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Screens & Info Updated: 9/5/2006 If nothing else, the original Valkyrie Profile, which first hit six years ago and was recently released on the PSP, was a rather unique experience, especially with its refreshingly original battle system. However, it wasn't perfect. Many battles came down to watching the same special attack play out over and over again, and with the title's emphasis on battling, these attacks started to get old after a while.
But at the time, this wasn't considered a major flaw, especially as no other game had come close to providing a similar experience. Likewise, no one complained that the battles themselves felt a little slow, because there really wasn’t any basis for comparison. In fact, it wasn't until another title came along, revising and polishing numerous aspects of Valkyrie Profile, that I even noticed the various shortcomings of the original became so clear, and it’s my job to nitpick. That game, the one that improves so greatly upon the Valkyrie Profile formula, it’s (unsurprisingly) Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. In comparison to the original Valkyrie Profile, Silmeria retains the basics and builds upon them. Dungeons still occur on a 2D plane, and battle still occurs whenever players come into contact with an enemy. However, though these encounters still use the same core battle system, it's undergone several notable changes and additions. Battle now moves at a much brisker pace, and the option to skip special attack animations means players won't be forced to watch them ad nauseam. But compared to the other revisions, that's just polish. Instead of a 2D plane, battle now takes place in a small 3D area filled with foes, similar to that of Radiata Stories and Star Ocean 3. From there, players are able to walk or dash around the map and target specific enemies. Once Alicia and crew are close enough to an enemy, tapping any of the four face buttons will cause the character mapped to that button to act, also causing the camera to swing around for a side view of the party, akin to that of the original Valkyrie Profile. Victory is achieved in these encounters by either clearing out the entire area of enemies, or by defeating the foe marked as the leader, generally located at the far end of the map. Also new to Silmeria is the ability to split the party into two groups. Pressing right and left on the d-pad changes the selected character, while up and down toggle which group the character belongs to. Players can then take control of the selected character and any members of the same group will follow. This provides a lot of strategic potential, from confronting two different enemies at the same time to distracting an enemy with one group while the other sneaks behind him and attacks his weak point. All of this can be a lot to take in, especially with the game throwing out nuance after nuance during the battle tutorial. Luckily, the first dungeon is ideal for players to get comfortable with these nuances, and by the time it's over, they should have a pretty firm grasp of the various battle mechanics. The battle system isn't the only aspect of the game that's undergone a strategic revision. Sealstones now populate dungeons, small stat-changing spheres that cast an effect, such as increased mass or increased attack power, across entire sections. Players can swap sealstones to change the properties of an area, and even carry it with them through the dungeon, the properties of that particular sealstone then extending to any battle the player would enter. Sealstones can’t be used or moved outside of the dungeons they inhabit, but they can be transferred between the various dungeons by placing them in springs, which require the player to pay a fee that's relative to how powerful and rare that sealstone may be. These sealstones can radically affect how a battle plays out, so it shall be interesting to see how big of a role they play in later dungeons. Though I'm only a few hours into Silmeria, the game has wasted no time in cementing itself as the follow-up to Valkyrie Profile. There have already been several cameos, some unexpected, and the story's direction is intriguing, to say the least. And I'm rather smitten with the modified battle system, the faster and more strategic encounters keeping me from getting complacent and bored. Due out September 26th, be sure to check back in the coming weeks for our review of Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria.
Behind the scenes at Square Enix's E3 Press Conference, amid a myriad of monitors displaying upcoming Square Enix titles, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria is the one that really grabs your eye. It's easily the most gorgeous of the bunch, the smooth lines of the world a sharp contrast to nearby Final Fantasy XII's plentiful jagged edges. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Silmeria is running in progressive scan and taking up the whole 16:9 display as well. A prequel to the cult-classic PSOne title Valkyrie Profile, soon to be re-released on the PSP as Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, Silmeria takes place hundreds of years prior to the events of its predecessor. A young princess, Alicia, has been blessed, or perhaps cursed, with the soul of the valkyrie Silmeria. Banished to a far-off land by her father, presumed dead by her kingdom, the opening scene shows Alicia’s duel with an as-yet-unnamed purple valkyrie, culminating in a blue explosion that leaves Alicia's former trappings in ruin. Even in the opening cinematics, developer tri-Ace's attention to detail is clear, with numerous effects, including cloth physics, bloom lighting, per-pixel shading, and particle effects in use. Each scene is a compilation of three layers, the foreground, middle ground, and background combining to create a world that has both depth and life. Furthering the cinematic touch, these scenes were composed with the aide of Japanese cinematographers. Once escaped, Alicia has a few new problems. Chief among them is this voice she keeps hearing in her head, that of Silmeria. Alicia and Silmeria struggle for control of their body, with Alicia's verbal arguments against the voice in her head leaving onlookers confused and a tad bit worried. The situation here is similar to Lord of the Ring's Gollum, two distinct personalities, one body. And as with Gollum, it's easy to tell which personality is in control of Alicia's body by the mannerisms and actions, her eyes turning blue and her movements more confident when Silmeria is in charge. As Silmeria and Alicia travel throughout the land, they run across others willing to fight alongside them. Some are living, recruited in towns as the story progresses, and some... aren't. Being a valkryie, it is Silmeria's duty to collect the souls of those that have fallen in battle. Signified by the presence of a lone weapon, such as a sword in the ground, Slimera is able to extract the souls of these fallen warriors, at which point they become selectable members of the party. Up to three other characters, living or dead, can join Alicia in battle, and over twenty souls can be found in the game. These battles, by the way, aren't too much different than those featured in the original Valkryie Profile. They still take place on a 2D plane, with each one of the PlayStation controller's 4 face buttons corresponding to an individual character. Hitting that button activates that character's pre-selected attack routine, which can be configured and customized outside of battle. This allows for some pretty nifty combos, their effectiveness dependent on the timing of the button presses. New to Silmeria is the ability to break up the party and attack an enemy from both sides. Also new are the 3D dungeon sections, these 3D sections showing all the enemies in the immediate area and the range of their attacks. As players approach the enemies, the camera shifts into the 2D battle perspective described above. Each section also features an enemy leader whose defeat will end battles in that area. It's worth noting these battle areas are the only instance of 3D gameplay in Silmeria. Outside of these segments, Silmeria utilizes the 2D side-scrolling format of its predecessor for towns and dungeons. Much as Lenneth before her, Alicia can freeze objects and use the frozen crystals to help navigate past obstacles. In fact, Alicia can go one step beyond that -- not only can she freeze enemies, she can trade places with the crystals. One example we saw placed a flying enemy near the ledge leading to the area's exit. Freezing the enemy didn't do much good, we weren't able to jump high enough to reach it nor the ledge. However, by swapping places with that enemy, we were able to easily reach the ledge. This system, dubbed the Photon Action System, provides potential for some rather clever puzzles. Slated for a Quarter 3 release, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria looks to be the followup fans of the original have been hoping for. Taking advantage of the PlayStation 2 hardware whilst preserving the gameplay that made the original so well-known, it's easily one of the most beautiful games on the PlayStation 2. Meanwhile, the simple-yet-strategic gameplay is so addictive we can't wait to get our hands on it again. Keep checking back with us for more information and impressions as Valkryie Profile 2: Silmeria's release draws closer.
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