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Valkyrie Profile (video game)

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Valkyrie Profile
Jewel case art from the North American version of Valkyrie Profile for the PlayStation.
Developer(s)tri-Ace
Publisher(s)PSX: Enix
PSP: Square Enix
Platform(s)PlayStation, PSP
ReleasePSX


PSP


Genre(s)Console role-playing game
Mode(s)Single player

Valkyrie Profile (ヴァルキリープロファイル, Varukiri Purofairu) is a console role-playing game (RPG) developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix (now Square Enix) for the PlayStation console. It was released on December 22, 1999 in Japan and later on August 29, 2000 in North America. An enhanced port of the game was later released for the PlayStation Portable under the name Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. The game was released in Japan on March 2, 2006 and on July 18, 2006 in North America.

A PlayStation 2 sequel, titled Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, was released on June 22, 2006 in Japan. The North American version was released on September 25, 2006.

The game is based on Norse mythology. Players assume the role of a Valkyrie who recruits and prepares the souls of fallen warriors (Einherjar) before sending them to Valhalla for the final apocalyptic battle between the Æsir and Vanir, Ragnarok. Along the way, she also uncovers the tragic events of her own hidden past.

Gameplay

Valkyrie Profile is named for the distinctive 2D "profile" (side-view) perspective that most of the game takes place in. Dungeon exploration plays more like a platform game than a traditional RPG, with Lenneth Valkyrie the only visible character and is capable of jumping, sliding, and shooting ice crystals. Ice crystals can do a number of things, including making temporary steps and freezing enemies and are used for solving many small puzzles. Upon contact with an unfrozen enemy, an RPG-style battle begins. Enemies are visible and by attacking them Lenneth can engage them in combat with a first strike advantage. Lenneth can also engage an enemy in battle by coming into contact with them, however in this case there is a 50% chance that the enemy will have the first attack.

Travel on the world map occurs in a 3D third-person perspective, with Lenneth flying in the skies over Midgard. Pressing the Start button allows her to perform a "Spiritual Concentration," which reveals new dungeons, cities and towns, and recruitable einherjar. When entering a city or town, the game switches to the 2D profile view and Lenneth will disguise herself as a human, allowing her to interact with its inhabitants.

Much of the game consists of Lenneth locating and recruiting new einherjar (with cut-scenes of the circumstances of their deaths), training them in dungeons, and determining when and whether to send them to Valhalla to fight alongside Odin. Character development for most of Einherjar consists of their "death scenes," which are often dramatic and highly emotional and often steeped in symbolism and metaphors, and dialogue between them and the Gods while in Valhalla. Each einherjar has a Hero Value, a number representing their usefulness in Valhalla, though certain einherjar (Arngrim and Mystina) cannot be sent to Valhalla. Lenneth must send einherjar with the proper hero values and skills to survive in Valhalla and keep Odin and Freya satisfied.

The 3D World Map

The game is divided into eight chapters, each with different quests, dungeons, and items available. Each chapter is further divided into periods, depending on the difficulty (16 in Easy, 24 in Normal, and 28 in Hard). Visiting towns and dungeons use up 1 and 2 periods, respectively, requiring that the player budget their available time. Once all the periods in a chapter are up, the Sacred Phase begins, in which Lenneth returns to Asgard and Freya updates her on the status of the war with the Vanir and the fate of the einherjar she has sent to Valhalla.

It also has a group experience system: battle experience is divided among the active party members, but experience points obtained from events that occur during dungeon exploration such as solving puzzles and completing dungeons are banked for division among the party members at the player's discretion at a later time.

There are three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, and Hard, with different available einherjar, dungeons and quests, as well as three different endings. The "B" and "C" endings can be achieved in any difficulty level, while the "A" ending, which completes the entire plot, is only available with the completion of certain tasks in the normal and hard difficulties. Also, the Seraphic Gate is only accessible in Normal or Hard.

Combat

Valkyrie Profile has a unique turn-based battle system. The two sides wage battle during alternate turns, with the whole party sharing one turn. However, each member can attack simultaneously during that turn. Each enemy is given their own turn and do not combine attacks with one another. Each of the party members is assigned to one of the buttons on the controller (Square, Triangle, X, or O). Pressing the corresponding button on the player's turn orders that character to attack. Fighters have three character-specific attacks, and can use those attacks that their weapon allows once each turn. Mages cast their preset offensive spells, which builds up their CT (Charge Time). Charge Time replaces MP, decreases slowly on its own, and prevents casting spells when above 0. While a mage's CT decreases, they can not perform any actions, though there are skills that allow exceptions to this.

The battle system in action

Stringing attacks together produces combos that prevent a target from defending or recovering, yield Magic Crystals, and Purple Gems that increase experience and reduce CT respectively, and add to the Hit Gauge. When the Hit Gauge reaches 100% in one turn, a character with no Charge Time may perform a special attack ("Purify Weird Soul") that causes great damage and refills the Hit Gauge, possibly allowing another character to use their Purify Weird Soul. Using a Purify Weird Soul causes CT to rise, so character must wait several turns before they can perform another one. Fighters have character-specific Purify Weird Souls. Mages use either multi-hit versions of their selected spells or Great Magic, elaborate versions of their selected spells that strike all on-screen enemies. Only certain scepters allow the use of Great Magic; human-forged Great Magic-capable scepters have a high chance of breaking with such use, and the unbreakable ether-coated ones are extremely rare. Damage is not 'capped' like in most RPGs so it is not impossible to do over 1,000,000 points of damage in a single four-man combo or even with one character. The party may attack an enemy until it no longer has any available moves instead of being limited to the total DME (health points) of the target.

At the beginning of each battle, Lenneth summons her einherjar to combat. As she is needed to keep them materialized, if Lenneth is defeated in combat, she must be revived within three turns or the party will be defeated. Lenneth is also the only character who cannot be voluntarily removed from the party.

Equipment

There is no currency or shopping in 'Valkyrie Profile'. At the beginning of each chapter, Lenneth receives a certain number of materialize points from Freya based on her previous performance. Materialize points can be transmutated into certain items and equipment and vice versa.

Five weapon types are present: Light Sword, Heavy Sword, Lance, Bow, and Staff, corresponding to the five types of characters: light warrior, heavy warrior, lancer, archer, and mage. Most characters will only be able to equip their specified type of weapon (though some swords can be used by both light and heavy warriors) and only certain weapons allow them to perform all three of their attacks or (or Great Magic in the case of mages). Lenneth is the exception, as she is a light warrior but can equip bows. Her Purify Weird Soul, Nibelung Valesti, also changes depending on her equipped weapon. Some weapons have a chance of breaking with each use.

Setting

Valkyrie Profile takes place mostly in Midgard during the time of war between the Æsir and Vanir. Midgard consists of a large continent surrounded by several smaller islands. The large continent is where the majority of humans live and consists of Villnore, Coriander, and the nearby Weeping Lily Meadow in the northwest, Crell Monferaigne in the north-northeast, Artolia, Lassen, Gerabellum, and Camille in the southwest and Flenceburg in the southeast. The rest of the continent is covered by mountains, forests, swamps, ruins, and other dungeons. The city of Hai-Lan lies on an island to the southwest while the Lost City of Dipan (featured in the sequel Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria) is on an island to the north. The Forest of Spirits, home of the elves, lies on a large island to the south-east of Flenceburg. The Palace of the Dragon, once the resting place of the powerful Dragon Orb, lies on a small island to the east. The castle of Brahms, lord of the undead, lies over an island to the west. Finally, the final part of the game brings Lenneth to either Jotunheim Palace, home of the Vanir, or Asgard Hill, home of the Æsir, depending on which ending is achieved.

Seraphic Gate

In typical tri-Ace fasion, "Valkyrie Profile" contains an optional bonus dungeon called the Seraphic Gate. It is only available by saving in the game's last save point and is separate from the rest of the main game. The player can use all einherjar they recruited in the main game, including ones sent to Valhalla. Flame Jewels found in dungeons exclusive to the Hard difficulty are needed to access sealed rooms with unique treasures and hidden characters. It has a single save point in the first room and contains four distinct sections and one must traverse back to the beginning in order to save, even after defeating optional bosses. One of the incentives for venturing into the Seraphic Gate are three of the most powerful characters in the game--Brahms, lord of the undead, the necromancer Lezard Valeth, and the goddess Freya, who exceeds even Lenneth in power. The dungeon features the best equipment and toughest opponents in the game as well as Gabriel Celeste and Iseria Queen (who appear similarly in most Tri-Ace RPGs) as incredibly strong bosses. Defeating Iseria Queen will clear the dungeon and allow the player to return to the beginning to save without having to fight battles. The dungeon will reset once the save is reloaded so the player can run though it again. Defeating Iseria Queen multiple times is necessary to receive some items. Each time she is defeated, the player receives a Book of Riddles. Once the first nine books are obtained, the tenth time Iseria is defeated (and each time thereafter) the player receives the 'Angel Slayer', the most powerful weapon in the game, though its damage can vary greatly from turn to turn.

Story

Characters

Main article: List of Valkyrie Profile characters

There are 25 playable characters in Valkyrie Profile: Valkyrie (Lenneth), Brahms, Lezard Valeth, Freya, and 20 einherjar. However, all 20 einherjar can only be recruited with the difficulty set to Hard. Two einherjar, Arngrim and Mystina, cannot be sent to Valhalla as they are central to the plot and Freya and Odin find them undesirable regardless of their skills or hero value.

Lenneth Valkyrie is the primary protagonist of Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, a recently awakened warrior-maiden and servant of Odin, who has been tasked with recruiting einherjar, the souls of deceased warriors, to fight with the Æsir in their war against the Vanir and prevent the destruction of Asgard in Ragnarok. Lenneth is a goddess of fate along with her two sisters, Hrist and Silmeria, and they all share the same body, though only one is awake at any given time and can be distinguished by their hair color and armor (Lenneth has white hair/blue armor, Hrist has black hair/dark violet armor, and Silmeria has blond hair/light purple armor).

Plot

In the village of Coriander, a young girl named Platina lives with her abusive parents. When the village falls upon hard times, her friend Lucian finds out that her parents are planning to sell her into slavery. Platina runs away with him but the two accidentally wander into the Weeping Lily Meadow. Despondent and having lost hope in her life, Platina dies from the toxic pollen in Lucian's arms and is laid to rest in the meadow.

Lenneth Valkyrie awakens in Asgard, where the god Odin and the goddess Freya give her the task of recruiting einherjar for the coming of Ragnarok. Traveling through Midgard, Lenneth uses her abilities of Spiritual Concentration to hear the cries and anguish of humans to recruit as einherjar. The first einherjar she recruits are Princess Jelanda of Artolia and the mercenary Arngrim. After the arrogant Arngrim humiliates her father in front of the army, Jelanda hatches an elaborate scheme for revenge, but is betrayed by a traitorous court minister. She is kidnapped and Arngrim unknowningly escorts her captors to the kingdom's border where she's discovered unconscious. Some Artolian soldiers give her "medicine" that turns out to be Ghoul Powder, transforming Jelanda into a monster. Lenneth appears and helps Arngrim kill the monster, claiming Jelanda's soul as an einherjar. Arngrim later kills the man responsible for her death, but chooses to commit suicide rather than fight when he is to be arrested. Jelanda requests that Lenneth save Arngrim so she recruits him, telling him to consider it a gift. However, due to imperfections in his character, Odin and Freya refuse to accept Arngrim into Valhalla, and he remains at Lenneth's side.

As Lenneth continues recruiting einherjar, she eventually encounters Brahms, lord of the undead and enemy of Odin, and even though he is in possession of her sister Silmeria's soul, Lenneth decides not to fight him. She also meets the necromancer Lezard Valeth, who lures her to his tower. Lenneth discovers that he has been experimenting with elves to create homunculi by which he hopes to attain godhood. Lezard also wishes to possess Lenneth for himself, though she refuses to cooperate and defeats him. The sorceress Mystina, one of Lezard's rivals, also discovers his experiments and steals a homunculus. When he discovers her theft, Lezard freezes her body while she is spirit walking, leaving Mystina's soul separated from her body permanently. Lenneth recruits her, though Odin and Freya refuse to allow Mystina to be sent to Valhalla and she remains with Lenneth and Arngrim.

Eventually Lenneth, disguised in human form, meets Lucian, who has grown up to become a poor thief, resorting to stealing in order to survive. He sees a resemblance between Lenneth and his childhood love Platina, though she doesn't know anything about it. Lucian is later killed by soldiers cleaning up the slums and Lenneth recruits him as an einherjar. Before she sends him to Valhalla, Lucian gives her an earring and tells her that she will know where to find the matching earring, though Lenneth wants him to forget about her. Lucian then goes to Valhalla, but continues to brood upon Lenneth and Platina. He learns from the Æsir Loki that an artifact in Asgard known as the Water Mirror can be used to contact the Valkyrie which Lucian does but Lenneth is angry at his disobedience and renounces him.

Lenneth returns to Midgard and during her travels visits the Lost City of Dipan. Discovering a time machine within the city, she accidentally activates it, traveling to the past. She observes the execution of King Barbarossa hundreds of years earlier by her sister Hrist (the events of Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria). Returning to her own time, Lenneth helps Barbarossa's soul find peace. When she returns to Asgard, Freya informs her that Lucian has stolen the Dragon Orb. Unknown to them, Loki has actually stolen the Dragon Orb and used Lucian as a scapegoat, seeking to usurp Odin's power and destroy all life. Lucian confronts Loki and Loki kills him.

Lucian's death triggers something within her and when Lenneth finds the other earring at Platina's grave in the Weeping Lily Meadow, her memories as Platina return. After Platina's death, Odin and Freya sealed her memories thinking that Lenneth would be easier to control if she didn't remember the human she had loved. Sensing that the seal is broken, Odin performs the Sovereign's Rite, transmigrating Lenneth's soul and summoning Hrist in her place. Hrist takes control of the Valkyrie's body, though Arngrim and Mystina are able to save the fragments of Lenneth's soul. Lezard Valeth appears, telling them there is a way to save her. Transferring Lenneth's soul into an elven homunculus, Arngrim, Mystina, and Lezard confront Hrist in Brahms' castle, where she has gone to retrieve her sister Silmeria. Brahms, who knows Arngrim from a previous life (in Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria), helps them defeat Hrist and reclaim the remainder of Lenneth's soul. Back in Lezard's workshop, Lenneth's soul is returned to her body and she is reborn in a homunculus.

Ragnarok occurs and Loki betrays Odin and kills both him and Surt, leader of the Vanir, before taking over Asgard. Lenneth returns to Asgard, though Freya, who has survived, does not understand her newfound compassion towards humanity. Loki destroys much of Asgard before Lenneth confronts him. During their battle, Lenneth discovers that being reborn into an elven homunculus allows her power to increase. Her compassion for mankind and love for Lucian causes her power to grow immensely, giving her the power of creation, and she kills Loki and undoes his destruction, becoming the new Lord of Creation. Remarking that she'll never understand what Loki was thinking, Lenneth turns to see Lucian, who has been reborn, and the two are reunited.

Mythology

Valkyrie Profile is based on various events and characters from Norse Mythology, and while some such depictions remain accurate to their mythic counterparts, tri-Ace took artistic liberty with others, deviating mildly or substantially from the original myths. Some such differences are as follow:

  • During the game, the chief opponents of the Æsir during Ragnarok are the Vanir, Loki, and Surt. In traditional Nordic myth, the chief opponents are the Æsir and the Jotun (a race of giants), Loki, and Surt. The Vanir and Æsir were at war at one time, however, though it was not for the battle of Ragnarok.
  • In Nordic myth, the Vanir are another race of gods with little differences to the Æsir actually expressed, whereas in Valkyrie Profile, the Vanir are depicted themselves as giants, and appear to take on the general role of the Jotun.
  • In Nordic myth, Loki is originally half-Æsir and half-Jotun. In the game, he is half-Æsir and half-Vanir, further demonstrating Tri-Ace's substitution of the Jotun for the Vanir.
  • In Nordic myth, Surt is a fire Jotun and ruler of Muspellheim who burns down the world during Ragnarok, while in the game, he is leader of the Vanir, and appears to be an ice giant who still rules over Muspellheim, though it should be noted that many of his attacks are fire based. In the "A Ending" game, it is Loki who destroys the world during Ragnarok after slaying Surt.
  • In Nordic myth, Loki dies from his wounds after battle with Heimdall, the watchman of the Gods. In the game, Loki is slain by Lenneth and her Einherjar.
  • In Nordic myth, Odin is slain during Ragnarok by Fenrir, a giant wolf who eats him alive. Fenrir is then slain by Vidar, Odin's son. In the game, it is implied that Odin is slain by Loki, who has Fenrir at his side. Odin is not consumed alive in the game as in the myth, and it is Lenneth, not Vidar, who slays Fenrir in the game.
  • In Nordic myth, both Freya and Frei are of the Vanir; Freya later married into the Æsir to end the war between the Æsir and the Vanir. In the game, both are aligned with the Æsir, though it is never stated whether or not they were originally of the Vanir.
  • In Nordic myth, Frei is Freya's brother, and one of the more powerful Norse gods who is among the first to die at Ragnarok. In the game, Frei is portrayed as a young girl, and is not depicted to die during Ragnarok, though her fate is ultimately uncertain. However, in the official manga adaptation, Frei is one of Loki's first victims as he wages war on Valhalla.
  • After Ragnarok in Nordic Myth, the world is reborn and two humans, Lif and Lifthrasir, emerge as the sole survivors. Baldur, a God who was tricked and slain (indirectly) by Loki, is miraculously resurrected to rule over the new world. In the game, the world is similarly reborn after Ragnarok, but Lenneth and Lucian are shown together in the end, rather than Lif and Lifthrasir. Rather than Baldur, it is Lucian who is tricked and slain by Loki, only to be miraculously resurrected after Ragnarok.
  • In Nordic myth, as in the game, Valkyries are responsible for choosing Einherjar (the souls of brave fallen warriors) to escort to Valhalla to fight at Odin's side during Ragnarok. However, Valkyries originally did not train Einherjar, and while they are indeed warriors, never engaged in combat on Earth, as they do in the game.
  • In Nordic Myth, Arngrim is a mighty warrior who battles many foes in the employ of a king to win the hand of his daughter, the princess. In the game, Arngrim is a mighty warrior who fights in the employ of a king, but as a mercenary. The king's daughter, Princess Jelanda, plays a crucial role in Arngrim's portion of the game, however, and he eventually fights and dies avenging her rather than trying to marry her.
  • Lenneth Valkyrie herself is possibly featured after Brynhild in the Icelandic saga The Saga of the Volsungs (in the German version Nibelungenlied, she is called Brünhild). Brynhild is a valkyrie who was punished by Odin for disobedience and love for Siegfried, a human. Many of the events during the game resemble the events surrounding Brynhild. For instance, Lenneth has her memories of Lucian, a human she was in love with, magically erased. In the myth, Siegfried has his memories of Brynhild magically erased. In the myth, Brynhild is trapped by a ring of fire from which Siegfried frees her and helps her awaken, and in the game, Lenneth's memories are sealed by the Nibelungen Ring; memories that Lucian eventually helps her break free so that her true personality may awaken. Furthermore, in the myth, Siegfried is renounced by Brynhild shortly before his murder as a precursor to Valhalla's fall during Ragnarok. In the game, Lucian is renounced by Lenneth shortly before he is murdered as a precursor to Ragnarok.

Localization

While Valkyrie Profile had very little editing during translation and ended up with more cinematics than the original Japanese release, Badrach's smoking was cut out. However, the animation of him smoking after a successful battle still remains, sans the cigarette. Visible blood, drinking, and sexual comments remain. In the North American version, Lezard Valeth's teleportation circle was changed to a purple circle, whereas in the Japanese version it was a pink pentagram. When the Playstation Portable version was released, Lezard's teleportation circle was left unchanged and thus remained a pentagram. Character naming is inconsistent. For example, in Norse mythology and the Japanese version Frey is the elder sister and Freya the younger (though in the former Frey is the elder brother) but the situation was reversed in the English version.

Cast

For a full list of characters, please see the article "Characters of Valkyrie Profile".

The voiceover studio and voice actor stock used for the English version was TAJ Productions in New York. Only one cast member (Megan Hollingshead) appeared in both Valkyrie Profile games.

Japanese

English


Crew

PSP Port

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is the PlayStation Portable (PSP) port of the original PlayStation video game Valkyrie Profile. According to Electronic Gaming Monthly, the port of Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth was developed by the Japanese developer TOSE and published by Square Enix. The port is of the Japanese version and does not have any of the improvements that the English version did, such being able to adjust all the characters' armor instead of just the battle party as well as being informed when you change Lenneth's weapon from a sword to a bow. The additional animations included in the English version such as Lezard's tower are intact. New to the game is full motion video, replacing or adding to scenes in the game. All the FMVs are story events and all previous anime scenes have been replaced.

The English version of Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth uses an enhanced version of the original game's localization[citation needed] and reuses the original English voiceover track. Square Enix cleaned up the original game's English script[citation needed] and additional voice over dialogue for the CG movies was recorded by New Generation Pictures, rather than the original company, TAJ Productions.

Reception

The game was well received by critics, the original PlayStation version of the game holds an 84% rating at Game Rankings. In a 2006 reader's poll conducted by Famitsu magazine, Valkyrie Profile was voted the 27th best video game of all-time. The game's PSP re-release received IGN's award for Best PSP RPG of 2006. [1]

External links

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