Valkyrie Profile Series Discussion

Another fit of boredom strikes.

So, I'm currently playing the PSP version of the first game. Pretty fun, I like the need for timing when it comes to comboing attacks together and the focus more on proper equipment and set-up rather than levels.

Just saved before the Barbarossa fight, and my God, it is boring. I've got the Anti-Fire equipment along with Max Guts & Auto-Item skills, so he's not much of a threat. It takes a long time for me whittle down his health, and I have to fight him twice? Nuh uh, I don't have patience for that.

My characters are around the early to mid 20s, so any suggestions for the fight to go by faster would be most welcome.

I have the PSP version; I found the whole thing to be horridly tedious and counter-intuitive. I hate timing in my RP Gs, is a big part of it.

Also, though, there's seemingly no good way except trial and error to know what souls are worth keeping around and which ones you should sell off to the afterlife for "win the game" points. Gear breaking all the time also annoyed me to no end.

I have the original on the psx and covenant of the plume on the ds. Timing is much easier in covenant of the plume, but then you have to deal with the strategy elements of the game too. the original is fun, but you really have to care more about growing your characters than dealing with the plot, because it's there but it's light. I just got to the first soul sending point.

I never used breakable gear except the Slayer equipment when it would instantly win a fight for me. Other than that, it's just not worth it.

The main problems I had with the first game were the extreme lack of difficulty - with proper equipment and skills, none of which were hard to come by, your entire party is functionally immortal - and the incredible stupidity of making the game's entire plot a Guide Dang It!.

Looking to get into this series. Should I get the PSP remake of the first game, or just play the PSX version?

Well, I like the animated cutscenes of the original version way more than the CGI ones done for the PSP version (with the exception of the one about Jelanda's transformation early in the game. That said, the PSP version is way easier and less expensive to acquire.

You're not going to be able to get the PSX version very easily; copies go for outrageous prices, and the discs apparently scratch easily as well so I imagine you have to be very careful in handling them.

It's unfortunate because it actually has a few Qo L improvements (when it comes to the menus, mostly), but you're better off playing the PSP version unless you want to acquire the PS 1 original through Perfectly Legal Distributors.

Also, as a couple of prefaces:

I love the game but it's very obtsuse and counter-intuitive in a few key areas.

- Play on Hard Mode, it's actually the easiest difficult if you know what you're doing and lets you access the postgame bonus dungeon. If you don't care about that then pick Normal, just don't pick Easy because you can't get the best ending on that mode.

- Speaking of which, you want to have a guide for this game because the requirements for the A ending are pretty obtuse and easy to mess up so you'd likely never find them on your own. And it's the only ending that's even remotely satisfying.

edited 16th May '16 1:28:01 PM by wehrmacht

What about Silmeria and Covenant of the Plume?

Are those games any good?

I haven't played Silmeria to completion but from the few hours I've played and from the impressions I've gathered from other people, it's excellent in the audiovisual and gameplay deparments, but the plot is not as good as the first game. Still worth playing.

Covenant of the Plume...I've heard praise for the story but impressions on the gameplay are a bit mixed. I've never played it, so I can't say much either way.

I played Silmeria all the way through. For all that it tries to fix several of the balance issues present in the original game (I'll say Lenneth for future ease), it really has the same issues but switched around. The first was infamous for archers being nigh-useless (the only exceptions are Janus and Lenneth herself... however, Janus is fodder for einherjar request early, and once you get the better swords, Lenneth is much better as a swordswoman) while a properly built caster would one-shot enemy parties (you can tell veterans of the series because, without exception, I find that they can all still quote the invocation for Celestial Star, even over a decade later - and there's a reasonable chance that they'll try to imitate Mystina saying it). However, due to the whole "break parts of foes off to weaken them and get loot" system, archers became super overpowered and casters are there to just pump up your combo meter and maybe hit elemental weaknesses. Oh, also, I hate how simplified the finishing strike mechanics became. Outside of plot-central characters, all of the users of the same weapon type have the same finishing strike (and most play the same, too). Much less work was put into the einherjar of Silmeria

As for the plot of Silmeria... it does a few things that drive me nuts about plots. Plot threads left dangling completely (the Dallas subplot is dropped like a hot potato in Act 2, which makes no sense because he shows up in Act 4), a Gambit Pileup that comes mostly out of nowhere (it kind of makes sense if you've played Lenneth, but Silmeria does nothing to show how much it's building up), and the ending mucks around with Time Travel in a confusing fashion (like, Chrono Cross makes more sense). Oh, and one thing that didn't help for me is that one of my favorite characters, Brahms, the vampire king has massive Narm in the ending.

I'll grant that Silmeria has a stronger base battle system overall (the 3D map helps, plus the battles are more strategic because of the targeting system), and the non-battle puzzles are well-designed. Push comes to shove, though, Lenneth is the stronger game.

I have Covenant of the Plume but haven't played it yet. Heard good things, though, from friends who liked Lenneth.