<s>
Akuji	B-Application
the	I-Application
Heartless	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action-adventure	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Crystal	O
Dynamics	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Eidos	O
Interactive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
1998	O
,	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
February	O
1999	O
in	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
centres	O
on	O
the	O
voodoo	O
priest	O
and	O
warrior	O
Akuji	B-Application
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
Richard	O
Roundtree	O
)	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
his	O
heart	O
ripped	O
out	O
on	O
his	O
wedding	O
day	O
,	O
and	O
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
voodoo	O
magic	O
is	O
now	O
cursed	O
to	O
wander	O
the	O
Underworld	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Kesho	O
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
Jamesetta	O
Bunn	O
)	O
,	O
his	O
would-be	O
bride	O
,	O
finds	O
him	O
in	O
hell	O
and	O
speaks	O
to	O
him	O
in	O
soul	O
form	O
:	O
she	O
informs	O
him	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
Orad	O
,	O
Akuji	B-Application
's	O
own	O
brother	O
,	O
who	O
orchestrated	O
his	O
murder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
She	O
begs	O
Akuji	B-Application
to	O
escape	O
and	O
stop	O
him	O
,	O
as	O
their	O
families	O
are	O
preparing	O
for	O
war	O
,	O
and	O
Orad	O
is	O
preparing	O
to	O
sacrifice	O
her	O
to	O
the	O
gods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
traveling	O
through	O
the	O
first	O
level	O
of	O
the	O
Underworld	O
and	O
consulting	O
loa	O
Baron	O
Samedi	O
(	O
voiced	O
by	O
Petri	O
Hawkins-Byrd	O
)	O
Akuji	B-Application
discovers	O
he	O
has	O
a	O
chance	O
for	O
redemption	O
:	O
if	O
he	O
traverses	O
hell	O
and	O
collects	O
the	O
souls	O
of	O
his	O
ancestors	O
,	O
which	O
the	O
Baron	O
despises	O
for	O
their	O
evil	O
,	O
then	O
he	O
will	O
grant	O
Akuji	B-Application
safe	O
passage	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
underworld	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
after	O
Akuji	B-Application
retrieves	O
the	O
Seal	O
of	O
Sadiki	O
on	O
the	O
Baron	O
's	O
request	O
,	O
the	O
Baron	O
steals	O
it	O
from	O
him	O
and	O
reveals	O
he	O
'd	O
tricked	O
Akuji	B-Application
into	O
purging	O
the	O
souls	O
of	O
his	O
ancestors	O
so	O
it	O
would	O
allow	O
him	O
to	O
break	O
free	O
of	O
his	O
own	O
imprisonment	O
in	O
the	O
Underworld	O
and	O
exact	O
his	O
revenge	O
on	O
the	O
mortal	O
world	O
while	O
also	O
making	O
Kesho	O
his	O
servant	O
once	O
he	O
sacrifices	O
her	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kesho	O
further	O
confirms	O
that	O
the	O
Baron	O
had	O
orchestrated	O
Akuji	B-Application
's	O
murder	O
by	O
possessing	O
Orad	O
and	O
had	O
also	O
earlier	O
used	O
her	O
voice	O
to	O
lead	O
Akuji	B-Application
to	O
him	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Akuji	B-Application
engages	O
the	O
Baron	O
in	O
one	O
last	O
battle	O
and	O
succeeds	O
,	O
rescuing	O
Kesho	O
who	O
in	O
turn	O
restores	O
Akuji	B-Application
's	O
heart	O
,	O
sending	O
them	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
mortal	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Akuji	B-Application
the	I-Application
Heartless	I-Application
was	O
built	O
on	O
the	O
Gex	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enter	I-Application
the	I-Application
Gecko	I-Application
game	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
reviewed	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
rating	O
it	O
three	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
Crystal	O
Dynamics	O
has	O
certainly	O
provided	O
gamers	O
with	O
a	O
solid	O
action	O
title	O
with	O
enough	O
imagination	O
to	O
please	O
those	O
who	O
possess	O
a	O
penchant	O
for	O
the	O
macabre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yet	O
the	O
rough	O
controls	O
and	O
animations	O
keep	O
Akuji	B-Application
from	O
truly	O
stepping	O
into	O
the	O
genre	O
's	O
limelight.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
GameRankings	O
.	O
</s>
