Although the development of the "Valkyrie Profile" series is not highly anticipated, there are still many fans who are eager to hear the news of the new work. However, at the recent Sony conference, when valkyrie ELYSIUM appeared as the finale, the first impression was a little subtle. It's not that it can't look bad, but it doesn't seem to fit well with the beautiful and gorgeous tone of this series. As for the change in gameplay, it makes many players feel weird.
▲I always feel that something is wrong
Of course, this is not a new work that has just been announced, after all, it is common for many excellent game debuts to sell poorly. However, I have to admit that after the release of this game, everyone did show stronger expectations for the previous SE president Yosuke Matsuda's "more hd-2D old game reproductions" - not to hurry to give the original "Norse Goddess" a remake!
So why, even now, more than two decades later, are so many players so obsessed with this work? Isn't it a classic that remains in memory – but is it an outdated old game?
No, some games do look like they're not as good as they were when they looked at them years later. But there are also some works, even today is unique, from the inside to the outside of the gameplay are still competitive, only need to polish and trim in the details can compete with the current word of mouth masterpiece. The Norse Goddess, which was born on the PS1 console, can be summarized in such cases. It's not even an exaggeration to say that it's one of the top-notch works in the JRPG category today.
Isn't it particularly unobjective? But I think if you've also played the game well – even friends who are making up tickets now, most of them will agree with this statement. Whether examined from the external taste of audiovisual, or as the key gameplay, plot and system depth of RPG, it is enough to deserve this evaluation.
▲ It is so good
Turn-based is not outdated
Although the copyright to the Norse Goddess series is in the hands of today's SE, its real developer is actually tri-Ace. The developer, which once also had the title of "3A production must be a boutique", was formed by some members of the "Wolf Group", a legendary game team in the early years of Japan, and was also responsible for the development of famous works such as "Star Ocean" in addition to the Goddess series.
Many people probably think that JRPG is synonymous with conservatism. However, this is only a stereotype, don't forget that "Final Fantasy" has always been a model of radical innovation whenever a new work has to be a systematic change + a new worldview.
On the other hand, the period from the 1990s to the beginning of the millennium was the golden age of the Japanese game industry. Many have described it as an era of "God walking everywhere," when creativity and efficiency are indispensable to surviving in this divided environment.
At that time, many RPG manufacturers were looking for a breakthrough in the traditional turn-based framework. The Fantasy Legends, which Namco outsourced to the Wolves, incorporated fighting games into the combat system, and Sea of Stars, launched after Tri-Ace, another group of team members, was also known for its action mechanics with instant action feedback.
The Norse Goddess, which was released later, was still turn-based in terms of rules, but it weakened the frequency of use of the inherent formula "menu -select-action" and pioneered the addition of a combat system with instant feedback from keys. Of the 4 characters on the team, the position corresponds to the "○△×□" on the handle, and each button operates one character's current attack action.
▲The position of the enemy and us has its function
In the current round, the actions of the four characters actually operate according to the logic of instant feedback. The front row of 3 people is responsible for the main output, and the role in the back row is usually a remote assist such as a mage. You can press four keys at the same time to get them to rush up, or you can just press "□" to let the character standing in front of you on the left make a separate attack. Each character has their own 3 normal attack skills, which will be used according to the weapon and player settings.
Due to the huge performance differences between the characters, with this simple and intuitive operation logic, a set of easy-to-use and quite deep combat systems has been derived. Depending on the character configuration in the team and the player's actions, a very gorgeous set of team attacks can be played.
The essence of the game is that the player does not need to operate other actions such as positioning, but concentrates the operation on the "attack" link. Character attacks have a variety of effects such as floating, big hard straight, high combos, or knockbacks, which require you to have a certain degree of control over the order and rhythm of the moves.
Groping combos are certainly not just good-looking, they also have both rewards and cooldowns in combat. At the beginning of each attack, the metering slot called "Decisive Skill" also rises. If you can reach 100% after completing the attack this turn, you can unleash a super kill unique to each character (the mage is determined by the magic of the equipment).
▲The protagonist's signature killer skill
Whether it is a magic or a duel skill, after use, it will cause the "CT value" below the character's HP to increase significantly, usually waiting for multiple turns of cooldown. However, if we continue to effectively pursue after the enemy has been knocked down, we can hit the "Purple Flame Bead", and quickly reduce the CT value of the team members after the end of the round, so that we can launch a continuous powerful attack.
On the other hand, the normal process in Norse Goddess does not give much experience points, coupled with the particularity of the chapter-style process, it is likely that it will be crushed by enemy values in the later stages. Therefore, another way of fighting, floating combos, became the key. Because when we pursue an enemy that is floating, we can get crystal stones that reward the EXP bonus for this battle.
The role of crystal stones can greatly speed up the team's upgrade speed, while the purple beads make the battle easier; improving the output efficiency, coupled with the combination of the two combos rewards, has become the core idea of encouraging players to study team combos during the battle of this game. Not only does it make the game gorgeous and refreshing to play, but it also makes it more strategic to match various team members' moves.
▲ The combo system is interesting and useful
Shinkai Shrine Animal Simulator
While retaining the classic texture of turn-based systems, the combat system also has a refreshing action game idea. However, the idea of "Norse Goddess" does not stop at this aspect, and the production team has also made considerable changes to the process-related content such as the WAY the JRPG's plot is advanced and the maze level link is also quite different.
Set against the backdrop of Norse mythology, the game tells the story of Renas Valkyrie, the second sister of the three goddesses of destiny, who travels to the human world on the orders of the main god Odin to collect the spirits of warriors and prepare for the final battle of "Twilight of the Gods".
Since the player is playing as a Valkyrie this time, the classic "Brave Walk big map" mode is not used. When we enter the world map, the protagonist, Renas, moves in a flying fashion – yes, we have an "airship" at the beginning. After performing "mental concentration", Renas can sense the maze that can be entered in the current process, or the location of the character with the potential to become a "heroic spirit".
▲One key to lead the way, fast and convenient
The first time a player enters a maze or town, it is bound to feel very novel. Because it not only uses a 2D side-scrolling perspective, but even the gameplay is made according to the logic of a platform action game.
You can freely control the Valkyrie to perform the standard operations in various action games, except that the jump is slightly difficult to control, and the overall feel can be said to be very smooth. Most of the mazes are designed according to their themes with multiple overlapping levels and obvious height differences, which is a "Galaxy City Like" to explain in terms of the popular genre.
Of course, the essence of the game is still an RPG. Falling into a trap in the maze only loses HP but does not die, and the various enemies that wander are actually just a bunch of visible "bright thunder" that still need to enter the formal battle to break.
However, the production team added a lot of fun to this part. In addition to basic movements, Reynolds is also able to perform special actions such as swinging her sword and firing ice crystal magic. The former can break some objects or actively attack enemies to gain a turn start when entering combat. The latter can create crystals on the platform or freeze enemies, forming a high platform for the feet, and sometimes produce other effects depending on the special environment of the maze.
With ice crystal magic at its core, plus a variety of other action mechanics including shovel jumps, the game has a set of excellent performance compared to the main horizontal platform action game. The game's 30 mazes are also carefully designed, containing a variety of puzzle mechanisms, which greatly enrich the fun of the strategy.
▲ Exploring the maze makes the game more than just RPG gameplay
On the other hand, while the game simplifies the operation of the big map, it integrates management into the process. It takes time for the player to enter the maze and explore the town, and it is impossible to let you wander without restriction all the time. In addition, the task that Odin entrusted to Renas is not only shown in the plot, but also involves a set of "social animals" gameplay in the Divine Realm.
After finding someone with potential, a (mostly long) plot is played first, describing the background of the character's life and the reasons for their death, and finally being called by Renas as a heroic warrior. After that, they become available characters, and you can organize them into teams to participate in battle growth, or infuse them with "team experience" gained in the maze to upgrade the bench players.
All conscripted heroes will have the corresponding skill and an overall rating value called Heroism. Renas needs to sacrifice at least one warrior to the Hall of Heroes in each chapter, and from time to time has to pay tribute to the artifacts obtained in the labyrinth to meet Odin's needs. The character who was offered could not return to the team again until the final chapter, and if the sacrificed warrior was not strong enough, he could be told that he was killed before then.
If the player ignores the orders of the Hall of Heroes for a long time, it will cause Renas's rating to drop. Once at the bottom, Odin will send his secretary-general Frey to capture the protagonist and seal it, ushering in the worst C ending (even if it is won, it will force the game to end).
But on the other hand, the game has a true ending that can only be unlocked in high-difficulty mode, with a hidden "seal value" system. The player's sacrifice of the Hero will greatly increase this value. Therefore, in the process, in addition to optimizing the benefits as much as possible during the limited action time of each chapter, the player also has to control the seal value while maintaining Odin's trust, and try to solve the mystery of Renas's life.
▲ The gods are not trustworthy
Arguably a game released in 1999, this game is not only unpredicted in terms of combat system, but also in terms of smooth rhythm in terms of exploration, which is also in line with modern standards. In most JRPGs today, it's hard to even find designs where themes complement functionality and experience comfort.
The original version of the game has a lot of Chinese characters, coupled with the natural advantages of the 2D pixel art style in the performance, even if you don't know Japanese at that time, you can roughly understand the plot. In addition, even if many details are mistaken in retrospect, because the system is so easy to use and refreshing, this game was one of the other JRPGs in the charter room that attracted many people in addition to "Fatal legends".
However, because there was no function of fast-forwarding or skipping the plot at that time, entering the long plot stage was inevitably boring, especially if you wanted to start playing, you had to survive a fairly long prologue. So at that time in the charter room, we always left a special save for the game after the end of the prologue, and anyone who wanted to start playing again could use it.
But it's too suitable to be remade
To put it mildly, this game can be regarded as one of the early heroes who brought Norse mythology into the country in the form of video games. Many people really understand Norse mythology through contact and love of this work. The reason why it is said "really" is because the original myth has been modified in many ways to make it closer to the preferences of modern pop culture.
Don't get me wrong, this game is not the kind of thing that often appears in Japanese anime now, and the setting is not rigorous and the plot is written indiscriminately. Although Norse Goddess is heavily modified based on Norse mythology — even Odin's secretary general, Frey (フレイ), has been sexually transformed, its overall tone remains very serious. Although the story is not novel by today's standards, the quality of the line text to the narrative rhythm is quite high.
Although classic shapes such as "feather helmet" still go back to Namco's "Valkyrie Adventure" in that year. However, the image of the Valkyrie has been carried forward and become the favorite of many ACG similar human settings in the future, and it is still not the protagonist of this work, Renas. And about her personal related plot, it is naturally the deepest hidden and most ups and downs of this work.
However, the game is not a one-man show of the Valkyrie, and the theme of the story is not just about the twilight of the gods. As a game set in Norse mythology, Norse Goddess is closer to a group drama. It focuses not on the war between strange and chaotic gods, but on the story woven by mortals with different identities and personalities.
The whole game seems to describe the unconnected characters, but in fact, the entire event context is constantly established through fragmented clues. There are more than twenty heroic warriors who can join the team, each with their own life story, and through their experiences, they have connected a complex network of character relationships, and finally a grand mythological world is built by man and god.
Along the way, Reynas witnessed many mortals who, even if they were toyed with by fate, did not give in until the last moment of their lives. From the initial coldness and the struggle in the face of human beings, she gradually began to waver and question. The player's choice in the process will also determine whether to let Renas ignore the human side and submit to the arrangements of the gods, or to uncover the truth with the help of the bonds and encounters she has built along the way. It can be said that the protagonist's personal story and gameplay are combined quite well.
Since almost all heroic spirits are doomed to death, the pathos of the whole game are quite strong. Whether it is the main line of discussion about human nature and divinity, or the analysis of the world in various side stories, its serious and profound core is unique in the entire history of JRPG.
▲Many characters simply came to participate in the Biscian Conference
Finally, let's talk about this first look and feel in terms of audiovisual aspects. The reason why this game is very suitable for HD-2D remake is that it originally used a combination of pixel dot matrix + 3D modeling. The materials such as the characters that often have to "move" are pixel maps, while the background is mostly 3D graphics (or static CGI), and the standing paintings during dialogues are directly used in the exquisite original paintings of Ji Chenggang and Ji Chengyao.
Now it seems that this is simply the advantage of innate remake. In addition to the resolution and some technical limitations, even if the picture of "Norse Goddess" is a bit "outdated" now, it is definitely not "ugly". The original large number of existing art materials not only makes the difficulty of redrawing expected to be lower than other games, but also maintains the original texture after high definition.
In addition, it must be mentioned that there is also the sense of hearing. As a game of the PS1 era, the voice actor lineup of this game can be described as quite luxurious. Although not full voice, the combat as well as the key plot have excellent dubbing performance. And the famous composer, Sakura Tingtong, who is also an old member of the Wolf Group, composed many songs for the game, which is still regarded as a classic by many players.
▲The expressiveness of music and pictures is quite strong
You know, the newly released music of "Elysium Valkyrie" is partly because of the successful invitation of Sakuraba, so that there is a place that is considered reliable. From this aspect, it can be seen that the status of this old brother in composition has been achieved.
epilogue
This article can only be said to be a simple statement of the basic elements of the Norse Goddess. The high quality of its gameplay to the plot has been analyzed by many people in a professional and in-depth manner, and it is more of a review.
You'll certainly find it unobjective: As a JRPG released in 1999, it's hard to believe that it's really not outdated and that it's hard to find obvious flaws. But I still insist that there are indeed a handful of such works in the history of games, innovative and highly complete, and not obsolete because of coincidence or real vision.
And in these rare cases, "Norse Goddess" is definitely qualified to have a place. It does deserve a new title — but certainly not a perfunctory mobile game like Valkyrie Anatomy: Origins. They themselves knew that this was simply a waste of IP, so much so that after the release of Elysium Valkyrie, in order to appease players, they could only emphasize that "this is just a sequel".
Since I understand that the new work is difficult to satisfy the users of the series, I think it is really possible to consider moving this first generation that is still good enough today to remake it. At least compared to new games that don't seem to have a very optimistic outlook, players are certainly much more receptive to this form.