Reviewed on PlayStation Vita
→ October 30, 2013The Valhalla Knights series never really fared well in the past. The first two games (on the PSP) were mediocre at best, while the lackluster Eldar Saga on the Wii won few fans. Valhalla Knights 3, in turn, never quite steps off of the shoddy foundation laid down by its predecessors. It offers some clear improvements, including a combat system that allows for seven player characters compared to the single-party systems of the past, but its good qualities are frequently stunted by dull quests, scummy dating mechanics and a general lack of polish that squander much of its potential.
In the least, however, it gets off to a good start with a decent character builder that offers a nice assortment of races, classes, and visual customization options that only grow deeper the longer you play. The initial six class choices expand to 20, while the four starting races are eventually bumped by their own additions. Experimenting with classes and skills is one of VK 3’s greatest joys. The depth of its options left me eager to level up and unlock new skills to further customize my character. These skills offer bountiful opportunities to fashion a character truly reflective of your personal style.
You’re also able to recruit additional party members (seven can be brought to battle), each requiring your guidance as they gain experience and advance in levels. The extra party members come in handy in battle, where you can take direct control of them at will to try out other combat styles and lead the fight from different perspectives. The combat itself is probably VK 3’s best feature, even if it doesn’t come packaged with much in the way of surprises. There is a rhythm-based combo element that has a bit of learning curve, and you can also dish out commands to direct your party mates’ behavior, but all in all it plays pretty much the way you’d expect an action-RPG to play. You run into baddies and smack them until they die.
Its lack of frills aside, what really drags the gameplay down is how little is actually done with it. There are, of course, story missions to partake in, as well as online multiplayer, but they’re both woefully insubstantial. The story centers on a bland quest to find an ancient treasure and leaves practically no impression. While you’ll find no lack of quests and jobs to fill your time, the vast majority are different variations on “kill 10 (cliched monster)” or “bring me 20 (generic fantasy item).” This repetition is made all the more tedious by dated visuals and loading times that are both frequent and long. It starts to get annoying when every trip back to a questgiver is accompanied by a solid minute or two of waiting for these PSP-era graphics to load. Multiplayer, which is limited to PvP arena fights, is good for little more than the occasional diversion.
It doesn’t help the campaign that difficulty is prone to spiking with little or no warning. For instance, early on you’ll play in an area where the primary enemies are bunnies and bandits. Neither are really challenging foes and it’s easy to plow through them with little thought toward caution. Then, out of nowhere, you’ll run into another enemy that’s five times stronger and threatens to outright obliterate your party, with harsh death penalties if you haven’t saved recently. Avoiding these defeats means a constant and tedious cycle of grinding out levels and upgrading your equipment to improve survivability.
Acquiring the best gear, in turn, opens its own uncomfortable can of worms. Scattered throughout VK 3’s various shops and stores are scantily clad female employees that you can “romance,” though it uses that term in the most unromantic way imaginable. Suffice it to say that VK 3 seems to believe that the key to a woman’s heart boils down to giving them stuff. Do enough of that with the hostesses the Red Light District and you’ll get to partake in “sexy time,” which basically amounts to every dirty Flash game you’d never admit to playing, controlled with the Vita’s touchscreen. My first experience with it was on the bus, and left me scrambling to turn down the volume, but no matter where it’s played it’s a ridiculously sleazy and uncomfortable experience.
[IGN]2013/09/24/hack-and-slash-in-valhalla-knights-3-on-ps-vita[/IGN]
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→ October 30, 2013The Valhalla Knights series never really fared well in the past. The first two games (on the PSP) were mediocre at best, while the lackluster Eldar Saga on the Wii won few fans. Valhalla Knights 3, in turn, never quite steps off of the shoddy foundation laid down by its predecessors. It offers some clear improvements, including a combat system that allows for seven player characters compared to the single-party systems of the past, but its good qualities are frequently stunted by dull quests, scummy dating mechanics and a general lack of polish that squander much of its potential.
In the least, however, it gets off to a good start with a decent character builder that offers a nice assortment of races, classes, and visual customization options that only grow deeper the longer you play. The initial six class choices expand to 20, while the four starting races are eventually bumped by their own additions. Experimenting with classes and skills is one of VK 3’s greatest joys. The depth of its options left me eager to level up and unlock new skills to further customize my character. These skills offer bountiful opportunities to fashion a character truly reflective of your personal style.
You’re also able to recruit additional party members (seven can be brought to battle), each requiring your guidance as they gain experience and advance in levels. The extra party members come in handy in battle, where you can take direct control of them at will to try out other combat styles and lead the fight from different perspectives. The combat itself is probably VK 3’s best feature, even if it doesn’t come packaged with much in the way of surprises. There is a rhythm-based combo element that has a bit of learning curve, and you can also dish out commands to direct your party mates’ behavior, but all in all it plays pretty much the way you’d expect an action-RPG to play. You run into baddies and smack them until they die.
Its lack of frills aside, what really drags the gameplay down is how little is actually done with it. There are, of course, story missions to partake in, as well as online multiplayer, but they’re both woefully insubstantial. The story centers on a bland quest to find an ancient treasure and leaves practically no impression. While you’ll find no lack of quests and jobs to fill your time, the vast majority are different variations on “kill 10 (cliched monster)” or “bring me 20 (generic fantasy item).” This repetition is made all the more tedious by dated visuals and loading times that are both frequent and long. It starts to get annoying when every trip back to a questgiver is accompanied by a solid minute or two of waiting for these PSP-era graphics to load. Multiplayer, which is limited to PvP arena fights, is good for little more than the occasional diversion.
It doesn’t help the campaign that difficulty is prone to spiking with little or no warning. For instance, early on you’ll play in an area where the primary enemies are bunnies and bandits. Neither are really challenging foes and it’s easy to plow through them with little thought toward caution. Then, out of nowhere, you’ll run into another enemy that’s five times stronger and threatens to outright obliterate your party, with harsh death penalties if you haven’t saved recently. Avoiding these defeats means a constant and tedious cycle of grinding out levels and upgrading your equipment to improve survivability.
Acquiring the best gear, in turn, opens its own uncomfortable can of worms. Scattered throughout VK 3’s various shops and stores are scantily clad female employees that you can “romance,” though it uses that term in the most unromantic way imaginable. Suffice it to say that VK 3 seems to believe that the key to a woman’s heart boils down to giving them stuff. Do enough of that with the hostesses the Red Light District and you’ll get to partake in “sexy time,” which basically amounts to every dirty Flash game you’d never admit to playing, controlled with the Vita’s touchscreen. My first experience with it was on the bus, and left me scrambling to turn down the volume, but no matter where it’s played it’s a ridiculously sleazy and uncomfortable experience.
[IGN]2013/09/24/hack-and-slash-in-valhalla-knights-3-on-ps-vita[/IGN]
More...
