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 'Flames of Judgement', available for download from Xbox Live Arcade, is the third game in the 'Vandal Heart' series, opens with what could be a Japanese wartime folksong sung in French and eerie tones by a female vocalist. It sets a rather unusual mood for this single-player, turn-based RPG adventure. The game kicks off with one of its signature comic book-framed cut-scenes to introduce the plot. War looms between two kingdoms and caught up in this tense political environment is an eclectic band of diverse characters.
I can hardly wait to save the damsel, or the world, from distress, or to remove the sword from the stone, or some other rehashed plot we have all played before. Before we can get to any of that though, there is the forced tutorial on basic game movement and fighting. After a very simple series of exercises, your team of would-be heroes is assembled and is off on their adventure.
Stop me if you have heard this all before. Movement through the plot is governed by a global game map. The map permits you to return to virtually any prior destination, in order for the team to fight former foes, gain experience, money, etc. You'll usually have the option to visit a town from which you can purchase or sell weapons, armour or special items. In the towns, you can visit the tavern, where you obtain gossip, clues and information from a select list of locals.
 'Flames of Judgement' is predominantly a combat strategy game with a few dialogue-driven decisions, although, the latter appear to have little influence on your missions. Fighting plays out much like a chess match with grid-like movement options that play an important role in your success against foes. The fights have a turn-based sequence with each character first moving and then taking some action: fight, defend, use magic, change weapon, or use item. Each weapon and magic item has a set range of effect, so thought must go in to where you intend on positioning a character based on your attack strategy.
The game features a simple and quick undo movement if you discover you are in a less than ideal position to launch your attack... but after your non-move related action, there is no way to undo a character's move. Don't worry. A few bonehead moves can be well covered by the rest of the team. Every action by characters increases their skill in the area utilized and your group quickly develops a unique team-dynamic.
When entering a battle, be sure to equip your members with the armaments, spells, special items you wish them to use, as you will not have the opportunity to select these things during the battle. The only exception to this is when treasures are found during the fight scene. The character discovering the item has the opportunity to equip it. At the end of the fight, the team is given funds for every foe vanquished.
After the final foe has been defeated, you are brought to a camp scene where you have one opportunity to review your characters' stats and vitals, and equip any modify any equipment, and save. Make sure you get that treasure before you kill off the last enemy as you'll never get a chance to claim it otherwise.
 Earning both experience points and funds in order to purchase any wares you desire is easy and greatly decreases the need for repetitious battles. It is not likely you will die very often so breezing through 'Flames of Judgement' is quite easy. The overall experience is tailored for those who favour slow, methodical, and strategic decisions over action-oriented, hand/eye controller-based excitement.
Graphically, the game is adequate. I found the plot to be rather cliché and shallow. I carelessly clicked through the lines and lines of script with little regard for what I was missing and that didn't appear to have had any negative effect on my game.
For those who like to read dialogue, the game is rich with text and lots of it. Text about the characters, text about the story, text about sub-plots and histories, text, text, and more text! I'm certain I missed much of the mental richness but I craved more game play than reading lines and lines of text.
I suppose I have been spoiled by years of developed avatars, experiencing visible image-changes to characters upon the slightest equipment modification. This game offers no image variation with the addition or modification of armour, and only a small variation with the change of a weapon.
The other drag on the experience is the seemingly endless load times. Any time you click a destination on the map, you are brought to a long wait-cycle as the scene loads. There are background sketch drawings as you wait but the same dozen or so images get very stale, very quickly.
Fans of simple fantasy books and chess-like action will find 'Flames of Judgement' to be rich entertainment - as long as they have something else to do between the load times and cut-scenes.
 'Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgement'
Format: Xbox 360; Playstation 3
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Developer: Hijinx Studios
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
Official Site: http://www.konami.com/games/vandal-hearts
Rating: 6 / 10
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