From 1997 to
1999, Japanese game developers flooded the PSone with as many RPGs as gamers
could handle. There were many clones, variations, and offshoots trying to
stand out in the crowd. Only a select few were able to post Final
Fantasy-caliber sales figures. Even fewer were able to leave a lasting
impression as strong as Square’s beloved series.
That changed
the following year. Square, Enix, Working Designs and other role-playing
leaders had prepared their best yet. One of the standout titles was Valkyrie
Profile, an adventure that blends the side-scrolling, dungeon-crawling
gameplay of the Castlevania series with the turn-based aspects of a
traditional RPG. Originally from Enix and designed exclusively for the PSone,
Valkyrie Profile has since been ported to Sony’s handheld wonder. New CG
movies, a wider screen, and the convenience of portability help to
differentiate itself from the original. But is "new" and "different" as
equally impressive?
Let’s Get
Real. Time.
The words
"action/RPG" and "real-time RPG" often lead to games like Zelda, Secret of
Mana, or Knights of the Old Republic. They do not, however, describe the
Castlevania series, which are thought of as action/adventure titles. Valkyrie
Profile changes that way of thinking. Imagine a side-scrolling world where you
can run, jump, attack enemies in real-time (a la Castlevania), climb objects,
and avoid enemy encounters. If you can imagine that, you’ll get Valkyrie
Profile.
Battles take
place on a separate arena. When you’re exploring the world map, it’s a
pseudo-3D illusion with polygon landscapes. And when you dive into any of the
towns, cities, or dungeons, the game switches to a side-scrolling view.
To engage in
combat, you don’t aimlessly wander dungeons waiting for random encounters –
you run up and stab the beast in the back. Frontal assaults are possible but
risky. The enemy could wind up touching you first. Valkyrie Profile follows
the golden encounter rule that it’s better for the player to be the one to
strike. Getting hit (or running into an enemy by mistake) doesn’t necessarily
mean that the monster will always get first strike. But it hurts your chances
of dealing a world of damage before he/she/it can retaliate.
Environments
are strictly two-dimensional, but have the added element of going to the rear
and to the front. This strange terminology is used to describe the act of
going deeper into a level ("the rear"), and to indicate when you’re moving in
the opposite direction ("the front"). You can go as far left or as far right
as the game will allow and still not have moved in either said direction. Only
when you come across a pathway that is behind or in front of your character
will you be able to access the next area.
Secret
pathways are cleverly hidden and require excessive scouring and/or sharp
thinking to be found. They start off easy enough to get by. The first involves
a statue that must be pushed onto a glowing platform or destroyed from a
specific angle. Experimentation is all it takes to get through, but the game
has much more in store – especially if you like massive, overwhelming quests.
A Change
of Pace
On the
battlefield, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a mostly traditional turn-based RPG.
The PSP’s four face buttons are assigned to each of your allies, allowing you
to attack in groups for combos or individually for a well-planned strike. As a
huge fan of the Tales of Destiny series, I loved being able to plan my attacks
based on when the enemy would be most vulnerable. Attacks are turn-based, but
each turn gives you a minimum of one attack per ally. Everyone attacks
differently. Everyone moves at their own pace. Slower characters might not be
the best for a combo unless you send that character in at the right moment. No
one can attack until the first hit is finished. There are dozens of
possibilities here. Within the first 20 battles you’ll begin to realize how to
maximize this feature.
Magic spells
are exempt from chain combos (official combo moves that do not have a break in
between hits). However, successfully adding hits after a spell has been cast
once again comes down to your timing. If you send your warriors in at just the
right time, they’ll attack immediately following the spell. When done properly
(and to a weak enough enemy), the monster will still be on the ground when the
other characters move in to strike. Monsters can’t block while lying down on
the job.
Ice
Sculpting
Valkyrie
Profile has the strange (but unique) element of ice. This magic is to be used
outside of battle, letting the player freeze enemies and access platforms that
couldn’t otherwise be reached. By pushing the square button, Valkyrie will
fire a beam of ice. The beam is short, extending only about seven or eight
feet (note: that’s an estimate based on the size of the characters). It’s
useless on its own, but hit a wall and the beam forms a human-sized block.
Jump on top to reach the desired platform. Not high enough? Shoot the block a
second time and it’ll grow a size larger.
And that’s
just the tip of the iceberg, so-to-speak. By forming consecutive blocks on top
of each other, Valkyrie can go anywhere she pleases. No structure is too tall.
When you reach the highest block already formed, jump up and create another.
It takes a little practice to get the timing just right (the controls are a
tad jumpy). But it won’t hold anyone back.
The Big
Picture
Valkyrie
Profile: Lenneth isn’t just a great RPG – it also comes with a nightmare of a
quest that’ll haunt your dreams. The quest should not be mistaken for one that
is bad. There is nothing about this game that falls anywhere below good
(except for the blurry, picture-stretched visuals). But the game is timed like
Pikmin – leave a location at any time and you’ll lose one period. The good
news is that there is not a time limit preventing you from spending a
millennium exploring each location once inside. There are nearly 200 time
periods, so you’ve got a little time to screw up.
The good
news ends there. As Valkyrie, you must recruit several different warriors and
ship them off to another land. The story isn’t very clear at first, and is a
little jerky with its use of text-only dialogue in some scenarios and voiced
dialogue in others. You have to pay close attention, and almost be willing to
fail and re-start the entire quest once, if not twice, before you’ll be able
to finish the game as required.
Recruiting
characters means having to visit multiple locations on the world map. Every
visit depletes no less than one time period. You cannot leave and immediately
re-enter, thinking you’ll have spared a period. You will not. And when the
time periods have fully depleted, you had better have accomplished all that
was expected of you or else the game will not have a pretty outcome. In fact,
if you do not fulfill the wishes of sending away as many warriors as possible,
you’ll be in trouble for not keeping up your end of the bargain.
Valkyrie
Profile’s quest system came as a surprise to me at first, and not the best of
one. It takes time and patience to figure out – a far cry from the
pick-up-and-enjoy gameplay that the battle and exploration combat provides.
Nonetheless, if you are willing to stick it out, the game will reward you with
all of the above. Even the recruiting system becomes fun after a while.
Battles and character stat-raising are involved – another system that feels
familiar, but differs from traditional RPGs. (Stats are raised on a menu
screen, not entirely in combat.)
Though I
love to compare this game to one of my favorites – Castlevania – Valkyrie
Profile wasn’t designed for its fans. It has a lot going for it, but the
average gamer is bound to be overwhelmed. To an RPG lover, this should be
exactly what you wanted.
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Gameplay: 8.9
Deep. Different.
Daring. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a grand, all-encompassing role-playing
experience. The gameplay is fierce – mission requirements are massive,
restrictive, and overly sensitive to your mistakes. Battles are feverishly
intense, combining elements of Tales of Destiny (in combat) and Castlevania
(outside of combat).
There are
dozens of locations to explore, and many secrets hidden within each dungeon.
Character movement is fast, while character interactions are relatively long –
this is not a game you can pay attention to half the time, and let your mind
wander the rest. Once hooked, those with a low attention span will suddenly
find themselves glued to their PSP, unable to take notice of anything that’s
going on in the real world.
Graphics: 7.0
Valkyrie Profile
can be a fairly attractive game. Battle animations were some of the best seen
on the PSone, and are now high up among RPGs on the PSP. New CG movies were
designed to help further along the story, bridging the gap between Lenneth and
the forthcoming PS2 sequel. Regardless of their reason for being, the movies
add beautiful eye candy to the game, making the experience feel slightly more
modern.
However,
Valkyrie Profile can also be a bit unattractive, as some areas appear to have
been enlarged to stretch the picture. (VP was originally designed for the old
4:3 aspect ration; Lenneth had to be converted to 16:9.) Consequently, some
characters and backgrounds come out looking blurry at best.
Sound: 8.0
Battle music is
just as repetitive as it is in any RPG, and the game lacks full voice-over
treatment. Disappointing but forgettable – the music played during story
sequences is highly enjoyable. The voice-overs that are included are brief but
mostly well done. This is not the kind of game I’d go out and buy the
soundtrack for, but there are definitely some sound and music elements that
should not be ignored.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
It won’t take
long for gamers to notice that this cutting-edge property originated at Enix.
Valkyrie Profile’s hardcore gameplay (as in extremely difficult) hasn’t
gone soft in handheld form.
Concept: 7.9
Innovative six
years ago, Valkyrie Profile still serves as a one-of-its-kind, pleasurable
experience.
Overall: 8.5
Valkyrie Profile:
Lenneth a non-traditional RPG that comes out feeling traditional. The
exploration, pre-enemy encounter elements give the game an instant hook to
newcomers, including myself. I know I wouldn’t have been as intrigued by the
game had it not played like Castlevania. If they’re willing to stick it out,
gamers on both sides – RPG lovers and action/adventure enthusiasts – have
something to look forward to.
