What does Valhalla mean to you? Does it bring forth old Nordic legends? Fallen warriors going to a paradise of battles (if such a thing could exist)? Valkyries fighting a never-ending battle? Valhalla often summons thoughts of a never-ending battle. So what image would a videogame create? There have been various answers to this in a variety of forms without even referencing anything Nordic. But perhaps one of the closer answers is Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance for the PSP.
Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance takes place 1,000 years after a mysterious goddess with four wings descends from the sky. The people believe that the gods have abandoned them and have unleashed an apocalypse well before its time. A woman known as the “Witch of the Crystal” attempted to defeat the mysterious goddess all those years ago, but she only succeeded in cutting off a wing. From there, all heck breaks loose. Monsters known as “hostiae” roam the countryside, looking for anyone foolish enough to leave town. The Witch leaves the people one last command: Train in order to kick that goddess’ butt into oblivion. No matter how long it takes. Anyway, you create a character who’s a royal adventurer. Your job is simple: Help as many people as you can, and if possible, find a way to cause some deep scratches to the goddess.
I’ll be frank: The plot is rather thin. There are no little moments to keep the overarching narrative moving. But it makes up for it with its characters. There’s the bored/disillusioned-looking innkeeper, the head of the guild who looks like she’s going to die of lung cancer (she’s smoking a cigar for goodness’ sake!), the grumpy armory clerk ... and many more with each of the animations of the characters. Then there are the requests that the guild distributes. They not only set you up for rewards and aids in explaining the world, but they give you a greater reason to go outside and explore.
Yes, this sounds like a typical role-playing game. And in many ways, it is. You create your character from five different races — human, halfling (or hobbit if you prefer), elf, dwarf and akatoki — and there are two unlockable races. Then you choose your character’s appearance and class. You roam the countryside looking for monsters to hack to gain levels and loot. You can also recruit a second or third character into your party. Nothing is too unusual. However, it is the way Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance handles classes and levels that makes it rather cool. You’re not chained into any class. If you tire of being a mage, you can go to the guild and change it to something else. You can combine up to three classes to create something unique. If you want to create a mage/monk/priest hybrid, go for it. Or how about a monk/thief/fighter? Or even a priest/ monk/thief? Those choices are there for you to make.
Then there’s the level system. Monsters release experience when they die, and so many EXP is required to raise a level. After your character(s) gain a level, they might have a stat or three improve. THEN you place a point wherever you like. Strength increases attack power and health, intelligence improves MP and magical spells, vitality improves health and defense, agility increases dodging, dexterity improves ranged attacks, and luck helps with a little bit of everything. How you improve your character is up to you. And I like it. I like it a lot.
Controls are a pretty typical for an RPG. Again, most of what is available is standard fare. You have to re-equip your characters manually every time you change their classes. You can hold up to 60 items, though like items do not stack. (Annoying, but not unusual in RPG terms.) Spells can be cast and assigned a quick slot for easy access during combat. Then there’s “behavior.” With this function, you sink in points to determine how a character will respond to a situation during combat. If healing is emphasized, the game makes certain a character doesn’t need healing before doing something else, such as attacking or support magic. So what type of combat is it?
Combat is, essentially, hack and slash. Melee classes have it easier as they can wear better equipment and hit harder. Spells, understandably, take a bit longer to create than using an item with the same effect. Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance doesn’t hold your hand for long. Nor does it pull its punches. Grinding is the norm. Your characters — although they can behave rather intelligently — do not attack with the ferocity of a human player. And if your party falls during combat, then your party is revived back at the inn with half its gold taken. So you also have to know when it is time to duck tail.
Graphically, Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance looks rather cool. It may look like something that might have appeared early in the PlayStation 2 life cycle. The world looks a little grainy, but it is full of detail. Water shoots up fountains and flows down rivers. Monsters look unique and move very well. Areas are also unique. The slums look rundown. The forests are almost claustrophobic as the trees reach high into the sky, paths are close together and ponds are rare. Then there’s the Senorbia River, which is light and airy. It would probably be a nice place for a picnic if it weren’t for the monsters and dilapidated bridges. If there is one major problem with Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance, it is this: While exploring, the game will slow down at specific points. It disrupts the flow. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen when the frame rate really counts.
Sounds are in its proper places. The usual fantasy sounds are used, such as the slashing of swords and axes, the burns of ice and fire, and the sound of footsteps. But what sets it apart from its RPG siblings is the music. It’s fun to listen to, with perky drums and synthesizers for the creation screen. The main town music is pleasantly epic with its horn fair and marching drumline. The forest has a creepy vibe with fast-moving strings, emphasizing the dangers. There’s no voice acting in Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance (except for the opening movie), but you do hear the sounds of creatures, which ranges from simple buzzing of giant bees to creepy croaks of frogs.
Overall, Valhalla Knights2: Battle Stance is a solid hardcore RPG. And as such, not everyone is going appreciate to this game. And that’s a shame, because a lot of people are going to overlook it. If you can come to terms with the game’s quirks, then be prepared for hours of fun. I do feel that the price of $30 is a bit high considering that the game has slow-down issues. But it is just as well-made as any other game at the same price. And I have no clue how much better this version is than the original game, as I have not played any other games in the series. But by description alone, it seems like this is the superior game. Now, please excuse me. I’ve got a corrupted valkyrie to obliterate.
