izigame.me

When this game was announced I was very happy as a JRPG fan who originally played Silmeria on PS2 and Lenneth on PSP.
I find myself enjoying the game so far; the music and atmosphere and the distinctive style of the Valkyries in this series has always allured me and this game has the same affect on me. The combat is a massive departure from the series' turn-based roots, although, some elements from the OG series remains, such as each face button initiating a party member's attack. As a fan of the Badass-Character-Action genre a la Bayonetta, DMC, Ninja Gaiden, etc, Ive enjoyed it so far.
Though I am still in the midst of playing through the game, the story seems a bit vapid so far. I am hoping it will pick up as i play through more of it. Also, as a classic JRPG fan, this game has been leaving me wanting some more classic elements implemented like NPC-filled towns with bars, inns and shops (not that Valkyrie would use them, its just for the pageantry of it). But the reasoning for there being no one around so far is because of the world ending event, Ragnarok destroyed most of civilization. This makes sense, but again, I like the pageantry of having those classic JRPG elements. Instead the game has flowers called "Hollow Blossoms" scattered throughout levels, which when picked up, allows Valkyrie to interpret the thoughts of the past, which act like Resident Evil files and give more context to the games world.
There is also something about the level design that, though i cant quite put my finger on yet, is kinda odd. I think part of it is that much of the combat takes place in towns instead of dungeons. Although the stages are designed well enough and give a good amount of freedom, they are also oddly restrictive. Certain ledges or a random toppled pillar youd think you would be able to jump on, instead have collision barriers preventing it. While you can actually jump atop building rooftops and over banisters. Its like the game is trying to keep the player from breaking its level by platforming somewhere you shouldnt be able to, but it is done in places that seem inconsequential. There are other times when the game jails you off from returning to previous sections of the map simply because the game wants the player to move forward, eventhough it seems like it would be harmless to allow it. Perhaps it is to avoid manipulating the one time healing a save points grants the player the first time its used.
The game is designed by the team behind Ninja Gaiden, so the game has a cool sense of style to its attack animations, making Valkyrie look like a badass in battle and there are some neat game design choices shared between these two games as well. Such as enemies dropping blue orbs that fill Valkyrie's Soul meter (Ryu Hayabusa's health) and yellow orbs that are used as currency (same in both games). Valkyrie can even use the orbs to charge a "Soul Burst" up to 3 levels to unleash a hailstorm of savage, but oh-so-graceful strikes with her blade in the vain of Hayabusa's Ultimate Technique.