Valkyrie Profile (review)

Ragnarok is coming. The final battle between the Aesir gods and the Vanir gods are close at hand. And as the demi-god Valkyrie, you have been charged by Odin with the task of collecting the souls of dead mortals to fight for the Aesir.

RPG premises don't get any more intriguing than that. And thankfully, Enix's Valkyrie Profile manages to make a game that is not only original and intense, but also fairly enjoyable as well.

Loosely based on Norse mythology and exceedingly dark in its premise, Valkyrie Profile has you seek out warriors who have just died or are about to. The first time you are introduced to a new character will almost always be through the events leading up to their death. Tragedy abounds, though it is tempered by Valkyrie's utilitarian views toward the souls she has collected.

After a new character joins the party, it is time to strengthen him or her up before they depart for Ragnarok. This is done, of course, by visiting different locations and participating in battles. Valkyrie Profile's character development system is as deep and engrossing as the one found in Star Ocean: The Second Story -- no surprise, considering that both were developed by a company called Tri-Ace.

As the characters grow, they receive character points (CP) which can be used to either increase abilities or decrease negative personality trades. The Aesir often need specific traits in a character, and they also need them to be at a certain level of character, so it is important that you spend your CP wisely. Valkyrie is rated on her performance, and failure to comply with Odin's requests will lower the rewards you receive between chapters.

Chapters? Well, that's one of the other great things about Valkyrie Profile. The game is divided into seven chapters, and each chapter is further divided into 24 periods. The entire game is one giant countdown until the end of the world, and the periods and chapters mark the passing of time. It is Valkyrie's mission to accomplish as much as possible within that time frame.

Using a special ability called "soul concentration" (i.e. by pressing the Start button), Valkyrie can find souls to be recruited, as well as other locations that need to be visited. Each location is marked with a number representing the amount of periods that will be spent by entering said area. Thus, it is imperative that you not leave an area until you're positive the area is cleared. Once a chapter is complete, you are rewarded with artifacts and points, which Valkyrie can use to create weapons, armor, and items. The time constraints make this a very intense and unforgiving RPG.

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