Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a role playing game that was developed by Tri-Ace and released for the Sony Playstation Portable on July 18, 2006.
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Developer: Tri-Ace Publisher: Square Enix Release Date: July 18, 2006 Platforms: PSP JustRPG Score: 87% Pros: +Appealing characters. +Fun combat system. +Great port of a classic. Cons: -No replay value. -Mediocre story line. -Confusing mechanics. |
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth Overview
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a port of the original Valkyrie Profile game. This new version supports fresher graphics, and tuned up game mechanics. The game plays like a role playing game but has a more unique combat system. In this combat system the player can choose one attack from multiple characters which makes this game quite different than most in the genre. Overall if you are a fan of the JRPG genre then this game is a must play classic.
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth Screenshots
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth Featured Video
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth Review
| Recently, to the delight of us RPG fans who missed the original run, Square-Enix has releasedValkyrie Profile: Lenneth for the PSP. This is an updated version of the 2000 Playstation title. Will the second time around be as good as the first? Or will Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth go down as one of the flawed ports for the PSP? |
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The storyline in Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is one of the most intriguing that I have encountered in quite some time. When Odin, the God of Asgard, discovers that Ragnarok, the battle at the end of the world, is drawing near, he sends the Valkyrie Lenneth on an important mission that will decide the fate of the war. In order to aid Odin, Lenneth is sent to the land of mortals, known as Midgard, to bring back the brave souls of fallen warriors, or also known as “einherjar”. With Ragnarok quickly approaching, Lenneth must work against the clock to discover these souls and help ensure victory for the God. |
| Throughout Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth the game is broken down into eight chapters and several different periods. With time against her, Lenneth will fly above Midgard and have to use her powers of spiritual concentration to locate the souls of soon to be fallen warriors. However, using these powers takes time to complete and every time will consume a couple of periods. Similarly, if Lenneth visits a town or dungeon, she will also use up some of these periods of time. In other words, you must use your actions wisely because making a few wrong choices could really add up and cause some problems later. |
| As I’ve stated earlier, Lenneth’s main priority is to travel Midgard and locate these einherjar. When you collect these einherjar, each of them will come along with a rating, which could be a positive or negative number. The main objective is to basically battle through enemies in Midgard and level these characters up until they become strong enough to send to fight for Odin in Asgard. |
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The combat in Valkyrie Profile is basically turn-based but somewhat different than what we normally see these days in traditional RPGs. Up to four characters can participate in combat, with each of the four face buttons controlling one of those character’s basic attacks. Attacking characters, when timed right, can also trigger certain combo attacks with other party members. When done right, these combo attacks can dish out devastating damage to the enemy. Of course, characters can also do much more than merely their basic attacks, but with this game it is a little different than most RPGs. In order to perform any other type of action, including using items or magical abilities, you must press the select button and then a list of a few options will appear. Characters can also un-equip or equip different items and weapons in this same manner, but at the cost of a character’s turn. |
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| Aside from combat, one of the interesting features about the game is the fact that dungeon exploring includes traveling around in a 2D environment. Basically the dungeon crawling experience of Valkyrie Profile resembles that of an old side scrolling 2D adventure. Lenneth will run around in search of enemies to vanquish and treasures to unlock. The enemies found in dungeons can be seen on the map, and often Lenneth can use her ability to shoot ice crystals and freeze the enemies, skipping them if desired. These ice crystals can also be used to build ice blocks, which will give Lenneth an advantage in reaching high up areas where merely jumping would be impossible. |
| Visually, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a very good-looking game. While the actual character models are still 2D and don’t appear too much different than those of the original Playstation release, they are much finer and cleaner, which of course is a good thing. Still, one of the best things about the game graphically is the backgrounds and other sceneries that you will constantly encounter. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth features some of the most beautiful environments that I’ve seen from a 2D game and there were times when I’d sit in awe from the beautiful designs. For the PSP release, Square Enix has altered the anime styled cutscenes into fresh new and beautiful looking CGI. After viewing each of these cutscenes they become available at the game’s main menu where you can view them any time you start up the game, which you might be checking out every now and then. |
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In concern to the sound department, the game features some of the nicest sounds that I’ve heard come out of my PSP. The game features a great soundtrack, and you can even listen to them all by going to the sound mode on the main menu. Valkyrie Profile: Lennethfeatures an amazing soundtrack and similar to the cutscenes, I’m sure many will be checking this out from time to time. For the PSP port of the game, Square Enix has added even more voice work and even had the voice actor for Lenneth return to record more dialogue for the character. For the most part, the games voice acting is done well, with a lot of it during cinemas, FMV’s and combat. Plus the sound effects from magic attacks, sword strikes and ice blasting doesn’t sound too shabby either. |
| If you’re a gamer who doesn’t mind replaying a game to discover the multiple endings then you will love Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. When you first start the game you will be given the choice of choosing the difficulty of your adventure, easy, normal or hard. Aside from the obvious differences, each of the three difficulties contains a different ending, and in order to get the full story of the game, players will have to go and complete all three difficulties. Also, when playing through the game on easy, many of the experiences with the dungeons and characters of the game will be minimized compared to playing through on any other difficulty. Naturally, there is a bit of replay value in the game, which considering how great this title is, I can’t see too many RPG fans not wanting to go through it time and time again. |
| Still, with all of its greatness, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth still has some flaws. For one, the fact that the game doesn’t allow players to save at any moment is crucial to the portable experience and is almost needed in an RPG for a handheld. Throughout the game, save points can be hard to come by, and while you can save the game by leaving a dungeon and heading for the world map, but this will also consume up periods of time, which as I mentioned earlier, can be quite problematic with the outcome of the game. Also, the fact that there really isn’t very many new things added to the port of Valkyrie Profile might bother soem gamers. Other than some cinemas, which look excellent, there isn’t a lot of new content. The addition of new characters, dungeons, and so on would have been an excellent choice. |
| While Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth has a few minor flaws with save points, new additions and so on, it arguably could be the best RPG for the PSP. If you’re a PSP owner and have been looking for a good RPG to add to your collection then look no further than Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. Even if you don’t own a PSP, go buy one and then pick this game up because you won’t regret it. |
| Final Grade: 87% |
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth Screenshots