On References in Vandal Hearts

Academia might’ve robbed the pleasure referencing through their composition courses. Students are forced to apply MLA or APA formatting into their essays to promote academic integrity. But for the artist referencing is a useful skill in order to finish your project; it can add reality to your projects. 

Vandal Hearts is a tactical game published by Konami in 1996. Upon its release the game received good reviews for its graphics, storyline and gameplay. One negative review was the lack of sidequests although the players have the chance to unlock one of the most powerful characters in gaming history. Today I want to add to the criticism: The references to various periods in European history can be jarring. ​

The game alludes to various time periods in history as it meets traditional rpg standards. Characters adorn medieval armor, brandishing broadswords, bucklers, giant axes, lancets, bows and arrows; black mages and bishops cast spells with staffs in their dominant hands. Furthermore, enemies allude to European mythology. Stone golems protect the king. Zombies pervade villages. Evil wizards plague the heroes in hellfire. Players can expect a traditional rpg until they watch the cutscenes. 

Through the cutscenes and the storyline, however, there are parallels to Nazi Germany; and the contrast can be jarring. Mentioned earlier was that characters, including enemies such as the guards, fashioned medieval equipement. The cutscenes though reveal another aesthetics in the game. When the Minister of Defense, Hel Spite, eventually implements an autocratic system on the Republic of Ishitaria, soldiers adorn military boots with green fatigue as they march in a single-line order; urchins litter the streets wearing buttoned vest as if they were eighteenth century American children; and the newspapers resound the new prime minister. All of the elements have remnants of twentieth century Europe when the countries are industrialised. Perhaps the creators can blend the periods better; and this can be regarded as a faux pas.

​

The plot also alludes to twentieth century Europe. Hel Spite becomes Prime Minister and “abolishes the council, creates a secret police and establishes a privileged class…” The sequence of events is similar to Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler abolished the Imperial Diet of Germany on 23 March 1933 when he proposed the Enabling Law to the Reichstag. The gestapo was the secret police that ousted German Jews and subverted German oppositions. Hel Spite achieves the same means by brute force and investing in the “crimson guards who crush any opposition.” The game designers wanted the dramatic complexity of twentieth-century Europe but it contrasts starkly to the fashion; or plainly the creators have two different stories occurring simultaneously. In addition, the democratic system modernises the period. Terms such as “Defense Ministry” and “police agency” implies modernity. A subtler contrast can be achieved in altering the characters’ design or the set design or rearranging terminology while applying the same plot arc.

​The plot also alludes to twentieth century Europe. Hel Spite becomes Prime Minister and “abolishes the council, creates a secret police and establishes a privileged class…” The sequence of events is similar to Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler abolished the Imperial Diet of Germany on 23 March 1933 when he proposed the Enabling Law to the Reichstag (The Holocaust Explained). The gestapo was the secret police that ousted German Jews and subverted German oppositions. Hel Spite achieves the same means by brute force and investing in the “crimson guards who crush any opposition.” The game designers wanted the dramatic complexity of twentieth-century Europe but it contrasts starkly to the fashion; or plainly the creators have two different stories occurring simultaneously. In addition, the democratic system modernises the period. Terms such as “Defense Ministry” and “police agency” implies modernity. A subtler contrast can be achieved in altering the characters’ design or the set design or rearranging terminology while applying the same plot arc.

While the set design can be jarring, with the aesthetics from the cutscenes being from a different period from the gameplay, perhaps from misdirection from the director, however, Vandal Hearts earns its place in 90s video games because of the simplicity yet complex design of the battlefield, as players record and publish their games on Youtube today. ​