Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria

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Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
Developer(s)	tri-Ace tri-Crescendo (sound work)
Publisher(s)	Square Enix
Composer(s)	Motoi Sakuraba
Aspect ratio	480p (EDTV) 480i (SDTV)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release date(s)	JP June 22, 2006 NA September 26, 2006 PAL September 7, 2007
Genre(s)	Role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-player (1-2 player battles)
Rating(s)	CERO: A (All Ages) ESRB: T (Teen) OFLC: M PEGI: 16+
Media	1 DVD-ROM
Input methods	DualShock 2

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (ヴァルキリープロファイル2 シルメリア) is the second installment in the Valkyrie Profile series. It was developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix. It was released for the PlayStation 2 on June 22, 2006 in Japan, September 26, 2006 in North America, and September 7, 2007 in Europe and other PAL regions.

Contents 1 Gameplay 1.1 Combat system 1.2 Equipment 1.3 Einherjar 2 Plot 2.1 Settings 2.2 Characters 3 Voice credits 3.1 Japanese version 3.2 English version 4 Reception 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Gameplay

There is only one mode available to play. However, the game gets harder with each subsequent playthrough. Chapters still exist, but periods are not used, and the player is under no time constraints.

Dungeon exploration is done in a 2D side scrolling platform manner. Alicia is the only visible character and is capable of jumping, swinging her sword, and shooting photons. Photons can bounce off the ground and walls and temporarily freeze enemies and objects in crystals and are used to solve many puzzles. Enemies are visible and attacking them gives Alicia the first move in combat with a full AP gauge. Alicia can also engage an enemy in battle by coming into contact with them; in this case, there is a chance that the player will be at a disadvantage and start with an empty AP gauge.

Sealstones are items with special effects hidden atop daises and shells within dungeons. Any sealstone that is on a dais will affect enemies within that dais' radius of influence, as well as expanding the range of sealstones in other daises. If Alicia carries a sealstone on her person it affects the whole party, and similarly if an enemy possesses one it will affect that enemy party without affecting any others. If placed in a shell, the sealstone's effect is negated completely. They may also be "restored" at a cost of Magic Crystals at a spring, allowing the player to equip them from any spring in any dungeon, rather than being returned to its original location once the player leaves the dungeon.

[edit] Combat system

Combat takes place in a real-time 3D battlefield, utilizing the Advanced Tactical Combination (ATC) battle system. Combat incorporates the use of Attack Points (AP), which are needed to act in battle. Points are consumed by attacking and dashing and are replenished by defeating enemies, being attacked, or moving around as time passes. Time only flows when the player is moving, giving them time to stop and plan out where he or she will move next and where enemy units may attack. Once an attack occurs, the screen zooms in on the party, allowing the player to coordinate their attack or defense. The party can also conduct a Leader Assault, in which destroying the enemy leader will cause the others to retreat, ending the battle quickly and earning bonus experience.

Characters have multiple attacks and can be assigned up to three for use in battle. Stringing together attacks adds to the Heat Gauge. When the Heat Gauge reaches 100% in one turn, characters can perform their Soul Crush special attack, which causes great damage and refills the Heat Gauge, possibly allowing another character to use their Soul Crush. Charge Time is absent, allowing characters to use their Soul Crush every turn so long as they charge the Heat Gauge up to 100% each time. This lack of charge time means that Mages can attack every turn with magic as well. In fact, they fight as normal, albeit only with magic.

New to the game is the concept of breaking off enemy parts. Different attacks can hit different parts of enemies and thus affect the amount of damage afflicted on the enemy. Once part of an enemy has taken sufficient damage, it can break off. When an enemy part breaks off, the player may enter break mode, in which the characters have unlimited AP for attacking for a short amount of time. Monster parts can be equipped as accessories or raw materials that can be sold or used to craft weapons, armor, or other items.

With a second controller, a second player can also control one or more party members in combat.

[edit] Equipment

Alicia buys equipment from shops using the game's currency, OTH. As the player buys more items from a specific shop, they can become a valued costumer, unlocking special weapons and items, which require monster parts to make.

Four weapon types are present: Light Sword, Heavy Sword, Bow, and Staff, corresponding to the four types of characters: light warrior, heavy warrior, archer, and mage. Additional weapon types are acquired as the game progresses for selected characters obtained during the gameplay. Characters will only be able to equip their specified type of weapon (the exception being the Angel Slayer, which can be equipped by anyone) and only certain weapons allow them to perform their Soul Crush.

Most equipment comes with runes, and by equipping different combinations of runes, characters can learn certain skills during combat. Runes also have color links (Red, Blue, or Green); multiple pieces of equipment of the same color equipped simultaneously in the proper configuration can enhance each equipped piece's effects.

[edit] Einherjar

When Silmeria is present, Alicia can materialize her einherjar, and many of the playable characters are from Silmeria's previous time as a valkyrie. Alicia must touch an artifact associated with an einherjar in order to have Silmeria re-materialize them. Placing certain combinations of einherjar in the party will result in conversations between them during random battles, such as having Celes and Phyress, who are sisters, in the same group. The einherjar found in dungeons are random; there are up to three different characters of the same class found in an artifact. Because of this, although there are 40 different einherjar in the game, only 20 can be recruited per game. Once einherjar reach a certain level, the player may release them, returning them to the world of the living. Depending on the einherjar's attributes and equipment, they may leave different rewards for the player.

[edit] Plot

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria is about two characters, Silmeria and Alicia, who are contained in the same body. Silmeria is one of the valkyries tasked with collecting the souls of brave warriors and delivering them to Valhalla. After she disobeyed Odin, he reincarnated her in the body of Alicia, the princess of Dipan. Silmeria was supposed to remain trapped, but she awakens in the body of the princess, which makes many people think that Alicia is insane or possessed. The king imprisons her and announces her death, though unbeknownst to the public sends her to live in a small palace outside the city of Crell Monferaigne. In the pre-game prologue, Odin sends the current valkyrie, Hrist, to take Silmeria's soul back to Valhalla. Escaping from Hrist, Alicia/Silmeria flees into the wilderness, where they try to evade capture and attempt to avert a catastrophe that could spark a war between the gods and Midgard.

[edit] Settings

There are two main settings in Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria: Midgard, the realm of mortal men, and Asgard, the realm of the gods. Midgard is the world of men, a place stricken by war, famine, and disease, with the taint of death everywhere. Throughout history, the fate of Midgard has been influenced by the gods on numerous occasions, but now the kingdom of Dipan is set upon resisting such divine interference.

Asgard is the world of the Aesir, ruled over by Odin, lord of the heavens. In Asgard lies the Hall of Valhalla, where the Einherjar, the brave souls of the fallen, reside. The Aesir occasionally influence the course of history in Midgard in an effort to preserve the order of the universe.

Valkyrie Profile 2 takes place in an alternate timeline from the first game: in Valkyrie Profile, Silmeria was imprisoned within a crystal and taken by Brahms; here, Brahms is the one imprisoned within a crystal. Events that should have happened didn't because of a certain character's interference on history.

[edit] Characters

There are 12 main characters in Valkyrie Profile 2: Alicia, Rufus, Dylan/Brahms, Lezard, Arngrim, Leone/Hrist, Lenneth, Silmeria, and Freya. However, most of them join and leave the party, sometimes permanently, at different points throughout the game (Alicia, Rufus, and Brahms being the only characters not to leave for the rest of the game), while Freya is only playable once she is beaten in the optional Seraphic Gate.

Alicia, princess of Dipan, is the main protagonist of Valkyrie Profile 2 and mortal host for Silmeria's soul. Alicia, having heard Silmeria's voice her entire life and learned much of what Silmeria knows, is unusual for a Valkyrie's mortal host. Silmeria can take over Alicia's body when necessary but usually leaves Alicia in control and tells her what to do instead. Other characters can sometimes detect the change between Alicia and Silmeria by their voices and mannerisms. Because of this, many of Dipan's citizens believe Alicia was mad, which led to her father, King Barbarossa to exile her from the kingdom. However, it is revealed later in the game that he did so out of love and not malice.

Hrist is the current Valkyrie during Valkyrie Profile 2. She is fiercely loyal to Odin's commands, which include the punishment of Dipan for defying Odin. This puts her in conflict with Alicia who, despite being exiled, does not wish to see her home and family destroyed. She takes the guise of Leone, and ventures with Alicia, learning more about her, and eventually becoming friends, which puts her at odds with the fact that she does not wish to kill her anymore to release her sister inside.

Lezard Valeth is a sorcerer who has acquired knowledge and magic skills far beyond his years. Though initially engaged in research in Dipan's capital, he joins the adventurers' quest when he rescues Alicia and her party from a dangerous predicament. As revealed in Valkyrie Profile, Lezard harbors an obsession with the valkyrie Lenneth, Silmeria's sister. This is not the Lezard of that time period, however, and is in fact, one from an alternate future, the one seen in Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. His involvements leads to the events in Silmeria, changing the timeline.

Lenneth herself also appears near the game's finale and joins the party, having learned of Lezard's plot. Like Lezard, this is not the Lenneth of that time period, but the Lord of Creation she became at the end of Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth.

[edit] Voice credits

[edit] Reception

As of November 30, 2008, the Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria has sold over 401,000 units in Japan.^[1] According to Media Create, it was the top-selling game during the week of its release in Japan, selling 281,510 copies.^[2] The game has sold 170,000 copies abroad as of November 2007.^[3]

The game was well received by critics with an 85% rating at Game Rankings and 83/100 at Metacritic.^[4][5] Famitsu scored the game a 34 out of 40.^[6] GameSpot gave it an 8.0/10, calling it a "refreshingly different and very challenging example of a Japanese RPG" that "looks great," with a "fun and exciting" combat system. They praised the game for its "depth and variety" but found the skills and equipment interface "convoluted" and noted that its high difficulty "hampers the pacing of the storyline."^[7] The game received IGN's award for "Best Game No One Played" in 2006^[8] and achieved SCEI's Ultimate Hits status in March 2007.^[9]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria official European site
• Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria official North American site

v • d • e Valkyrie Profile video games Valkyrie Profile (Lenneth) • Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria • Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume

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