Valkyrie Elysium review – Ragnarök strikes again

metro.co.uk:

Classic PlayStation role-player Valkyrie Profile returns with a new action orientated sequel set during the twilight of the Norse gods.

Even the most dedicated followers of Japanese role-players may struggle to place the latest instalment of Square Enix’s Valkyrie franchise in a historical context. Its first entry, Valkyrie Profile, arrived as long ago as 1999, and was notable for combining role-playing sensibilities and gameplay with an element of platforming, in a 2D side-scrolling, turn-based setting.

It was a minor hit on the original PlayStation, but subsequent sequels failed to make any impact and the announcement of a fourth console entry was something of a surprise. Valkyrie Elysium is an almost entirely different beast though, a modern action role-player rendered in fairly winsome 3D, with its combat enacted purely in real-time.

It retains a narrative thread from its predecessors, however, remaining thoroughly rooted in Norse mythology (despite Elysium being a concept of the afterlife from Ancient Greece). However, whereas previous Valkyrie games examined the burgeoning war between gods and men, Valkyrie Elysium plunges you into a world devastated by war: Asgard, Midgard, and Niflheim are now ruined and all but empty of inhabitants.

In Asgard, Odin has managed to survive the war but is in a very bad way, so he uses what strength he retains to create you, a semi-divine Valkyrie whose mission is to purify the tainted souls that haunt Midgard (manifesting in true Japanese role-playing style as demon-like enemies and bosses). As you do that, Odin slowly regains his strength and powers, and sets about restoring the land to its pre-war state. It’s a classic premise: the salvation of the entire world depends on you.

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