Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
Encyclopedia
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (ヴァルキリープロファイル2 シルメリア) 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.
Dungeon exploration is done in a 2D side scrolling platform
manner. 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 are items with special effects hidden atop daises and shells 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, allowing the player to equip them from any spring in any dungeon, rather than being returned to its original location once the player leaves the dungeon.
Characters have multiple attacks and can be assigned up to 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, 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 Gauge up to 100% each time. This lack of charge time means that Mages can attack every turn with magic as well. In fact, they fight as normal, albeit only with magic.
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 equipped as 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.
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. Additional weapon types are acquired as the game progresses for selected characters obtained during the gameplay. 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.
. After she disobeyed Odin
, he reincarnated her in the body of Alicia, the princess of Dipan. Silmeria was supposed to remain trapped, but she awakens in the body of the princess, which makes many people think that Alicia is insane or possessed. The king imprisons her and announces her death, though unbeknownst to the public sends her to live in a small palace outside the city of Crell Monferaigne. In the pre-game prologue, Odin sends the current valkyrie, Hrist, to take Silmeria's soul back to Valhalla. Escaping from Hrist, Alicia/Silmeria flees into the wilderness, where they try to evade capture and attempt to avert a catastrophe that could spark a war between the gods and Midgard
.
, the realm of the gods. Midgard is the world of men, 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.
Asgard is the world of the Aesir, ruled over by Odin, lord of the heavens. In Asgard lies the Hall of Valhalla, where the Einherjar, 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.
Valkyrie Profile 2 takes place in an alternate timeline from the first game: in Valkyrie Profile, Silmeria was imprisoned within a crystal and taken by Brahms; here, Brahms is the one imprisoned within a crystal. Events that should have happened didn't because of a certain character's interference on history.
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. Because of this, many of Dipan's citizens believe Alicia was mad, which led to her father, King Barbarossa to exile her from the kingdom. However, it is revealed later in the game that he did so out of love and not malice.
Hrist is the current Valkyrie, and the old nemesis during 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. She takes the guise of Leone, and ventures with Alicia, learning more about her, and eventually becoming friends, which puts her at odds with the fact that she does not wish to kill her anymore to release her sister inside.
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. As revealed in Valkyrie Profile, Lezard harbors an obsession with the valkyrie Lenneth, Silmeria's sister. This is not the Lezard of the game's time period, however, but is from an alternate future, the one seen in Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. His involvements leads to the events in Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria, changing the timeline. Lezard will become the main antagonist of Valkyrie Profile 2.
Lenneth herself also appears near the game's finale and joins the party, having learned of Lezard's plot. Like Lezard, this is not the Lenneth of the game's time period, but the Lord of Creation she became at the end of Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth.
, it was the top-selling game during the week of its release in Japan, selling 281,510 copies. The game has sold 170,000 copies abroad as of November 2007.
The game was well received by critics with an 85% rating at Game Rankings
and 83/100 at Metacritic
. Famitsu
scored the game a 34 out of 40. GameSpot
gave it an 8.0/10, 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." The game received IGN
's award for "Best Game No One Played" in 2006 and achieved SCEI
's Ultimate Hits
status in March 2007.
Valkyrie Profile
Valkyrie Profile is a video game series developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix . It comprises three titles:* Valkyrie Profile, a 1999 PlayStation game**Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, the 2006 PlayStation Portable port...
series. It was developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by tri-Ace
Tri-Ace
is a Japanese video game development company formed in 1995 by former Telenet Japan employees Yoshiharu Gotanda , Masaki Norimoto and Joe Asanuma . The name is a play on words regarding the "three aces" who formed the company...
and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
. It was released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
on June 22, 2006 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, September 26, 2006 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and September 7, 2007 in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and other PAL regions.
Gameplay
There is only one mode available to play. However, the game gets harder with each subsequent playthrough. Chapters still exist, but periods are not used, and the player is under no time constraints.Dungeon exploration is done in a 2D side scrolling platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
manner. 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 are items with special effects hidden atop daises and shells 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, allowing the player to equip them from any spring in any dungeon, rather than being returned to its original location once the player leaves the dungeon.
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 as 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. The party can also conduct a Leader Assault, in which destroying the enemy leader will cause the others to retreat, ending the battle quickly and earning bonus experience.Characters have multiple attacks and can be assigned up to 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, 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 Gauge up to 100% each time. This lack of charge time means that Mages can attack every turn with magic as well. In fact, they fight as normal, albeit only with magic.
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 equipped as 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.
Equipment
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. Additional weapon types are acquired as the game progresses for selected characters obtained during the gameplay. 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.
Einherjar
When Silmeria is present, Alicia can materialize her einherjar, and many of the playable characters are from Silmeria's previous time as a valkyrie. Alicia must touch an artifact associated with an einherjar in order to have Silmeria re-materialize them. Placing certain combinations of einherjar in the party will result in conversations between them during random battles, such as having Celes and Phyress, who are sisters, in the same group. The einherjar found in dungeons are random; there are up to three 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.Plot
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria is about two characters, Silmeria and Alicia, who are contained in the same body. Silmeria is one of the valkyries tasked with collecting the souls of brave warriors and delivering them to ValhallaValhalla
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a majestic, enormous hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla upon death, led by valkyries, while the other half go to the goddess Freyja's field Fólkvangr...
. After she disobeyed Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
, he reincarnated her in the body of Alicia, the princess of Dipan. Silmeria was supposed to remain trapped, but she awakens in the body of the princess, which makes many people think that Alicia is insane or possessed. The king imprisons her and announces her death, though unbeknownst to the public sends her to live in a small palace outside the city of Crell Monferaigne. In the pre-game prologue, Odin sends the current valkyrie, Hrist, to take Silmeria's soul back to Valhalla. Escaping from Hrist, Alicia/Silmeria flees into the wilderness, where they try to evade capture and attempt to avert a catastrophe that could spark a war between the gods and Midgard
Midgard
Midgard is one of the Nine Worlds and is an old Germanic name for our world and is the home of Humans, with the literal meaning "middle enclosure".-Etymology:...
.
Settings
There are two main settings in Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria: Midgard, the realm of mortal men, and AsgardAsgard
In Norse religion, Asgard is one of the Nine Worlds and is the country or capital city of the Norse Gods surrounded by an incomplete wall attributed to a Hrimthurs riding the stallion Svadilfari, according to Gylfaginning. Valhalla is located within Asgard...
, the realm of the gods. Midgard is the world of men, 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.
Asgard is the world of the Aesir, ruled over by Odin, lord of the heavens. In Asgard lies the Hall of Valhalla, where the Einherjar, 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.
Valkyrie Profile 2 takes place in an alternate timeline from the first game: in Valkyrie Profile, Silmeria was imprisoned within a crystal and taken by Brahms; here, Brahms is the one imprisoned within a crystal. Events that should have happened didn't because of a certain character's interference on history.
Characters
There are 12 main characters in Valkyrie Profile 2: Alicia, Rufus, Dylan/Brahms, Lezard, Arngrim, Leone/Hrist, Lenneth, Silmeria, and Freya. However, most of them join and leave the party, sometimes permanently, at different points throughout the game (Alicia, Rufus, and Brahms being the only characters not to leave for the rest of 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. Because of this, many of Dipan's citizens believe Alicia was mad, which led to her father, King Barbarossa to exile her from the kingdom. However, it is revealed later in the game that he did so out of love and not malice.
Hrist is the current Valkyrie, and the old nemesis during 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. She takes the guise of Leone, and ventures with Alicia, learning more about her, and eventually becoming friends, which puts her at odds with the fact that she does not wish to kill her anymore to release her sister inside.
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. As revealed in Valkyrie Profile, Lezard harbors an obsession with the valkyrie Lenneth, Silmeria's sister. This is not the Lezard of the game's time period, however, but is from an alternate future, the one seen in Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. His involvements leads to the events in Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria, changing the timeline. Lezard will become the main antagonist of Valkyrie Profile 2.
Lenneth herself also appears near the game's finale and joins the party, having learned of Lezard's plot. Like Lezard, this is not the Lenneth of the game's time period, but the Lord of Creation she became at the end of Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth.
Reception
As of November 30, 2008, the Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria has sold over 401,000 units in Japan. According to Media CreateMedia Create
is a Japanese company that "gathers and analyzes data from the digital entertainment industry, specifically focusing on the Japanese console gaming market...
, it was the top-selling game during the week of its release in Japan, selling 281,510 copies. The game has sold 170,000 copies abroad as of November 2007.
The game was well received by critics with an 85% rating at Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
and 83/100 at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
scored the game a 34 out of 40. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave it an 8.0/10, 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." The game received IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's award for "Best Game No One Played" in 2006 and achieved SCEI
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
's Ultimate Hits
Ultimate Hits
The Japanese video game company Square Enix publishes budget range titles under three labels: , "Legendary Hits", and "Eternal Hits".- Ultimate Hits :...
status in March 2007.