Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume Comments by Simon Parkin

Looks good, always liked this series. Will give it a go.

An interesting but by the sounds of it not entirely advisable reversal of the series' long-running soul-collection mechanic.

"It's unafraid to throw near impossible rescue scenarios your way"

Yep, this actually killed the game for me. Mission starts, and you have about 3 turns to stop an AI player from getting itsself killed or the mission is failed. And you have no control over them.

That sounds utter shit

Thank God, I love VP, I don't want to buy a DS! ;-)

Been playing this and it really is quite brutal at times. That impossible rescue you mentioned is an absolute bastard; it took me about 12 tries to complete without the NPC getting butchered, often in the very first round of the battle due to getting knocked down, beaten on and yielding little orbs that recharge the enemy's attack count. I've also been avoiding sacrificing any of my allies (something which looks like it'll alter the outcome of the plot) so I've had to concentrate on utterly butchering each enemy for Sin. It's not half bad, and the plot drives it on. With VP2 you knew it would end in tears. With this you know it'll be tears all the way from the off, recruiting miserable bastard after miserable bastard, their lives left devoid of purpose and joy after their story arc concludes. It's good fun.

depressing forced sacrifice of team-mates

You don't have to use the plume again beyond the tutorial's scripted murder of your only friend that introduces how it works. That's clearly forced, but the rest of the plot wouldn't really work without it unless there were a mass of alternate dialogue for all Wyl's grousing over what a bad man he's become, so I can live with it. Also worth noting is that you'll quite likely rather want to kill at least some of the rabble that attaches itself to you.

Snidesworth wrote:
recruiting miserable bastard after miserable bastard, their lives left devoid of purpose and joy[...]good fun

Glad to know at least someone else enjoys the series' characteristic tone. I can certainly understand the reviewer's issue with lack of comic relief, but I find it a pleasant change to play something unrelentingly dour that doesn't feel the need to brighten things up with a squeaky mascot or by assaulting the fourth wall every twenty minutes.

Sounds good, bout time we had a TRPG devoid of cheer.

$ saved!

I love the series and think this is actually a refreshing take on the base mechanics. Yes, it's tough, very tough, but.. it's really good.

It's definitely a very unforgiving game.

I suggest to anyone that plays VP:COTP to always save before a battle and always fill the sin quota, if you playthrough the first time and don't fill the sin quota Realmstalkers will appear in the next battle and they are almost boss strength characters.

It's frustrating but I always go back for another go at a particularly difficult battle.