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Koudelka

by The Dark Id

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Original Thread: Koudelka - Shadow Hearts 0

 

Introduction



Alternate title – A thief, a psychic and a priest walk into a bar in Wales.

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What is Koudelka?
Koudelka is a JRPG with a heavy Survival Horror influence for the original Sony Playstation in June of 2000 in North America. It was the first major game released by Sacnoth which later became Nautilus and eventually came under the banner of AQ Interactive which also used to own our old friends Cavia. Sacnoth/Nautilus suffered the exact same fate at the exact same time when it was shut down and absorbed into its parent company. So that’s a fun parallel. Anyway, they are best known for making Koudelka and the Shadow Hearts series and... that’s about it! They did one other game on the Neo-Geo Pocket Color that’s not worth mentioning. But it’s pretty much just the Shadow Hearts series.

Koudelka is actually the progenitor of the Shadow Hearts series, taking place in the same universe and having a few characters and other elements that would later crop up there. But don’t worry about any of that!

So what actually is this game?
Koudelka is a weird mesh of survival horror in the vein of the PS1 era (read: Resident Evil.) A character utilizing tank controls is tasked with navigating a spooky gothic mansion setting (composed of 2D images from cinematic camera angles) full of dark secrets and bizarre monsters. The actual combat is more in line with a JRPG complete with random battles, turn based combat and movement on a grid. I suppose the closest comparison would sorta be Parasite Eve... if you squinted real hard. Sorta... Kinda...?

It is... honestly kind of a total mess. Apparently the director of the game, Hiroki Kikuta (who would be best known as the composer of Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3) wanted to make a straight Resident Evil type action/survival horror game while the rest of his staff wanted to make a RPG. So you get a weird splitting of the difference where there’s a robust RPG battle system full of all kinds of stats and numbers and esoteric bullshit confined to a... like 10-12 length game. Which would be more like 4-6 hours if there wasn’t random battles and dealing with a janky RPG battle system and just a standard Survival Horror type gameplay.

In summary, it’s a real jank mess of a game I’d not suggest playing but is worth experience. Like say in a LP or something. I dunno...

Does this mean you’re going to LP the entire Shadow Hearts series?! Should I start annoying you by asking straight away?!
Yep. I’m totally going to do the entire Shadow Hearts series right after I LP Parasite Eve 1 and 2. Or maybe the rest of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII? Or perhaps Clock Tower 1 and 2...? I haven’t decided yet...

If that’s too intricate an answer: No. I don’t have plans at the moment to LP all the Shadow Hearts games and I’ll get annoyed if you asked. So don’t be a muppet and ask. Just enjoy the LP at hand. Sheesh!

With that said... let’s begin...



Links to updates go here. What more could you ask out of life?



Episode I: Bloodborne
Episode II: Stat Chat 1898
Episode III: Welsh Hospitality
Episode IV: A Man of Faith
Episode V: On the Clock
Episode VI: Have You Seen My Mummy?
Episode VII: What a Sham
Episode VIII: Just Following Orders



Episode IX: Poor Little Angel
Episode X: Unpleasant
Episode XI: The Gang Tackles the Immigration Issue
Episode XII: Red Key Profile
Episode XIII: Full Welsh Alchemist
Episode XIV: The Vatican Heist
Episode XV: The Passing of Another Day



Episode XVI: Koudelka Rides Alone
Episode XVII: Domestic Violence
Episode XVIII: Don't Get Killed
Episode XIX: Say a Prayer
Episode XX: Wrath or Love
Episode XXI: Roger's Résumé
Episode XXII: Prequel Cliffnotes
Episode XXIII: Portrait of Ruin
Episode XXIV: Hearthstone
Episode XXV: The Apostle



Episode XXVI: It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere
Episode XXVII: Onward to the Endgame
Episode XXVIII: Patrick's Vine
Episode XXIX: Raiders
Episode XXX: Nope... Nope! NOPE!
Episode XXXI: Just In Your Memories
Episode XXXII: Someday, Somewhere We’ll Meet Again



Cool and good fanstuff from the thread. Always appreciated.

Pyre of Word Salsa knows how Edward operates...



CountryMatters enjoys a classic sitcom produced on the BBC. It's been running for 13 years and they've produced a whopping FOUR episodes!




EagerSleeper has uncovered everyone's true purpose in the monastery.


Nohman thinks Lovecraftian beasts look better in tracksuits.




EagerSleeper has also found the heart of the journey.


Pyre of Word Salsa chronicled Edward's final days.


EagerSleeper has one last jam to show us.


EagerSleeper with translation work by Nimsant have put together a translation of Koudelka's Drama CD on Youtube. A full playlist is here. It's worth a listen after reading the LP. Spoilers obviously.
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