Dark Rose Valkyrie Reviews
This game manages to mix some quite serious themes in with its plentiful fanservice and Compile Heart trademark sense of the ridiculous. That it manages to do both successfully makes this a really special game. Yes, this is a game that was produced on a budget, but then, if it hadn't been, it would have been deemed far to "odd" and "risky" to have been greenlit.
Dark Rose Valkyrie has a lot to offer with a good story and plenty of customization for your party members. There's a ton of missions to do for the main story, not to mention a considerable amount of side missions. The game is a lot of fun to play and a rewarding experience. I have enjoyed the game very much, and my only gripe is that you can only save on the map. But other than that, this is a highly recommended JRPG on PS4.
Within Compile Heart frame, Black Rose Valkyrie is one of their best RPGs and a good title if you can accept their classic shortcomings and keep expectations in check. The game fails to use the full potential of its systems and premises, however, the characters and plot are the strong points that will keep players engaged in its journey.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Hardcore JRPG enthusiasts will find Dark Rose Valkyrie to be one of the most rewarding games in recent memory while casual genre fans may be put off by the overall complexity and repetitive missions.
Dark Rose Valkyrie is an unexpected experience and could be the best game from Compile Hearts yet. An undeniable mixed bag, the game provides deep and complex combat and character progression systems as well as a unique narrative and objective that's somewhat held down by its repetitive and tedious missions as well as its dated 3D graphics. Fans of JRPGs, especially those by Compile Heart, that are able to forgive some of the game's shortcomings will definitely appreciate and overly enjoy the game and the amount of depth and complexity it can provide.
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.
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.
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.
Dark Rose Valkyrie has some exciting aspects, but may fall short in the overall package.
Dark Rose Valkyrie doesn't blow the doors off the hinges, but it does serve as a much improved JRPG over what has been a largely tepid series of releases from Compile Heart and others. The story is fine, the battle system is fun and unique, and exploration is a large part of the adventure. While there are some cliches and rehashed elements throughout, Dark Rose Valkyrie represents what a top end-formulaic JRPG can be.
There is a decent story, complex combat system, plot twist with the traitor and interrogations, as well as well-designed and beautifully-drawn characters, including sexy b**ches and girls who think they are boys. But outdated graphics and lack of explanations, recurring quests and a huge amount of grinding only cause a persistent irritation. After Persona 5 you can play it only with a huge amount of spare time. Which is a pity because Dark Rose Valkyrie could've been a decent JRPG or at least a very good visual novel.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Dark Rose Valkyrie is a bit of a mixed bag.
Dark Rose Valkyrie shows that Compile Heart can create a fun combat system. Although they still need to brush up their skills when it comes to the presentation and overall story for the game.
An interesting product if you are looking for a more classical turn-based fight style, out of the musou-typical japanese games, but also a boring experiencie that becomes too long unless you are a big fan of the "Tales of" characters.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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.
Despite the promising names behind the title, Dark Rose Valkyrie stumbles over its own ambitions. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the parts of the game that were the responsibility of the Tales series veterans, the art and the writing, were the most successful, but where other collaborations have been able to balance each party's strengths an diminish their weaknesses, that's not the case here. Rather than find collaborators who could help balance Compile's consistently lukewarm gameplay design, this joint effort substitutes Helvetica for Times New Roman instead of fixing 10 pages of typos.
For everything it had going for it Dark Rose Valkyrie ends up being a missed opportunity. It threads on the well-beaten path of its predecessors. The few new noteworthy changes such as picking out the traitor among your ranks, engaging combat and the relatively enjoyable story do make for a small breath of fresh air, but they are let down by the somewhat lackluster execution.
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.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Despite the cool combat system and character designs, Dark Rose Valkyrie simply lacks in several other areas. The gameplay grows repetitive, the optimization is not the greatest, and the graphics are rather subpar.
Even though Compile Heart had a couple interesting ideas with this game, its execution failed to bring out its true potential. And despite having two Tales of series members on board, their involvement couldn't stop Dark Rose Valkyrie from wasting people's valuable time. At least Fujishima's character designs continue to look gorgeous.