Review for Dark Rose Valkyrie. Game for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 21/07/2016 The version for PC came out on 10/04/2018
The videogame market is living with JRPG the same fate as the editorial one with manga: one slow, gradual and inexorable saturation, caused by the overabundance of technically mediocre titles and clones of each other. This situation often and unfortunately leads to a contemptuous attitude towards a genre that is still capable of giving powerful, funny and “out of time” titles today.
Dark Rose Valkyrie it is certainly not one of these, but it still manages to build its own “vital space” thanks to the many ideas, all not very original, but (almost) always well integrated into the narrative context.
Dark Rose Valkyrie is a JRPG developed by Compile Heart and published by Idea Factory on June 9, 2017 in Europe, ben 11 months after release on Japanese soil. What first of all catches the eye is the difference between the unmistakable design of Kosuke Fujishima (also known for his previous work on the saga of Tales of) and the game graphics, extremely poor and poor for a title released exclusively on PlayStation 4.
Even the animations are often unpleasant and woody, not very convincing; the aesthetics of the enemies are rather mundane as well a reskin on reskin orgy of models with a banal design, often bordering on the "deformed" and with some "inspiration" too many to creatures of far more famous sagas.
Luckily, the many banters are equipped with 2D backdrops and discreetly animated sprites, as well as a excellent dubbing in both English and Japanese. As often happens in the case of medium-low budget titles, localization is absent and unfortunately those less accustomed to foreign languages will find themselves in front of impassable and incomprehensible walls of text.
On a narrative level, Dark Rose Valkyrie doesn't dare and prefers to re-propose canons and stylistic features of the genre, both in the events and in the characterization of the characters; the military context in which the events take place is barely sketched out and the behavior of the individuals appears more a between students and class leaders than between young and talented members of a special team - in possession of experimental and dangerous weapons - and their captain.
Overall anyway the story convinces, even without shining for originality, managing to alternate situations of tension and suspicion with relaxed, intimate, sometimes even comic conversations and events. The evolution of the s between the supporting actors depends both on the aforementioned banter, in which the answer given to the interlocutor will determine his degree of approval towards the protagonist, and on a mechanics known to fans of the Danganrompa franchise: the interviews (or rather, the interviews, given the fantamilitare setting) are the tool through which the young commander Asashi Shiramine will try to unmask the spy infiltrated within the Valkyrie Squad.
By asking a limited number of questions, the player must be able to identify the inconsistencies between the statements and identify the liar and, consequently, suspect member. It is also possible not to accuse anyone if you do not have sufficient evidence, in order to avoid indisposing your subordinates and unnecessarily damaging the with them.
The other - and deeper - component of Dark Rose Valkyrie's gameplay is, of course, the combat system. Each of the eight team members has a unique and irreplaceable weapon, but the level of customization of statistics and equipment is almost total, although each supporting actor obviously has their own strengths and weaknesses and specific types of attack.
The battles are punctuated by a shift bar, influenced by the actions performed and suffered by the participants in the fight. These are really numerous and provide combinations between the types of attack, the range of the latter (short, medium or long distance, which determines the possibility of hitting the opponent or not) and, if present, the element associated with them. The end result is pleasantly complex and will make players who prefer reasoned and studied approaches fall in love, especially during advanced combat and / or high difficulty modes.
It is also possible to temporarily increase the statistics of each party member through special commands, filling a fatigue bar to always keep an eye on to avoid malus, as well as protective equipment is subject to wear due to enemy hits and will be periodically repaired at the base of operations. The weapons are customizable through the inclusion of enhancements that will add or improve the effect of some passive skills. Finally, it is possible to unlock purely aesthetic “aspects” for each of the protagonists, from the simple exchange of uniforms to the evergreen swimsuit, complete with a diving mask.
The offensive and defensive possibilities offered by the battles of Dark Rose Valkyrie are many and discussing them all in the review would be verbose; what is certain is that the title hides, under a mediocre aesthetic with little impact, a unexpectedly multifaceted combat system. However, it should be highlighted how even the eye wants its part, part that Dark Rose Valkyrie really does not seem to want to share with the public in any case.
The roster of enemies is the recycling fair, even the bosses at the end of the stage almost always turn out to be very common enemies of the following dungeon. The latter have articulated and multi-level maps, with acceptable aesthetic variety, but still remain plagued by an anonymous design and a barely old-gen graphics, which relegates Dark Rose Valkyrie to niche title, for true fans - and hungry - of the JRPG genre.
Dark Rose Valkyrie demonstrates how it is possible to wisely mix known gameplay mechanisms and create a title that can keep you company and entertain for dozens of hours. Unfortunately, the insufficient aesthetics for a PlayStation 4 title and the lack of a tutorial that gradually introduces the - numerous and immediately available - game mechanics can prove to be two significant obstacles to a pleasant use.
► Dark Rose Valkyrie is a JRPG type game developed by Compile Heart and published by Idea Factory for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 21/07/2016 The version for PC came out on 10/04/2018
