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For many years,Valkyrie Profile was a renowned franchise by giving us great classic RPGs. His legacy cannot be denied but now, he is looking to change direction by trying to renew himself with this new installment. Valkyrie Elysium is an Action RPG developed by Soleil and published by Square Enix that offers a dynamic and fast-paced adventure in the middle of Ragnarok. A story with multiple endings that aspires to convince veterans and new players alike with a frenetic pace. Was this transformation worth it? I’ll tell you in this review.
A Valkyrie with good moves
The story begins with a tale that has been told for generations. Odin, the father of all, prepares for Ragnarok after his fight with Fenrir, the entity in the form of a giant wolf. This fight weakened Odin and left him at the mercy of the Ragnarok to come. To change his destiny, he decided to create the Valkyrie, a faithful warrior in the service of the Norse god. The Valkyrie’s mission is to purify the souls of the monsters that inhabit the land while she recruits powerful warriors and thus restore Odin’s strength to face the tragedy.
Once we have a clear objective and pass a brief tutorial, we can fully enter the action. When we start playing we will notice a pure souls-like vibe. This may be coincidental when migrating declining scenarios from Valkyrie Profile to 3D, but it is inevitable to make this comparison when seeing the dark worlds full of destructible objects. This sense of solitude works when the exploration takes you through an interconnected world but in Valkyrie Elysium everything is limited to a completely linear level. This means that we can only explore well-defined sections in search of treasures and flowers. What happens with the flowers is that only some of them are relevant to the end of the game, the others are limited to being an element that increases your game hours artificially since they are not necessary to finish it, nor do they offer any kind of reward.
On the other hand, the task of finding them can be entertaining since sometimes there will be some bright spots that mark the possibility of reaching new areas. These objects are placed at strategic points and we can reach them thanks to the chain of souls. This tool allows us to boost ourselves in a hook mode by directing it to the exact point, when we reach new areas we can find the precious rewards. The fun happens when the areas are difficult to access and forces us to find a way to reach them. Unfortunately, the use of the chain of souls is very limited and there are few occasions when you will have to use it.
Something similar happens with the Einherjar and their abilities outside of battle. Even in the tutorial they explain to us that without them we won’t be able to pass obstacles such as precipices or barriers, but the truth is that the game will tell us where we should use them and it will be on a few occasions. I think this could be used to give more value to exploration and make walking from one point to another more entertaining. Unfortunately, both options become a curiosity as they are not so essential.
Let’s move on to the system, which is undoubtedly the best part of this title. Play Valkyrie Elysium It made me feel like I was going back in time, to that time when Hack and Slash began to set the rules of the game. The combat system is very simple, fast and fluid: as soon as you take control you can start pressing buttons without stopping and watch the Valkyrie clean everything in her path.
We will be able to use chains of blows for combos, without confusing combinations or precise movements. It is clear that the developers did not want to complicate their lives, because although we have access to different weapons, during the missions you can only choose two, that is, we can use different attacks but not combine them: it is necessary to finish a combo and change the strategy. These pauses do not break the flow of the game, as they can be opportunities to use an item, cast a spell, or heal yourself. The feeling is good and you won’t need to dig into boring tutorials, everything is there for you to enjoy without complicating your life.
However, despite its simplicity, Valkyrie Elysium use some tricks to make things more interesting. We can extend the attacks a bit with the chain of souls, a kind of tie that brings us closer to the enemies once we send them flying. The result isn’t that exciting, but it does add punch to the equation, especially when using spells and abilities that give it a bit of strategy and RPG flair by adding weapon weaknesses and elemental damage. Let’s just say it has just enough to keep us entertained for a while.
By the way, there are special guests at this party, the Einherjar. These summons go straight to kicking monsters that spawn automatically. It’s nice to be able to call them into battle like a Pokémon, but it takes away from the fact that they make their own decisions. The Einherjar are more of a support tool that can bail you out and give you an elemental advantage, depending on which character you choose, but nothing more. Maybe if you could use them as separate characters it would all be better.
As you can see, the change of direction in the franchise aims to leave aside the essence that captivated the purists of role-playing games, since you will notice that to develop characters you will be able to get new skills, level up and improve your statistics. Unlike other games, there is no need to spend hours and hours killing pigs here. It will be enough to play at a normal pace to get items and level up. A good decision to avoid making things slower.
The consequences of change
Though Valkyrie Elysium is an action RPG, it could well fall into the hack and slash category with souls-like elements, even though it is a 100% linear game. You’ll notice it instantly as you roam the desolate environments over and over again in search of enemies and treasure. This causes the game to lose its identity as a classic RPG that it had forged over the years and it is inevitable to compare it to something you have played before. Long story short, Valkyrie Elysium sacrificed his identity with this transition in an attempt to renew itself.
“Valkyrie Elysium sacrificed his identity to try to renew himself”
It is true that gender change makes Valkyrie Elysium be friendlier to new players, but veterans of the franchise may be somewhat disappointed. When playing we can notice winks and some recognizable elements such as Valhalla or the use of the Einherjar, but a deeper story is needed and above all, characters with better development. This was part of the strengths in the early games of the franchise.
Another important point is the exploration but in this case it is somewhat sterile. The gray and empty worlds work when they fulfill the function organically but here they do not help create an atmosphere. On the contrary, it becomes more evident that there is very little that can surprise us.
A Valkyrie of few words
The story of Valkyrie Elysium it feels flat and empty. For most of the game we will see the Valkyrie as a character without a soul, who only seeks to do Odin’s bidding. The twist occurs with the clashes and when she begins to assess her situation as she purifies souls to enlist them in her army.
This is where the Einherjar come in. These entities that accompany the protagonist show a human side that at times makes our heroine reflect but they fail to integrate well into the story. Their role as secondary characters is clear and although we can learn a little more about their origins, their importance in the story becomes irrelevant.
Another point that could have been better are some mechanics, since they are good but they are exploited very little. The first is the chain of souls, which allows you to stick to some specific points as a hook while going through the levels. At first, it’s interesting to wander through the levels looking for those points in every corner, but since the rewards are less, they just don’t matter to you anymore. Also, there are very few specific ones where you can do this.
“Most of the game we will see the Valkyrie as a character without a soul, who only seeks to carry out the orders of Odin”
The same goes for the abilities of the Einherjar, which can create platforms of ice to cross a cliff or break down a barrier and find new paths, among other uses. Again, this happens rarely and leaves out a good opportunity to make tours of empty environments more entertaining. Exploring is boring and very limited, so in the end, you’ll probably want to get from point A to point B with no distractions.
As for the technical side, I must say that it complies but it does not impress. The fact is that the models look good and the change in art direction suits the game well but there are some details that don’t let them shine. At least on the PlayStation 4 version I played for this review, I noticed several drops in animation frames and other noticeable on-screen issues. The image jumps at times with or without enemies. There are also some graphical bugs like hair distortion and distance texture issues. Fortunately this does not affect the gaming experience which looks great most of the time but these details can be annoying. The same thing happens with the camera, that no matter how much it tries to adjust, sometimes I lost sight of my character and had to get out of that angle as best I could. It was frustrating but at the same time it reminded me of classic games where it was common to die from similar situations. Finally, I must admit that the sound section is impeccable, the screams and sounds of the spells play their role very well in the battles and the musical pieces that accompany the tour help set us in depressive environments.
Valkyrie Elysium is a game that moves away from its roots to try to get out of a niche genre and present a more friendly and attractive format. During the process it lost part of its essence but at the same time, it clings to the past since it is practically a game that belongs to another generation. Play Valkyrie Elysium it’s fun because it’s so simple and fast, the combos, spells, and abilities help fuel the experience. In addition, the development of characters and weapons help maintain that RPG touch that was born with the franchise. This reboot is a good attempt to chart a new path, but it is far from becoming a benchmark for the genre.
