tri-ace’s Legendary Masterpiece Has Returned! – VALKYRIE PROFILE: LENNETH Review

Valkyrie Profile. The name evokes nostalgia in many a gamer who played it. It went from a little known game to cult classic in a little under a decade. This review not only will praise the game, but reveal some tidbits you may not know. The dev studio tri-Ace has quite a history. The core of it is made up of former staffers of Wolf Team; if you don’t know the name, their resume of such old school cult hits as Valis: The Fantasm Soldier, Final Zone, Sol-Deace, Star Ocean, and Tales of Phantasia (yes, THAT Tales of Phantasia as in the long running Tales series!!) speaks entirely for itself. Now as far as the game goes, after its initial run in the PS1 era word of its outstanding quality spread and it became a sleeper hit of Disgaean proportions. I myself once encountered a used copy at GameStop selling for a whopping $149.99! Once PS1 game production ceased, its value on the secondary market ballooned...and it was only accessible to those willing to fork over absurd amounts of money. Then we got the PSP remake VP Lenneth. While it did change some things (new CGI movies in place of the excellent anime scenes and the loss of the OG VAs after they got famous on Pokémon), the core game itself didn’t change and was made accessible at an affordable price. Eventually, like with all consoles, even the venerable PSP, the little JRPG Engine that could, went the way of the dodo and Lenneth was lost to the gaming world once more....until NOW. Square Enix certainly knows Valkyrie Profile is a gold mine. The fandom for the game and it’s sister series Star Ocean (HINT HINT SQUENIX!!!) is well established and tri-Ace is one of their best dev teams. So after the JP only Valkyrie Anatomia didn’t make it to the overseas market, where most fans are, it seems Square Enix realized fans wanted a proper VP on iPhone and Android. And what better than the classic original? The gameplay is top notch as always. The game version we got is the PSP remaster so it was made for portable gaming. Even if the sprites look pixelated it is only part of the game’s charm. The combo based battle system returns as well, along with all the Great Magic, Ougi (Finishing Strikes) and Shingi (Divine Assaults) fans love. The music bears special mention. Motoi Sakuraba is in top form and this game has some gems. From the battle theme “Unfinished God Syndrome” to the boss tune “Confidence in the domination”, there are many classic earworms to rival even Final Fantasy. Now to the only sticking point some people have: the IAP. We get both the usual cheats labeled as boosters, and an instant unlock of the collection. I would recommend buying the collection items at least, as the multiple endings in the game may make it hard to get EVERYTHING without consulting a FAQ. And a hint folks: contrary to what they say on the tin, Hard Mode is actually the Mode you’re meant to play on! Overall this game is a perfect love letter to the fans. It may be $17 but compared to finding an OG copy on eBay, it’s a bargain! A full five out of five stars! In closing, Square Enix I’d advise you to port Star Ocean 1 and 2 next. Fans want those games big time and not giving overseas fans them on the PS4 or Vita only makes them hungry for more.
Review by Shiro Kusanagi on VALKYRIE PROFILE: LENNETH.