"Improves upon the first game but lacks some of the original charm"

Summary: I absolutely loved the first Valkyrie Profile and was sincerely hoping I could give this game a perfect rating. However, even though Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria features an improved battle system and graphics, it lacks that intangible charm the first had. Please keep in mind my review is mainly based upon a comparison of the two games.

Story (5/10): Some may disagree with me and say that VP2 had a much more cohesive storyline than VP1, which was quite fragmented and doesn't come together until the very end (and only for the A ending at that). This is a valid argument but I feel that the story in VP2 focused way too much on a handful of core characters at the expense of everything else. Granted, each new character came with a brief description but that is pretty much it. VP1 always had a cutscene (usually very long and very in depth) whenever you were about to recruit someone new that details the background of the character. It really helped immerse the player into the game world and made the player understand and care about the einherjars he/she recruited. I actually had hoped VP2 would have expanded upon this concept and give the minor characters more of a role in the story beyond their initial recruitment. Imagine my disappointment when it turned out they did the exact opposit in VP2, relegating the minor characters' roles to nothing more than that of a piece of equipment.

Another disappointing fact of VP2 is that it removed much of the detailed lore in the first game. For example, each piece of equipment/item in VP1 had a very interesting description that usually linked it to some piece of Norse Mythology. VP2's item descriptions are much more generic and lacks the detail of the first game. It feels as if the team that did VP2 failed to put in enough effort to research Norse mythology and incorporate that into the game.

A side note: some characters in VP2 feel forced in for simple nostalgic purposes. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that Lezard Valeth is in this game as a party member, but how exactly did he exist 1000 years before the events of VP1? In VP1 Lezard was a student in the magical academy who got expelled for doing forbidden experiments, leading me to assume he wasn't an all-power mage who lived for over 1000 years already.

If you disagree with me on this point and have not played VP1 yet, I ask you to play through VP1 (for the A ending) before making any conclusion. The PS1 version is the best but the price is getting astronomical (glad I have a brand new one that I will never sell, :-)) so feel free to try out the PSP version instead.

Graphics (9/10): No doubt, for the 3D graphics lovers out there VP2 is a godsend compared to the first game. I will admit, the new graphics look incredible. However, I actually prefer the old VP1 graphics because the hand-drawn/anime style graphics fit the game style and storyline much better. The 3D graphics make the game look a bit too realistic for my taste in a game such as this. Such graphics work much better in the final fantasy series because of the precedent FF7 set. However, the art/animation style of VP1 is one of things that sets it apart. This is one of the improvements that I believe actually takes away from that "intangible charm" of the first game. This is a personal preference so that's why I only took 1 point off for grahpics.

Gameplay (9/10): The combat system is, in a word, superb! This is the one part of improvement that I could find no flaws with. It takes the combat system of VP1 and enhances it without taking anything away. You can now move in combat as opposed to simply pressing one of the four buttons for an attack, and your position relative to the enemy has a huge impact on damage dealt, type of item you can knock out of the enemy, and whether or not you can be attacked. Two thumbs up! The deduction of 1 point comes from the gameplay on the overworld map. I understand that the story dictates that the valkyrie cannot simply fly around the world anymore, but the new overworld movement system feels much more confined and claustrophobic than the first.

Replayability (5/10): There is only one ending, not much of a reason to replay the games unless you want to get some new einherjars which, in my opinion, is a waste of time given how little story is associated with them. Just read an online description in gamefaqs instead if you're interested.

Rent/Buy: Buy. This is the first game I bought brand new/retail price in the last 10 years, all because the first game gave me such high expectations. Even though I am disappointed that it could not exceed VP1, it is still a worthy addition to any RPG library.

Summary: This is a fine addition to the RPG genre on the PS2 and compared to most other RPGs on the PS2, this one is a gem. Unfortunately, it had too much to live up to.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/09/06