Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth

"Best RPG ever? That question's easy, but here's a better one: $400 or $40?"

Introducing a Classic!

Well, well, well, look what came back! Valkyrie Profile is a classic, one of the greatest RPGs ever, and when it was originally produced, it was in rare quantity, and sold out before everyone who wanted one managed to get their hands on one. This game slipped under some people's noses, so while some were able to get their hands on it, others completely passed it up not realizing what is was. Let me tell you about what you missed out the first time around: one of the single best RPGs ever made.

And guess what? Now's your chance to own it for the PSP! Seriously, this is the rarest game ever, selling for easily $400 or more on Ebay. So the question is this. Would you like to pay $400, or $40?

The game starts a Valkyrie named Lenneth, one of the three Goddesses that govern destiny. Upon ones death she can take the person's soul and add it to her army, and with Asgard in war, Asgard will need all the help it can get. Throughout the game you gather and collect members to join your celestial army. Train them power them up, then transfer them to Asgard. Each "Period" is a portion of time - every time you enter a dungeon or town, you take up certain periods of time. Just as time passed in Midgard, time passes in Asgard and the battle grows ever closer. When all periods in a chapter have been fulfilled, the chapter will come to a close and Lenneth will receive her evaluation.

"Aye, that lass be fine to me eyes."

Of course, enough about the story. It's so epic and dynamic that I can't even get into detail about all of the different people who join from various paths of life. But let's start looking at the graphics, shall we? Beautiful, just plain beautiful. The animations of characters are fluid. When Lenneth leaps into the air and lands on the ground, it will amaze you. The little 2d pixels are so well animated and color that even simple running and stopping will dazzle you. Off the bat you can tell money was put into this work, can't you? And the backgrounds? Gorgeous. Even in 2d (which is NOT a bad thing at all), some of the graphics are the best you'll see. The backgrounds are breathtaking in certain towns, and the caverns feel downright creepy.

As for the 3d scenes, let's just say this: spectacular. There's a lot of work put into this game, and I don't even know how they managed to get such pristine graphics for the 3d scenes. But being a PSP, there's a downfall, right? Right. Unfortunately because of the method the PSP runs it's graphics processor, some of the images are blurry. Also, during some scenes where the background is moving, it's extremely choppy. There wasn't much of this on the PSone version, but what little was there has been greatly brought out onto the PSP version. Still, it's a feast for the eyes, even if the feast blinks every once in a while.

"I coulda' sworn I heard a trumpet."

Next stop, music and sound department. First off, the music. AWESOME. I'm serious, it sounds like I'm a 10 year old high on caffeinated soda, but I'm not. I'm actually a grown man enthused as if he were a kid. The music is awesome, especially while wearing the PSP headphones. The speakers of the PSP don't do it justice, but the headphones bring out the clarity of beauty of the music. As for the sound effects, they're fine, just as you'd expect for an RPG.

The voice work... is not quite the best. This is where the game doesn't shine so bright. The voice work is mediocre at best, with an couple characters actually inspired. Some voice actors do well, others don't, and there's plenty of bad voice actors. Still, Lenneth's actor does well in doses.

"Gameplay, anyone?"

Finally, the game is simply "FUN". From flying outside and discovering a town, to venturing into dungeons in a 2d side-scroller manner before shifting into a tactical battle system, the game is simply fun, everything about it. You fly around and use your abilities as a Valkyrie to sense the struggles and troubles of different people. In town, you speak to others and recruit Einherjar. In dungeons, you shoot crystals which can form platforms in the wall or out of enemies, loot dungeons, and strike up a battle with an opponent, shifting into a unique tactical battle system.

Really, this is an excellent battle system. It's got the looks, the design and ability to be one of the best RPG battle systems around. To be honest, I've been playing this for hours on end, and I'm still not bored. I move into battles with every enemy I see, even though I could avoid them. That's how fun the game is, and with plenty of customization, material forming, trait changing and skill flipping entertainment this game delivers in all compartments, and even has a humongous replayability value.

"In closing..."

Would I recommend it? Yes. You absolutely must get this game in any way, shape or form. If you want to spend $400 and get the original type for the PSone, that's up to you, but there's nothing great missing that's not in this PSP version for approx. $40. Should you buy it or rent it? BUY IT. Why? Because it's the best game for the PSP right now, and the story and replayability will keep you coming back for ages, plus the added difficulty modes are great. So what are you waiting for? Better hurry, because same game shops are all ready out of stock with the first line!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/20/06