From 1997 to 1999, Japanese game developers flooded the PSone with as many RPGs as gamers could handle. There were many clones, variations, and offshoots trying to stand out in the crowd. Only a select few were able to post Final Fantasy-caliber sales figures. Even fewer were able to leave a lasting impression as strong as Square's beloved series.

That changed the following year. Square, Enix, Working Designs and other role-playing leaders had prepared their best yet. One of the standout titles was Valkyrie Profile, an adventure that blends the side-scrolling, dungeon-crawling gameplay of the Castlevania series with the turn-based aspects of a traditional RPG. Originally from Enix and designed exclusively for the PSone, Valkyrie Profile has since been ported to Sony's handheld wonder. New CG movies, a wider screen, and the convenience of portability help to differentiate itself from the original. But is "new" and "different" as equally impressive?

Let's Get Real. Time.

The words "action/RPG" and "real-time RPG" often lead to games like Zelda, Secret of Mana, or Knights of the Old Republic. They do not, however, describe the Castlevania series, which are thought of as action/adventure titles. Valkyrie Profile changes that way of thinking. Imagine a side-scrolling world where you can run, jump, attack enemies in real-time (a la Castlevania), climb objects, and avoid enemy encounters. If you can imagine that, you'll get Valkyrie Profile.

Battles take place on a separate arena. When you're exploring the world map, it's a pseudo-3D illusion with polygon landscapes. And when you dive into any of the towns, cities, or dungeons, the game switches to a side-scrolling view.

To engage in combat, you don't aimlessly wander dungeons waiting for random encounters – you run up and stab the beast in the back. Frontal assaults are possible but risky. The enemy could wind up touching you first. Valkyrie Profile follows the golden encounter rule that it's better for the player to be the one to strike. Getting hit (or running into an enemy by mistake) doesn't necessarily mean that the monster will always get first strike. But it hurts your chances of dealing a world of damage before he/she/it can retaliate.

Environments are strictly two-dimensional, but have the added element of going to the rear and to the front. This strange terminology is used to describe the act of going deeper into a level ("the rear"), and to indicate when you're moving in the opposite direction ("the front"). You can go as far left or as far right as the game will allow and still not have moved in either said direction. Only when you come across a pathway that is behind or in front of your character will you be able to access the next area.

Secret pathways are cleverly hidden and require excessive scouring and/or sharp thinking to be found. They start off easy enough to get by. The first involves a statue that must be pushed onto a glowing platform or destroyed from a specific angle. Experimentation is all it takes to get through, but the game has much more in store – especially if you like massive, overwhelming quests.

A Change of Pace

On the battlefield, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a mostly traditional turn-based RPG. The PSP's four face buttons are assigned to each of your allies, allowing you to attack in groups for combos or individually for a well-planned strike. As a huge fan of the Tales of Destiny series, I loved being able to plan my attacks based on when the enemy would be most vulnerable. Attacks are turn-based, but each turn gives you a minimum of one attack per ally. Everyone attacks differently. Everyone moves at their own pace. Slower characters might not be the best for a combo unless you send that character in at the right moment. No one can attack until the first hit is finished. There are dozens of possibilities here. Within the first 20 battles you'll begin to realize how to maximize this feature.

Magic spells are exempt from chain combos (official combo moves that do not have a break in between hits). However, successfully adding hits after a spell has been cast once again comes down to your timing. If you send your warriors in at just the right time, they'll attack immediately following the spell. When done properly (and to a weak enough enemy), the monster will still be on the ground when the other characters move in to strike. Monsters can't block while lying down on the job.

Ice Sculpting

Valkyrie Profile has the strange (but unique) element of ice. This magic is to be used outside of battle, letting the player freeze enemies and access platforms that couldn't otherwise be reached. By pushing the square button, Valkyrie will fire a beam of ice. The beam is short, extending only about seven or eight feet (note: that's an estimate based on the size of the characters). It's useless on its own, but hit a wall and the beam forms a human-sized block. Jump on top to reach the desired platform. Not high enough? Shoot the block a second time and it'll grow a size larger.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg, so-to-speak. By forming consecutive blocks on top of each other, Valkyrie can go anywhere she pleases. No structure is too tall. When you reach the highest block already formed, jump up and create another. It takes a little practice to get the timing just right (the controls are a tad jumpy). But it won't hold anyone back.

The Big Picture

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth isn't just a great RPG – it also comes with a nightmare of a quest that'll haunt your dreams. The quest should not be mistaken for one that is bad. There is nothing about this game that falls anywhere below good (except for the blurry, picture-stretched visuals). But the game is timed like Pikmin – leave a location at any time and you'll lose one period. The good news is that there is not a time limit preventing you from spending a millennium exploring each location once inside. There are nearly 200 time periods, so you've got a little time to screw up.

The good news ends there. As Valkyrie, you must recruit several different warriors and ship them off to another land. The story isn't very clear at first, and is a little jerky with its use of text-only dialogue in some scenarios and voiced dialogue in others. You have to pay close attention, and almost be willing to fail and re-start the entire quest once, if not twice, before you'll be able to finish the game as required.

Recruiting characters means having to visit multiple locations on the world map. Every visit depletes no less than one time period. You cannot leave and immediately re-enter, thinking you'll have spared a period. You will not. And when the time periods have fully depleted, you had better have accomplished all that was expected of you or else the game will not have a pretty outcome. In fact, if you do not fulfill the wishes of sending away as many warriors as possible, you'll be in trouble for not keeping up your end of the bargain.

Valkyrie Profile's quest system came as a surprise to me at first, and not the best of one. It takes time and patience to figure out – a far cry from the pick-up-and-enjoy gameplay that the battle and exploration combat provides. Nonetheless, if you are willing to stick it out, the game will reward you with all of the above. Even the recruiting system becomes fun after a while. Battles and character stat-raising are involved – another system that feels familiar, but differs from traditional RPGs. (Stats are raised on a menu screen, not entirely in combat.)

Though I love to compare this game to one of my favorites – Castlevania – Valkyrie Profile wasn't designed for its fans. It has a lot going for it, but the average gamer is bound to be overwhelmed. To an RPG lover, this should be exactly what you wanted.

Gameplay: 8.9
Deep. Different. Daring. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth is a grand, all-encompassing role-playing experience. The gameplay is fierce – mission requirements are massive, restrictive, and overly sensitive to your mistakes. Battles are feverishly intense, combining elements of Tales of Destiny (in combat) and Castlevania (outside of combat).

There are dozens of locations to explore, and many secrets hidden within each dungeon. Character movement is fast, while character interactions are relatively long – this is not a game you can pay attention to half the time, and let your mind wander the rest. Once hooked, those with a low attention span will suddenly find themselves glued to their PSP, unable to take notice of anything that’s going on in the real world.

Graphics: 7.0
Valkyrie Profile can be a fairly attractive game. Battle animations were some of the best seen on the PSone, and are now high up among RPGs on the PSP. New CG movies were designed to help further along the story, bridging the gap between Lenneth and the forthcoming PS2 sequel. Regardless of their reason for being, the movies add beautiful eye candy to the game, making the experience feel slightly more modern.

However, Valkyrie Profile can also be a bit unattractive, as some areas appear to have been enlarged to stretch the picture. (VP was originally designed for the old 4:3 aspect ration; Lenneth had to be converted to 16:9.) Consequently, some characters and backgrounds come out looking blurry at best.

Sound: 8.0
Battle music is just as repetitive as it is in any RPG, and the game lacks full voice-over treatment. Disappointing but forgettable – the music played during story sequences is highly enjoyable. The voice-overs that are included are brief but mostly well done. This is not the kind of game I’d go out and buy the soundtrack for, but there are definitely some sound and music elements that should not be ignored.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
It won’t take long for gamers to notice that this cutting-edge property originated at Enix. Valkyrie Profile’s hardcore gameplay (as in extremely difficult) hasn’t gone soft in handheld form.

Concept: 7.9
Innovative six years ago, Valkyrie Profile still serves as a one-of-its-kind, pleasurable experience.

Overall: 8.5
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth a non-traditional RPG that comes out feeling traditional. The exploration, pre-enemy encounter elements give the game an instant hook to newcomers, including myself. I know I wouldn’t have been as intrigued by the game had it not played like Castlevania. If they’re willing to stick it out, gamers on both sides – RPG lovers and action/adventure enthusiasts – have something to look forward to.