 |
 |
|
 |
"The game mechanics are fresh enough that any RPG fan would want to sink their teeth into them, the visuals and music are beautiful, and leveling-up is no longer a chore. A very fun game." |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Platform: Playstation Genre: Role-Playing Publisher: Enix Developer: Tri-Ace ESRB: (Teen) Released: Q3 (2000)
Be notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out twice weekly. Enter E-Mail Address Below:
|
Valkyrie Profile
"It’s all about the gameplay". How many times have we heard that expression said about gaming? No matter how good the graphics, no matter how big the guns, it all adds up to moot if the gameplay isn’t there. Tri-Ace and Enix have joined forces once again to make an RPG that emphasizes gameplay above all else. Valkyrie Profile puts players in control of, well, a valkyrie. Her job is to find the souls of fallen warriors and train them so that they may win a war brewing in Valhalla. It’s back to basics role-playing and done oh so well. The audio is equally impressive. Motoi Sakuraba has a real knack for The one thing about Tri-Ace’s games that really stands out from the get-go is their amazing skill with 2D, sprite based graphics. The work they did on Star Ocean 2: Second Story was excellent, and now what they’ve done for Valkyrie Profile improves a few notches on this. There is a lot of detail and a very sharp anime ambience to the game. Characters and monsters are designed marvelously and the environments are tear-jerkingly impressive. The visuals here are sprite based graphics at their finest. coming up with catchy ditties and the tunes here are no exception. Sound effects on the other hand are very middle of the road. They get the job done, but could use more flair, and less of a 16-bit quality. The real centerpiece of the game is its gameplay however. The whole point of the game (how many times can I possibly fire out the word "game" in rapid succession?) is to send your acquired warriors up to Valhalla to fight the good fight. The joy of all this is that this route brings back purpose to leveling-up, an RPG trait seemingly lost to the ages. Players must also resist the temptation to hold on to their cherished warriors and let them go to Valhalla, so that the war may be one. Of course there are a ton of warriors to recruit, so finding replacements won’t be a problem. This makes things interesting for maintaining a balanced, capable party. Battles themselves have some interesting elements too, as there are team attacks and additional moves that can be done by doing fighting game-like controller moves in mid attack. The story is a nice change in that it taps into the Norse Myths, tapping right into a lot of the lore that has helped to shape role-playing over the years. However, the way that the story unfolds makes the game feel modular. There is the overall, epic struggle going on above, but constantly seeing the stories of the individual warriors makes story progression feel far more choppy. Valkyrie Profile is an RPG for role-playing aficionados. The game mechanics are fresh enough that any RPG fan would want to sink their teeth into them, the visuals and music are beautiful, and leveling-up is no longer a chore. A very fun game. - Mr. Nash |
 |
|
 |