We’re spoiled with RPGs right now. Many classic series are getting revived, either with remasters, new entries, or both. As this trend has swelled I held out hope for something related to the small, cult favourite series Valkyrie Profile—and that hope has been answered with Valkyrie Elysium, a reboot of sorts.
Granted, that term feels loose when used for this series. The original game, Valkyrie Profile on PSone, came in a golden age for the genre, but supply did not keep up with the game’s reputation, and it’s since become a holy grail for collectors. 2006 brought a renaissance, with an enhanced port for PSP (which will return this December), a sequel/prequel in Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, and a direct prequel, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume on Nintendo DS.
“Valkyrie Elysium keeps the spirit of its predecessors…”
For the most part, this series is known for slow pacing, steep learning curves, and a turn-based combat system that has players summoning their allies with the press of a face-button—all steeped in Norse mythology. Valkyrie Elysium keeps the spirit of its predecessors while updating the formula as an action-RPG for the modern age, and I’m quite happy with the result.
In this reimagination of Norse myths, a great war has left Odin wounded in battle with the aesir Fenrir, and Ragnarok, the end of the world, is nigh. To prevent this, he creates Valkyrie, an imaginatively named Valkyrie (like making a human named Human). She is to go forth and purify the lost souls left in the war’s wake, and prepare her own personal band of Einherjar, or dead souls who fight alongside her. Odin will grow stronger as Valkyrie purifies the world, and hopefully prevent Ragnarok from coming to pass.
Thus, Valkyrie goes forth into a beautifully sullen world. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Elden Ring, given the latter’s predominance, and I’m sure I won’t be the only one—however, it’s not exactly fair to compare it to Valkyrie Elysium. While I vastly prefer this bleak fantasy world on the brink of apocalypse to Fromsoft’s, this is the kind of world that the Valkyrie series has been presenting us for twenty years, not the first of an inevitable wave of imitators.
Soleil did a great job of bringing that world to life in full 3D, crafting environments that are interesting for action-RPG combat, feel related to the previous 2D games, and honour the mythology that’s being adapted. This isn’t the kind of game that’s going to make you burst out laughing, or feel happy for story-related reasons—it’s the end of the world, and you’re recruiting the noble dead to fight alongside you, after all.
Speaking of the fighting, I really appreciate how Valkyrie Elysium brings the turn-based battle mechanics of Valkyrie Profile into a new genre. In the original, Lenneth and up to three Einherjar in her party were assigned face buttons; press the face button and that character acts, using up a chunk of the turn gauge.
In Valkyrie Elysium you control Valkyrie at all times and, once you obtain them, summon the Einherjar into battle temporarily by pressing R1 and their assigned face button. They’ll fight alongside you, using their assigned abilities, for a brief time. Valkyrie herself can swap between two weapons on the fly, or cast equipped spells with R2 and their assigned face buttons. It doesn’t exactly redefine the genre or push its envelope, but it is an engaging system in its own right, and it reflects the series’ conventions.
Reflecting more recent Square Enix conventions, there’s also a sort of “stagger” mechanic, not unlike Final Fantasy VII Remake. Enemies have vulnerabilities to certain elements; hit them with that element, and their “elemental crush” gauge fills. Fill that gauge, and they’re briefly weakened, or staggered, to borrow the Final Fantasy parlance.
Keep hitting them with the element in this state, and they’ll be further incapacitated. However, once they recover, they’ll be locked out of being crushed temporarily, and then achieving that status again becomes harder. Rank-and-file opponents don’t require much strategic thought in this department, but it’s a defining aspect of boss fights. Do you crush and incapacitate the boss early to get a head start, or wait until it’s weaker and closer to going aggro?
Opponents also have weaknesses to specific weapons, and Valkyrie Elysium offers a veritable armoury. Control inputs for each weapon are very similar, which makes for easier adjustments, but they each have signature traits. All have deeply Norse names that I’ll spare you the headache of deciphering for now, but for example, a spear may be slow but strong, while a rapier is fast but weak. Choosing the right weapon for the job was a fun strategic aspect that kept combat interesting.
Einherjar also have elements attached, so battles become an engaging dance of the actual combat itself and strategic decisions, like when to use each weapon, ally, and magic spell at your disposal to best exploit enemies’ weaknesses. Better still, you can swap your equipped items on the fly with the pause menu.
It’s all relatively balanced enough that I didn’t really feel the same mid-level weariness that the classic games could bring, slogging through dungeons. That being said, many of the levels start to look the same after a while—deserted cobblestone streets, ruined castles, and so on. It doesn’t help that for the most part, you’re going from point A to point B, beating the snot out of everything in your path as you seek out relics.
“Valkyrie Elysium is also better balanced in the story department…”
Mercifully, Valkyrie Elysium is also better balanced in the story department, though it may have erred on the side of overcorrection. Having recently restarted Valkyrie Profile, I’d forgotten how dense its story sequences could be. Valkyrie Elysium, on the contrary, is light and airy; cutscenes are to-the-point by comparison. This can make the story seem a little flat, at least early on.
However, just as Valkyrie gets her stride by finding Einherjar, so too does the game itself pick up as your party expands. Each of the companions drew me in, and the hint of a sinister subplot kept me second-guessing everybody else I encountered.
The presentation is perhaps the most lacking department, unfortunately. Environments look fantastic, battles are brilliant without getting too disorienting, and it utilizes the PlayStation 5 hardware well. I’m not a big fan of the cel-shading effects, though. Characters don’t blend well with the environments, and it took me out of the moment in many cutscenes.
Moreover, there are giant shadowy textboxes behind the subtitles, taking up a third of the screens, and the menus can be a little obtuse at times, especially when it comes to reloading after a game over. These are minor qualms in the grand scheme of things; little flaws that mar an otherwise beautiful portrait. I was a little wary of the series jumping to action RPG territory, but Valkyrie Elysium proved my concerns unwarranted.
It’s a solid experience that feels like an extension of its ancestor, and both newcomers and old fans should check it out. However, I also fear there’s not quite enough to latch on to, and it may be lost in the shuffle of all the other games out this fall. Much like another Square Enix action-RPG this year, I do wish it had pushed itself just a little further.
