Valkyrie Elysium – Review

Our Score: 8/10

The most recent game in the Valkyrie series is now available with Valkyrie Elysium. It is an ARPG and has the signature Einherjar and combo systems of the series, so players can enjoy fast, three-dimensional battles. The game’s unique art style shows a world falling apart as Ragnarok approaches in a beautiful way, and series veteran Motoi Sakuraba is back to add a memorable soundtrack.

Start of a New Eda

In Valkyrie Elysium, you play as a god named Valkyrie and fight your way through several stages using fast-paced, real-time battles and some very light platforming and exploring. The first game was based on the history of turn-based RPGs, but Elysium is just a hack-and-slash game like God Hand, Devil May Cry, or Bayonetta. Valkyrie Elysium is an ARPG on the surface, but it has a lot more stylish character action than I expected. Action RPGs often don’t go much further than a launcher and a few aerial combos when it comes to character actions.

Valkyrie Elysium continues in the style of Devil May Cry by adding more moves to the list, giving more launchers, “Witch Time” dodges like in Bayonetta, perfect/just counters, parries, and more. As you learn new moves that are tied to your jump and dodge phases, the list of moves can quickly become confusing. For example, if you jump once, double-jump, or dodge once or twice, different attacks will happen. The different ways to fight keep things interesting and fun, and the skill tree and weapon upgrade system make it feel like something new is always being added.

Seeing the Light

In Valkyrie Elysium, Ragnarok, which in Norse mythology is the end of the world, is raging across the land. When you look at a map of the world for the first time, you can see that much of it has already been burned away, leaving behind only charred ruins and crumbling cities. So, almost every place you go to in Valkyrie Elysium is just a shell of what it used to be. As the water level rises, great cities are falling apart, and castles that once loomed over the skyline like a threat are now just ruins of a kingdom that has been forgotten.

Valkyrie Elysium’s world design is interesting, even though it looks sad. The glory that the kingdoms of Midgard, the realm of people, used to have is long gone, and the style of art shows that. Given how bright and beautiful Asgard, where the gods live, really is, the choice seems deliberate. Valkyrie Elysium’s campaign, which takes just under 20 hours to finish, is a lot of fun and shows you everything the game has to offer. In each pair of chapters, you run through about half of a larger stage. If you’ve played Bayonetta, this game’s level structure will feel very familiar. When you fight, you have to stay in an arena before you can move on to the next one.

Sound the War Horn

Valkyrie Elysium also has some very good music. Motoi Sakuraba, the game’s composer, made two tracks: one for exploring the world and one for fighting. The same themes are used in these songs, but they are played on different instruments. This makes for a calm atmosphere when you are exploring the world and an exciting background when you are in battle. The way the game’s music changes based on what’s happening on the screen makes sure that every song fits. Still, the soundtrack is pleasant and feels like a Valkyrie soundtrack, but there aren’t many songs that stand out.

Final Verdict

To sum it up, Valkyrie Elysium is a great step forward for the Valkyrie series of games. It’s a fun and action-packed ARPG that doesn’t welcome its overstay and keeps you hooked with its combat and story throughout.