Valkyrie Profile (PlayStation)

CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
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Gamespot editors' review

• Reviewed by: Andrew Vestal
• Reviewed on: 02/22/2000
• Updated on: 08/30/2000
• Released on: 08/29/2000

From Square's Final Fantasy to Enix's Dragon Warrior, RPG scenarios nearly always feature personal stories told against the backdrop of an unimaginable conflict. Tri-Ace's traditional RPG Valkyrie Profile, published by Enix, is no exception. But Valkyrie Profile raises the stakes, taking place against the backdrop of perhaps the largest conflict of them all: Ragnarok, the final confrontation between the Aesir gods and the Vanir gods. And you, Valkyrie Lenneth, are on the front lines.

Norse mythology holds that Valkyries are female warriors responsible for ferrying the souls of the dead from this world to the next. In Valkyrie Profile, that's precisely what you do. The demigoddess Valkyrie travels around the world, entering the lives of heroes just before they die - or just after. The Valkyrie then takes their souls into her possession, where they fight alongside her in an attempt to find retribution. Each of the more than 20 characters that join your party is either deceased or immortal. With such heavy prerequisites for joining Club Valkyrie, it's not surprising that many of the game's engaging scenarios are filled with pathos, tragedy, and high drama. The story only loosely adheres to the original Norse myths: The one-eyed Odin is fully sighted and exceedingly youthful in this game, and Valkyrie Profile's Frey is definitely not a man. But considering how most Japanese RPGs "respect" other cultures' mythologies, this is mostly a nonissue.

With a war going on in Valhalla, harvested souls can't hang around the lower world forever - Odin's army needs generals and foot soldiers. You'll distribute CP (character points) gained in battle to innate abilities such as tactics, leadership, attack power, and survival, as well as special skills such as first aid. Points can also be assigned to improve personality traits, making characters more heroic and thus more effective in battle. Once a character has been satisfactorily improved, Valkyrie can permanently transfer him or her up to the great battlefield in the sky. Rare artifacts found during your quest can either be kept or transferred to Valhalla. The quality of the characters and artifacts you choose to donate to the gods' cause determines the direction and conclusion of the game.

Amassing an army for the coming war in heaven creates a feel similar to Konami's Suikoden. Unlike Suikoden, however, simply acquiring a character is not enough. Valkyrie Profile requires that you use and improve each character before sending them up. Moreover, Freya gives Valkyrie specific requests in each chapter; Valhalla may have need of a deft negotiator or a skillful archer. Satisfying these specific requests is critical to success. Balancing the Valkyrie's personal needs with those of the Aesir (once a character or artifact is sent up, he or she is lost to your party forever) makes for a unique and rewarding game structure.

Yet, while the interplay between the Valkyrie and the Aesir is well handled, these elements are undermined by the game's peculiar handling of scenario choice and the passage of time. The game is divided into seven chapters, and each chapter contains 24 periods. New chapters mean the introduction of new characters, quests, and objectives. Nearly omnipotent, the Valkyrie has access to the entire world map at any time, and can challenge a chapter's quests in any order. Her "soul concentration" skill lets her hear the voices of those in need, giving direction as to where she should go next. There is usually enough time in a chapter for a focused player to complete all the possible objectives, but you still have the freedom to pick and choose which to complete.

Periods pass whenever the Valkyrie enters or exits any location - not, as one might expect, when a task is completed. This odd design decision adversely affects the game in several ways. First, you're unable to learn anything substantial about a quest without entering the location where the quest begins. "Refusing" a quest is unlikely after the time penalty has already been incurred. Second, if you accidentally enter the wrong location, even for just a moment, periods still pass. Theoretically, the game's pace could be artificially accelerated to insane levels simply by repeatedly entering and exiting a single location. Third, you rarely have downtime in which to freely explore the towns or world. If you fall behind in levels or power, it is unlikely enough free periods will be available to catch up to where you need to be. If you hope to succeed, you must spend every available moment completing quests, fighting every possible battle, recruiting new characters, and improving current ones - Ragnarok waits for no woman.

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