Shadow Hearts is a role-playing video game, it acts as a sequel to the 1999 video game Koudelka, being set in the same world and featuring recurring characters. The story of Shadow Hearts is set in 1913 and follows Yuri Hyuga, a human with the ability to capture and transform into monsters, as he protects Alice Elliot from the machinations of an evil magician. During gameplay, the player controls Yuri as he explores various locations. During battle, a party of up to three characters can be controlled, with actions in battle relying on a timing-based system dubbed the Judgement Ring.