Valkyrie Profile Review

For PlayStation

By Contributing Writer Chris George

Rating: Awesome
   Valkyrie Profile is an old-school RPG with some very new and unique 
ideas.  The engaging and somewhat complicated story line is based on Norse 
mythology, and it won't be until after an extremely long introduction that 
you have any idea what the game is about.  The story dabbles in the concept 
of the life people live after their death, and also whether their souls 
would make good warriors in the afterlife.
   Yes, you're still running around trying to save the world, but it's not 
in the usual sort of way.  Your goal is to find heroes who are strong enough
to fight the battle against evil in the upcoming apocalypse.  After you send
them off to fight the good fight, they're no longer in your party, so you're
actually saving the world in an indirect sort of way.
   Valkyrie Profile has a huge cast of characters, and you get to know every
last one ofthem through remarkably well done story line sequences.  These 
sequences detail how each character died in their original life, which not 
only makes you feel sorry for the characters themselves, but also for their 
loved ones.  The designers of this game did a great job creating a wide 
variety of powerful, emotional scenes.  In a particularly nice touch, when 
you've built up a character enough that they're ready to be sent off to
fight against the apocalypse, you're still able to check up on them and see 
what they're doing.
   As good as the story line is, it's just the icing on the cake in the big 
picture of the game.  The best part of the game to me is the fast-paced and 
action-packed combat system.  Each character in your party is assigned to a 
button (X, O, triangle, or square), and you must push the appropriate 
buttons depending on who you want to control.  It sounds weird, but it 
allows you to pull off killer combos and make quick decisions in the heat 
of the moment.
   For once in an RPG, I don't get a feeling of dread at the boredom that 
awaits when I go a new room in a dungeon.  Instead, I actually look forward 
to the battles that lie ahead.  Even if you don't like the combat as much as
I do, you'll still be thankful that the battles are easy enough to avoid.  
You can see your enemies before you fight them, and you have the ability to 
freeze them or jump over them entirely.
   Another one of Valkyrie Profile's great features is its customization 
options.  Unlike other RPGs like Final Fantasy 7 or 8, you won't be able to 
make it through the game without tweaking your characters.  This is more of 
a good thing than a nuisance because the customization system is deep and 
rewarding.
   The item system is also unique because you actually create your own items
rather than buying them at stores.  If you're in a dungeon and you run out 
of a particular item, just go to a save point and make some more.  As long 
as you have enough points, you can create any item that you need, including 
powerful weapons.
   The hand-drawn, 2D graphics are candy to the eye, with detailed 
characters and multi-layered backgrounds.  In this day and age of polygonal 
games, it's important to remember that good 2D graphics are always better 
than average 3D graphics, and there's no doubt that Valkyrie Profile has 
some very good 2D graphics.
   The music is nothing short of amazing, and the voice acting is 
surprisingly well done.  The developers did a particularly good job of 
making sure that all of the voice actors match up with the characters 
they're portraying.  The dialogue itself is a bit cheesy early in the game, 
but it gets better as the game goes on and is not a problem over the long 
run.
   One of the only problems with the game is that it uses save points rather
than letting you save your progress at any time.  It's annoying when you 
have to stop playing a game for whatever reason and you can't save because 
you're nowhere near a save point.  The clock that counts down to the 
apocalypse is also a little odd because time doesn't pass when you're in the
field, only when you're in dungeons and towns.
   In a market that has been flooded with RPGs in recent months, Valkyrie 
Profile manages to stand on its own merits and demand to be noticed.  If 
you're a hardcore fan of RPGs, you would be doing yourself a disservice if 
you let Valkyrie Profile get lost in the shuffle of other RPGs on the 
market.

Send your thoughts on this review to chris@mastergamer.com

     
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