"More Valkyries on Profile."

VALKYRIE PROFILE 2: SILMERIA (REVIEW)

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, is a prequel to the original Valkyrie Profile on the Playstation One (PSone) - which is also available for the Playstation Portable (PSP).

The story of Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, revolves around an exiled, Princess of Dipan, Alicia. It begins with a lovely CG intro of Alicia escaping from the Hall of Valhalla. You will soon be informed that Alicia shares her body with another soul, Silmeria, the youngest of the three Valkyrie Goddesses of Fate. It is soon apparent that in order to save her country of Dipan, (which plans to rage war with the Gods), Alicia is in dire need to find the Dragon Orb. It later evolves from saving her country of Dipan, to saving the entire continent of Midgard (the world).

From first glance, tri-Ace and Square-Enix have once again developed another graphic-gorgeous RPG. The character models, the environments, the light and particle effects - the graphics of Valkyrie Profile 2 are superb throughout every aspect. Throughout the course of the game, there is not one texture or object that can be found with faulty or bland design, or lack of detail. However, the cutscenes are another story. The cutscenes use the in-game character models; which, by any means, is not a bad thing. The only problem is with the character animations; they seem to tremble and come off as unrealistic, and the voice acting is rarely in-sync with character lip movements - that is to say, if there are any lip movements to be present. While others are generally satisfied with what they are handed, I on the other hand, must be picky. At the near-end of the Playstation 2's console cycle, I wish that tri-Ace took an ounce more care to detail on different appearances for items, such as weapons, or arm or leg guards (as present in Final Fantasy X). I would have also preferred to see more of the cutscenes done in CG, since only the ones to be found are at the opening and the introduction. Then again, I'm being picky and it won't count against them (too much).

There is also a generalization of optional characters, called Einherjar (pronounced, en-hair-ree-arh). Einherjar are warrior spirits that are bound to an artifact, usually a weapon that corresponds to their class, and await to be revitalized by means of Materialization. Though the roster totals 40 Einherjar, it is only possible to receive 20 of them. In most cases, multiple Einherjars are attached to a single artifact, which means you will randomly given one of them, when Materializing an artifact.

The sound is solid. A presentation of loud "clangs" and "bangs" comfortably fit the setting and the corresponding actions; whether it be a sword slashing across an enemy, or a fiery explosion from beneath the ground - all are done accordingly and effectively, with fantastic audio quality. The voice acting is done exceptionally well (if only the lip movements could have been done in the same fashion). The music sets the mood perfectly with their environment, creating a balance of wonderment and an unique, individual atmosphere to each area. The towns have an orchestral track to give the feel of calm and sanctuary, while the dungeons are riddled with heavy bass and battle sequences are accompanied by electric guitars and rapid-paced techno beats. I will oppose the fact that some voices are recycled for most of the Einherjars. This makes them come off as the same characters, but with different looks and phrases - with minor tweaks to the attack list. Either tri-Ace ran out of ideas, or they simply ran out of time. I can't convince myself otherwise since they have done such an amazing job with the graphics, that they would just lump creativity all together in one bowl and leave it in the back of the fridge.

The gameplay, by far, is one of the best in its league. Every battle drops your party of four-assigned characters onto a field. Every action will use Action Points (AP), limiting your overall capabilities while simultaneously forcing the player to develop strategies on rationing techniques such as dashing, using items, and attacking. Every character can be assigned up to a 3 different attacks, however, the number of attacks a character is allowed to perform is dependant solely on the weapon that character has equipped. Weapons also vary on allowing a character to execute a finishing move, justly labeled as a Soul Crush. Due to this, the distribution and handling of equipment will play a major part on the battlefield. In addition, Valkyrie Profile 2 has high priority with its combo system. By attacking an enemy, the combo counter is raised, along with the Heat Gauge - which allows the characters that have taken part during Attack Mode, the opportunity to execute their Soul Crush - if the gauge is completely filled by the end of the attack. The combo counter also plays a significant role during battle by increasing the damage of Soul Crush techniques. This means, the longer your combo is, the more damage a character's Soul Crush will inflict.

On the outside of the battlefield, Valkyrie Profile 2 takes on a different approach - utilizing 2-D platforming as a means to venture through dungeons and towns. On paper, this idea should look innovative, only to come out as a hassle. However, tri-Ace has turned out some of the most complex-designed dungeons and platforming challenges, that gracefully obliged Valkyrie Profile 2 with a great sense of diversity. On top of it, there is an implement of Sealstones, which can be set on Dias' scattered about the dungeons that the player can manipulate in order to effect, either the player's party of characters or the enemies encountered. There is also an array of customization and skill building that can be obtained via a specific combination of accessory linking.

The bonuses offered in Valkyrie Profile 2 are limited. Near the end of the game, a secret dungeon can be accessed that offers new enemies, characters, items, and attack moves hidden inside more treasure chests. After each completion, the difficulty raises. Beyond those two features, you'll want to replay Valkyrie Profile 2 for the gameplay and the final dungeon; seeing how the plot-line of the story falls short, in comparison to the original.

CONCEPT: 6 out of 10
Another RPG in which a group of selected few, must save the world. What else is new? Besides Valkyries and more people with big swords. Oh, right. The main character has multiple personalities - sweet.

GRAPHICS: 9 out of 10
Beautiful no matter where you look. Lots of eye candy that can actually fill your stomach. And for once, too much isn't a bad thing. During battles, the animations flow with the grace of a thousand swans. However, during the cutscenes, the animations quiver and move with the grace of a peg-legged albatross attempting to land on a thumb-tack in frigid waters. Don't get me wrong, the cutscenes aren't that horrific, I would just rather watch the albatross.

GAMEPLAY: 9 out of 10
Absolute genius. It's been a while since an RPG was this fast-paced and exciting. The combat system, the combo system, the 2-D platforming, dungeon designs, Sealstone utilization... it's perfect and highly addictive.

SOUND: 8 out of 10
Vibrant and fitting. My only concern is the lip-to-voice sync. Unless they all happen to be professionally trained ventriloquists, then I can see why the voice didn't match with the lip movements. It's either that, or the developers at tri-Ace are huge fans of the Godzilla franchise.

REPLAY VALUE: 8 out of 10
The gameplay will hook you faster than a pack of cigarettes; Playing as all the Einherjar will be as fun (and less time consuming) than catching those annoying animals that repeatedly speak their own name; And the 2-D platforming is fun and intuitive. Now if only there were boxes I could bang on with Alicia's head that will give me mushrooms to grow-up - she's only 18, I'm sick of the world's saviors being so young. Give me a hero with osteoporosis!

OVERALL: 8 out of 10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/27/06