The Man Festival & Other Nonsense (Shadow Hearts: Covenant Part 2 of 2) 

Alice and Yuri's cutscene and train ride, as well as the good ending, are my favorite parts of this game that make me cry every time.

The " I love you" scene is still one of my favorite scenes in games. It might be a nostalgia thing but i still love it and the shadow hearts games despite all the obvious problems/creepy things it has.

Gotta say, I love the variety of joke deliveries. Some of them you put clearly as jokes and then you have other that migt slip past like the vegetta and nappa reference.

I do remember loving the Good ending because in a sense it did make the Good ending Canon but not only that you could say this is Yuri's way of a time loop to fix everything. He can loop back and make sure Kato doesn't lose his superior officer and he now knows how to avoid the mistletoe and stop al the previous villains. In a sense it would be grounds for a new game but i just like to think this way he and Alice got the happy ending they deserved and the world is a slightly less bad place.

I'm really glad these videos popped up on my recommended, been going through em and I love your work! Also, it's nice to see someone who shares the same thoughts on the series, including how much better shadow hearts 1 is and where shadow hearts 2 dropped the ball, even though it's still a good game! It's crazy how even today a lot of games don't get voice acting as good as Koudelka's was. We need more natural tones and people naturally interrupting each other while talking in voice direction.

Gepetto's doll house was the high point for me in this game and my initial thought was that this is how the whole game should've been like. The visuals and the atmosphere were spot on and the dolls were mischievous and the minimum amount of psychological torment Baal injected into Gepetto's mind was pretty intriguing, but I wish the game would've tapped into that vein a bit more. Doll house was so cool...

I'm just about done with From the new world, if convenant was taking slap-stick a step to far, new world is jumping off the cliff. Can't wait for you video on that mess.

I've enjoyed these videos, since this definitely seems like a game series I wouldn't play but I do like hearing about the story.

Best edit cut ever! End of sketch about voice acting "I like boobs" immediately followed by: "..and that's the name of the game..." I'm sorry I snorted way to loud at that. Take my like.

Thank you again for covering the series! I absolutely love your video and your analysis over the game. I think you really went over all the points as to why I also love the first game more than the second one. I also cried at the end and when we see Alice again. This series is so close to my heart I'm so happy you made these videos. Good luck with with From the New World its certainly a trip lol. I'm really hoping to hear anything from Studio Wild Rose for this series but that seems like a far off dream. Much love and cheers!

The "China sideplot" is strictly linked to the political situation in China during WW1. In short, in 1911-12 the Xinhai revolution put an end to the Qin dinasty and the revolutionary leaders offered the presidency to General Yuan Shikai, the leader of the loyalist army. The General accepted, but many of his officers and a lot of adventurers tried to carve their own little states as self-styled lords of war. Moreover, after the Russian Revolution of 1917 many Russian nobles tried to enlist the help of warlord and tribes from northern China to retake Russia.

18:37 honestly I thought that was really cool and made on purpose. The cut voiceline, the little boss animation & the absolute clusterfuck Glint of Light & Hardcore to the Brain have been as Bossfight Soundtracks kind of threw you into the mood, I used to be super hyped back then, every time. That being said, great video, thank you for giving the franchise the attention it should have gotten years ago! Edit: Little Addition, I adore the voice acting in this game, the English one at that. Yuris voice actor gave him a lot of personality imo. Also, as one might have guessed, I love the games soundtrack, even more than SH1s. Themes for dungeons, bossfights, you name it. They all hit hard imo.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant is one of my personal favorite JRPG that i played. I even finished the director's cut version, in which it has super boss. I wished that the shadow heart series will remastered it to PS4 or PS5.

I genuinely forgot about most of the characters and story outside of Yuri's general story progression and Karen's kind of icky ending. Which is kind of telling because I vividly remember so much of Koudelka and SH1. The game, mechanically, is great however.

I absolutely love your charisma & knowledge, that's why I subscribed

The video in the credits got me laughing and then grinning for a looooong time. Love your comedy delivery! So glad I found this beautiful channel.

Thank you so much again for covering this series - and thank you for having all of the right takes about Covenant. ;p And yeah, the vendors in particular really bothered me as a gay teen. 😓

This was great. I gotta say the skits pretty much always made chuckle or smile.

OH MAN, I never actually saw the Man Festival. Geeeeez, that's so bad! I played the game like twice and I never really used Joachim or did his quests. I still have a fondness for Covenant, many many warts and all, but swing a way on From the New World. That game's had it coming for a while.

Thank you very much for bringing the topic of Japan’s handing and portrayal of gay men up in JRPGs. As a gay man who used to love this type of role playing experience, it always hurt greatly whenever a stereotype of my demographic was forced down my throat and I have encountered a fair amount of people who simply refuse to acknowledge it at all. Even Persona 4 made quite the mockery of my position and sexuality and people only ever claimed it as “inclusive” and LGBTQplus friendly. So thank you truly for not glossing over it. Thank you for calling it out.

i used to really like the man festival when i first played the game, then one day i played it again and... oh no! i do like kato though, i consider him less a villain and moreso a mirror of yuri in some regards, i think he deserves more love

Wonderful job! It's so refreshing to watch you go through things and actually share my opinions! My friend and I feel like we're the only ones who prefer the first game over the popular Covenant.. and we don't like Karin, either! Again, great job!

Thank you so much for these videos. I really liked your observations and the humor, also I agree completely with your analysis. It feels rushed and too all over the place, but we like this game nonetheless. I just want to say the first hour or so of the game seems a little bit more aligned with the prequel and I really liked Yuri and Gepetto interactions, especially when the puppeteer stated that Yuri's purpose was just to find a place to die

IT has been a while since I played through any of this series (at least a decade, maybe), but I do remember always enjoying Shadow Hearts 1 the most. I probably couldn't really articulate why before, but I think this video does a good job of explaining why.

Nothing about the EXTREMELY questionable "fashion" choices for gepettos little girl puppet!? Fun fact: the mirror mansion you have to visit to get Amon, is Gilles de Rais castle and the children represent his victims.

Damn i Always loved this series because it is an jrpg that Just got into the real world but with folklore n stuff.....i enjoyed covenant like literally no other game ever and i even got me all 4 Games out of the series but still didn't finish one bc i wanted it 100% BC they're worth it so i will get Back at it soon.😩🥰

Depending on how you interpret the ending, I like to think that playing 1 then 2 then 1 again is almost canon or at least works as a narrative loop...ie at the end of Covenant (good ending) he goes back to the time or memory he enjoyed the most(meeting Alice and their adventure) and relives it in perpetuity.

Finally someone saw what I saw!!!. Both endings of shadow hearts 1 are correct. I believe it goes like this. SH1 bad ending then SH2 good ending then back to SH1 good ending. I suspect that Yuri's mother lived in the end. I think this only cause in the beginning of SH1 he wasn't smiling before he got on the train, but in the SH2 good ending he is smiling. Most likely with Karin telling young yuri highlights to say. I could also be looking into it far to much. It is truly one of my most favorite series. Sorry for the english it is not my main language.

I thought I was alone in thinking Shadow Hearts 1 was better than Covenant. I feel so seen. At least I finished Covenant, which is more than I can say about From the New World

You know, I had this game in high regards but that was because I was looking at it from a nostalgic point of view. After your thorough breakdown of the game I just gotta say... wow, does it not hold up. The whole rapey gay men as a comedic relief, Karin being the most bland of characters, and... yeah the Kurando and Anastasia situation was also pretty bad, because yes, women were forced to marry very young (and not that long ago), but the way they handle it here makes it seem as if it was ok and funny, which I mean c'mon. Also I had totally forgotten that everything was so slapstick - it seems like this was written to be a bad Leslie Nielsen movie. Oh well, it has some fun parts at least, thanks for this review, must've taken quite a while to make, cheers!

It’s funny I loved all the shadow heart games and never really thought about how hollow many of the characters are... I’m fine with the slapstick in New World but you’ve really given me a new perspective. I still love both games but thank you for helping me gain insight

This is the first time I saw your channel and I watch most of your Shadow Hearts series review. Plus, you made several reviews on the Witcher related content too, and that is also one of my most favourite games of all time. I’ll be watching those reviews soon as well. Back to SH series, I like your criticism in Covenant, especially when you have played all 3 series and Kodelka, which is the first time I’ve ever heard about that game and it’s connection to Shadow Hearts. It points out on how the it started on its roots, but the tone changed and neglect the horror aspect. As for me, my first game was Covenant on PS2. After finish that, I tried playing SH but stopped shortly cuz I wasn’t used to downgrading to predecessor game. The plot twist at the Ending was like a wtf moment for me too. It just creates more plot hole and when it’s a time travel plothole, that’s too fucked up to decipher lol When I finish the man festival as a teen, I had no idea what the ending meant until years later when I spoke to a friend about it. I miss my pure thoughts days lol I notice that you didn’t add the Solomon Trials as part of your review, which is fine cuz even I don’t remember how I manage to finish that quest. There was even that math quest where we had to calculate and our final boss was Lenny the Mathematician. I had a head scratcher when he popped up lol. I also didn’t understood how I manage to unlock the Dark Seraphm transformation and why it’s hidden within Yuri until I watch your SH review. That explains its origin. Then I played FTNW but I brought too much expectation to the 3rd instalment, like wondering where Yuri is and barely pay attention to most of the characters. My problem with the 3rd is they didn’t register it as a sequel or a spinoff properly. Or maybe that was my own folly for not seeing it properly. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the game. Wish I had put more love into it like I did for Covenant. I look forward to your review on that. Also, have you heard of Lost Odyssey? This is another underrated JRPG exclusive on Xbox 360 and it exceeded my love for SH: Covenant. If you haven’t, then dang lol. Apologise for my long comment. It’s just been a while for me to content related to Shadow Hearts and The Witcher all together in one channel, especially irl. Looking forward to see your future projects and one new subscriber added.

This look back at Koudelka/Shadow Hearts has inspired me to go back and replay the entire series. I played it as a teenager with an uncritical eye. I never considered the implications of how people in this series are written and the women in particular. I just thought transforming into demons was cool.

Vegeta and Nappa! Lol I'm all for wrestling in an rpg...but...hmmm Can't wait for the next video!

“I like boobs!” 😂😂🤣🤣 That cracked me up! It also reminded me of so many games I’ve played. Trying to hear important dialogue and none of the NPCs will shut the hell up. I really do live for the skits. They must be a lot of work between costumes, make up, acting and editing. I am very impressed with how polished the end product is. You’re still wearing my favorite top and I am still drooling over it. It’s so gorgeous! Could you tell me where you bought it, please?

AAAAH BIT ME!! xD Great video, waiting for see the next one!! :D

Why is it when everyone travels in time there's always a weird incest theme about a hot young mum??? It's happened twice that i know of, but it seems popular

These videos put into words so many of my problems with this game, even though it's my favorite in the series because of the technical improvements and Yuri's incredible development, it has so many issues and inconsistencies Even the good ending as much as I love it in basically all interpretations, it just kinda goes against a lot of the main themes that Koudelka and SH1 set, y'know like "maybe it's not a good idea to bring the dead back to life or be stuck trying to change the past", and even interpreting it as some sort of afterlife has a weird and sad tone when you think about it because Yuri could only find lasting happiness when he died, his only options would be to either let his identity die or physically die, I have many mixed feelings about the ending just as much as the overall game, it's a good ending on an emotional level interpreting it as a time travel shenanigan but if someone stops to think about what it says for the overall narrative and message of the game.. it feels inconsistent Either way, I still really like this game, or at least more specifically Yuri, he's one of favorite characters of all time and this game did something wonderful with him for the most part

Such a nostalgic game for me. What is your favorite horror JRPG? Something similar in vibe to the Shadow hearts series?

About the Emigre Manuscript...my idea on that is that the book has multiple different ressurection rituals written on it, so Bacon went with a non-sacrificial one to try and bring back Alice.

Did you ever play "Vagrant Story" on the PS1? If you did I'd be interested in seeing what you think of it, if not it's well worth checking out.

I never really understood some of the sense of humor in some of these JRPGs. The Final Fantasy series has jokes but nothing that will make you feel uncomfortable. Lost Odyssey was another game with some comedy elements, but it was harmless. These Shadow Hearts games though...

I played shadow hearts covenant first, but it was still emotional since Yuri finally down and did away with his tough guy persona 😢

Thank you for covering this with so much care! I started playing this back when I was a young teen and was having an absolute blast until I ran into all the heavy gay stereotypes. I was in the closet at the time and I just had to put the game down and never touch it again, so I’m super thankful to see the game explained with that in mind but also going through everything else I missed too. This was lovely ❤

Though goofy much of the time, there was a part of dialogue that was striking: Karin and Yuri in Turkey, where Karin says that people just want to be happy. And Yuri responds in a way I’d like more JRPG characters to adopt: Happy? What does that even mean?

24:30 Okay, when i came here for the 'man festival' i didnt think it'd be about SA

So the correct order of playing is: Koudelka > Shadow hearts (bad ending)> Shadow Hearts Covenant> Shadow Hearts (good ending)> Shadow hearts from the new world

I've started playing this again and it's both far worse than I remember and still a lot of fun. I love it either way :)

So your telling me they are still doing uncomfortable stuff about gay (sorry to put it that way) ppl even in Persona 5 and P5 Royal? Even AFTER what was in P4? I am disappoint

I love this series. A small bit of me always hopes Yuri would make his return.

if anyone ever remade these games i would love to see some save file functions like start sh1 no save sends you through the first game as it was originally then a save file with sh2 good ending and it changes dialogue and a few options. for instance yuri being a creep and looking up alices skirt into him covering her with his coat or something. and later just ripping amon out of albert simon instead of fighting him.

I don't disagree with anything you said. But Covenant is just a perfect encapsulation of teenage me and maybe those flaws reflect mine own. Or at least, the flaws I used to have (I hope).

i enjoyed that video! ^^

Great video

I really like new world but I also love the absolute madness that is yakuza

Wait is that a Superscope back there? That's awesome!

15:47 The Habsburgs be like "She hits on her son. Go on... Was that it? Why the 'eeew'? Are we missing something? So she's a woman, checked, he's a guy, checked, she hits on him, checked and then 'eeew'. I'm not seeing it."

Not to excuse the man festival, but I was recently out in my 20s when this game came out. And at the time, and representation at all was a good thing. It’s not aged well at all, but I recall other gay men even up into 2010 thinking that it was amazing that there are gay characters. But that said, you’re 100% spot on when you point out that by Persona 5, Japanese developers haven’t gotten better. At least by now, though, final fantasy 16 has positive gay portrayals, if blemished by the camera panning ALL the way out for the gay kiss while having extended close up nude scenes for more than one hetero coupling.

Are you going to stream the new resident evil game?

As a straight dude I can't comment too much on the MAN FESTIVALLL, but as a kid I never knew Joachim was gay and still didn't until now. That scene with the wrestler always like offended me. Otherwise I think the game is a genuine mess, but a fun mess that encapsulates a special time in gaming for better and much worse. I think From the New World is garbage in terms of story and that video would only be like ten minutes, but the gameplay improvements are the reason why I want the games to comeback with a possible rewrite to ammend the chaos of Covenant and even maybe improve FtNW because at first I was kinda sucked in until we got the honestly kinda offensive and horribly concepted Shania.

I loved the dark tone of shadow hearts 1 so much, i wasted no time and bought covenent immediately. Couldnt play past meeting joaquin. I was like "what the fuck is this". I couldnt handle the slapstick.

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the mistletoe curse isnt as bad as they claim it to be. if you think about it , its just a severe case of amnesia, where the only thing he forgot are the events and people he knows in the past. he still can talk and converse well enough. definitely NOT an empty shell, he can just restart his life, meet the forgotten friends (as new friends) and meet new people. im not sure if he can fuse again, since he forgotten about it.

Not speak english very good but you content great and shadow Hearts convenant is very undeterred

2:59-Why do I feel like it's a cliche that a Japanese boy falls in love with a woman from Russia? I mean you've got Shizuo X Vorona from Durarara, Denji X Reze from Chainsaw Man and now Anastasia X Kurando from Shadow Hearts Covenant. I would also add in Viktor X Yuri from Yuri on Ice, but that's more of a Yaoi anime.

I'm far away from the possibility, but I'll definitely check this series out when I can, on an Xbox S of all things lol. My personal belief is all time travel is actually just dimensional travel lol A gay stereotype is why I stopped playing DQ the Elusive Age. They made him a capable character so one else seemed to know it, but its shoved down your throat.

god i was in bed and i woke up to you meaning about gay sterotypes

Unpopular opinion, but Covenant is my least favorite in the series due to the constant flipping tones and so much wasted potential for Karin and Nicholai, who were originally the leads in the early version of the game. Koudelka reigns supreme for me, but I like the gameplay improvements and added challenge in FTNW, the villains are cool, Johnny's reactions to all the weirdness around him amused me, and Dead Fingers Talk is an absolute banger of a battle theme.