20 Years Ago, One of the Most Underrated JRPGs Ever Was Released

JRPGs are known for their combat systems, "save the world and kill God" plots, and endearing party members. 20 years ago, one of the most underrated games in the genre was released, and, despite the series serving as some inspiration for the 2025 massive hit Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the series may never return (at least in its original form).

March 7, 2006, marked the North American release of Shadow Hearts: From the New World, the third and final game in the now-dormant Shadow Hearts series. The game featured real-time action elements combined with turn-based combat, a goofy but fun story, and a diverse group of party members, ranging from a young detective to a drunk cat and a ninja.

Moving away from its Eurasian roots and heading to America, the game follows a 16-year-old detective named Johnny Garland who is investigating "windows" that are appearing in New York City and other places. Past Shadow Hearts characters also make cameo appearances in the game.

According to Metacritic, Shadow Hearts: From the New World has a metascore of 76 but a user score of 8.1/10. The game saw particular praise for its combat system, difficulty, and colorful characters, but saw some criticism for its story, writing, and general light-heartedness compared to the darker stories of the previous Shadow Hearts games.

With the resurgence in recent years of turn-based RPGs, like Expedition 33, Baldur's Gate 3, and Metaphor: ReFantazaio, some fans want a new entry in the Shadow Hearts series. Unfortunately, developer Nautilus was removed from the video game industry and absorbed into a marketing company. Many of From the New World's developers would go on to work on more cult classic RPGs, like Lost Odyssey.

The game's legacy, however, is not completely bleak. Back in 2022, a Kickstarter campaign began to fund two separate projects: spiritual successors to the Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts series. The game, called Penny Blood, would have elements of the Shadow Hearts series. The crowdfunding was successful. However, as of 2026, Penny Blood does not have a publisher, and full development has not begun due to legal issues involving the crowdfunding manager allegedly not paying out the money to developers Yukikaze, Shade, and Studio Wildrose. The lawsuit was filed in 2024, and since then, the game has not been able to acquire a publisher.

While the future of Penny Blood remains questionable, it's undeniable that the cult following that the Shadow Hearts series has and the gameplay foundations it built still lingers in the minds of some JRPG fans.