Note: Feel free to skip around; I don't expect people to watch the whole thing. Ahh, Dual Hearts... that one game that's not Kingdom Hearts, Shadow Hearts, Vandal Hearts, Steam-Hearts, or any of those other Heart-based games. Seriously though, Dual Hearts is a pretty great game by some of the folks who brought you "Alundra" that the U.S. was lucky enough to get through Atlus in 2002. Developed by Matrix Software (not to be confused with "Matrix" who did the K.O. Beast games), it didn't get as much recognition as it probably deserved due to a HORRIBLE release schedule (having released only about a month before Kingdom Hearts in Japan and less than two weeks after it in the U.S.)... with all the buzz that game was generating at the time, Dual Hearts was almost dead on arrival, but it enjoys quite a bit of cult classic status. Many people even compare it to Kingdom Hearts due to the remarkably close time frame! The game was directed by Keizo Kato, who is best known for the various ports of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest his team have put out as well as titles like "Avalon Code"... he is not to be confused with the Keizo Kato that works for Nintendo (formerly within Entertainment Analysis and Development). The plot is very simple but serves its purpose. You are Rumble, a brash yet legendary treasure hunter dubbed the "Ruinseeker" who is in search of the greatest holy artifact, the "Dream Stone", to tie up some loose ends of his past with his journey leading him to Sonno Island. Simultaneously, a bumbling dream animal named Tumble is tasked with protecting the keys that seal the Dreamworld from evil, but he royally screws up, scattering them everywhere. He can enter dreams at will, but he can't do much on his own, so fate brings these two unlikely heroes together to defend the world from corruption as the temple lies at the heart of Sonno in the real world. Rumble's natural talent and fighting ability with Tumble's magical ability as a Baku (look up the Japanese meaning of it then look him down carefully... it's a little disturbing when you think about it) are just what they need... though Rumble could be a little less of a jerk sometimes. There are a variety of odd characters to interact with, each with their own quirks and problems. Trying to ensnare the very best of various genres, Dual Hearts takes the core concept of Alundra (solving people's problems and entering their dreams) and combines them with Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64's gameplay (combat/tools/growth/grass similar to Z:OoT with tools and strategies as well as day/night cycles, with Mario's small "hub-world", stages, platforming, and animal companion complete with "Megaton Buns") while incorporating a few bits of originality here and there. Players get to do a variety of things that vary from dream to dream such as not waking a dog, beating up an artist, finding a guy's glasses (complete with blurred vision in his dream), swim, fly, and more, and helping people in the dream worlds shapes their actions in the real world, which can alter their dream worlds at different intervals. Some things can only be done at different times of day and the game encourages revisiting levels as you gain new abilities as well as exploring Sonno Island for secrets. Combat allows players to fight with two different weapons at a time, and they gain experience from defeating enemies which allows them to level up and gain additional combo strings. Some weapons are unique, such as the draw card that absorbs elements to help fight bosses, solve puzzles, or hold an item for later use (think the "jar" from Zelda). Your animal companion, Tumble, can also help you fight, though most actions require "Esamon Points" to use; he can do breathe attacks, pound objects, jump high in the dream world, charge attack, heal Rumble, and more! Visually, it looks like your early PS2 / Dreamcast game, which isn't bad, though given what it was competing with that year, it had big shoes to fill. The game is incredibly colorful and looks great when it's running at a smooth 60FPS (which isn't too often btw) and the graphics are, at the very least, sharp. Little accents like flowing curtains, recoil from jumping on lumpy furniture, and generous particle effects add a little extra flair. The music is pretty good and generally appropriate for the settings too. It's not as fully-realized as any of the games it draws inspiration from, but it more than pays its respects and is one of the hidden gems of the PS2 library that's fun while it lasts. This is a video highlighting a variety of things from the game. The bad part is this video was originally longer and I made several edits just to show certain aspects that I like. Feel free to skip through it as I don't expect anyone to actually watch it all. Enjoy. - ADDITION - Like Us On Facebook: / thegamingsanctuary Follow Us On Twitter: / gs_vyse_and_bel Visit Us At:
