Review of "Valkyrie Elysium," a new action RPG from SQUAENI!　You can enjoy a profound story based on Norse mythology and easy-to-play action that can be enjoyed even with continuous hitting!

On September 29, 2022, Square Enix released "Valkyrie Elysium," the latest in the "Valkyrie" series for PS5 and PS4 (Steam version on November 12). This title is the first action RPG in the series and features three-dimensional and speedy battles.

I had the opportunity to play the PS4 version of this title, and I will present a review of the game after having experienced it all the way through to the ending. I will cover the story, the worldview, the feel of the action, and other aspects of the game.

The images used in this article were captured from the PS4 version. Although we have done our best to refrain from using them, please keep in mind that they may contain spoilers for the sake of this review.

Valkyrie goes to the earthly realm under the command of the Lord God to save the world!

The setting of this work is a world inspired by Norse mythology. The world is on the verge of destruction due to the "Ragnarok," a destiny of the apocalypse.

Odin, the main god who was deeply wounded in the War of the Gods, creates Valkyrie, an "apostle of salvation," using his remaining power. In order to prevent the destruction of the world, Valkyrie sets out on a journey of salvation under the guidance of Odin.

Valhalla is the base of the journey. The white exterior of Valhalla is divine and has the appearance of a temple. When we proceed along the carpeted path, we find Odin on his throne at the far end of the hall.

Perhaps because they have just been born, the Valkyries at the beginning of the story are still doll-like beings with little emotion. When spoken to by humans in the earthly realm, their mechanical replies are noticeable. Another feature of the story is that Valkyrie gradually becomes more human-like through encounters and interactions with "Einferia" and others, which will be discussed later in the story. It is not only a story of fighting under the command of God, but also a story of his own growth.

The volume of the story is compact, and in my case, it took about 14 hours to complete the game. This is the result of focusing on the main quests and not on the subquests, so it would be more enjoyable if you go through all the subquests and strengthen Valkyrie. This title also has multiple endings, so the objective is to collect each ending.

The game is also rich in text. The text explains in detail the backgrounds of the main characters, including Valkyrie, the meanings of words in conversations, and even the characteristics of the enemies they fight. The Einferia, the Valkyrie's guards, even have their own short stories with audio, so it may be assumed that you will enjoy this information as well.

The story progresses in the form of missions. The structure of the stages is fairly simple.

The game progresses in the form of missions, and the story progresses by completing the missions that appear. Each stage is basically a straight path. There is no mini-map, so it is difficult to know where you are, but it is not particularly complicated, so you do not get lost until you reach the ending. You can reach the goal naturally just by heading for the destination indicated by the markers and fighting the battles that occur along the way.

There are several paths that lead to dead ends where you will find treasure chests and items such as "Kakushi Hana" (flower with missing souls). Some of them contain souls that have not been purified, and if Valkyrie touches them, an event will occur. If Valkyrie touches them, an event will occur and she will be able to receive a sub-quest for them. Subquests provide valuable items such as "Ambrosia," which increases the maximum value of Valkyrie's physical strength, and should be completed as often as possible.

Although there are some minor exploration and collection elements, such as souls from which to order subquests and treasure chests containing recovery and strengthening items, I personally found the fairly simple flow of the stages to be a bit lacking. The single-step flow of going to the destination, fighting enemies along the way, and then going to the destination (......) makes playing the game feel like work.

I think it would have been better, personally, if there had been a puzzle using panels that move when attacked, or if there had been a gimmick that required a little more thinking to advance, such as a fork in the road where you have to advance in a certain order or else you will be returned to the original path, even if it is not a full-scale game.

However, as with the actions I am about to describe, the emphasis seems to have been placed on simple and easy creation that can be enjoyed by people who do not play games very often, rather than by heavy gamers. From the point of view of ease of use, this structure of the missions seems to be the right choice. Beginners or gamers? Depending on which type of player you are, your evaluation of this game's stages may differ.

Easy weapon actions that can be performed with a series of hits

The "Valkyrie" series has been around since the first PlayStation® game, but this is the first title to feature an action RPG system, allowing players to engage in high-speed battles using a variety of weapons on a deep 3D field.

We do not know if all the weapons have been collected, but the number we can currently confirm is six. In addition to the sword "Alfazul" that he initially carries, there is also the spear "Barraig" and the rod "Seasgrani", all of which have different spacing and attack motions. However, they all share the same weak attack with the □ button and the strong attack with the △ button, and the basic combo is to hit the weak attack repeatedly and mix in the strong attack at any given moment. The movement of the strong attack depends on where it is launched, so it is important to understand the characteristics of each weapon, such as the derivative that launches the attack into the air, or the derivative that clears a wide area.

There are variations, such as a weak (strong) attack during a dash or a weak (strong) attack during a jump, but as long as you have the rudimentary combo of repeatedly hitting a weak attack on the ground and switching to a strong attack when you want, you should have no problems in battle in this title. The commands are also the same, so once you learn the combos for the initial weapon, the alphazul, for example, you can apply the same operations to the remaining five weapons.

Weapons can be strengthened using materials obtained from enemies or treasure chests. Techniques are added with each step, and physical and magical attack power is also increased.

There are somewhat advanced techniques, such as "Just Guard" to defend against enemy attacks with good timing, and "Counter" to input the weak attack button in time with the enemy's attack. However, unless the difficulty level is HARD or higher, it is better to use these techniques. Since Einferior and "Divine Arts" are easier to use, it is recommended to get used to them first.

As the story progresses, a training center called "Veen Golub" is opened in Valhalla. Here, you can fight enemies you have defeated in the past as you wish, so if you want to master difficult techniques such as Just Guard, you should actively use it. In the training center, you can freely decide whether or not Valkyrie will take damage, enemy AI, and invincibility. This is useful for a variety of tests, such as trying to see which weapon and how much you need to attack to defeat an enemy, or checking the differences in the amount of damage inflicted by different enemies.

Einferior and Divine Arts to expand the range of attacks

The actions with weapons are simple, but the addition of the Einferior and the Divine Arts will expand the range of your attacks.

Einferior is a heroic spirit that serves the Valkyrie, a person with a superior soul who is called up by the power of a god after death. In this work, Aegon, a greatsword wielder, Cypher, an archer, Christoffel, a spear wielder, and Taika, a magician, assist the Valkyrie. Each Einferior is set to the ○, △, □, and × buttons, and by combining R1 with any button, the corresponding Einferior is summoned.

The timing and method of attack differs for each Einferior, but they have quite a few roles, such as following Valkyrie's combos or using them as defenders when they are backed into a corner. Note that "Soul Gauge" is required to summon them.

The other Divine Arts are like magic. This one is activated by consuming the "Arts Gauge. The Divine Arts can be set as shortcuts, one for each of ○, △, □, and ×, and by combining R2 with any button, the corresponding Divine Arts can be used. There are various types of Divine Arts, ranging from techniques for a single enemy to large moves that involve a wide range of enemies.

The Soul Gauge can only be recovered by obtaining "Blue Souls" dropped by enemies or by using special items. Therefore, you cannot use as many Divine Arts as you like in a single battle. However, the Arts Gauge is recovered each time you attack an enemy or according to the number of combos you perform, so you can use the Divine Arts as much as you like. By the midpoint of the game, when you have a full complement of Einferior and Divine Arts, it is time to get used to combat, and you will be able to use your weapons, Einferior, and Divine Arts with great gusto.

The controls for the Einferior and Divine Arts are as straightforward as the weapon actions. Both are set one each to ○, △, □, and ×, and can be activated simply by combining R1 or R2. Not only can these actions be incorporated into combos, but they are also easy to become accustomed to, as the button operations are similar to those of weapon actions that use □ and △.

Enemies in this work have attributes such as lightning and fire, and when a certain number of damage is inflicted with an attribute that is a weak point, the target is downed. The target will be defenseless for a while. In the battles of this work, it is also important to be able to take advantage of the compatibility of these attributes, and this is where Einferia and Divine Arts come in handy. Both have attributes that correspond to their characters and techniques, and are indispensable in creating favorable situations for the players.

In particular, while Einferior is summoned, the attributes of the last character summoned or the person corresponding to the command entered are directly assigned to the Valkyrie's weapon. In long-term battles such as boss battles, it is a good idea to make a habit of checking the compatibility of the enemy's weapon with the weakest attribute, as this will greatly affect the efficiency of the battle.

The story, set in the world of Norse mythology typical of the "Valkyrie" series, can be enjoyed from various points of view, including Valkyrie's growth, Einferia's past, and the text provided in the game. On the other hand, the battle action is appealing because of its low hurdles; you can fight reasonably well just by repeatedly pressing buttons, and the same command can be applied to different techniques. This is a game recommended for beginners who can enjoy both a profound story and easy-to-play action at the same time.

(Text by Yoshiyoshi Natsumashiuchi)

Title Information
Valkyrie Elysium (VALKYRIE ELYSIUM)
Compatibility: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam
Genre: Action RPG
Release date: PS5/PS4 September 29, 2022, Steam November 12, 2022
Price: 8,580 yen (tax included)
CERO: C (for ages 15 and up)
Developer: Soleil Co.
Music: Tou Sakuraba
Character Design: Yuya Nagai (CyDesignation Inc.)

Recommended Articles