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Koudelka: The Forgotten Origins of the Horror JRPG

RagnarRox

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MONSTERS OF THE WEEK: KOUDELKA: A Synthesis of Survival Horror and the JRPG

#Koudelka #JRPG #HorrorGaming #KoudelkaReview

Chapters
00:00 Part 1: The End of the Era Squaresoft
05:08 Sponsor
06:33 Part 2: A Troubled Inception...
11:51 Part 3: ...to an Unexpected Horror Evolution
22:25 Epilogue: The Heart of Shadow Hearts
25:41 Credits & Chasing Static Gameplay

In 1999, the small developer studio Sacnoth, founded by former Squaresoft composer Hiroki Kikuta released Koudelka for the Sony PlayStation, a strange and unexpected hybrid of Survival Horror, Immersive Sim and classic JRPG gameplay. It was a title whose development cycle saw a lot of turbulence and its unconventional genre-blend was not well received by the gaming press at the time. But Koudelka is a forgotten gem that has so much more to offer than it seems at first glance. A refreshingly small and personal story for a JRPG in an unspent setting in early 20th century rural Wales realized with surprisingly good character, motion and voice acting for its time that’s still engaging to play – and ultimately ignited one of the most beloved series in JRPG history: Shadow Hearts.

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How to Setup Koudelka on a PS1 Emulator
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R...

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Jinzee’s video on Koudelka
Koudelka, A Horror RPG Masterpiece

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Get the CHASING STATIC Demo on Steam and add the game to your wishlist:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/13...

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Credits

Original Script: Michael Saba
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and the Rise of t...
Closed Captions (English): Matt Cox
Twitter: pop_primer
Footage Recording: Jordan Pijnenburg
@hourland

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Video/Gameplay Credits
Final Symphony - Interview with Nobuo Uematsu | Merregnon Studios
Final Symphony - Interview with Nobuo Uematsu

[Classic Longplay] System Shock 2 [Part 1] by ShadowsRage2
[Classic Longplay] System Shock 2 [Part 1]

Ultima Underworld : Playstation Version Speedrun by dandandan5
Ultima Underworld : Playstation Version Sp...

Thief: The Dark Project Review by MandaloreGaming
Thief: The Dark Project Review

PC Longplay [1103] System Shock: Enhanced Edition by AFigureInBlack
PC Longplay [042] System Shock: Enhanced E...

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Video Games shown in this video (in order of appearance)

Xenogears, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy VII, Earthbound 2: Mother, Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Secret of Mana, Parasite Eve, Front Mission 2, Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Final Fantasy X, Koudelka, Fatal Fury Special, Shadow Hearts, Souikagi, Trials of Mana, System Shock 2, Ultima Underworld (PSX, Japanese Version), System Shock: Enhanced Edition, Deep Fear, Final Fantasy Tactics

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Movies shown in this video (in order of appearance)

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure - Stardust Crusaders, Muppet Treasure Island

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Music Credits

Xenogears: Light From The Netherworld
Koudelka - Patience
Shadow Hearts Covenant: Prelude – Advertise I
Souikagi: Ancient Power
Secret of Mana OST
Ramxes: A Different Kind of Hell
Koudelka: Waterfall
Cecil Opia: Shame
Shadow Hearts Covenant: Old Smudged Map – Map of Europe
Baten Kaitos: Valley of the Wind
Shadow Hearts - From the New World: Et Unam Chant Of ICARO
Shadow Hearts Covenant: ICARO (Piano Arrangement) – Main Theme

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Contains samples from

Xenogears OST by Yasunori Mitsuda,
Koudelka OST by Hiroki Kikuta,
Shadow Hearts Covenant OST by Yoshitaka Hirota, Yasunori Mitsuda & Kenji Ito

20 Comments

@SpodsandRockers 5 years ago

As someone who lived in Wales, Koudelka is totally faithful to what it actually is like. Every time you walked down the High street in Aberystwyth and someone comes up to you, you go into turn based battle sequence where you are assaulted by a priest.

@Ghost_Of_SAS 5 years ago

Thank you for mentioning the stageplay aspect of the voice acting: it was so refreshing to hear actor reading lines in the same room and talking over one another, instead of the usual mix of separately recorded lines that the overwhelming majority of games adopt.

@gaycosmichorror 5 years ago (edited)

i loaned my complete in box copy of koudelka to my now estranged cousin years ago and he never gave it back, and i will be bitter about it until the day i die.

@mumblerogre2455 5 years ago

Survival horror osts: creepy ambiance, industrial clanking, metal screeching, aggressive and loud drumbeats

Koudelka: “Aw dude, I’m gonna destroy this xylophone.”

@Ganall 5 years ago (edited)

The voice actors were actually theater actors and they all recorded together in the same room like how Legacy of Kain did it, thus why you got the strong stage play vibes and why the voice-acting is so great, even to this day.

Koudelka's narrative really is fantastic in general. Also Shadow Hearts Covenant is my favorite JRPG period.

@Yohhamgambal 5 years ago (edited)

Koudelka is an absolute under-appreciated gem, love this game. I wish there were more RPG that had a horror atmosphere like this game. The only game I can think of that are similar are Parasite Eve and Shadow Hearts 1. So glad to hear more people talk about the Koudelka/Shadow Hearts series.

@CodexEntry 5 years ago

Overjoyed to see Sacnoth games getting some attention, such a unique and underappreciated studio.

@cleto1605 5 years ago

I’m fu**ing loving this upload schedule, your content is incredibly entertaining

@Lh0000 5 years ago

I remember reading the archive of TheDarkId’s play through of this game, 90% of it was just talking about how the game is a totally accurate rendition of Wales. He even takes it a step further in the sequel where he comments that the reason the final boss in THAT game wasn’t as hard was because it wasn’t summoned in Wales.

@plentyoflulu4694 5 years ago

God, Koudelka was one of those small horror games i was able to play, and helped me appreciate more on how videogames as art form comes to be

@julien2983 5 years ago (edited)

I looove Koudelka, it was too beautiful for this world. So happy to see Ragnar giving this criminally unknown game some much deserved attention, I only regret having but one like to give this video. Thank you!

[spoilerinos]
One standout memory I have of this game is when the party needs to blow up a wall or something and James knows how to make nitro glycerin which takes several hours. So in the meantime Edward and Koudelka get drunk and almost have a moment where they can relate to one another but it quickly blows up into a shouting match. I remember the scene being at least ten minutes long and fully voiced, just two characters getting drunk and arguing lol.

@ALLCAPSKELL 5 years ago

Now we’ll never know what Koudelka is the Dark Souls of. 😭

@shards-of-glass-man 5 years ago (edited)

~slams the door open~
~Incantation Again begins blaring~
Obviously just going in at the time of this comment being posted, but there's better be some embarrasing gushing in regards to the general menu design and item descriptions because I don't want to be the only one (upd: items were mentioned, satisfaction achieved)

@darkville 5 years ago

Survival horror and JRPG gameplay at the same time? Absolutely going to check this out, thanks a lot!

@voodooblowtorch7265 5 years ago

I'm a HUGE fan of the Shadow Hearts series and getting to learn about it's roots in Koudelka like this was greatly enjoyable, espcially considering how much effort clearly went into the video. I really hope that you make a video about Shadow Hearts proper in the future. Also, big thumbs up for the Muppet Treasure Island reference, one of my favorite movies and Tim Curry performances.

@Vanished_Mostly 5 years ago

This video's thumbnail has a pretty perfect preview when you hover over it.

@JnEricsonx 5 years ago

I remember playing this back in the day. It's been ages, but I remember the one part where Koudelka says something like, "Well, I'd have eaten the food if it hadn't been poisoned!" The other characters freak, and me and a friend of mine suddenly are cracking up.

@varnavak568 5 years ago

I loved Shadow Hearts when I was young. Never knew the history of it.

@PinkuPeachy 5 years ago

A lot of classic JRPGs are from before I was old enough to play them, and some are older than I am. I've heard of many JRPGs from this period despite that fact, but I have never heard of this game! Love all your videos, especially when you cover little known games