In its possession, Square Enix boasts some of gaming’s most illustrious names and legendary series. We’re all familiar with the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series, as well as some of the newer Bravely and Nier games.
The Valkyrie games are a series that was never given a fair chance to shine and has not had a proper release in over a decade. First released in 2000 for the original PlayStation, Valkyrie Profile spawned a sequel for the PlayStation 2, and then a third and final game for the Nintendo DS in 2009. (not counting a mobile game).
These games were groundbreaking in their integration of 3D exploration, fluid movement across a landscape, and turn-based fights, but the recently announced Valkyrie Elysium hopes to breathe new life into the series with a fresh take on the formula.
The Legend of the Valkyries and Their Trip to Heaven
Players in Valkyrie Elysium assume the role of a Valkyrie and must enlist the help of fallen warriors, known as Einherjar, to complete their mission.
Since its initial reveal at the Sony’s State of Play in March 2022, Square Enix has provided additional information and a new teaser that highlights the game’s real-time action-oriented gameplay.
In Square Enix’s promotional materials, the following is described as the official story of the connection between Valkyrie Elysium and the Valkyrie Profile series.
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Valkyrie Elysium Release Date
On September 29, 2022, Valkyrie Elysium will be available for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 video game platforms. In addition, on PC via the Steam Store on November 11, 2022.
While we haven’t heard anything officially about an Xbox port, if/when one becomes available, we’ll be sure to let you know here. Be sure to return for any new information regarding the expected release date.
May I Ask if There Are Any Valkyrie Elysium Pre-Order Benefits?
There are pre-order bonuses for Valkyrie Elysium, and the Digital Deluxe Edition comes with some cool extras.
Alicia, Sword of the God of Light, is a bonus item available to players who pre-order the digital edition on PS4 or PS5. Pre-orders of the physical copy instead receive a PlayStation Network character.
Digital version of Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, 72-hour early access to Valkyrie Elysium, and in-game item Svartaljr: Sword of the Goddess of the Underworld are all included in the $74.99 PlayStation Digital Deluxe Edition.
On September 9, 2022, you can buy Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 as a standalone product, even though it was originally launched for the PSP.
Gameplay
About half of the trailer is dedicated to gameplay, which seems significantly different from what we’ve seen in the prior games in the series.
Although the action is no longer broken up into turn-based RPG segments, the traversal system seems to be the most similar, looking fast and fluid with plenty of choices to jump and grapple over places.
Rather than switching to a separate fight screen, the action unfolds in real-time and seems to blend naturally with exploring. Even though she will have access to a variety of weapons, we see a lot of her physical combo abilities with her sword.
We don’t yet know the depth or complexity of the system, but Valkyrie’s ability to dash, perform a stinger, launch, and pull off a plethora of spectacular combinations looks akin to a character action game like Nier: Automata.
Magic is also a significant part of the battle. We witness a variety of spells, including fireballs, thunder calls, and what appears to be the capacity to summon ghosts or spirits.
The trailer knight appears to battle beside her on many occasions; he appears to be fully human at first, but in one scene she beckons him to her, and he becomes much more ghostly and translucent, vanishing in a cloud of purple sparks.
A knight with a two-handed sword, a bow user, and a mage are just some examples of the inheritors at your disposal.
There appears to be a startup period for some spells since Valkyrie occasionally pauses and green rings develop beneath her in preparation for a more substantial attack.
She also spends a split second gathering what appear to be green and purple crystals from the ground, maybe to refill her mana points, summons, or health. Lacking any visible HUD features, we have no idea how magic or summoning will function if they do.
Valkyrie Elysium is rumored to run at 4K and 60 FPS on PS5 and, presumably, a PC that can handle it. It is unlikely that we will know how the game runs on the previous-generation system until the release date.
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Multiplayer
No doubt about it, Valkyrie Elysium is a game for one player only. It’s a one-player game, and that’s stated on the store page, so there’s no ambiguity there. Since this is part of a long-running series of single-player JRPGs, we find this to be very appropriate.
Pre-order
You can choose between the Digital Standard and Digital Deluxe editions of Valkyrie Elysium, both of which are now available for pre-order.
The PS4 and PS5 versions of the game are included in the $60 Digital Standard edition.
For an extra $75, you may get the Deluxe Edition, which features the Svartalkr gear as well as a Valkyrie Profile based on Lenneth.
