In Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria we are offered a very loose exposition of Scandinavian mythology, which, however, does not make the story worse. In the end, the Japanese mentioned Odin, and this is the main thing.
Here, One-Eyed even became one of the main characters. From his violent disposition, the inhabitants of not only Midgard, but also Asgard could suffer. So, the spirit of the Valkyrie of Silmeria was sent to the ground as punishment, where it took over the body of a mortal girl - Princess Alicia. Honestly, Alicia, whom we have to manage most of the game time, does not at all look like the savior of the world. A small timid creature with strange addictions in clothes (I can't imagine how in the harsh north you can run in a skirt above your knees, and shoes generally deserve a separate story), unable to squeeze out a few words, let alone protect yourself from lightning on the heels of Sister Silmeria. I've often wondered how naive Alicia even managed to live up to her age! There is no question of sitting on the royal throne. However, her father agreed with me, since he sent the heiress to the province out of harm's way. Silmeria must have had the strongest intuition if she could discern a spark of greatness in this walking misfortune, choosing her body as a vessel for her spirit.
But even with divine protection you can't go far, so the princess will have to pick up a group of faithful companions for herself. They will slightly brighten up her loneliness during the journey, because with one inner voice of Silmeria you can't talk too much. At first, it is the Valkyries who have to communicate for their protege, who is not able to utter a sound in public, but over time, the young lady will nevertheless become bolder.
Moreover, the situation not only contributes to, but directly compels us to do so. For example, Alicia-Silmeria will have to closely communicate with the fallen warriors - "Einherii". Instead of sending their souls to Valhalla, we have been given the right to bring warriors back to life. And each, by the way, has its own, albeit small, story. The main characters of the saga are generally flawless: everything is worthy, thoughtful and moderately pathetic. The plot develops smoothly over several chapters, not limited in time and full of familiar faces. If Lennett's adventures can be called a tragedy of personalities, over whose heads the sword of Ragnarok hangs, the second part is a melancholic tale that drags on until the final credits.
The graphic design does not give rise to any complaints - at the moment it is probably the most technologically advanced game on the old woman PlayStation 2. The authors have done a tremendous job on lighting, detailing the environment and characters, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish a CGI video from a "scripted" video. A water mill, a harbor bar, the ruins of an old castle and a pine forest all add up to a grand northern landscape. Interestingly, the two-dimensional environment is often replaced by a three-dimensional environment that is in no way inferior to it.
The music may not be called a masterpiece, but Motoi Sakuraba surprised us with an uncharacteristic even symphonic track that fits well into the general epic atmosphere. The voice acting of numerous reanimated charges was a little disappointing, but given their number, this can be forgiven.
However, the main beauty of VP2 is the gameplay. Taking on board the successful concept of the first part, the developers have created an excellent mixture of "platforming" and role-playing game. Compared to the previous episode, the locations have much more puzzles that require the use of the main character's magical abilities, and the list of talents has increased.
Of course, as in any RPG, you can't even take a step here without a fight.For those who have played the first part, the combat system will seem both familiar and innovative: it can both attract and repel a player who does not want to devote a little time to its study. Unlike Lenneth, where the battles were purely two-dimensional, here the battles take place on a three-dimensional screen, which at the moment of the fight is replaced by the good old 2D-fighting screen. Each controller button is also assigned team members who can make a limited number of hits per turn. In fact, if you wish, almost any battle can be won by indiscriminate taps and convulsive jerks of the stick. But that’s not the point! The main task of an experienced fighter is tactical victory. To do this, you will have to follow the AP (Attack Points) scale, replenishing it at the right moments, avoiding the enemy's zones of action with a lightning-fast "strafe", trying to go around him from behind or take in pincers, dividing the group into two parts.
But the most important thing: combinations decide the outcome of the battle. This is somewhat reminiscent of the bundles from Tales of Legendia, but here everything is much more complicated and interesting - a successful chain gives our partners the opportunity to carry out several types of joint attacks that can literally sweep any enemy out of the way. In addition, we will earn much more experience and useful things by fighting wisely. For example, it's not that hard to take out a local boss and carefully collect rich trophies without even touching his bodyguards. And there is also a complex pumping system ... In general, the veteran's fantasies will definitely be where to roam.
Before us is an almost perfect RPG game that stands out from the mass of "pop" projects published by Square Enix. The only drawback of Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria can be considered its "hardcore". But if you spend a few hours mastering a far from ordinary combat system, the game can captivate even "casuals" for a long time.
