Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is set in a fictional medieval world inspired by Norse mythology, featuring gods, valkyries, and einherjar — those who have died in battle and are brought to Valhalla by valkyries. The game stands out with its unique blend of 2D platforming and unique turn-based combat, creating a gameplay experience unlike most RPGs of its time.
Exploration takes place in a side-scrolling 2D perspective. You will traverse dungeons by jumping, solving puzzles, and using ice crystals to reach new areas or activate switches. Enemy encounters occur upon contact and transition into a separate 2D combat screen.
Combat is dynamic and somewhat unconventional: you control four characters simultaneously, each mapped to a specific button. Pressing the buttons in quick succession allows for combo attacks, and well-timed sequences can overwhelm an enemy and trigger powerful special attacks. These special attacks have lengthy animations that quickly become tedious because they are long and cannot be skipped. Special attacks also exhaust a character, temporarily preventing them from casting spells or performing further special attacks until they have recovered over a few turns. Other games with similar combat mechanics are Indivisible and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.
The narrative structure is unconventional. Much of the story revolves around short, tragic episodes of human characters who die and are then recruited by the protagonist, Lenneth, to serve in Valhalla. These backstories are presented through surprisingly elaborate in-game cutscenes. Dialogue is minimal, which keeps the pacing brisk but requires the player to piece together narrative threads on their own. There are eight acts to get through, and your mission is to send einherjar to Valhalla. You choose which warriors you keep or send to Odin, in exchange for rewards. The rewards you receive depend on the traits Odin requires, but unfortunately these requirements are not logged in-game, so you will likely need to take a photo or write them down.
At first, Lenneth (the protagonist) feels distant and underdeveloped. For much of the game, she remains in the background, overshadowed by the stories of the warriors she recruits. Occasional cryptic hints suggest that something is amiss, but real narrative development does not occur until much later. While this slow burn pays off with an interesting plot revelation, it can be difficult early on to emotionally connect with her.
The game offers three endings, with the normal ending being unsatisfying due to the lack of character development. The true ending, which unveils the game's deeper themes and secrets, should be aimed. If you do not use a guide, you probably need a second playthrough to unlock the true ending. However, discovering the path to the true ending is challenging without a guide, as the requirements are obscure and hidden.
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth has a steep learning curve. The game provides minimal guidance and throws you into a world filled with overwhelming menus and unfamiliar game mechanics. You are expected to learn by experimenting. For example, some enemies have weaknesses and some strong enemies can be easily defeated with the right weapons.
If you start on normal (difficulty) mode, a second playthrough on hard can be worthwhile thanks to the additional recruitable characters and dungeons exclusive to that difficulty. Interestingly, hard mode is not significantly more challenging — enemy strength remains largely the same. While experience gains are reduced, the extra content compensates with more opportunities to level up. In fact, I recommend beginning your first playthrough on hard and using a guide to unlock the true ending, as the game's structure and repetition may make a second full playthrough feel tedious. The first three chapters are rather easy regardless of the chosen difficulty mode. However, later chapters introduce noticeable difficulty spikes with tougher enemies that require adaptive strategic play.
Character progression is quite flexible. Depending on the class, each character can learn passive and active abilities across four categories. You can also customize your party composition from an expanding roster of warriors. Additionally, items and spells can be upgraded (transmuted). However, they lack clear descriptions, so you must guess their purpose or consult external resources.
The game was originally released for the PlayStation 1. However, I recommend the PlayStation Portable or PlayStation 4/5 versions, as they offer quality-of-life features. The PS4 and PS5 versions include a rewind function, which is helpful for trickier platforming sections.
Despite its age, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth holds up visually. The pixel art is detailed and expressive, and the cutscenes are elaborately designed. The soundtrack is atmospheric. The voice acting is sparse and of mixed quality, but it adds flavor to key scenes.
All in all, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a refreshingly unconventional game combining a mature, but also fragmented, narrative with distinctive gameplay mechanics. Its melancholic storytelling, myth-inspired setting, and unusual mix of mechanics make it a perfect candidate for experimental players who seek something outside the (RPG) norm. While not without flaws, especially in accessibility, it remains a compelling and memorable experience that still holds up remarkably well by modern standards (and its prequel is even better).