Holy crap, I'm a big fan of the Shadow Hearts series, and Koudelka is such a unique game that it's rare to see anyone give it a shot. Here's hoping you enjoy the lovecraftian, rpg take of the series and like it enough to continue the series into the Shadow hearts games. Also, I've been to Aberystwyth in Wales (where this game takes place) and I didn;t see any horrendous monsters or gothic castles.
Wow, saying the acting is bizarrely high quality for a PS1 game is almost an understatement. I'm surprised a horror/JRPG PS1 game of this quality isn't more well known, even if the genre and gameplay are a slightly odd mix.
It's a rather unfortunate combo of a small and relatively unknown developer making an original title that got little attention both in Japan and the wider world on a system that by this point already had a glut of well-established JRPG titles and franchises. The same devs did later go on to make the Shadow Hearts series, based on this game, which while not the most famous series ever, did at least gain a lot more critical and commercial attention.
I really loved this game back in the day. Sadly, there was this puzzle with floor tiles... never understood it, and it was before the internet (for me). Plus, I got incredibly scared. The chars are like "This old couple tries to kill us!" and while wandering around, you can hear constant background noises. Paranoia kicked in so hard that I've never played it again... ^^"
YES! For how clunky and obscure this game can be at times, it's an absolute one of a kind, hidden gem. Super excited to see you tackle this one, as it's not only a great game, but it also leads to my absolute favorite JRPG series of all time, Shadow Hearts.
Haven't watched anything about this yet, but I am super hyped already, because I know this is technically the precursor to Shadow Hearts, which is a fantastic franchise.
-Has anything weird been happening? -Well it's been quite cold this winter. -What about all the giant roaches and vengeful spirits of the damned that roam the monastery? -Oh don't mind them. Just shoot them or something. Yeah, basically life in Europe. Checks out. Now to create the Trails In The Sky lobby to usurp the eternal dominion of Zelda with a politics-heavy jRPG...
Great game that led to a great series of games the shadow Hearts games which you should totally also play. I actually flinched when you didn't take the armour as armour drops are super rare in this game XD
I have to say, the character stats and combat systems in this game seem to be very much inspired by TRPGs, and that's rad as hell. I realize that effectively all traditional RPG games are like that, but the fact that this one takes into account things like character positioning, range and the like as well as the way character attributes work is way more like a TPRG than, say, Final Fantasy.
Koudelka is one of my favorite games of all time, it's an underrated masterpiece imo. I want a remake SO SO BAD ;_; if any game deserves it it's Koudelka, it just lives and breathes "Soul/Charm" ;_;
It's always good to see someone playing a hidden retro gem. Koudelka always felt like an alternate-timeline Parasite Eve to me - extremely annoying and frustrating to play but worth it for the Moments. Hope he makes it all the way to the end.
The animations and acting are amazing. The rig on the model is a bit stiff, but the animation itself looks natural. Morrowind in particular always drove me nuts with it's walk cycle.
God damn, I remember this. The nostalgia. One thing I remember about it is that the voice acting is surprisingly good compared to the other acting in games of the time, they hired actual professional trained theatre actors to do the acting, which was not common at the time. I think it was just harmed mostly by not having good visuals and even having PS2 visuals would have helped it to take off a lot more, plus the random encounters were a bit too common and needed to be decreased in frequency.
The random encounters are actively the worst part of the game. They hamper exploration by punishing your moving around. Fights really should have been scripted and limited, as a "reward" for progress or something.
I think although I wanted to like the game I gave up at the very beginning of Disc 2 because of the random encounters, so I will impressed if you get further than that or even complete the game.
I really love that post-FFVII world where developers were just grafting RPG elements onto any genres they could think of. It didn't always make GOOD games (you might even say it rarely did) but it made a lot of really INTERESTING games.
That is not entirely a deliberate choice. Hiroki Kikuta wanted to make a Resident Evil style game with action combat. His staff wanted to make a classical jRPG. Staff won. And then after Kikuta resigned as the CEO, they just made classical jRPGs starting with Shadow Hearts.
That has to be. The LEAST practical outfit for anything but a street corner I've seen in a while. Barring that, though, this does seem like a very interesting game so far. I'm down to see where this goes - hopefully somewhere with a more functional skirt! Sorry, totally distracted. I'm getting it out of my system in advance.
So this is some kind of Resident Evil/SRPG hybrid? Weird, but interesting (apparently the game was created by a former employee of Square - Hiroki Kikuta -, but "the traditional turn-based battle system was created without Kikuta's involvement, due to staff disputes"). I guess they took the D&D stat modifier idea to the extreme, since your equipment also affects your modifiers (I think they did it so the only numbers you'd use in combat are your modifiers, instead of adding other values like AC and damage dice). Speaking of D&D, Koudelka letting Edward drink the poisoned soup has big chaotic energy.
This game has surprisingly decent voice acting for a PS1 game! Might even be up there with Metal Gear Solid and Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver! And I kind of dig the weirdly chill battle theme despite it being a tonal shift from what is supposed to be a "horror rpg". If anything, it might make the creepiness of some parts of the game stick out more.
Ya know, way back when, I had no problem with random encounters. I found fighting fun, and exp was a good thing. But in this game where it seems barely anything is clickable, combat turns take forever and a day, and ammo is a limited resource... it's extremely annoying being interrupted all the time when you haven't done anything in between fights!
In fairness, he did seem a little suspicious. For all she knew, he was a murderer who could have stabbed her in the back. But she did heal him in the end, which I think speaks volumes about her character.
Loved this game as a kid! Never finished it but the combat music is engraved in my brain. I agree about the acting, but as someone who was born in Wales, even as a kid it was weird to hear the thick US accents 😆
Is it really? I saw the video title and was came to the comments to say "Well if he likes this, he should check out Shadow Hearts." I had no idea they were related.
On the subject of voice acting, I think a lot of modern games are hampered by process; I've heard horror stories of people being given like, a binder of all their lines in alphabetical order. Presumably most games don't go *quite* to that extreme, but I think it's still set up in such a way that there's not a lot of opportunity to really develop a character or acting throughline.
Oh no, not forgotten at all. Not long ago - just a month or maybe two - I talked about it with my brother, since I tried to remember how exactly the plot was connected to Shadow Hearts. I'm still wondering how good Koudelka could have been, if it came out a bit later on a more modern console and framework - just a bit more fidelity in graphics could really have elevated the game. I guess even PS2 would have been enough for that... It still is a atmospheric game though - till the day - and it had some interesting gameplay mechanics as well. I always rated it rather high on my PS1 list - with other more niche gems like Vagrant Story.
maybe its just because I have been the Trails games which have it built in but these slow combats could really benefit from a fast forward button 😅 cool game tho
Holy crap, I'm a big fan of the Shadow Hearts series, and Koudelka is such a unique game that it's rare to see anyone give it a shot.
Here's hoping you enjoy the lovecraftian, rpg take of the series and like it enough to continue the series into the Shadow hearts games.
Also, I've been to Aberystwyth in Wales (where this game takes place) and I didn;t see any horrendous monsters or gothic castles.
Clearly they were hiding, just out of sight. ...Waiting.
Wow, saying the acting is bizarrely high quality for a PS1 game is almost an understatement. I'm surprised a horror/JRPG PS1 game of this quality isn't more well known, even if the genre and gameplay are a slightly odd mix.
music/sound design also seems pretty good so far
I believe they used actual professional actors who had trained and worked in the theatre, which was very unusual at the time.
It's a rather unfortunate combo of a small and relatively unknown developer making an original title that got little attention both in Japan and the wider world on a system that by this point already had a glut of well-established JRPG titles and franchises.
The same devs did later go on to make the Shadow Hearts series, based on this game, which while not the most famous series ever, did at least gain a lot more critical and commercial attention.
now this is a game i'd never expect to see an LP of in 2022
neato
I really loved this game back in the day.
Sadly, there was this puzzle with floor tiles... never understood it, and it was before the internet (for me).
Plus, I got incredibly scared.
The chars are like "This old couple tries to kill us!" and while wandering around, you can hear constant background noises.
Paranoia kicked in so hard that I've never played it again... ^^"
YES! For how clunky and obscure this game can be at times, it's an absolute one of a kind, hidden gem. Super excited to see you tackle this one, as it's not only a great game, but it also leads to my absolute favorite JRPG series of all time, Shadow Hearts.
Haven't watched anything about this yet, but I am super hyped already, because I know this is technically the precursor to Shadow Hearts, which is a fantastic franchise.
-Has anything weird been happening?
-Well it's been quite cold this winter.
-What about all the giant roaches and vengeful spirits of the damned that roam the monastery?
-Oh don't mind them. Just shoot them or something.
Yeah, basically life in Europe. Checks out.
Now to create the Trails In The Sky lobby to usurp the eternal dominion of Zelda with a politics-heavy jRPG...
The nostalgia!!! The first game I played with this mechanic was eternal eyes. Man it was so long ago.
Weird coincidence, just finished Koudelka this year for the first time. Love to see a let's play from him.
Great game that led to a great series of games the shadow Hearts games which you should totally also play.
I actually flinched when you didn't take the armour as armour drops are super rare in this game XD
Koudelka - my favorite PS1 game that I never played
hell yeah. this game lived rent free under my skin as a child.
Another one from that formative time that I have no recollection of playing yet is so eerily familiar.
I have to say, the character stats and combat systems in this game seem to be very much inspired by TRPGs, and that's rad as hell.
I realize that effectively all traditional RPG games are like that, but the fact that this one takes into account things like character positioning, range and the like as well as the way character attributes work is way more like a TPRG than, say, Final Fantasy.
Koudelka is one of my favorite games of all time, it's an underrated masterpiece imo.
I want a remake SO SO BAD ;_; if any game deserves it it's Koudelka, it just lives and breathes "Soul/Charm" ;_;
It's always good to see someone playing a hidden retro gem. Koudelka always felt like an alternate-timeline Parasite Eve to me - extremely annoying and frustrating to play but worth it for the Moments. Hope he makes it all the way to the end.
The animations and acting are amazing. The rig on the model is a bit stiff, but the animation itself looks natural. Morrowind in particular always drove me nuts with it's walk cycle.
God damn, I remember this. The nostalgia. One thing I remember about it is that the voice acting is surprisingly good compared to the other acting in games of the time, they hired actual professional trained theatre actors to do the acting, which was not common at the time. I think it was just harmed mostly by not having good visuals and even having PS2 visuals would have helped it to take off a lot more, plus the random encounters were a bit too common and needed to be decreased in frequency.
The random encounters are actively the worst part of the game. They hamper exploration by punishing your moving around. Fights really should have been scripted and limited, as a "reward" for progress or something.
I think although I wanted to like the game I gave up at the very beginning of Disc 2 because of the random encounters, so I will impressed if you get further than that or even complete the game.
I really love that post-FFVII world where developers were just grafting RPG elements onto any genres they could think of. It didn't always make GOOD games (you might even say it rarely did) but it made a lot of really INTERESTING games.
That is not entirely a deliberate choice. Hiroki Kikuta wanted to make a Resident Evil style game with action combat. His staff wanted to make a classical jRPG. Staff won. And then after Kikuta resigned as the CEO, they just made classical jRPGs starting with Shadow Hearts.
Oh my gosh YES. Please tell me this means you'll play the Shadow Hearts games afterwards 🤩
"When I was a kid I was a pretty good soprano". Genuinely interesting 🤔
That has to be. The LEAST practical outfit for anything but a street corner I've seen in a while. Barring that, though, this does seem like a very interesting game so far. I'm down to see where this goes - hopefully somewhere with a more functional skirt! Sorry, totally distracted. I'm getting it out of my system in advance.
I LOVE old rpgs like this
oh shit, im so excited for this one!
So this is some kind of Resident Evil/SRPG hybrid? Weird, but interesting (apparently the game was created by a former employee of Square - Hiroki Kikuta -, but "the traditional turn-based battle system was created without Kikuta's involvement, due to staff disputes"). I guess they took the D&D stat modifier idea to the extreme, since your equipment also affects your modifiers (I think they did it so the only numbers you'd use in combat are your modifiers, instead of adding other values like AC and damage dice). Speaking of D&D, Koudelka letting Edward drink the poisoned soup has big chaotic energy.
It's not a D&D modifier. The three numbers are base number, modifier, total (i.e. sum of base number and modifier).
I remember I wanted FF8 for my bday and uncle got me this. I was gutted but started playing it and loved it
Love that realistic horse animation.
This game has surprisingly decent voice acting for a PS1 game! Might even be up there with Metal Gear Solid and Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver! And I kind of dig the weirdly chill battle theme despite it being a tonal shift from what is supposed to be a "horror rpg". If anything, it might make the creepiness of some parts of the game stick out more.
The voice acting in Metal Gear Solid is absolutely awful lol.
I don't know why, but Koudelka is giving off "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" vibes.
Ya know, way back when, I had no problem with random encounters. I found fighting fun, and exp was a good thing. But in this game where it seems barely anything is clickable, combat turns take forever and a day, and ammo is a limited resource... it's extremely annoying being interrupted all the time when you haven't done anything in between fights!
I can't get over how she had healing magic and yet was going to leave him to bleed to death untill he annoyed her.
In fairness, he did seem a little suspicious. For all she knew, he was a murderer who could have stabbed her in the back.
But she did heal him in the end, which I think speaks volumes about her character.
Loved this game as a kid! Never finished it but the combat music is engraved in my brain.
I agree about the acting, but as someone who was born in Wales, even as a kid it was weird to hear the thick US accents 😆
Yes! I love this game. :) Time for things to get strange.
SRPG horror? Wtf? Somehow I'm so here for that.
It's actually a first game in Shadow Hearts series
Is it really? I saw the video title and was came to the comments to say "Well if he likes this, he should check out Shadow Hearts." I had no idea they were related.
@@SapphireDragon357 Koudelka appers in SH1
At which point of the game do I stop saying WTF?? when something happens?
On the subject of voice acting, I think a lot of modern games are hampered by process; I've heard horror stories of people being given like, a binder of all their lines in alphabetical order. Presumably most games don't go *quite* to that extreme, but I think it's still set up in such a way that there's not a lot of opportunity to really develop a character or acting throughline.
That said I did just check out The Quarry and there were some *really* solid line reads there, so it's not like it can't ever happen.
Wait, are you planning on playing Shadow Hearts as well, that would be awesome!
have you ever done Dead Space 2 & 3 currently watching one at the moment
I did not know Koudelka was horror... I thought it was just action mystery puzzle
I watched RagnarRox video about this game, let's see how it holds up...
I'm kind of giddy about this early Halloween...
Love classics
OK, but after this you HAVE TO play Shadow Hearts and SH: Covenant. You're obligated by law.
Oh no, not forgotten at all. Not long ago - just a month or maybe two - I talked about it with my brother, since I tried to remember how exactly the plot was connected to Shadow Hearts. I'm still wondering how good Koudelka could have been, if it came out a bit later on a more modern console and framework - just a bit more fidelity in graphics could really have elevated the game. I guess even PS2 would have been enough for that...
It still is a atmospheric game though - till the day - and it had some interesting gameplay mechanics as well. I always rated it rather high on my PS1 list - with other more niche gems like Vagrant Story.
maybe its just because I have been the Trails games which have it built in but these slow combats could really benefit from a fast forward button 😅 cool game tho
Is it weird that I think the battle music would be a great alarm clock ringtone?
Neat
1:00:09 Wait this isn't Adastra
They spelt Aberystwyth wrong
Full furry saturation maintained.