Dark Rose Valkyrie Reviews
What you have with Dark Rose Valkyrie feels like two different things. On one hand, the story is very well done and comes across as almost like a visual novel, mixed with a JRPG that misses the mark and a lot of potential. That said, Dark Rose Valkyrie is definitely a good game if you are looking for something to beef up your JRPG collection with.
All in all, Dark Rose Valkyrie is a flawed game. It’s a disappointing game. It’s a game that falls prey to every single issue Idea Factory is known for…However if you like Idea Factory’s games (Unlike me), then this may very well be your new favourite IP from them…It’s certainly for a niche market, having not sold well even over in Japan shipping only 12,000 copies at retail on the first week of release back in 2016, however if you’re in that niche market, you could find more positives than I could.
Dark Rose Valkyrie can't be recommended because of its technical shortcomings. In this state, it resembles an unplayable semi-finished product instead of a full game.
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Overall, Dark Rose Valkyrie is trying to be a game that will supposedly surpass all the other JRPGs but instead it flops hard with all the mess it created. It’s trying to be too many games all at once and it can’t seem to decide what it should be that it loses its identity among all the features. What could have been a breakout game became a game that I would easily want to forget.
Dark Rose Valkyrie manages to straddle that difficult balances between familiar and fresh, introducing new ideas while still remaining approachable to fans of the JRPG genre. There are elements of repetitive grinding here, something I personally have no problem with and genre fans will no doubt enjoy as well. That being said, the pace of Dark Rose Valkyrie is a slow burning one that is unlikely to bring new fans to the JRPG genre.
There are some good ideas in Dark Rose Valkyrie, but it’s hard to notice them beneath all the superfluous mechanics. The overly-complex battles and filler missions slow the experience down, forcing players to constantly go back through the same locations, fighting the same enemies. The concept of a random teammate turning against the party is a fantastic hook, but you’ll likely be bored of the gameplay and characters long before it comes into the story.
Dark Rose Valkyrie is a great addition to the JRPG fans' library on PlayStation 4. While this game certainly isn't going to be for everyone, it is going to appeal to the diehards who are itching for more Compile Heart games, those looking for a deep system with their next roleplaying game, or anyone looking for a unique mechanic with the traitor and interview system. Playing through Dark Rose Valkyrie has made me extremely excited for Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online when it releases in the west this winter.
Don´t get me wrong, Dark Rose Valkyrie isn´t a terrible game, hell it´s actually pretty enjoyable, it´s just a disappointing one. Compile Heart always had a special place in my heart for their silly, self sarcastic humour and their simple but fast combat. These are mostly gone here, replaced by a mediocre working plot, which takes itself too serious, a new combat, making it slower and more passive than ever, along with somehow worse graphics.