This game is astoundingly pretty. In terms of graphical structure, the comparisons with Tri-Ace's Radiata Stories are well obvious - I'm not sure but it looks like a refined version of the same graphical engine for the exploration scenes, but the use of more detailed textures transforms Radiata's storybook visuals into something far different. From the opening cinematics it's not entirely convincing that the game really follows the style of its PS1 predecessor, as great as the character models look. But as soon as the game gives you control, it's unmistakably Valkyrie Profile.
The game is essentially two-dimensional, just as Valkyrie Profile was, and it controls in exactly the same way with the protagonist, Alicia/Silmeria, moving aolong a horizontal path and being able to interact with doors/people in the fore/background. Yet, like Radiata Stories, this linear path is not straight, curving around buildings and roads, making it visually more exciting than the original. It seems like such a natural update of the old VP style for the new generation (late as it may arrive in this gen).
Obviously, the whole game is in japanese, so most of the plot is lost on my non-comprehending ears, but the immediate premise of where the game begins is that Silmeria is imprisoned in the body of Alicia, a princess of the kingdom of Dipan. Silmeria shares Alicia's schizophrenic body, with one personality being dominant at a time, so in the cutscenes you hear her personalities switch as her voice and behaviour changes. It's a nice effect, though of course I have no idea how it plays out in the script. So far it seems like a more conventional storyline than VP, with the plot opening with her embarking on an exploration with both mortal and einherjar allies. Recruiting einherjar seems much briefer than before, connecting with them through the weapons or artifacts they leave behind, though there are glimpses of their experiences in some cutscenes. Still not seen much yet, I'm only a little bit in.
Combat initially seems a bit overwhelming and a lot of a change - the simple 2D affairs are now three-dimensional, but only in some aspects. Encountering an enemy (as before, no random encounters; touching foes or slashign them with a sword engages battle) switches to a fully rendered 3D area with several enemies, each with a red area of attack. Allow them to move into a position where you're in this area and you get attacked, simple. Yet enemies can only move when you move, so there is an element of tactics in getting around their attacks as there is a dash command that lets Alicia/Silmeria et al move without any enemies moving, at the expense of move points that would otherwise be used for attacking. Move into attack range and it all becomes very familiar - character attacks are assigned to each face button, as before, and you can happily combo away. So far I'm not at a high enough level to fill the combo meter for divine special attacks, nor am I really struggling for move points since mycombos have few hits, so things are quite easy once you get the hang of things, but I fully expect thigns to get a bit more hectic later on. If VP is anything to go by, the stats and numbers will get silly later on.
So is it any fun? well, yes, but then I'm a big VP fan, and this is the sort of game that really panders to fans of the original. It's like tri-Ace have teased us for so long with little teasers and now they've released the big on that really appeals to us. Personally, I didn't feel VP needed a sequel, but so far this feels like a very competent way forward. It feels like a really good way to move the series on to a second step. I haven't played much at all, it must be said, but Silmeria feels so far to be a bit more conventional than VP, but still is something that will appeal primarily to a few, mainly the followers of the original.
The game is essentially two-dimensional, just as Valkyrie Profile was, and it controls in exactly the same way with the protagonist, Alicia/Silmeria, moving aolong a horizontal path and being able to interact with doors/people in the fore/background. Yet, like Radiata Stories, this linear path is not straight, curving around buildings and roads, making it visually more exciting than the original. It seems like such a natural update of the old VP style for the new generation (late as it may arrive in this gen).
Obviously, the whole game is in japanese, so most of the plot is lost on my non-comprehending ears, but the immediate premise of where the game begins is that Silmeria is imprisoned in the body of Alicia, a princess of the kingdom of Dipan. Silmeria shares Alicia's schizophrenic body, with one personality being dominant at a time, so in the cutscenes you hear her personalities switch as her voice and behaviour changes. It's a nice effect, though of course I have no idea how it plays out in the script. So far it seems like a more conventional storyline than VP, with the plot opening with her embarking on an exploration with both mortal and einherjar allies. Recruiting einherjar seems much briefer than before, connecting with them through the weapons or artifacts they leave behind, though there are glimpses of their experiences in some cutscenes. Still not seen much yet, I'm only a little bit in.
Combat initially seems a bit overwhelming and a lot of a change - the simple 2D affairs are now three-dimensional, but only in some aspects. Encountering an enemy (as before, no random encounters; touching foes or slashign them with a sword engages battle) switches to a fully rendered 3D area with several enemies, each with a red area of attack. Allow them to move into a position where you're in this area and you get attacked, simple. Yet enemies can only move when you move, so there is an element of tactics in getting around their attacks as there is a dash command that lets Alicia/Silmeria et al move without any enemies moving, at the expense of move points that would otherwise be used for attacking. Move into attack range and it all becomes very familiar - character attacks are assigned to each face button, as before, and you can happily combo away. So far I'm not at a high enough level to fill the combo meter for divine special attacks, nor am I really struggling for move points since mycombos have few hits, so things are quite easy once you get the hang of things, but I fully expect thigns to get a bit more hectic later on. If VP is anything to go by, the stats and numbers will get silly later on.
So is it any fun? well, yes, but then I'm a big VP fan, and this is the sort of game that really panders to fans of the original. It's like tri-Ace have teased us for so long with little teasers and now they've released the big on that really appeals to us. Personally, I didn't feel VP needed a sequel, but so far this feels like a very competent way forward. It feels like a really good way to move the series on to a second step. I haven't played much at all, it must be said, but Silmeria feels so far to be a bit more conventional than VP, but still is something that will appeal primarily to a few, mainly the followers of the original.
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