Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
| Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | tri-Ace |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
| Artist(s) | Kou Yoshinari / You Yoshinari (character illustration) |
| Composer(s) | Motoi Sakuraba |
| Series | Valkyrie Profile series |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (ヴァルキリープロファイル-咎を背負う者-, Varukirī Purofairu -Toga wo Seou Mono-, lit. Valkyrie Profile: The Accused One(s)) is the third installment in the Valkyrie Profile series of role-playing games. It was developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS, released on November 1, 2008 in Japan with planned Western release dates in Spring 2009.
Plot
The game centers on the misotheistic idea of "vengeance on the Gods". The protagonist is a young soldier named Wylfred who holds a grudge against Lenneth Valkyrie. Lenneth chose Wylfred's father, Thyodor, to become an Einherjar, taking his soul into her possession when Wylfred was a mere ten years old. This situation left Wylfred's family in poverty, and his younger sister soon died of malnutrition. Years pass and the young man's anger grows, until he is offered the Goddess's Feather, shed from Lenneth's wings and found near the corpse of his father, by Hel, the Queen of Niflheim. By becoming a renowned warrior like his father, he believes he can eventually be chosen to become an Einherjar, giving him the means with which to exact his vengeance. Joining him on his quest are his close friend and fellow warrior, Ansel, and Ailyth, a beautiful emissary from Niflheim. All is not well in the world as Wylfred sets out on his quest. Central Midgard is poised to be thrown into turmoil as a succession dispute erupts between the two princes of the Artolia Kingdom, Langrey and Cristoff. With the bordering nations of Villnore and Crell Monferaigne closely monitoring Artolia's internal strife, war may once again break out, giving Wylfred the perfect opportunity in which to complete his mission.
Gameplay
Covenant of the Plume's gameplay is presented mainly from an isometric view.[3] The player's two-dimensional character sprites move about on a three-dimensional map akin to those of a tactical role-playing game. While characters may attack enemies individually, the player's characters can actively support each other via the Mutual Assist system. When an enemy is in the attacking range of up to four characters an exclamation mark will appear over their sprite, indicating that they are ready to engage. As the group attacks, combat begins. Each of four characters is mapped to the A, B, X, and Y buttons, which are pressed to attack. Successful attacks build up the EN Gauge that, when filled, allows individual characters to perform powerful special attacks called Soul Crushes. Also returning from previous games are the purple gems and magic crystals.
As the player determines the position of their individual characters around enemies, that positioning can be exploited in a new feature called the Active Formation system. By aligning their characters in certain formations, benefits such as a greater rate of increase to the EN Gauge or a boost to the chance of gaining items from the encounter can be exploited. Active Formations revealed so far include the Double Cluster formation, with two pairs of characters on opposite sides of an enemy, and the Grand Cross formation, with one character at each of an enemy's four sides. Another new factor in battle involves the power of Wylfred's Goddess's Feather. By invoking the power of this item, the player can chose to temporarily grant an ally with vastly improved statistics and abilities that vary from individual to individual. Once the battle ends, however, the Goddess's Feather's power overwhelms that person's physical form, causing them to perish. It is up to the player to weigh these dire consequences against what they wish to accomplish with this dangerous power.
Music
As with past Valkyrie Profile games, Motoi Sakuraba composed the game's musical score. The soundtrack was released on November 5, 2007. An arranged album was also released by Team Entertainment on the same day.[4]
Reception
Famitsu gave the game a 32 out of 40.[5]
The game debuted on the Japanese sales charts at number two, selling 80,000 copies.[6] The following week, it sold an additional 33,000 copies.[7] It was the 97th best-selling game in Japan in 2008, selling 136,948 copies.[8] As of February 7, 2009, the game has sold 151,253 copies.[9]
References
- ^ "Square Enix Updates 2009 Q1 Lineup". 2008-11-11. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ "Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume available in PAL territories in April". 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- ^ Siliconera » Valkyrie Profile: The Accused One Announced for the DS [Update]
- ^ "Valkyrie Profile: Convenant of the Plume". http://sakuraba.cocoebiz.com/. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
{{cite web}}: External link in|work= - ^ jahiggin (October 22, 2008). "Famitsu Review Scores". PureNintendo.com. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
- ^ Jenkins, David (November 6, 2008). "Japanese Charts: GTA IV Beats LittleBigPlanet". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
- ^ Jenkins, David (November 13, 2008). "Japanese Charts: Super Ultra Success For Kirby". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
- ^ [http:http://www.kyoto.zaq.ne.jp/dkbkq103/yso/top100/2008.htm "2008 top 100"]. Kyoto.zaq.ne.jp. Retrieved 2009-1-21.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ http://www.vgchartz.com/japweekly.php?date=39845&console=DS&maker=Square+Enix&disp=Japanese+Name&boxartz=1
External links
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