Valkyrie packs a punch for PSP's abysmal RPG genre
You can see that VP:L has many elements in a classic RPG including leveling up characters, stats and dungeons. However, it is quite different from conventional RPGs that you may find. There's platforming involved which may put off some of the RPG fans looking for something more like Final Fantasy or Elder Scrolls. Anyways, the story isn't all that hype, with Valkyrie being sent to our realm to gather souls to beat the crap out of the armies laying siege to Valhalla. There is also a side story regarding Lenneth and another "significant other" (which I won't ruin). An interesting point is that once you send a hero up, you can't get them back, but you will continue to see progress while they do the bidding of Odin and other gods. There are hundreds of items to take advantage of, not to mention some ultra rare items that must be transmuted from everyday normal items.
Combat is set so that each character has a face button, with a number next to it. The number represents the number of attacks that they can use during that turn, and weapons affect the damage, elemental bonuses and number of attacks. Also, attacks have different effects. Some knock enemies down, while other hurls them upwards. When you attack enemies while they are on the ground or in the air, different bonuses come up to aid your party (reducing turns or bonus experience). Combos can also be pulled off when done correctly, which gives the battle system a hell of a time to master. That is perhaps the main selling point of this game.
The drawbacks of this game including the lack of instructions on how to send up heroes or to use special items. They aren't really explained in the manual that comes with the game, and is even worse in game, which can lead to a very frustrating end in the game. Other small bugs include wait time to access the menu screens and the unbalanced characters that you can get (I kept three highly trained heroes, and sent only one at a time while other heroes kept racking up levels).
This game does very well for an RPG on the PSP, but without any help from guides or forums, you could be in for a very disappointing game. However, all those interested in a worthwhile RPG should check this title out!
7.7/10
lil.riceboy