Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2651 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Square Enix
• Released on: 2007-04-27
• Platform: Sony PSP

Manufacturer's Description:
Based upon Norse mythology, the critically acclaimed VALKYRIE PROFILE series casts you as a valkyrie, instructed by Odin to harvest souls and recruit warriors worthy of the epic struggle from Midgard, the land of humans.

Players assume a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the largest battle in Norse Mythology. On the eve of Ragnarok, a battle between the warring factions of Aesir and Vanir, Lenneth is dispatched to the land of mortals in pursuit of worthy allies. Her mission is a crucial one that could possibly sway the tides of war in her faction's favour.

Approaching brave souls at the time of their death, Lenneth must convince these combatants to join her in the ultimate battle against evil. With time working against her, Lenneth must seek out, train and command an army of fallen soldiers in preparation for the final battle against Surt, the leader of the Vanir, while the mystery of Lenneth's identity unfolds. Special enhancements take advantage of the PSP system's capabilities including true 16:9 support and new CG sequences that give players a deeper understanding of the plot and complement the game's dramatic storyline.

Customer Reviews

A glorious RPG
Possibly one of the most striking titles available for the PSP, 'Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth' is a fascinating game for the more serious gamer. Not for action fans, this is an immeasurably detailed experience and you have to endure a good hour of cut scenes before getting involved yourself. But the battle system is easy to pick up and there is plenty for the old grey matter to chew over during play.

The premise of the game is to reap fallen souls for the on-going battle against the Vanir in Misgard and train them in combat. To do this, you must enter the dungeons and clear them of adversaries, completing tasks as you go. At the end of a chapter, it's a good idea to send an einherjar to Misgard or the battle will begin to turn against you. The graphics, though basic in places, are well-rendered on the PSP and the storyline is interesting. The battles are involving and you will simply lose hours playing this game. However, while there is no doubt that this is a fine RPG, I did have a few gripes that stopped me giving it the full five stars. The cut scenes, particularly when following the stories of the einherjar, are far too long and I ended up becoming rather bored of them by the second chapter. Also, the game is extremely hard and I had to bow out of a campaign after only three chapters on a Normal difficulty setting. However, I am something of a casual gamer and more dedicated players will no doubt relish the challenge.

All in all though, this is a fine example of what the PSP is capable of and I would recommend it to anyone who owns the console.

RPG's as they should be
This game reminded me of the golden era of R.P.G's, that is the 16 bit variants (Chrono Trigger etc), and the P.S.1 (Suikoden 2). Graphically, it surpasses earlier offerings by virtue of great FMV sequences. Being my first game on the PSP, I was frankly astounded that such good graphics could be on such a compact device.
But the thing which was to become (for me) a tedious exercise, were the long scenes leading leading up to the death of a mortal (and subsequent creation of an einheriar). When you start, there must be upwards of half an hour of narrative and plot building, which is frankly exhausting. Each and everytiem you 'concentrate' in the world map, and come to one of these death scenes, you are treated to the same drawn out plot, which is detrimental. These should have been shortened dramatically to try and build some central plot around the main character, which was what made some of the older R.P.G's far superior.
For all that, it is a good game, and that is taking into account the basic in game graphics. They are reminiscent of said primitive games of the same genre and this is no bad thing. The battle sequences are dynamic and simple to master. There is always the pressure of the periods ('spent' either 1 period to visit a town, 2 a dngeon, and 2 if you discover any event by means of concentration) and chapters, and the need to develop suitable heroes to send to Asgard to repel Ragnarok.
Basically, the game runs thus: you fly around the map, press 'start', and Lenneth either senses that a soul is about to be released, a dungeon needs her services or nothing at all. You fly to the allocated place, reap the soul, or clear the dungeon. Towards the end of the chapter you find periods to spare in which you need to revisit dungeons to advance your party. Before the chapter (which consists of a set amount of periods) is complete it is adviseable to send a number of heroes to augment Asgard. Once all chapters are complete, it's on to Asgard to prevent the end of the world.

Iffy graphics, absorbing game
Anyone who has played (on the ps2) any of the Final Fantasy (up to VIII) games, will be able to enjoy this. You do need to get to grips with the stern insistence on formality that Square impose on their games, but the effort is well worth it.

My only issue is with the graphics- the cut scenes (cinematics) offer stunning images: the actual game play offers tiny child-sized characters and, considering you are supposed to be controling a beautiful Norse valkerie, moving a bunch of pixels a few millemetres high doesn't cut it.

Even so, get over the graphic niggles, and enter a world that will make time melt away,