Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance (PSP) Review - PAGE 1

Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance arrives on the PSP for one more round, a "director's cut" version with new goodies for all. For those new to the series, The Goddess of Judgment and Witch of the Crystal have fought with the world in the balance; in a fatal last strike, the Goddess fell from the sky. Ages have passed since that epic battle and the evil from the Goddess has corrupted life and the planet itself. Time is short and only a true warrior will be able to defeat the Goddess in their second wake; the world is running out of time and only one warrior can emerge.

Battle Stance has gone through many overhauls, including warp points which allow you to move more effectively through the game, reducing death penalties when the action gets too hot. For new players, Battle Stance will bring endless amounts of dungeon crawling; levels incorporate many pathways and enemies to spice up the fight.

Game progression and questing change as the player advances; Battle Stance changes enemy patterns and adds powerful bosses throughout the world to meet the new peaks of the warriors. For PSP owners, this tale will be one of the most memorable on the handheld so far; cutscenes and long quests await, all set to unravel the mystery and turmoil in the world.

Our last venture into Valhalla was on the Wii, and wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, particularly with the grinding. In Battle Stance, however, we’re greeted with simple controls and fast gameplay; the result makes for a faster moving game, even if the grinding is just as extensive. For those familiar with traditional JRPG games, there are no surprises here; the game sticks to the same formulas: endless battles and tough bosses. In our playthrough, Battle Stance had a heavy dose of grinding but the rewards mask the prominence of it; players are worked to the bone to earn equipment for their team and supply them with what they need. Those trying to cut corners will find that experience points drop dramatically after time and leveling stops unless they step up to tougher beasts.

Team play is a huge ingredient of the game; players are able to create and mix and match classes in their team to take on the challenges. Being able to shift classes around as new quests come is a huge perk while playing. At any given moment players can return to the guild to adjust their approach to come in strong, ready to backup, or increase their attack group. After some time we found ourselves padding our team with double priest classes to heal while we hacked and slashed through huge monsters or using a group of thieves and fighters to plow everything in sight. The free form fighting system keeps the game on par with modern era titles, moving from the turn based combat familiar to the JRPG realm.