VP2's deep battle system and enthralling plotline make it a truly unmissable expierience for the JRPG enthusiast.
Based loosely upon Norse mythology, the world of Valkyrie Profile is ruled by the gods, the most prominent of whom is Odin. In Odin's Service are the Valkyrie Silmeria and her sisters, Lenneth and Hrist. By collecting the souls of those who have fallen on the battlefield and returning them to Valhalla where they become divine warriors known as Einherjar, the Valkyries prepare Odin's army for battle with the forces of the Vanir. Unwilling to fulfill her duties as a Valkyrie, Silmeria disobeys Odin and as punishment, is reincarnated within the body of Princess Alicia. Awakening inside the princess however, Silmeria makes her presence known, causing many to dismiss Alicia as being insane. Fearing that his daughter is possessed, King Barbarossa locks her away and announces Alicia dead, later discreetly sending the princess to live in a palace near the city of Crell Monferaigne. Dispatched to retrieve Silmeria's soul, Hrist attacks the palace. Barely escaping into a nearby forest, Alicia finds herself on the run, whilst Silmeria; intrigued by the sister's sudden appearance; soon finds herself at the heart of a plan by the gods that; if allowed to succeed; could spell disaster for gods and humans alike.
Valkyrie Profile 2 utilizes a somewhat unique combat system blending elements of both turn-based and real-time combat with one another. Upon entering combat with an enemy, you're presented with an isometric view of the battlefield, including the player characters, enemies and the latter's attack range, represented by an area covered by orange squares. Enemies will move only when the player characters do so, but may attack at any time provided a player character is within range of their attacks. Moving whilst remaining beyond the enemy's attack range causes the AP gauge to fill up, which is required for the execution of attacks, while using the Dash maneuver to essentially 'jump over' areas within the enemy's attack range depletes the gauge. Attacking is carried out by moving some or all of the party towards an enemy until the white ring surrounding the player characters; indicating their own attack range; encompasses the desired target, at which point attacks are launched by pressing the four face buttons, each one corresponding to a party member. As attacks are performed, the AP gauge decreases until it becomes empty, thus prohibiting further attacks from being made. It is therefore crucial to the player's success that they combine the attacks of party members one after another to create potent combos that maximize their damage output. Creating combos that exceed a certain number of hits will enable one or more characters to use a powerful attack known as a 'Soul Crush'. Learning to trigger as many Soul Crushes as possible during a fight quickly proves to be the key to success. This becomes especially true beyond Act 2, at which point the enemies become that much more dangerous and the overall difficulty of the game takes a steep rise.
Outside of combat, exploration occurs by moving Alicia along a 2D plane throughout 3D environment whilst navigating the terrain by jumping over obstacles. Projecting a photon onto an enemy in this phase causes that enemy to become trapped within a crystal, preventing them from moving for a few seconds giving Alicia the opportunity to launch a pre-emptive strike and begin a battle with a full AP gauge, or bypass the enemy altogether. During the course of Alicia's adventure, the party meets Silmeria's Einherjar, who may be recruited into the party. Both the main characters and Einherjar are capable of learning Skills, which when used in combination with certain other Skills can give the character combat bonuses, affording them a great advantage in battle. Utilizing this in conjunction with the ability to equip weapons with runes for additional effects such as elemental damage or an increased likelihood of landing a critical hit is vital for overcoming most of the enemies the game will throw at you after Act 2. It is this sharp incline in difficulty that has a detrimental effect on the pacing of the story. Despite this however, Valkyrie Profile 2 still manages to deliver a strong gameplay experience that demands as much from the player in terms of tactics as it does in forward-thinking.
Graphically Valkyrie Profile 2 fares very well. Character models are bristling with detail, which is particularly noticeable alongside the characters' changing facial expressions during cut-scenes. Lighting effects are also well done, with the atmosphere of each location benefitting greatly from this.
To date, Valkyrie Profile 2 features one of the most enthralling soundtracks heard in a PS2 game. From the soft piano notes of the title screen theme to the powerful vocals of Unrestrained Struggle and the electric guitars from Junk Modulation that inspire a true sense of dread, the game's music tracks lend themselves to form a soundtrack that never fails to create an unforgettable atmosphere, whether you're admiring the sight of the moon during a nighttime stroll through the streets of Dipan or whether you're fighting for your life amidst a sandstorm. Solid voice acting provided by several voice actors and actresses well-known for lending their talents to English anime dubs ensures that every character sounds convincing. Jennifer Sekiguchi and Michelle Ruff both give stellar performances as the stars of the game, Silmeria and Alicia respectively. Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria is one of the very best JRPG's to be found amongst the PS2's vast library of games from the genre. Though not without some problems relating to the pacing of plot development, Valkyrie Profile 2 offers a fresh and engaging experience through a unique combat system and well-crafted story that will leave any JRPG fan breathless and wanting more.