Shadow Hearts 3 gets PAL date

The third instalment in Aruze's completely bonkers Shadow Hearts RPG series will get a PAL release on PlayStation 2 this May, courtesy of Ghostlight (go on, curtsy).

The follow-up to the underrated Shadow Hearts: Covenant, which tipped the scale of mentalism so far that collecting gay porn to improve your puppeteer was pretty much the thin end, From the New World continues to rely on the excellent Judgement Ring battle system, where you can try and stop a cursor on the critical area of a spinning ring to maximise attacks, and also allows for party combos, double strikes and other additions.

It tells the story of a young detective, Johnny Garland, who ends up on a globe-trotting tour with mighty, morphing Native American bounty hunter Shania after he's saved from a dodgy looking demon by a mystical creature engulfed in white light. You can expect the usual unusual explanation on your trail through New York, Vegas, Machi Picchu, Roswell and elsewhere, with Ghostlight estimating that you'll dig 60 hours of fun out of it if you persist. We weren't so sure of the game's qualities compared to Covenant in our Shadow Hearts: From the New World import review, but we certainly did enjoy ourselves.

And if you need further help making up your mind, feast your eyes on the Shadow Hearts: From the New World screenshot gallery. And don't forget to play Shadow Hearts: Covenant if you haven't already. It's madder than a bag of cats.