Info about VALKYRIE ELYSIUM:

Official game description:
Digital Deluxe Edition
======================
Digital Deluxe Edition Contents:  
\-VALKYRIE ELYSIUM (Full Game)  
\-Valkyrie equipment "Svartaljr: Sword of the Goddess of the Underworld"
About the Game
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The latest title in the VALKYRIE series is finally here! This action RPG incorporates the series' signature Einherjar and combo systems, allowing players to enjoy speedy, three-dimensional combat. The game's unique art style beautifully depicts a collapsing world as Ragnarok looms, with series veteran Motoi Sakuraba returning to enrich the title with an unforgettable soundtrack.
◆Story
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Long ago,  
Ragnarok—the End Times—loomed upon the realms.  
The All-Father Odin, with the last of his strength, created an emissary of redemption, Valkyrie; her sole task being the salvation of a doomed world.  
◆High-Speed Action RPG
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Effortlessly soar through the battlefield and perform high-speed actions with the new Soul Chain system. Utilize a wide array of abilities and skills at the Valkyrie’s disposal to unleash devastating combos.
◆Einherjar
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Summon Einherjar – strong warrior spirits selected by the Valkyrie – to aid you in battle!  
Summoning Einherjar imbues the Valkyrie with elemental bonuses, giving players a tactical advantage in battle.  
◆Combo & Divine Arts System
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The “Arts Gauge” fills as players perform a continuous stream of attacks and maintain combos.    
Consuming the Arts Gauge enables the Valkyrie to perform powerful, special techniques known as Divine Arts.
◆Upgrade and Customization Features
-----------------------------------
Upgrade your weapons, skills, and Einherjar/Divine Arts combos to customize your playstyle.

Release date: 11 Nov, 2022

Categories: Action RPG, Real-time Combat, Character Progression, Multiple Endings, AI Companion System, Weapon Customization, Single-player Story, Linear Progression


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging and Dynamic Combat (weight 0.88): Players consistently praise the combat system for being fun, fast-paced, and dynamic. The ability to unlock new actions, combos, and utilize unique mechanics like the resource cycle and Einherjar summons significantly enhances the experience, making battles feel impactful and refreshing.
- Solid Overall Game Experience (weight 0.51): Many players found the game to be surprisingly good, decent, and underrated, especially for a short action game. It's appreciated for its straightforward nature, lack of complexity, and ability to provide several hours of entertainment, often exceeding initial expectations.
- Appealing Visuals and Art Style (weight 0.36): The game's graphics, art style, and character designs are frequently highlighted as strong points. Players enjoy the beautiful visuals, particle effects, and cohesive art direction, which often evokes a nostalgic feeling for older games.
- Compelling Story and Endings (weight 0.24): The story is generally considered good, with enough twists to keep players engaged. The multiple endings, particularly the true ending, are described as moving and satisfying, adding significant replay value and emotional depth to the overall narrative.
- Meaningful Einherjar Integration (weight 0.19): The Einherjar mechanics are well-received, adding depth to both combat and story. Summoning allies, combining attacks, and exploring their individual backstories are seen as enjoyable and impactful elements that diversify gameplay.
- Excellent Audio Experience (weight 0.15): The game's soundtrack and voice acting receive high praise. Players find the music enjoyable, beautiful, and sublime, while both English and Japanese voice-overs are noted for their quality and dedicated performances.
- Nostalgic JRPG Vibes (weight 0.06): The game successfully captures the essence of old JRPGs and classic PS2/PS3 action games. This nostalgic feel, combined with its hack & slash and RPG elements, resonates well with players looking for a traditional experience.

Common complaints:
- Overall disappointing and generic (weight 0.99): Players found the game to be underwhelming, bland, and generic, lacking a 'wow factor' or memorable moments. Many felt it was not worth the full price due to its perceived lack of content, uninspired design, and overall mediocrity, suggesting it felt incomplete or rushed.
- Clunky and repetitive combat (weight 0.67): The combat system is frequently criticized for being clunky, repetitive, and lacking depth. Issues include animation locks, poor parry/guard windows, limited skill slots requiring constant menu navigation, and a lack of variety in enemy types and combat encounters, leading to boredom.
- Weak and predictable story (weight 0.53): The narrative is widely described as weak, boring, and predictable, with uncaptivating characters and insufficient plot development. Many found the story to be almost non-existent in the early game, only becoming mildly interesting in later chapters, which was too late to salvage the experience.
- Poor difficulty and progression design (weight 0.38): The game's difficulty settings, especially 'Valkyrie' mode, are criticized for being unbalanced, with enemies becoming damage sponges that can easily defeat the player. The progression system is linear, and the inability to change difficulty mid-game or carry over achievements across difficulties forces tedious multiple playthroughs.
- Limited and unbalanced weapon/skill systems (weight 0.23): The weapon and skill systems are criticized for being simplistic and lacking customization. Weapons are poorly balanced, with many being less effective than the starting sword, and the limited skill slots necessitate constant menu changes during combat, disrupting flow. There's also a perceived lack of progression and variety in upgrades.
- Tedious completion and replayability (weight 0.21): Completionists face a nightmare due to the lack of a New Game+ feature, requiring multiple full playthroughs for all achievements. Long, linear chapters with one-way paths and a problematic save/checkpoint system make missing items or progress highly frustrating, further exacerbated by repetitive end-game content.
- Disappointing Einherjar implementation (weight 0.18): The Einherjar characters, a staple of the series, are poorly integrated. Their life stories are relegated to monotonous, audio-only side quests that lack visual presentation and depth. Players also noted a lack of control over Einherjar and repetitive side quest structures.
- Problematic camera and bugs (weight 0.16): The in-game camera is frequently cited as a major issue, becoming problematic during combat, especially near walls or in corners. Additionally, players reported various bugs, including freezes, crashes, and inconsistent performance on PC, suggesting an unfinished product.
- Poor level and UI design (weight 0.13): Players found the level design to be poor, often consisting of repetitive corridors and lacking creativity. The tutorial section is considered a nightmare for new players, and the UI design is criticized for being unintuitive, requiring multiple steps for basic actions.
- Overpriced for content and quality (weight 0.09): A significant number of players felt the game was severely overpriced, especially at its full retail price. They believed the content and overall quality did not justify the cost, suggesting it felt more like a lower-budget or unfinished product being sold at a premium AAA price.
- Simplistic RPG elements (weight 0.09): The RPG system is considered too basic and underdeveloped, with a lack of varied locations, dungeons, and a robust weapon improvement or skill tree system. Many felt the game was primarily an action game with forced, simplistic RPG elements that didn't mesh well.

Gameplay feedback:
- Hack & Slash Combat Focus (weight 0.29): The game is primarily a hack and slash action RPG, drawing comparisons to titles like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry. Combat involves various weapon types, elemental magic, and mechanics like guarding, parrying, and dodging, with a strong emphasis on combos and skill progression.
- Norse Mythology & Valkyrie Lore (weight 0.19): The game is deeply rooted in Norse mythology, with players taking on the role of a Valkyrie to aid Odin. It features elements like Einherjar, Fenrir, and draws on the lore of the Valkyrie Profile series, though it's noted as a spin-off.
- Multiple Endings & Replayability (weight 0.18): The game offers multiple endings (up to four), which are determined by specific conditions met before the final boss. This, along with post-clear modes and New Game+, encourages replayability.
- Einherjar Summoning Mechanic (weight 0.18): Players can summon Einherjar, who are NPC party members, to assist in battle. These allies imbue weapons with elemental properties, draw aggro, and perform skills, adding a strategic layer to combat and elemental weaknesses.
- Mediocre Combat & Controls (weight 0.17): Despite its action focus, many players found the combat system to be mediocre, clunky, and repetitive. Animations were described as 'mid' or 'tired', and controls felt stilted, leading to a less fluid experience.
- Linear, Mission-Based Progression (weight 0.14): The game follows a linear, chapter-based story progression, with players navigating through different regions via a map from a central hub. It is not an open-world game, focusing instead on stage-clearing missions.
- Limited Enemy Variety (weight 0.12): A significant criticism is the limited variety of enemy types, with many being recolors that only change elemental weaknesses. While elemental weaknesses are a core combat mechanic, the lack of diverse enemy designs makes encounters feel repetitive.
- Repetitive Side Quests (weight 0.12): Side quests are crucial for character and weapon progression, but they often involve replaying or backtracking through small sections of previously visited maps. This repetition can make them feel tedious.
- Weapon Variety & Customization (weight 0.12): The game features multiple weapon types, each with unique movesets that can be upgraded. However, some players felt that weapon movesets were too similar in terms of inputs, and attributes were not distinct enough.
- Elemental Stagger System (weight 0.08): Combat heavily relies on an elemental stagger system. Exploiting enemy elemental weaknesses with matching weapon enchantments or magic can break and stun them, creating openings for damage.
- Rewarding Defensive Mechanics (weight 0.08): The game includes defensive mechanics such as blocking, dodging, and parrying. Perfect blocks and dodges are particularly rewarding, allowing for counter-attacks and making defensive play engaging.
- Limited Healing Item Availability (weight 0.04): Healing items cannot be purchased and must be found on maps or acquired by replaying quests. Players can only carry a limited number of these consumables, adding a layer of resource management.
- Hilde's Vengeance Mode (weight 0.04): A post-clear mode allows players to control Hilde, traversing levels in reverse without dialogue or plot, focusing purely on combat challenges.
- Divine Arts Magic System (weight 0.04): The game features a 'Divine Arts' magic system, where players can cast special spells with unique properties using an Arts gauge.

Performance notes:
- Inconsistent Performance & FPS Drops (weight 0.22): Many players report significant frame rate drops, especially during intense combat, cutscenes, or when using specific abilities like Divine Arts. This occurs even on high-end PCs, suggesting optimization issues. Some players found disabling DLSS helped, while others noted the game is strangely heavy for its visual quality.
- Mixed Graphics Reception (weight 0.12): Player opinions on graphics are divided, ranging from 'good' and 'smooth' to 'retro' or comparable to a 'mid-PS4 game.' Some feel the visuals are adequate for a medium-budget title, while others find them surprisingly demanding given their quality.
- Customizable Performance Settings (weight 0.1): The game offers a variety of settings that allow players to tune performance. Some users successfully adjusted these settings to achieve stable frame rates, indicating that while optimization has issues, there are options to mitigate them.
- Occasional Crashes Reported (weight 0.03): A few players experienced game crashes, indicating stability issues for some users, though this was not a widespread complaint.
- Controller Compatibility Issue (weight 0.02): One player reported issues with PS4 controller compatibility, suggesting potential problems for those who prefer to play with specific gamepads.
- Limited Bug Reports (weight 0.01): One player explicitly stated there were no bugs, suggesting that general gameplay bugs are not a major concern, though performance issues are present.

Recommendations:
- Wait for a significant sale (weight 0.5): A vast majority of players strongly recommend purchasing the game only when it is heavily discounted, with many suggesting a 50% or greater price reduction. The consensus is that the full price is too high for the experience offered.
- Manage expectations for Valkyrie fans (weight 0.19): There's a split among fans of the Valkyrie franchise. Some recommend it if viewed as a standalone hack & slash, while others advise avoiding it if expecting a true sequel or an experience similar to the original Valkyrie Profile games.
- Specific gameplay recommendations (weight 0.08): Players suggest lowering expectations, avoiding the highest difficulty for a first playthrough, and using a controller due to its console port nature. There's also a specific negative point regarding a difficult achievement.
- Limited positive recommendations (weight 0.07): A small number of players recommend the game for specific niches, such as fans of action RPGs with dynamic combat or those who enjoy Nordic tales, but often with caveats about managing expectations.
- Potential for future development (weight 0.05): Some players see potential in the game's combat system and hope for a sequel with a larger budget and more polished features, suggesting the core mechanics could be strong if developed further.
- Developer and budget concerns (weight 0.04): A few players expressed concerns about Square Enix's handling of the IP, suggesting the game needed more budget and development time, and hoping the company listens to fan feedback.
- Sarcastic or low-quality feedback (weight 0.01): This point is based on limited and low-quality feedback, including a sarcastic comment about map exploration. It offers very little constructive insight.

Other player notes:
- Disappointing Valkyrie Profile Sequel (weight 0.28): Many long-time fans of the Valkyrie Profile series expressed significant disappointment, feeling the game does not live up to the legacy of the original titles. They perceive it as a departure from the core identity and quality of the beloved PS1 JRPG golden era franchise, leading to hopes for a true Valkyrie Profile 3.
- Perceived Low Budget Production (weight 0.22): A significant portion of feedback indicates the game feels like a 'B-movie' or 'double-A' title with insufficient funding. Players describe it as having a 'low budget' feel, with content and design that seem dated, suggesting it was the best the developers could achieve with limited resources.
- Enjoyable Despite Flaws (weight 0.16): Despite its criticisms, some players personally enjoyed the game, spending considerable hours on it and completing most of its content. They acknowledge its flaws but found enough engagement to overlook them, especially when purchased at a discount.
- Square Enix's Role in Quality (weight 0.14): Players frequently attribute the game's perceived shortcomings to Square Enix, suggesting the publisher provided a low budget and mistreated the series. There's speculation that Square Enix might have aimed for a cheaper production or re-skinned an existing project.
- Bland Story and Limited Content (weight 0.09): The game's story is widely described as bland and unremarkable. Additionally, players noted a limited number of Einherjar and a desire for more weapon types, customization options (like costumes), and varied quests to enhance replayability.
- Community and Technical Aspects (weight 0.06): Players appreciate the availability of various localizations, though some note subtitle errors. There's also interest in modding capabilities to enhance visuals and customize characters, indicating a desire for community-driven improvements.
- Player Background and Expectations (weight 0.05): Feedback includes mentions of players' prior experience with the Valkyrie series or other action games, their professional background in the industry, and their purchasing habits (e.g., pre-ordering or waiting for sales), which shaped their expectations and reception of the game. This point is based on limited, low-quality feedback.
- DLC Not Essential (weight 0.02): Players generally feel that additional downloadable content is likely unnecessary, or if released, should focus on minor cosmetic or supplementary items rather than substantial new gameplay.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.33): Players expressed significant disappointment primarily due to the game's perceived low overall quality, especially when compared to previous titles in the franchise. Common causes included a weak, cliché, or uninspired story, repetitive combat, limited content for its price, and various unpolished gameplay mechanics and design choices. Many felt the game failed to live up to the legacy of the Valkyrie Profile series.
- Frustration (weight 0.23): Frustration stemmed from repetitive gameplay, particularly in combat with animation locks, clunky mechanics, and camera issues. Players also cited unbalanced difficulty, repetitive enemy design, and various technical problems like bugs, performance issues, and poor controller support. The save system, map design, and constant menu navigation further contributed to a frustrating experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.18): Satisfaction was often derived from the game's visuals, character designs, and music. Many found the combat system enjoyable, especially when it flowed well, and appreciated the overall fun factor of the hack-and-slash gameplay. The game's atmosphere, character development, and the inclusion of multiple endings also contributed to a positive experience for some players.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Players found enjoyment in the game's combat mechanics, exploration, and the overall action experience. The soundtrack, art style, and charismatic characters were also frequently mentioned as sources of enjoyment, contributing to a fun, albeit sometimes flawed, gaming experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.04): Excitement was generated by the dynamic and addicting combat system, epic battles, and the game's unique style and graphics. The prospect of a new Valkyrie entry and hope for future titles, along with an engaging story and cinematics, also fueled initial excitement for some players.
- Anger (weight 0.04): Anger was directed at Square Enix for the game's perceived low quality, poor design choices, and 'mistreatment' of the series. Game-breaking bugs, performance issues, and the high price for what was considered low content also provoked strong negative reactions, with some feeling the game was an 'insult' to fans.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.03): Nostalgia was triggered by the game's art style and mechanics, which reminded some players of older JRPGs from the PS2/PS3 era. This feeling of harkening back to a previous gaming era contributed to a positive sentiment for those who appreciated the retro feel.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Boredom arose from the game's repetitive combat, particularly against the same enemies, and a monotonous tutorial. The story, missions, and pacing were also cited as contributing to a lack of engagement, leading to a dull experience for some players.
- Mixed feelings (weight 0.01): Players experienced mixed feelings due to a combination of enjoyable aspects, such as combat and character designs, alongside significant flaws like predictable stories, repetitive side quests, and clunky gameplay. The game's duration and price also contributed to this ambivalence.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret was expressed by players who wished they hadn't purchased the game or replayed it for achievements. Some also regretted not trying the game earlier, possibly missing refund windows, indicating a negative overall experience.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise was felt by players who found the game to be better than expected, especially given negative reviews. Conversely, some were surprised by the perceived low quality of the game, particularly from a publisher like Square Enix.}