Valkyrie Profile (video game)

Valkyrie Profile (ヴァルキリープロファイル, Varukirī Purofairu) is a role-playing video game developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix for the PlayStation. It was released on December 22, 1999 in Japan and on August 29, 2000 in North America. Inspired by Norse mythology, Valkyrie Profile follows the titular valkyrie, Lenneth, as she travels through Miðgarðr, collecting the souls of slain heroes to serve either as einherjar or her personal companions for Ragnarǫk - the battle to decide the fate of all creation - and trains them by fighting monsters and performing additional quests. As she journeys, she learns more about her original human life, removed from her memory upon becoming a Valkyrie.

The game was both a commercial and critical success; it sold over 700,000 copies, and critics praised the deep and complicated gameplay system and the plot. Valkyrie Profile led to two other games in the Valkyrie Profile series: a 2006 PlayStation 2 prequel, titled Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, released in 2006 in Japan and North America and 2007 in Europe, and another prequel titled , released for the Nintendo DS in Japan in 2008, March 17, 2009 in North America and on April 3, 2009 in all PAL regions.

Plot
In the village of Coriander, a 14-year-old girl named Platina lives with her cruel parents. The village falls upon hard times and her friend Lucian finds out that her parents are going to sell her into slavery. The two run away, but Platina inhales the toxic pollen of poisonous flowers in a nearby field and dies in Lucian's arms.

Lenneth Valkyrie awakens in Asgard and is tasked by the god Óðinn and goddess Freya with recruiting the einherjar for their war with the Vanir and the coming of Ragnarok. Her first recruits are the princess Jelanda and mercenary Arngrim. After the arrogant Arngrim inadvertently embarrasses her father, Jelanda plots revenge but is kidnapped by a traitorous court minister and transformed into a monster. Lenneth helps Arngrim kill the monster and claims Jelanda as an einherjar. Arngrim, having unknowingly aided Jelanda's captors, kills the man responsible but commits suicide rather than be arrested. At Jelanda's request, Lenneth makes Arngrim an einherjar but Óðinn and Freya find him lacking the qualities of an einherjar and refuse to accept him into Valhalla so Arngrim remains at Lenneth's side.

During Lenneth's travels, she meets Brahms, lord of the undead and enemy of Óðinn, who possesses her sister Silmeria (due to circumstances explained in Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria); and the necromancer Lezard Valeth, who lures her to his tower. Lenneth learns that Lezard has been experimenting with half-elven homunculi to use as vessels to attain godhood. Lezard wants Lenneth for himself, but she refuses to cooperate and destroys his experiments. The sorceress Mystina, one of Lezard's rivals, discovers what he has been doing and takes his last remaining homunculus. When he discovers her theft, Lezard freezes her body while she is spirit walking, effectively killing her. Lenneth recruits her, though Óðinn and Freya refuse to accept Mystina into Valhalla and, like Arngrim, she remains with Lenneth.

B Ending
Playing through the game normally means that Ragnarok is fought at the Jotunheim Ice Fields, where the Æsir army under Thor's leadership charges the Vanir to open a path for Lenneth to storm the Jotunheim Palace and defeat Surt. At the start of the final stage, all surviving einherjar that she has sent to Valhalla rejoin the party.

Lenneth and company fight their way past Bloodbane, which awards her the sword Levantine (Levatienn), and on to the throne room, where Surt awaits and draws his flaming sword. When he is struck down, the Æsir prevail and the eternal reign of Óðinn and the Asgardians is assured as Freya puts Lenneth to sleep until she is needed again. However, some questions remain.

A Ending
Considered the true ending of the game, it fully explores the story and Lenneth's origins.

Lenneth eventually meets Lucian, who grew up to become a poor thief in Gerabellum. He notices that Lenneth resembles the silver-haired Platina, though Lenneth does not know who Platina is. Lucian later becomes an einherjar when he is killed by soldiers cleaning up the slums. Before he is sent to Valhalla, Lucian tells Lenneth he still loves Platina. Lenneth tells him to forget about her and kisses him before she sends him to Valhalla, but Lucian continues to brood upon Lenneth and Platina. Although Lenneth laments that love between mortals and gods is not possible after his departure, she states that she hopes he lives so they may meet again.

Meanwhile, in Valhalla, Lucian learns that valkyries "sleep" in Midgard, reincarnating in Asgard upon their human deaths. However, Óðinn and Freya seal their memories, as they might interfere with their valkyrie duties. Loki tells Lucian that the Water Mirror can be used to contact the valkyrie, though it is forbidden for anyone besides Óðinn to use. Lucian does so anyway and gives Lenneth an earring, telling her she will know where to find its match, but Lenneth is angry at him for his disobedience. Loki uses the distraction to steal the Dragon Orb and kills Lucian, using him as a scapegoat to cover his theft. When Lenneth returns to Asgard, Freya tells her of the Dragon Orb's theft and Lucian's death.

Lenneth finds the other earring at Platina's grave and her memories as Platina return. Sensing that the seal is broken, Óðinn performs the Sovereign's Rite, transmigrating Lenneth's soul and summoning Hrist. Hrist takes control of the valkyrie's body and tries to destroy her companions Arngrim and Mystina, who refuse to serve her, but Lenneth intervenes. The blast shatters Lenneth's soul and Mystina crystallizes the fragments to prevent them from dissipating. Lezard joins them and attempts to salvage the situation by fusing Lenneth's soul to a man-made Homunculus body, however it is a temporary measure with Lenneth's soul still decaying. To fully restore Lenneth's soul requires fusing it to valkyrie's original body whom Hrist is occupying. Hrist's challenges the Vampire King, Brahms, to a duel on behalf of Óðinn's long ongoing war against the undead whom consume, desecrate, and defile the natural order of the living. Brahms allies with Arngrim, Mystina, and Lezard to defeat Hrist and separate her soul from valkyrie's body. Mystina and Lezard fuse Lenneth's soul, homunculus body, and the valkyrie's body to have Lenneth reborn. Her memories of Lucian and Platina intact, Lenneth is disgusted with how the gods manipulate humans and the suffering they cause.

Loki betrays the Æsir and travels deep within enemy Vanir territory to Jotunheim Palace. He offers Surt, the King of the Vanir, two of the four treasures along with Fenrir. They include the Dragon Orb and the Levantine sword within the Dragon Bloodbane. Ragnarok occurs and Loki, with the power of the Dragon Orb, takes his adult form. Surt refuses his offer and is defeated by Loki. His new powers allow him to heavily besiege Asgard into ruin. He turns his attention to the Æsir, engaging Óðinn in battle. As one never truly accepted by the Æsir or the Vanir, Loki seeks to destroy everything. Though Óðinn is armed with Óðinn's spear Gungnir, one of the Four Treasures, he is forced to divide its power to protect Freya. With the power divided between two, Loki overpowers and kills him.

Returning to Asgard, Lenneth slays Fenrir and the dragon Bloodbane before confronting Loki. Lenneth obtains the demon sword Levantine, another one of the Four Treasures, from Bloodbane and uses it in her battle with Loki. However, Loki reveals that she cannot utilize all the power of a Divine Treasure unless she is willing to sacrifice her friends (as dividing a Treasure's power is exactly what Óðinn did to save Freya, and died because of it). Loki unleashes the full power of the Dragon Orb, killing all of Lenneth's companions and destroying both Asgard and Midgard. However, the process of fusing her soul back together with the valkyrie and homunculus body allows Lenneth's divine powers to grow. Her compassion for mankind and love for Lucian allows her to acquire the power of creation. Lenneth undoes Loki's destruction and kills him, becoming the new Lord of Creation. She then turns to see Lucian, who has been reborn, and the two are reunited. Having recreated both Asgard and Midgard, and revived Midgard's humans who were killed, all of humanity has become Lenneth's einherjar.

Gallery

 * Logo & cover arts