A new trademark has been filed by Universal Entertainment in Japan for the PlayStation 2 RPG series Shadow Hearts, potentially suggesting at least one of the three titles could be part of PS Plus Premium's launch lineup. Spotted by Gematsu, it's a possible indicator of the types of games we can expect to play come the end of June on the service. The trademark joins the Syphon Filter series in recent renewals, potentially hinting at what's to come for subscribers.
The Shadow Hearts series is a trilogy of titles: the original game was released for PS2 in 2003 and received two sequels in Covenant and From the New World in the following years. Developed by the Japanese team Sacnoth (later renamed Nautilus), Shadow Hearts is set "from the late 1890s to the 1920s, following different casts of characters caught in supernatural mysteries. The setting combines alternate history and cosmic horror, with real-world figures making appearances, and each title has multiple endings." All three entries were fairly well-received by critics upon their launch.
Shadow Hearts now joins the Syphon Filter games, Mr. Driller, Ridge Racer 2, Tekken 2, Worms Armageddon, and Worms World Party as potential inclusions in PS Plus Premium. And with the revamped service launching in just a few weeks across Asian territories, Sony must surely be planning to lift the lid on the full lineup sooner rather than later. For more information, check out our All PS Plus Games guide.
Would you be interested in replaying the Shadow Hearts series via PS Plus Premium or experiencing them for the first time? Let us know in the comments below.
[source gematsu.com]
Comments 22
I never actually finished a Shadow Hearts game on PS2 so this is pretty cool.
If that trilogy is on there they will have my money!
I really hope this is part of the lineup because all the rumours we've had so far suggest Sony isn't phoning this in. Which is great!
Oh wow, there's a flash back. A friend of mine gave me this years ago. I often think about it, but I never got to finish it.
Would love if it was on the new service.
Shadow Hearts Covenant is one of the best RPGs I've ever played.
Sucks that they decided to release it so close to FFX, the game was completely overshadowed (heh)
Ooh I've been wanting to try the original Shadow Hearts and was hoping they'd turn up on PS Plus like this, I LOVED Covenant (never finished but got most of the way through it and loved what I played). Covenant's soundtrack was wicked too.
OMG yes!! I love this game, I'm loving the games that have been leaked so far for PS Plus Premium. This gives me hope that they've picked an amazing selection of games.
Really hope they eventually do more with these games rather than potentially just sticking them on ps plus forever. But for now, this is the stuff that'll get me to sub. Please try to get the xenosaga trilogy on there
Now this is exciting! (Although it’ll need trophies for me, I know most don’t care).
If Shadow hearts 1 and 2 are on ps plus, I'll absolutely be signing up for premium. Loved those games on ps2 but never finished them. Tbh I didn't think there was a chance we'd be seeing the franchise again in any guise
I really hope this is part of the service. Not only because I’d like to play them, but it also means we could see other lesser known games appear on there.
This would make me subscribe in a heartbeat. Shadow Hearts is one of the best series on the PS2 and needs to be experienced by more people.
Loved the shadow hearts trilogy, brilliant games, hopefully they'll bring the prequel koudelka out too, good horror RPGs.
Definitely. I don’t know how long my PS2 planed to keep working (the drive sometimes sounds like it really doesn‘t want to turn anymore). And to keep the franchise, well, semi-alive at least, it really should make the jump to a new generation of hardware, even if it‘s just some kind of port or remaster. I‘d say Covenant, at least, still looks pretty enough to receive some positive feedback from younger gamers and the story speaks up for itself. This should generate some interest into what came before. Let‘s hope that SH gets another chance to gain the public appeal. It had been dormant way too long and deserved much, much better.
I, myself, still would have to get my hands on a PS5, though 😓
Oh wow... I wonder if Magna Carta would show up 🤔
One of the few old PS2 RPGs I started but never got to finish and think I would at least try again. I hate not finishing jRPGs I started.
@get2sammyb I just wished we had something more concrete to go on instead of all the rumors. Sony really needs to have some kind of showcase before the new PSPlus launches so we can get an idea of what features and games will be included.
If we can get games like this on the service then hopefully we can get stuff like Dragon Quest 8 and the like.There were tons and tons of excellent RPGs for the system that could be added!
@Athrum ah very good 🤣🤣
Only ever briefly played a friends copy back when it came out but hopefully these games do come out on the service as many PAL copys tend to fetch a high price as do many jrpgs from that time since they only had limited releases.
I've never played the series but I may give it a whirl if it does end up being on the service.
@CheshireBreak I've never played the series before either, but know several friends that keep raving about them, so must be good?
This series is one of my biggest justifications for the PS2 and CRT in my spare room that I still can't quite let go of. A remaster might help clear some space I guess.
Koudelka would also be nice, I was a broke kid when I got my copy second hand, already scratched, and I have played it a lot but never without having to FMV skip over the damage on disc 3 xD
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