Ages ago, I played a game called Valkyrie Profile on the PS1. It had a mix of unique gameplay elements and a great, tragic storyline. It deserved its cult standing. With that, I was excited to see what the sequel (or prequel as it were) had in store.

Valkyrie Profile 2 opens with a slick CG movie that provides just enough questions to keep you going. The rest of the game relies mostly on in-game rendered cinematics to progress the story. At brief moments, there is little difference between these scenes and the CG. Effects like camera focus blur help to make things look top notch. In the moments where faces are stiff or lips are out of sync, the excellent voice acting carries the scene.

Graphically, VP2 seeps atmosphere. Backgrounds are packed with detail, with little things happening everywhere such as books being blown open by breezes. Some textures, especially in the background, tend to look a bit jagged, but they are forgivable. Lighting effects are quite impressive. You’ll see the intense haze from the sun in the desert and the soft glow of the moonlight on the outskirts of town. It’s still not common to be able to show off your widescreen TV with a console game, so I was happily surprised to find the option for widescreen here. All of this is a great example of what you’d expect from a game on a maturing system.

Valkyrie Profile 2’s opening score is sweeping and emotional, which is exactly what is needed in order to draw the player into the game. As for the rest of the game, the soundtrack consists of enjoyable orchestral tracks. If you’re a fan of other Square soundtracks (particularly their RPGs), you’ll probably find something you like here. I found myself enjoying loitering in at least one area to listen to a particular song, but I know some may listen and call it “nothing new.” I do have one bone to pick, and that is the fact that you cannot change the sound levels. It certainly would have helped me hear voices over the battle background music at times.

Valkyrie Profile 2, like its predecessor, is influenced by Norse mythology. I’ve always been a fan of borrowing elements from other cultures, as it prompts me to read about the original tales from which characters and concepts in the game derived their names and background. VP2 tells the tale of a rebellious Valkyrie, Silmeria, who is punished for disobeying the god Odin. Just what her quarrel was or what exactly she plans to do about her situation isn’t revealed early on. With or without the influences, the storyline doesn’t feel like something that’s been done to death already.

For me, RPGs are about getting to know and care for your character(s) and following them along their journey. All the characters in VP2 are well-rounded and interesting, major or minor. One of my favorites is the main character Silmeria, who has been forced to reside in the mind of a young girl named Alicia. I love watching these two characters interact and I like the fact that you could tell when Silmeria was about to surface just by watching Alicia’s expressions.

Einherjar are known from myth to be the warriors that Valkyries choose to take with them back to Valhalla. In VP2, you are given the opportunity to recruit many of these people to fight with you. Unfortunately, it’s something of a mixed blessing. On one hand, you’re handed a boatload of detailed, unique characters. On the other hand, you’re supposed to level them up and kick them out eventually. For this, you receive items that give you good, permanent boosts to your other characters, but I found myself wishing you got just a little something more for it. You can go and visit these freed Einherjar later on and they will give you a gift, along with a few lines of conversation. There are many of them, but it seems like they’re gone before you get to know them.

One hidden extra I personally love are the interactions you can uncover by placing certain characters in the same party. When the battle starts, two characters who knew each other during their past lives will sometimes speak to each other. Their speeches can actually be quite long and reveal how they feel toward one another. I really love little things like this, as they pull me deeper into the story.

Like most RPG’s, you will reach a plateau after leveling past the monsters in a particular area, where battles will be simple affairs to win. This isn’t to say strategy isn’t rewarded, but usually if you’re underpowered, the quickest option is to level up. If you don’t care about optional activities like obtaining monster parts for special weapons or leveling your extra characters to free them, then the game will become boring when you hit these plateaus. There is, however, plenty to discover for those with at least one collecting bone in their body.

The battle system promises a good amount of depth for those inclined to delve into it. It contains some unique elements that keep Valkyrie Profile 2 different from most RPGs. Battles take place on a 3D playing field and the fighting doesn’t happen until you attack or step into an enemy’s attack range. There is a bit of a learning curve with the sheer number of things you can do, but also plenty of options to keep you interested while climbing that curve. In any given battle, your goal might be to gain experience, magic crystals, or items, or to maximize all of the above. For example, if you’re out treasure hunting, you can customize character attacks to focus on breaking off specific pieces of the enemy. If you’re hunting for magic crystals, you may want to work on customizing the best party for juggling enemies in mid-air. To achieve quick kills (and save your characters’ skins), you’ll need to master combos and also positioning yourself around the enemy.

What’s great about all these options is just that, they are options. You can play at your own pace. You can pick your battles on the field by using photons to freeze enemies and avoid them. During battles, you can control the pace as well, as enemy movement only occurs when you are moving your party or charging up for attack. So if you see a bad situation beginning to form, you have the option to stop and make a decision about your next move. If you want the story to progress, the grind to beat boss characters is not completely discouraging, especially if you keep a balanced, high level party all the time. There are definitely rewards to finding parts for weapons, leveling your minor characters, and restoring sealstones, so pursuing these things is not a fruitless sidequest.

Valkyrie Profile 2 will offer RPG fans something new in the battle system and unique storyline. The game is (for better or worse) as easy or as hard as you choose to make it. The battle system is unique and there’s plenty to do here. If you’re in it for the story, then you will definitely find something good in this game.