Koudelka

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For the Czech photographer, see Josef Koudelka.
Koudelka
Developer(s) Sacnoth
Publisher(s) SNK
PAL Infogrames
Designer(s) Hiroki Kikuta
Platform(s) PlayStation
Release date JP December 16, 1999
NA June 29, 2000
PAL September 29, 2000
Genre(s) Console RPG
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s) ELSPA: 15+
ESRB: M
USK: 12
Media 4 CD-ROMs

Koudelka (クーデルカ?) is a console role-playing game for the PlayStation developed by Sacnoth for the Sony PlayStation. The game was released on December 16, 1999 in Japan, June 29, 2000 in North America and September 29, 2000 in Europe.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

The style of the game was a composition of survival horror games and tactical RPGs with a grid-based system for combat.

[edit] Plot

After a series of troubling visions, Koudelka Iasant, a young girl with supernatural powers, arrives at the Monastery. There she is met by Edward Plunkett, an adventurer, and Father James O'Flaherty, a bishop.

Set in 1899 in Aberystwyth, Wales, the game follows the mysterious occurrences surrounding Nemeton Monastery and the three protagonists who, by chance, are forced to investigate its dark history.

[edit] Development

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Hiroki Kikuta, best known for composing the music to Squaresoft's Seiken Densetsu 2 and Seiken Densetsu 3, established while working at Squaresoft, established Sacnoth in 1997 with funding from SNK Playmore. Unhappy with what he considered as the disjointed, juvenile, and stagnant nature of most RPGs, Kikuta had intended to take the genre in a whole new direction.

Internal quarrels within Sacnoth had led to a compromised product. Kikuta had wanted to develop an action-based battle system, citing Resident Evil as a source of inspiration. However, his employees were adamant about releasing something closer to the kind of games that Square had been making.

The game was fully voice-acted, and starred Vivianna Bateman as Koudelka, Michael Bradbury as Edward, and Scott Larson as Father O'Flaherty. The game also featured several FMV cutscenes.

[edit] Other media

A manga sidestory, written and illustrated by Yuji Iwahara, was published in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Ace Next. There are a few differences between the game and the manga. In the first volume, Koudelka's hair was long, before it was cut by the Asian man, making it look short, as similar to the game. And at Joshua's homeland, it is said that Dr. Hans told that name Koudelka Yasant, which is different from Iasant, Koudelka's original surname. Said to be 20 years old with dark brown hair.

The fifteen chapters were later collected in three volumes

[edit] Reception

Dutch magazine Power Unlimited gave the game a score of 6.0 out of 10, praising the cutscenes, but criticizing the combat sections and calling Kikuta's music "a disaster".[1]

[edit] Legacy

Koudelka is the precursor to Sacnoth's Shadow Hearts series. Shadow Hearts takes place in the Koudelka universe and features various locales and characters from Sacnoth's debut work.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Urhahn, Dre (November 2000), “Koudelka”, Power Unlimited 8 (11): 49 

[edit] External links

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