As in the original, dungeons and towns are in 2D and only permit players to move left and right. Certain junctions allow players to walk further inwards or outwards in that particular area, creating the illusion of a 3D world navigated through the ease of 2D platforming.

Within the dungeons, main character Alicia is capable of freezing enemies in place by firing a photon in their direction. Another photon blast at an already-frozen enemy will cause Alicia to trade places with them, a dynamic that's often necessary in solving puzzles. Allowing players to take the dungeon at their own pace, the photon system means you don't end up fighting a battle unless you want to. Of course, avoiding battle isn't really recommended, as they're both enjoyable and a means of ensuring the next boss isn't ridiculously overpowered, but that freedom is always nice.

Though 3D-based, the battle system of Silmeria retains the same basic gameplay that defined Valkyrie Profile. Each character is still mapped to a face button, and that button will still activate their attack. Now, however, the party can move around the battlefield. When attacking an enemy, the camera shifts to a 2D perspective of the foe, and the defeat of either the designated leader or all the enemies on the battlefield ends the encounter.

This system may seem easily conquered by randomly mashing the attack buttons, but thanks to the differing properties of each character's attacks, proper timing and technique are key here. For example, take the crab that will block any and all attacks except for an upwards slash, which will send it flying in the air, leaving it extremely vulnerable. Sure, it'll get thrown up in the air at some point with the button mashing, but to really optimize the damage, you'll want that upwards slash to be among the first attacks.

Another handy technique is to split the party up into two separate groups and strategically position each group. If placed on opposite sides of a large foe, this renders any of that enemy's defensive actions null, as one group will invariably be able to attack the unguarded backside, canceling the guard and permitting the group on the other side to freely attack as well.

This may all sound simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Everything's dependent on the proper approach: Using the right tactics, it's possible to walk away from a battle unscathed, but it's just as easy to screw up and lose a good chunk of health in the process.

The shift to 3D also resolves one of the problems with the original. With the static battleground positions of the first, it was easy to grow complacent and even bored performing the same moves over and over again. But here, the constant movement of both foe and party alike keeps things interesting, there's always the chance an enemy could be approaching from behind, and the increase in the number and variety of enemies in each encounter also helps. Silmeria also includes the option to skip the special attack sequences, a welcome addition given how frequently they can occur.

Something else that can affect battle are the Sphere Orbs. Scattered throughout dungeons, they cast a specific stat-changing effect on either the party or the area as a whole. These Sphere Orbs can either help, such as the one that increased healing by 200%, or hurt, such as the one that halved the elemental damage my magician was proficient with. Not only can players opt to carry their favored Sphere Orb around a dungeon, but they can also be shared between multiple dungeons. However, only one Sphere Orb can be carried at a time, the wide range of differing effects making this choice a difficult compromise.

Speaking of tough compromises, the number of party members that eventually become available to Alicia means that there'll always be some that get ignored. That's not exactly a bad thing, always better to have too many choices than not enough, and fortunately the ability system permits even the weaker characters to be easily outfitted with the often-advanced capabilities that prove useful in battle.

Unlike most RPGs, characters in Silmeria can't buy additional abilities and, for the most part, don't earn them as they level up. Instead, characters gain abilities through equipped items. Each item is engraved with rune and carries an elemental property. Different combinations of items, runes, and elements unlock various capabilities, such as a handy health regeneration property, encouraging the player to experiment with different setups, with an easily accessible list detailing the already-discovered combinations. This allows characters to be heavily customized given the proper items, providing extra incentive to collect equipment at any opportunity.

Within the world of Silmeria, there's a heavy emphasis on attention to detail. Upon entering a dungeon, an establishing shot of a goblet displays an impressive amount of detail only to pull back through the window and expose an equally-detailed tower, the gushing waterfalls of the surrounding landscape, and finally Alicia and crew, all in one smooth motion. Different layers of the background scroll at different speeds, creating the illusion of vast environments. The tall grass of a meadow slowly sways in the wind. It's impressive to begin with, but all the moreso considering it's being done in-game with no tangible load times.

This attention to detail also carries over to the cutscenes, the life-like animation and the various cinematic effects working together to create scenes that often appear right out of a film. However, it's here that some slight flaws start to appear. Lip synching ranges from passable to non-existent, as characters will sometimes speak a line without even moving their mouths. The voice acting itself is also within a similar range of quality, sometimes it's really good, sometimes it just doesn't sound right. On the plus side, Silmeria's voice acting is far above that of the original Valkyrie Profile. Also, it's odd and disappointing to note that though you can skip these cinematics, they can't be paused.

Compared to Valkyrie Profile, Silmeria is a much more linear affair. Silmeria does afford some freedom to the player in the form of optional dungeons and a decent number of available characters, but you can't freely pick and choose which quests to do and which to skip like you could in the original, nor are there multiple endings that spill out of these decisions. The tradeoff is that Silmeria ends up a better-paced experience, plus there's no worrying about the criteria for the best ending, though some may be sad to discover the game doesn't stop to detail each character's backstory as they're introduced.

It would be criminal to review an RPG like Silmeria without mentioning its story, but I also don't want to give too much away. Suffice to say, the way things turn out isn't always predictable, and lots of cameos, some unexpected, await fans of the original. But be warned, fans of the first should prepare to not always be thrilled with the weakness displayed by main character Alicia, a stark contrast to the strong leading role Lenneth previously played.

In summary, with only minor complaints dragging it down, it's safe to say Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria is a quality sequel. The world it presents is gorgeous, with some one of the most technically and aesthetically pleasing visuals we've seen thus far. Meanwhile, the revised and expanded battle system injects additional strategy while eliminating the issues that bogged down the previous game. But perhaps best of all, it's an experience that can be enjoyed by both those that played Valkyrie Profile and those that have never heard of it. Easily among the best role-playing titles on the PlayStation 2, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria is one that no RPG fan should miss.