Valkyrie Elysium Review (Valmond)
Okay at best. What the game has going for it is the battle system, but that is all. It lacks what makes Valkyrie Profile what it is around every end.
1. The deep, complex, yet simple enough system to learn.
--> VP series before this point had always had a system that is deep, simple to get into, but a bit difficult to master. Elysium lacks this.
2. Story.
--> VP series is known for its amazing story. This game is pretty bland, with some ideas that could have been expanded on. VP 1 and 2 did far more in 10 hours than what this one did in the same time.
3. Evolution of Nibelung Valesti.
--> The one thing out of everything, and they screwed it up. It looks like they missed the reason on why it is such a special ability. Version I is what you're supposed to start with but you don't. Version I represents loyalty to Odin in VP 1, and naivety in VP 2. Then version II, which is unlocked mid game in VP 1. It is around the time of conflict, doubt. In VP 2, it is more like independence and resolve. This was unlocked near the end game, but a good chunk of the game left.
Version III, in VP 1. It represents the evolution of the Valkyrie to becoming Creator. In VP 2, it represents how souls are free, that they cannot be bound. These were shown in the last battle. Elysium? Nothing of the sort. Version I is unlocked right before the last section, and doesn't have meaning. Maybe at best doubt? But I think that is a stretch, since it was just handed at that point without any sort of relevance.
Version II is a Side Quest, defeating the point of the Valkyrie's growth through the main story. And was more about lore, rather than the Valkyrie herself. Version III is the prize for the Seraphic Gate, which made it pointless.
4. Seraphic Gate.
--> Everything that made the End Game of the VP series fun is gone. It is just 20 floors in a row, you can't use your character or their skills. It is preset, making it pointless. There is no story, no usual bosses, etc. Nothing that makes the VP series what it is supposed to be.
5. Dungeons.
--> No dungeons.
6. Exploration.
--> No exploration.
What it does have going for it though, would be how simple the endings are to get. The game does have a bit of a story, but nothing much. The characters aren't even given time to be expanded. In the least they could have showed a better progression of the Valkyrie and that would have made it passable.
In the end, I can only recommend this game for the battle system which I do find good. Though, that is all. I know I am giving this a like, but there are a few points to it, not much though.
One such point is that, the story is between Chapters 8 and 9, the last two. And this shows the gods who devours souls, Maria being turned into a Valkyrie. How she goes down her path, and ultimately what she chooses in the end. If this was built a lot better from the start, it would be a solid game.
At best a 5/10.
Compared to the rest of the series? 1/10 or 2/10.
Since I can't paste a full on review of the whole series. You can read it on the forums.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1963210/discussions/0/5688650240623465384/