Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria

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Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria

Developer(s) tri-Ace
tri-Crescendo (sound work)
Publisher(s) Square Enix
Aspect ratio 480p (EDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
Release date JP 2006-06-22
NA 2006-09-26
PAL 2007-09-07
Genre(s) Role-playing game
Mode(s) Single player (1-2 player battles)
Rating(s) CERO: A (All Ages)
ESRB: T (Teen)
PEGI: 16+
OFLC (AU): M
Input methods DualShock 2

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria is the second installment in the Valkyrie Profile series. It was developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix. It was released for the PlayStation 2 on June 22, 2006 in Japan, September 26, 2006 in North America, and September 7, 2007 in Europe and other PAL regions.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

As opposed to the Easy, Normal and Hard options presented in Valkyrie Profile, there is only one mode available to play. However, the game gets harder with each subsequent play through. Chapters exist, but periods are not used, and the player is under no time constraints as in the original game.

Dungeon exploration is done in a 2D side scrolling platform manner similar to Valkyrie Profile. Alicia is the only visible character and is capable of jumping, swinging her sword, and shooting photons. Photons can bounce off the ground and walls and temporarily freeze enemies and objects in crystals and are used to solve many puzzles. Enemies are visible and attacking them gives Alicia the first move in combat with a full AP gauge. Alicia can also engage an enemy in battle by coming into contact with them; in this case, there is a chance that the player will be at a disadvantage and start with an empty AP gauge.

Sealstones (called 封印石 or Fuuin-seki in the Japanese version) are items with special effects hidden atop daises within dungeons. Any sealstone that is on a dais will affect enemies within that dais' radius of influence, as well as expanding the range of sealstones in other daises. If Alicia carries a sealstone on her person it affects the whole party, and similarly if an enemy possesses one it will affect that enemy party without affecting any others. If placed in a shell, the sealstone's effect is negated completely. They may also be "restored" at a cost of Magic Crystals at a spring or dais, allowing the player to equip it from any spring in any dungeon, rather than being returned to its original location once the player leaves the dungeon.

[edit] Combat System

Combat takes place in a real-time 3D battlefield, utilizing the Advanced Tactical Combination (ATC) battle system. Combat incorporates the use of Attack Points (AP), which are needed to act in battle. Points are consumed by attacking and dashing and are replenished by defeating enemies, being attacked, or moving around so time passes. Time only flows when the player is moving, giving them time to stop and plan out where he or she will move next and where enemy units may attack. Once an attack occurs, the screen zooms in on the party, allowing the player to coordinate their attack or defense, similar to the combat system in Valkyrie Profile. The party can also conduct a Leader Assault, in which destroying the enemy leader will cause the others to retreat, ending the battle quickly.

Characters have multiple attacks and can be assigned three for use in battle. Stringing together attacks adds to the Heat Gauge. When the Heat Gauge reaches 100% in one turn, characters can perform their Soul Crush special attack (the equivalent of Valkyrie Profile's Purify Weird Soul), which causes great damage and refills the Heat Gauge, possibly allowing another character to use their Soul Crush. Charge Time is absent, allowing characters to use their Soul Crush every turn so long as they charge the Heat Hauge up to 100 each time. New to the game is the concept of breaking off enemy parts. Different attacks can hit different parts of enemies and thus affect the amount of damage afflicted on the enemy. Once part of an enemy has taken sufficient damage, it can break off. When an enemy part breaks off, the player may enter break mode, in which the characters have unlimited AP for attacking for a short amount of time. Monster parts can be equip-able accessories or raw materials that can be sold or used to craft weapons, armor, or other items.

With a second controller, a second player can also control one or more party members in combat.

[edit] Equipment

There are no divine items or materialize points in Valkyrie Profile 2; Alicia buys equipment from shops using the game's currency, OTH. As the player buys more items from a specific shop, they can become a valued costumer, unlocking special weapons and items, which require monster parts to make.

Four weapon types are present: Light Sword, Heavy Sword, Bow, and Staff, corresponding to the four types of characters: light warrior, heavy warrior, archer, and mage. Characters will only be able to equip their specified type of weapon (the exception being the Angel Slayer, which can be equipped by anyone) and only certain weapons allow them to perform their Soul Crush.

Most equipment comes with runes, and by equipping different combinations of runes, characters can learn certain skills during combat. Runes also have color links (Red, Blue, or Green); multiple pieces of equipment of the same color equipped simultaneously in the proper configuration can enhance each equipped piece's effects.

[edit] Setting

There are two main settings in Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria: Midgard, the realm of mortal men, and Asgard, the realm of the gods. The game takes place hundreds of years before the first Valkyrie Profile.

[edit] Midgard

The world of men is a place stricken by war, famine, and disease, with the taint of death everywhere. Throughout history, the fate of Midgard has been influenced by the gods on numerous occasions, but now the Kingdom of Dipan is set upon resisting such divine interference.

[edit] Asgard

The world of the Aesir, ruled over by Odin, lord of the heavens. In Asgard lies the Hall of Valhalla, where the brave souls of the fallen reside. The Aesir occasionally influence the course of history in Midgard in an effort to preserve the order of the universe.

[edit] Seraphic Gate

Like the first installment of Valkyrie Profile, Valkyrie Profile 2 contains an optional bonus dungeon called the Seraphic Gate, unrelated to the rest of the game. It is only available by saving in the game's last save point (with at least 96% final dungeon's area explored). It has a single save point in the first room and contains five distinct sections, each with its own optional boss who must be defeated to access the next section. Finishing the Seraphic Gate once gives the player access to all 12 characters for the rest of the game and finishing it again nine times gives player the most powerful weapon in the game, Angel Slayer.

[edit] Story

The story begins hundred of years before the time of Lenneth, the legendary Battle Maiden. Silmeria Valkyrie is charged by Odin to gather the souls of the fallen. She does so faithfully until an incident involving Brahms, lord of the undead, causes her to doubt, and ultimately rebel against, the law of Odin. Recognizing the threat posed by this insurrection, Odin transmigrates Silmeria's soul and summons the next Valkyrie in her place. But the Sovereign's Rite, the divine spell used to seal a Valkyrie's dormant soul within a mortal vessel, is not completed. Silmeria awakens inside the body of Alicia, a young princess of Dipan.

All is not as it should be. Valkyrie souls are supposed to slumber in their mortal prisons, and Lord Odin will not afford who defies his will the luxury of consciousness. One day, Odin will discover that the traitorous Valkyrie lives, and he will bring heavenly punishment down upon her.

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of Valkyrie Profile characters#Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria Characters

There are 12 non-releasable main characters in Valkyrie Profile 2: Alicia, Rufus, Dylan/Brahms, Lezard, Arngrim, Leone/Hrist, Lenneth, Silmeria, Freya, and Valkyrie. However, most of them join and leave the party, sometimes permanently, at different points throughout the game, while Freya is only playable once she is beaten in the optional Seraphic Gate.

Alicia, princess of Dipan, is the main protagonist of Valkyrie Profile 2 and mortal host for Silmeria's soul. Alicia, having heard Silmeria's voice her entire life and learned much of what Silmeria knows, is unusual for a Valkyrie's mortal host. Silmeria can take over Alicia's body when necessary but usually leaves Alicia in control and tells her what to do instead. Other characters can sometimes detect the change between Alicia and Silmeria by their voices and mannerisms (Alicia is more timid, Silmeria is more assertive).

Hrist is the current Valkyrie during the time period of Valkyrie Profile 2. She is fiercely loyal to Odin's commands, which include the punishment of Dipan for defying Odin. This puts her in conflict with Alicia who, despite being exiled, does not wish to see her home and family destroyed.

Lezard Valeth is a sorcerer who has acquired knowledge and magic skills far beyond his years. Though initially engaged in research in Dipan's capital, he joins the adventurers' quest when he rescues Alicia and her party from a dangerous predicament.

[edit] Einherjar

When Silmeria is present, Alicia can materialize her einherjar, and many of the playable characters are from Silmeria's previous time as acting Valkyrie in Midgard. Alicia must touch an artifact associated with an einherjar in order to have Silmeria re-materialize them. Unlike the first game, einherjar have no scenes about their past or motives. They are simply recruited and have no major influence on the story and do not appear in story cutscenes. However, placing certain combinations of einherjar in the party will result in conversations between them during random battles, such as having Celes and Phyress (sisters) in the same group. The einherjar found in dungeons are random; there are up to 3 different characters of the same class found in an artifact. Because of this, although there are 40 different einherjar in the game, only 20 can be recruited per game. Once einherjar reach a certain level, the player may release them, returning them to the world of the living. Depending on the einherjar's attributes and equipment, they may leave different rewards for the player. This is an alternate method for thinning out the party, as was done in Valkyrie Profile by transferring einherjar to Valhalla.

[edit] Plot

Alicia/Silmeria, who was thought mad and imprisoned in a castle by her father, learns of the impending threat to Dipan and tries to escape. Hrist Valkyrie, sent by Odin to retrieve Silmeria, attempts to stop her, but Alicia/Silmeria manages to get away.

Chapter 1: Defiers of the Gods

The game begins in the port of Solde. Learning that the ferry is out of service, Alicia/Silmeria plans to enter Dipan through the secret Royal Underground Path. Seeing Rufus, a half-elf archer wearing a special ring, Alicia/Silmeria hires him to accompany them to Dipan, although Rufus has his own reasons for helping. As they journey through the underground ruins to Dipan, Alicia finds an old necklace and Silmeria materializes Dylan, the most powerful of her former einherjar.

Chapter 2: Darkness in Dipan

Alicia/Silmeria, Rufus, and Dylan sneak into the palace, finding demonic research and a mysterious machine before being discovered by the Three Mages of Dipan. They are almost captured but Lezard Valeth, the mages' new apprentice, helps them escape. Lezard informs them that King Barbarossa and The Three Mages have delved into forbidden research, including the Sovereign's Rite, demonic transformation, and time travel, and plan to use the Dragon Orb to create a new world, free of the gods' interference. Odin cannot allow this and is planning to destroy Dipan. Alicia/Silmeria, Rufus, and Dylan decide that getting the Dragon Orb themselves is the only way to stop Odin and save Dipan.

Chapter 3: Ulterior Motives

Alicia/Silmeria, Rufus, Dylan, and Lezard head to the Serdberg Mountain Ruins, the Dragon Orb's last known location. Searching the ruins, they meet Leone and Arngrim, two mercenaries who agree to help in exchange for any treasure they find. Silmeria recognizes that Leone is Hrist in disguise, but fearing a confrontation, does not expose her to the others. Discovering the Dragon Orb gone from the ruins, Silmeria uses her powers to follow its magical trail throughout Midgard. While searching Audoula Temple On The Lake, Rufus' ring is knocked off, causing him to go into convulsions before it is replaced. Rufus reveals why he is helping Silmeria: as the only other half-elf, Odin keeps him around in case of injury (the Ring of Mylinn he wears keeps him from aging) and should Odin ever transfer into Rufus' body, Rufus would cease to exist. Silmeria's rebellion provides an opportunity to escape his fate. The group eventually finds the Dragon Orb's final resting place in the Palace of the Venerated Dragon where Hrist reveals herself, escaping with Arngrim and the Dragon Orb.

Chapter 4: Wrath of the Gods

Hrist takes the Dragon Orb to Valhalla and Odin orders Dipan's destruction. Alicia/Silmeria, Rufus, Dylan, and Lezard return to Dipan but are too late to prevent Hrist from destroying the city and executing the king. They confront Hrist and as Alicia/Silmeria and Hrist duel, the Three Mages cast the Sovereign's Rite, transmigrating Silmeria's and Hrist's souls from their bodies. Brahms reveals himself from within Dylan's body and stops them, at which point Freya appears and tries to apprehend him. This is where the timelines of Valkyrie Profile and Valkyrie Profile 2 diverge:

  • In the original timeline, Silmeria, separated from Alicia's body, blocks Freya's spell, becoming crystallized herself. Brahms escaped with Silmeria, explaining why she was crystallized in his castle in Valkyrie Profile.
  • In the altered timeline, Lezard, unknown to the others, casts his own spell and captures Silmeria. Without Silmeria's intervention, Freya crystallizes Brahms and returns with him and Hrist to Valhalla, though she cannot explain the strange distortion (from Lezard's spell) during the encounter nor why Silmeria vanished.

Chapter 5: The Invisible Hand

Alicia awakens to find Silmeria absent, Brahms and Lezard gone. She and Rufus decide to retrieve the Dragon Orb themselves. They journey through the Forest of Spirits, cross into Asgard, and climb to the top of Yggdrasil, where they confront Odin and Freya. Lezard reappears, and offers to aid Alicia in defeating Odin, but it is revealed that he only does this to obtain Odin's soul. Using Silmeria's captured soul, he casts a spell causing Odin to transmigrate, which also displaces Rufus' soul, before teleporting away with Odin's body and soul. Freya, unable to do anything, retreats. Alicia is able to use the Ring of Mylinn to rematerialize Rufus and restore him to his body.

Alicia and Rufus descend from Yggdrasil and head to Valhalla, where they meet Arngrim, who asks to accompany them in penance for his past actions. The three of them find the Dragon Orb and the crystallized Brahms, along with Hrist and Freya. Hrist wants their help rescuing Silmeria, but Freya refuses to negotiate with humans and attacks them. Fed up with the gods trying to kill her einherjar, Hrist stops Freya by using the Dragon Orb, transporting Alicia, Rufus, Arngrim, Brahms, and Hrist into Lezard Valeth's twisted world.

Chapter 6: The Twisted World Tree

Finding themselves on Lezard's twisted world tree, Brahms and Hrist agree to a truce when Lenneth arrives, having come from her future to stop Lezard who, using the machine in Dipan (a time machine), traveled back in time and changed history. Ascending the tree, they rescue Silmeria, whom Alicia rematerializes into Valkyrie form. Their reunion is short-lived, though, when Lezard reveals that his target all along has been Lenneth. Having absorbed Odin's soul and power, Lezard casts the Sovereign's Rite, transmigrating the three Valkyries, and takes Lenneth's soul. Without bodies, the Valkyries will fade away so Alicia rematerializes Hrist's and Silmeria's souls into crystals until Lenneth can be freed. Following Lezard into his fortress atop the tree, they fight Lezard and shatter Lenneth's crystal prison. The three Valkyries combine their souls, using Alicia's body to form a single true Valkyrie. The Valkyrie defeats Lezard, but he stabs her before he dies, causing Alicia's body and soul to dissipate. Rufus and Arngrim return to Midgard with the Dragon Orb but Brahms decides to stay and die as Lezard's world crumbles; it is the only place where he is mortal.

The three Valkyries' souls are shown separating again, their fates unknown, though a new future awaits Lenneth. Years later, Rufus is traveling through Coriander Village when he sees a young girl resembling Alicia, suggesting that her soul has been reincarnated. A young Lezard is also shown sitting on a fence if Valkyrie is not used during the final battle. This may suggest that Lezard's soul was also reincarnated.

[edit] Voice Credits

[edit] Japanese Version

[edit] English Version

Only one cast member (Megan Hollingshead) reprised her role from Valkyrie Profile.


[edit] Reception

The game was well received by critics with a 85% rating at Game Rankings and 83/100 at Metacritic. GameSpot gave it an 8.0 (out of 10), calling it a "refreshingly different and very challenging example of a Japanese RPG" that "looks great," with a "fun and exciting" combat system. They praised the game for its "depth and variety" but found the skills and equipment interface "convoluted" and noted that its high difficulty "hampers the pacing of the storyline."[1] The game received IGN's award for "Best Game No One Played" in 2006[2] and achieved SCEI's Ultimate Hits status in March 2007.[3]

The game sold 170,000 copies in Europe as of November 2007.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Greg Kasavin (2006-09-29). Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria Review. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
  2. ^ IGN.com presents The Best of 2006
  3. ^ Re-releases of Valkyrie Profile 2, Dragon Quest Gaiden Announced (2007-03-27). Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
  4. ^ http://www.square-enix.com/jp/ir/e/explanatory/download/20071119en_20.pdf

[edit] External links

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