VALHALLA KNIGHTS – PSP – Review

Not many
role-playing games have really lit up the Sony PSP’s widescreen in such a way
that recent Valkyrie Profile game has but the number of RPGs already
available are enough to keep fans of the genre hoping that more interesting
role-playing games will appear one day. Lucky for us, that day has come in the
form of Valhalla Knights, a PSP title that not only is a decent
role-playing game but also one that tries to do things a bit differently and
succeeds.

While the
majority of the role-playing games available on the PSP rely on the familiar
classic twist of RPGs of old, Valhalla Knights does things a tad
differently. For starters, the game allows you to pick from a gender, race (five
of them including Dwarf, Elf and human) and eight job classes (from Knight,
Mage, Fighter and Thief). Sure, this kind of thing has been seen before on
consoles but having the opportunity to customize your character in an RPG for
the PSP is a pleasant surprise. Oh, but the surprises don’t end there and there’s
a lot more to this game but we’ll get into that in a minute.

Valhalla
Knights places
you in a world that has seen a moment of peace between the many races after a
hero named Rastul rid the world of the Dark Lord and his demon minions. Yet
suddenly this realm is overcome by a demon curse that makes the days seem
endless and the rumors that the Dark Lord’s return has the many good races
worried. Yet there’s hope of a new savior and that just happens to be you. The
problem is that you have no idea who you are and the voice that calls itself
Noir tells you that you are the direct bloodline of Rastul and it is you who
will put an end to the Dark Lord once and for all.

Like most RPGs,
though, you don’t go it alone. In fact, you won’t get very far in this game if
you don’t find other characters to join you on your main quest to defeat the
Dark Lord. Guilds are not only places where you can receive side quests but it
is also the place where you can locate and recruit more party members. The cool
thing is that you can customize your own party much the way you can customize
your own character. That means you can give them their own name, race and skill.
It’s entirely up to you what type of characters you would like to have
accompanying you on the quest. If you need a Mage to aid your fighter or need a
Priest to cure you during battle then you can always head to the guild and
recruit one.

You will most
certainly need the extra help seeing as the main quest as well as the side quest
ranges from easy to very challenging. The majority of the quests are fetch
quests such as the first guild side quest called The Golden Wolf (where you’re
asked to retrieve the pelt of a mythical Golden Wolf) and many of them will take
you to a number of dungeons filled with dangerous monsters. The good news is
that there’s a lot to see in this game so you’ll be glad there’s a Metal Gear
Solid-like map with visual representation of the enemies position and
line-of-sight. It’s very easy to get lost in this game and you’ll certainly be
thankful for the magical warp stations you’ll find in the game.

Combat in the
game is also something of a highlight seeing as you’ll be able to see the enemy
moving around the environment. That means you can avoid a fight, if you wish, or
know what you’re up against. Don’t have enough health flasks or have been
injured during a fierce battle? Don’t worry; you can always sneak past the enemy
as long as they don’t spot you. When you do enter battle it isn’t a typical
turn-based affair but rather a real-time battle where you can fight any way you
see fit. You can perform a hit and run if you wish or you can charge in and keep
swiping … it’s all up to you. The game also gives you the option to switch
characters during battle so you can make use of all six of your party member’s
skills. As a result, battles are never boring at all.

There are a few
flaws in the game and they are major ones, I’m afraid. The camera, for one, is
your enemy and hates you so very much. Wrestling with it will not only frustrate
but will be one of the reasons you’ll get into many unnecessary battles. This is
especially trying if you’re trying to avoid combat due to much damage to your
characters or the lack of healing flasks. Secondly, the controls can be very
jerky, mainly due to the poor analog control. This makes navigating your
character a little awkward.

Still, even with
these flaws, the game’s best features shine through. You’ll love the fact that
the game includes a wide range of weapons and equipment (all which even alters
the appearance of your character). You’ll adore the fact that you can add than
one job class to your character, allowing your fighter to have some Priest
healing abilities or a Ninja’s ability to successfully sneak past enemies.
There’s even a two-player multiplayer mode that allows you to play co-op or go
head-to-head in a Versus mode. Plus, the story is not bad once you get past the
complex beginning.

As far as the
graphics are concerned, Valhalla Knights is one seriously good-looking
PSP game. The environments are beautifully detailed as are the character models
you can check out in first-person view. There are even some pretty impressive
enemies you’ll encounter, including some pretty huge ones that fill the screen.
Speaking of filling the screen, the game is great at putting six of your party
members as well as the enemies on screen at once during battles. It’s impressive
stuff, alright. Sadly, there’s no voice acting but there is a magnificent score
and it plays throughout the game rather perfectly. There are even some detailed
sound effects that you will definitely hear a lot better if you play the game
using earphones.

Valhalla
Knights for
the PSP is certainly a unique and surprisingly enjoyable RPG that might not be
perfect but definitely has all the goods to make this one seriously challenging
and fun experience. Oh, I wish the camera wasn’t so jerky and the analog control
not so clumsy at times, but when it comes to the game’s battles, story and
character customization options, it’s fairly easy to overlook these problems. If
you’re in the mood for a decent role-playing game, give this game a try.

Gameplay: 8.2
The real-time
battles are actually very enjoyable and even more so if you have a number of
characters in your party. While the camera is downright horrible and obscures
your view to the point of frustration, the quests are as deep as the character
customization options. Expect a somewhat confusing story that builds into an
interesting epic.

Graphics: 8.5
One of the
prettiest RPGs you will play, Valhalla Knights sports some sharp textures
and detailed characters that really stand out. Best yet, the environments look
great. Even the dungeons are easy on the eyes as are the numerous monsters
you’ll encounter.

Sound: 8.5
While the
game’s score doesn’t scream epic, it isn’t bad either and it does give each
battle plenty of dramatic tension. There’s no voice acting to be found in this
game but the detailed sound effects more than make up for it.

Difficulty:
Medium
You’ll be
surrounded by hordes of enemies in this game as well as some frightful giants
that do a lot of damage. You’ll seriously consider leveling up before tackling
the later quests and learn the powerful lesson that heroes that value teamwork
live a lot longer.

Concept: 8.5
The game
blends dungeon-crawling and fetch quests nicely, but it’s the ability to take
your customizable character into real-time battle that sets this game apart.
This is also a pretty lengthy game with a lot to do and there’s co-op
multiplayer mode you’ll like to share with a friend.

Multiplayer:
7.6
While I have
yet to try out the wireless multiplayer mode, you can share this game with a
friend in co-op mode but also challenge a friend in a head-to-head Versus mode.
It’s great stuff indeed, especially since any gold you might acquire in the
multiplayer game can be carried over and used during the single-player game.

Overall: 8.2
Valhalla
Knights is an
enjoyable portable role-playing game that has all the right elements to make
this a unique and enjoyable experience for the PSP. It’s marred only by a few
noticeable flaws but, in the end, the interesting story and plenty of great
character options make this a solid RPG with a lot to offer.