a koudelka/shadow hearts collection
I bring up shadow hearts every time someone gets on the topic of 'games that deserve remasters'
"I'm turning changing from your ordinary bad-boy type into a real psycho"
Man, the early 2000s where such a mood. When I heard you say that line I was distracted for the moment, so when I re-watched it and saw that that was an ACTUAL line, I started giggling like crazy.
Upon watching, this is the magnum opus of reviews to me. The Xenogears one had an almost ethereal existential vibe of understanding and accepting the perception of gnostic beings granted in the setting. But this one, I have played through Koudelka (and Shadow Hearts) countless times and I have never perceived the characters struggles and development as well as you have described.
Absolute masterpiece my man, the only way you can best this is to interweave Covenant (Easily my favourite and most emotionally connected piece of art, of my life) and complete the trilogy with a crescendo of paradoxical introspection, a weird love triangle, a fathoming of a butterfly vampire wrestler and a farewell to some of the best JRPGs to ever exist (And be criminally unknown).
You now have a new Lordly Caliber follower.
To this day the voice acting in Koudelka is absolutely top of the line. Really wish other devs had picked up on their approach of having voice actors act out scenes alongside each other. Every cutscene in that game is captivating to me.
‘Please, do not be sad. Death is at the heart of God’s reasoning’
That line hits pretty damn hard.
The one thing that this game (and series) is REALLY underrated for is the amount of heart (no puntended) they put into the inventory visuals of all places. In most JRPGs, it's just... [potion, heals 50hp] or something. Here, literally EVERY SINGLE THING, consumable, equipment, key items; has detailed art + lore flavor text to it. It honestly puts a wide smile to my face just going through my inventory and looking at the art and mini story descriptions to even something as menial as status effect curatives.
So if you ever decide to tackle Shadow Hearts 2 and 3, don't forget to give these a gander. It's such a small detail that really goes unappreciated by many.
I agree - I had this in my notes, but didn't get around to mentioning it in the video. Great insight, and I'll be sure to include this in the Covenant video when it happens!
Gothic Horror combined with Turn Based RPGs are a combination rarely done, but very much appreciated! Koudelka's James is one of my favorite RPG characters ever, as he's handled with a heap more nuance and care than us usual for Jrpgs. You can tell there was a desire to explore the culture and history surrounding his archetype, alongside his personal struggles. It's a care I don't see applied as expertly as it was in this game.
Thank you for talking extensively about the music. I know that it's not an easy subject to extensively include for reasons of pacing and TH-cam shenanigans, but I'm so pleased with your break downs here, it truly gives the respect that composition deserves!Gothic Horror combined with Turn Based RPGs are a combination rarely done, but very much appreciated! Koudelka's James is one of my favorite RPG characters ever, as he's handled with a heap more nuance and care than us usual for Jrpgs. You can tell there was a desire to explore the culture and history surrounding his archetype, alongside his personal struggles. It's a care I don't see applied as expertly as it was in this game.
Thank you for talking extensively about the music. I know that it's not an easy subject to extensively include for reasons of pacing and TH-cam shenanigans, but I'm so pleased with your break downs here, it truly gives the respect that composition deserves! That line "the amount of time I spent gushing about it pales in comparison to the amount of time the composer spent arranging it" is so *dead on*.
Shadow Hearts has my favorite system with it's transformations. Each one feels like a truly awesome exploration of "letting you play as a Jrpgs monster". The Light aligned creatures are especially my favorites, as I love being able to control a heavenly monstrosity that looks like the progenitor of a Sin Eater from FF14!
A fantastic video sir! But now you know what comes next: the successor to the Judgement Ring system, and the first truly Turn Cringe RPG - *YIIK!*
Speaking of horror and RPG, have you ever tried Death End: Re;Quest? It is from the Neptunia devs but it was written by the lead writer of Corpse Party. The first game doesn't feel entirely like a horror game but its sequel goes full-on gothic horror/sci-fi.
They are heavily flawed and janky but they are compelling experiences.
YIIK mention just killed me. Avoid at all costs
That Anonymous Agony reference made me laugh, cry and scream in pain at the same time. A myriad emotions, locked away were suddenly unleashed.
fear and hunger immediately comes to mind while watching this some of the characterization in the second version lines up incredibly well
I can't believe you would go and make yet another a video specifically for me, the person who loves koudelka and the first shadow hearts more than the rest of the series. i'm still in awe at the level of writing and voice acting in Koudelka, and Shadow Hearts' pure mixed media strangeness and darker tone (compared to the other two shadow hearts games) are an experience i've never found elsewhere.
Thank you for producing the content the world needs.
Koudelka has some of the best "drunken" voice-acting I've ever heard in a video game. Extremely impressive.
A smaller channel I admire started a playthrough of Koudelka and never had I seen a character like her especially with such strength of voice acting. I know that it’s expensive to get voice actors together and bounce off each other but if I heard more performances like this I would pay more for games
Oh boy, it's Shadowhearting time! The first series to get Koudelkillion yen on the market!
Koudelka was revolutionary for me when I played it. I literally rented it - remember those days - because of the fact it was a four disc Sqaresoft RPG. I was blown away by its music, story and full voice acting, which as a visually impaired gamer who reads text boxes very slow, was a literal game changer. I never got the "defeat the boss" ending, but I was satisfied by the "bad" ending. When Shadow Hearts was announced, it was an instant buy, especially after they showcased the FMV cutscenes. My understanding was that was much of what the game would be. Boy was I disappointed. It was still decent - especially the music", but it lacked that feel of Koudelka. I was so excited when I got to the sanitarium and saw Koudelka ... and then she was not to the same. Despite my disappointment, I enjoyed Shadow Hearts enough to be excited for the sequel, and despite its more humerous approach, it was a much, MUCH better game in almost every way. I think your video was fantastic and I really appreciate this series being revisited. I hope you enjoand Covenant if you haven't played it yet. It's disgraseful there's no non-emulator way to play this series anymore. It needs a revival, especially after Shadow Hearts From the New World.
Wow the story characters and voice acting in Koudelka is extremely well done for a PSone title.
We actually DO know what happens to Edward after the game ends! He goes on to be real-life early 20th century fantasy author Lord Dunsany, aka Edward James Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany, born 1878
Man Shadow Hearts is my favourite game of all time. I live in Ireland so as a teenager seeing an rpg like this having a section set so close to ireland was amazing. Thank you for this video and please please pleaae make one for covenant!
I played Koudelka back in the day, was a fond memory of a game I played with my kids while they were babies.
I cant imagine how much effort these things take. Its like an entire movie.
Never played shadow hearts myself but I do kind of wish there were more horror JRPGS to play, since it is an interesting mix
Please don't misconstrue this as an insult but your videos always put me to sleep in the best way possible. I go back and find the last thing I remember to finish the video the next morning but the tone of your voice is so soothing I just slip off into dreamland every time. I really appreciate all the hard work you put into these and I actually played Tales of Symphonia because of your review and had a phenomenal time with my play-through. I genuinely get excited whenever you drop a video so please keep doing what you do and keep up the good work my man. I'll drop some love in your patreon when I get the chance and you bet your sweet tookus I'll be buying some merch when it drops.
Thanks again for all the love you put into these, it doesn't go unnoticed
Aww, this is so sweet. Reminds me of my own story too! A good friend of mine and I would talk for hours on end in skype and he always ended up falling asleep. His snores were so loud. When I asked him about it, he said that my voice was too soothing and he couldn't help it. I thought he was just being cheeky, but appreciated the compliment.
...we've been dating for 6 years now. Haha!
@Hokaru11792 That's absolutely adorable!
This is the one I've been waiting for! One of my favourite series ever. Waterfall might be my favourite battle theme ever.
You just know I had to dedicate an entire section of this video to Waterfall...
Dang, that drunken monologue... I felt that so keenly, deep inside my heart.
I would never have had a glimpse into such a fascinating game as Koudelka if not for this video, and I definitely would have bounced off the glacial pacing if I tried to play it myself nowadays, so thank you, Majuular, for the work you do.
Well, Magenta is often the choice for the Color Out of Space, because Magenta doesn't really happen naturally in the world around us. You don't see 'Magenta flowers', you see Red or Pink or perhaps Purple, not Magenta. So artists usually go with that.
Ultraviolet and infrared are invisible to the human eye and those are both fairly broad spectrums of light.
This... isn't true? Magenta is based on the color of Fuchsia flowers. It's RARE but it absolutely exists in nature.
Holy Crap, I had never heard of Koudelka before. What an amazing little gem. Thank you!
I thought I was the only person in the world that played Koudelka! Can't wait to watch.
I love the Shadow Hearts trilogy. I would have never known about Kouldelka if I hadn't been searching for psone RPGs for my modded PSP.
Honestly, thanks to the tone and setting FFXVI seems to be having, I always wondered why there isn't alot of horror or more specifically gothic jrpgs outside of the indie/fan game circle. Nice to learn about a game I've never heard about until today.
I'm not sure why it took TH-cam so long to recommend me someone reviewing my entire childhood, but I'm glad to finally be here.
His content and revelation on how we are left with memories that leave an imprint of our souls when someone dies was definitely the healthier and greatest lesson to be learned for the player.
Why can't all TH-cam comments on other channels be like this? Every one in this section hasbeen on point, and seeing yours made me feel the need to say so!
You know it's a good day when Majuular posts a new video.
"Metagod is dead and I have killed him." Love it!
Keep up the awesome work!
44:20 "zlato" is actually a south slavic word for gold although we do sometimes use it to refer to people as "my precious" or "my treasure". Nice attention to detail
Discovered your channel like 3 days ago and I've already burned through like half of your content. Your presentation is always so introspective, and your voice/cadence makes for such a cozy video.
Both Koudelka and Shadow Hearts deserve way more mainstream recognition.
Your output atm is crazy, such quality and so often. I'd say keep it up, but more importantly don't burn yourself out!
I love all the well deserved attention the Shadow Hearts series has been getting the past couple of years. They hold a very special place in my heart and I'm glad I snatched a copy of Koudelka before the prices skyrocketed, though they seem to be a little more reasonable now depending on where you get them.
And a small heads-up. While Koudelka never had Japanese voice acting, it was dubbed in French, German and Spanish for the European market.
All it took was one stray reference and now I'm desperate for Majuular to make a comprehensive, multi-hour retrospective vid about Anonymous Agony.
Another great video, by the way!
Thank you! I might livestream it someday, but I doubt I'll ever top MandaloreGaming's video 😆
Wow, I had never even heard of Koudelka before clicking this video. The bit about it being a stage play is spot-on, and got me thinking...
I would love for more games to take that type of approach to their storytelling. It gives the acting from the characters such an undeniable sense of weight. I know indie games can't afford to mo-cap their actors (if they can even afford voice actors, period) but that really elevated Koudelka's presentation.
So glad you covered Koudelka! It's always been underrated in my opinion, I first played through it around 2008, replayed it a year and a half ago and beat the gargoyle. Love that game despite it's weird design choices.
Man, finally my memory of Shadow hearts is coming back while watching further. My friend and I've played shadow hearts both, extensively to the end.
Im not sure if I even played the first game. Though the soundtrack and visual design look and feel very familiar to me.
The music of Shadow hearts is absolutely brilliant. These dark industrial Nin Vibes
and the melodic pieces.. must be one of the best soundtracks of his time and generation.
I've always loved the fact that there is a song on the Shadow Hearts OST called "Sicking Fucking". What a title.
Hell yeah, new Majuular episode always bring a big cheesy smile to my face!
Anytime I see a Majuular video intro i can help but smile just like the old man. Cant wait to vibe out to this one tonight.
Good old Shadow Hearts, I hope some day they make some kind of HD compilation
You thought I was going to add something meaningful, but I'm actually Lottery member No 42. Here's some tissues!
Fun fact, Roger Bacon is voiced by the same guy who voices James and Meowth in the dubs for Pokemon, definitely explains the power to get super whacky with the role
New Majuular and it covers the PS2 rpg I bought on a whim so many years ago. Gonna be a good time.
I loved Koudelka as a kid. The battle music was one of my favorites. I also got jump scared by the lady in the closet as well. The toughest part for me were the werewolves that would randomly spawn, and they were hard to run away from and forget about fighting them. It was also hard to come by items as well. I also often talk about its monster design, because there were monsters that were just creepy, and I honestly think I liked Koudelka more than Parasyte Eve. I also dabbled in Shadow Hearts Covenant as well, and liked that game as well. I really liked the doll in the game, and being able to change her outfit, unfortunately you could only change her outfit to different things once. Once you changed the outfit for the last time, it was locked out.
Koudelka is a game i remember from my child hood that i couldn't remember the name of, The day my mom finished it she sold it, i never got the chance to try it, but those scenes of the characters talking, brought the memories back to my head.
Your selection of games and subsequent videos are nothing short of an endless series of chefs kisses
The drinking scene in Koudelka hit me hard when I was younger, but it annihilated me to watch it as an adult. If you know, you know.
Majuular. The fact that you do this is amazing enough. But for you to do this for both Shadow Hearts AND Koudelka, my favourite series of all time and a place dear dear to my heart (I escaped life with this series when both my parents passed).... you are my favourite content creator of all time. SH3 is awful though.
Thank you, genuinely, with the video I am about to watch. Means a lot to me (Also do Star Ocean Till the End of Time please!).
Damnit Majuular the speed in which you make these things is utterly amazing. My absolute dream would be you showing us a step by step of both your process and editing!
I watched this video right when it dropped, and I've watched it several times since because apparently I have a problem, and you inspired me to give Koudelka another shot after having given it a go earlier in the year. I'm not sure what's different this time around, but I'm enjoying myself much more now. So thank you. The dialogue and cutscenes really do hold up. A pretty early cutscene genuinely scared me when Koudelka channeled a spirit. I'm amazed at how realized these characters and this game's horror are.
Excited to watch this when I get off of work, keep up the amazing job :)
omg they said THAT VOICE ACTING WAS BAD?? shit this is the first ive heard of koudelka and that drunken monolog had me in tears already just from the delivery. i remember being in that space before your thoughts drop all elegance and its just brutally blunt. thats hard to act. they let jsut anybody review games huh
Koudelka was one of the first RPGs I ever played. My mom loved Resident Evil, and introduced me to video games, and this game looked kinda like RE in the jewel case's screenshots on the back. I agree that a lot of the joy in it comes from how unlike 90's/00's JRPGs it really is, and the aesthetics, lore, and everything non-mechanics related still resonates with me a lot. Sadly, it's difficult for me to finish it these days as I've grown out of love with these mechanics. Love to see a video essay on it (and Shadow Hearts)!
God I love Shadow Hearts, specifically Covenant. Maj continues to channel my greatest interests.
Clicked on the video because i vaguely recognized the name Shadow Hearts from old game magazines. Came out with a newfound apreciation for Koudelka, a game I never heard of before today.
That voice acting is insanely good for the time, the whole game gives me intense "passion project" vibes that makes cult classics stick out decades after their release.
i've very recently discovered your channel and binged all your content and loved basically every second of it so i cannot express the excitement i felt when i saw this video about two of my favorite jrpgs
That intro never ceases to excite me. Good stuff Majuular.
I hear that Castlevania 64 music at the beginning. A true man of culture.
You can say a lot of things about CV64, but it does have a rippin' soundtrack.
Holy shit, Majuular is back. What a gigachad
Not sure if it's been suggested yet, but I would love a video on Dark Cloud 1 & 2/ Chronicles. Most retrospectives are around 20 minutes and pretty surface level for such a unique series.
Dark Cloud 2 is the better game but Dark Cloud 1 is so relaxing to me.
Love Koudelka! Played a lot back in the day! The item illustrations are perfection. The aesthetic is also on point. The storyline and voice acting is also very well done. Again, loved playing it 💜
As soon as the boss theme started up when Koudelka fought the werewolf I was hooked, but then when I heard the regular battle theme I was in love. (I place a lot of stock in battle themes in JRPGs because you'll have to hear them for like 50% of your playtime.)
You'll probably never replay it again but weapon durability is effected by a character's strength stat. I guess the idea is you get so strong that you just break the weapon over the enemy's head on hit. That's why the best weapon is fisticuffs, you can't break your own hands :P I usually have Edward punching things, Koudelka on full black mage duty until I get a Cat's Eye (a physical weapon that uses intelligence for its damage formula instead of strength), and James with a shotgun because it's funny, or as a D&D cleric with maces and healing/buffing spells.
If it makes Kikuta feel better, I like the battle system. The grid combat's not deep or anything but it's different. But it's beans that if an enemy moves past a row where a KO'd character is you can no longer revive them.
I worked at a Software Etc. as holiday help temporarily during the release timing of Shadow Hearts. There was a PS2 demo disk that would play the demo for Shadow Hearts over and over again there. Because of my short time there, I ended up discovering my favorite RPG series of all time. That one demo immediately grabbed me. It was so unique compared to everything else out at the time.
Damn Majuula,
Not only have you now covered the Koudelka/Shadow Hearts series, a series I’ve been longing for someone to properly review for years but also mentioned Sanitarium in a way that suggests you played it. You have earned my respect and sub for life!
Well met! Well met!
I never finished Koudelka because I hated the weapon durability, it actually soft locked my initial playthrough which made me give up on it altogether, but watching this video makes me want to give it another chance. I beat Shadow Hearts awhile back, I thought it was a solid game and I think you reflected a lot of my own thoughts on the game. Anyways, thanks for another banger of a video dude, you've become one of my favorite content creators as of late, keep up the great work!
love ur vids Majuular! thanks for always introducing me to new (old) games
Im still impressed that this game have even an awesome spanish dub. I re-played again this game last year and man, the childhood memories, the feelings, the tension, and the fun i had back then returned fresh back to me.
Random and someone might have said it, but the reason magenta or purple is chosen for The Color Out of Space is because that's what colors look like to us that we can not actually perceive with our range of vision. "Magenta is an extra-spectral color, meaning that it is not found in the visible spectrum of light. Rather, it is physiologically and psychologically perceived as the mixture of red and violet/blue light, with the absence of green." from a google search about the color. So it is chosen as the color in Color Out of Space can not be described.
New fan but man, stoked to see an upload from you. You’re putting out great stuff, thank you!
Honey wake up, new Majuular video, time to watch this one twice, and binge the Xenogears, Cronocross, Arcadia and Symphonia videos again
Honestly I don't think you spent enough time on the music, like wtf I never knew such amazing battle music could even exist in a game. His vision on the music truely came to life and you can truly feel his emotions coming out in every note and switch up. Breathtaking 🤯
AYE MAJU YOU REALLY TOOK MY RECCOMENDATION! I am so happy to see you played Koudelka and Shadow Hearts.
Holy shit someone finally acknowledges Shadow Hearts. I know it's unlikely but I hope you get to cover Covenant and maybe even From The New World at some point, the sheer insanity and absurdity those games reach must be shared with the world.
I'm 100% planning on covering Covenant (although I can't say when just yet).
@@Majuular Understandable, it's not a small game (hell, it's two whole disks!), but still very much looking forward to it when it happens.
I’m currently playing Covenant and wasn’t sure if it was worth playing it, but this comment is very encouraging. Thank you
Bro I love these games, wasn’t expecting to see my favorite jrpg series randomly show up on TH-cam especially with how niche it is
I remember renting Shadow Hearts a lot when I was 11 or so, as I could never buy it in Spain and it was an imported rarity. Didn't know much English, but carried on using a dictionary and sheer will. Could never get past the fight against Yuri when he is in a cell and you have to rescue him.
Such a good game, and so many good memories. Thank you for this video.
Waiting for a video on Dark Cloud!
I just finished Shadow Hearts mid April. What a wild ride it was. Currently diving into Covenant and I’m already sad to see the pre-rendered backgrounds gone. I was surprised to see this video pop up and thought you were going to retrospect the entire series so I could see if Covenant and New World were worth it, but another comment in this thread says they get insane so I’ll keep pathing forward.
Also, that remark about the industrial chain and Fear Factory made me feel personally attacked, hahaha
idk man making a lanyard out of industrial materials seems more genuine and cool than buying one for $12 at Hot Topic. the difference between having ripped jeans from sliding around at concerts and buying them pre ripped from the mall, theyre both questionable but one obviously has more merit to it
Another delectable reviewtrospective from one of my favorite channels! And a double header at that! So, so happy to see you moving onwards and upwards in the YT sphere; few people I know of are more deserving of success and growth. Congrats on your ever-increasing subscriber and view counts (or watch time or whatever metric our overlords measure success by these days). All the best, and keep em coming!
3DO and NOW SHADOW HEARTS?? I knew I subbed to you for a reason!!
Yessssss!! This is the video I've been hyped for since you announced it on your Patreon!! I could only watch the first 30min rn but so far it's everything I dreamed it would be. Sooooo glad to see Koudelka get the love it deserves. And your editing skills are 🤌🤌🤌🤌 Thank you for this gift
There's a reason Magenta is often portrayed as the color out of space.
The human brain perceives different wavelengths of light as different colors. However, magenta doesn’t have its own wavelength (unlike all the other spectrum colours), raising the question, ‘Is magenta a real color?’ It is believed that our brains have constructed a color to bridge the gap between red and violet because it doesn’t exist in the light spectrum.
So, since it's basically impossible to create an "alien" color, Magenta is the closest we can get to a "weird" color, scientifically.
I vibrated on seeing this uploaded. I was READY for some new Maaj. Thanks for creating this!
I love how deeply and detailed you cover these obscure but interesting gems. Id never even heard of either of these. Your work is a labor of love that is truly appreciated and I hope keep up the good work!
I only stumbled upon Koudelka last year alongside my brother. But the first time I heard Waterfall, it made me feel nostalgic immediately for some reason even having never heard or played the game before. It is a great track that mixes so well with the turn-base even if Hiroki Kikuta-san disagrees with the battle system. I was mesmerized. The first time it played and Kouldelka raises her arm up and casts her "magic" during battle, nostalgia kicked in.
It immediately made me teary-eyed and recall seeing the first time Cloud, Aya and Ashley casting their magic for the first time in their own respective games. It's just something particularly special the way the character animation moves when casting magic. Like it was a "death-defining moment and this was their final stand" kind of thing. It's something special that just left a very deep impression on me. It's hard to explain, but the way I saw it, it felt like a tribute to all the other JRPG's even if Hiroki Kikuta-san disagrees. I think they did a wonderful job on this game.
We sat and watch most of someone's walkthrough all night discussing how and why we never played this hidden gem. Pretty disappointed I missed out on it but satisfied discovering it. Thank you!
It's always a good day when Majuular uploads a new video.
James' VA's delivery of the 'what have I been doing with my life' gets me every time. It sounds so real, it sounds like a man who has suddenly been confronted with what could have been and who lost one of the most important things in his life. Scott Larson, his VA, deserves a lot of credit for his performance in this game, genuinely.
A Majuular video on a Friday? How can this get any better ! love your vids man keep up the great work