Overview – Developed and Published by Public Void in collaboration with RAWRLAB Games, Valkyrie Saga is a 32-bit retro style platform adventure, taking place in a sky island that is on the brink of cataclysm. As the Valkyrie Roll, traverse the ruins of the ancient island, battling deadly foes and soar through the skies to prevent disaster. This title is now available for Steam, Nintendo Switch 2 and now the Nintendo Switch, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank RAWRLAB Games for providing the copy of Valkyrie Saga that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. I have previously covered the Nintendo Switch 2 and Steam version of this game, with most of the details here being repeated from there, with new details around the Nintendo Switch 1 version. You can find the original coverage of Valkyrie Saga (HERE).
Story – the divine warrior Roll, a Valkyrie is chosen by the goddess to perform an important task, to save the floating island in the sky from falling to the earth. With the Tear of the Goddess in her possession, Roll must reach the tower in the middle of Piladia, in hopes of averting catastrophe. During her quest, she will encounter tainted lands, crumbling ruins of the past and power seraphim. Will Roll reach the top, or with the island fall and faith in the Goddess be forever lost.
Gameplay – Valkyrie Saga is an adventure platformer, set in a grand 3D world, where the player must explore the floating island in the sky that is on the brink of catastrophe. As the protagonist Roll, players will be able to explore the island, with the ability to jump and glide through the air, while armed with a powerful lance. The objective of the adventure is to reach the top of the tower in the center of the island, where the Tear of the Goddess must be placed.
To accomplish this goal and stabilise the island, there are several smaller objectives to complete. In the early stages of the adventure, Roll will only be able to run, jump and dash with their weapon, getting their bearings in a starting zone. Here the players will be able to learn the ropes, learning the basics of combat, platforming and aerial skills. Within the start area, the player will be discover the power of the crystals, which will enhance Roll’s power.
Each crystal will drop a shard that can be collected by Roll, filling her with energy and expanding her movement capabilities. As crystals are collected, players will be able to use the energy to traverse the islands more efficiently. This is made possible by gaining the ability to jump multiple times, dash through the air with the divine lance. The lance can be embedded into walls, allowing players to gain additional height, launching them upwards in the air.
It is important to be careful when using the crystal energy, as each additional jump and dash will use up the limited crystal energy. The energy of the crystals will refill when landing on solid ground, or by interacting with special floating energy points. Once the player leaves the introductory zone, the scope of the adventure expands significantly, with the player being able to roam the land freely. In the center is the tower goal, the height looming over the rest of the island.
Surrounding the tower are the ruins, as well as smaller areas on the lower levels of the island, with areas separated with large cliffs that need to be scaled. While exploring the areas, like the farmlands, polluted lake and ruins, they will encounter NPC characters that will give them tasks to complete. The tasks that can be asked include collecting items, defeating target enemies and reaching target locations inside special dungeon areas.
The rewards that will be granted vary, with crystal shards, life enhancements for more hits in battle and ability upgrades for the movement skills. By collecting these upgrades, the player will be able to reach higher points a lot easier. Alongside the general upgrades, there are other power-ups that can be collected across the island. During exploration, players will discover arcane power sources, which unlock magic that can be used for various purposes.
The spells include a fireball, which can be used in combat scenarios and the Wind, which will lift Roll further into the air when activated. Each spell will have a charge shown as an icon on screen, which needs to be refilled with each use. On the island, the player will be able to pray at special statues, allowing players to save the game and recover lost health. These act as checkpoints and fast travel points, while also offering some information for the adventure.
Throughout the course of the adventure, there are many combat encounters for players to discover. There will be cherubs, and dragon like creatures that appear, being a hindrance to platforming and progress. But there will also be the Seraphim, which are powerful enemies that will bombard the player with deadly attacks. These enemies can easily bring the Valkyrie down if players are not careful, with death returning players to their last checkpoint.
To help navigate the island there is a map that shows the areas that can be explored, with names applied to the main locations. While this can be useful to see the scope of the island, as well as important landmarks, there is a lack of a guide marker. Players will also be able to find hidden points of interest, with dungeons and remote points to discover. These will often contain power-ups and upgrades for Roll, but they may need to be unlocked first.
Last to cover is the general progression of the adventure. While exploring and climbing up higher in the island, there will be new challenges for the player to tackle. These will include moving platforms, floating objects to attach to and ledges to recover crystal energy. As this is a rather non-linear game, the difficulty can fluctuate due to the number of power-ups collected. There is some flexibility to progress, allowing the player to approach the adventure in different ways.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – Valkyrie Saga has a control layout that makes good use of the Joy-Con controls, making it comfortable to use for the adventure. The layout is rather easy to pick up, making it easy for players to get into the action. However, there are a couple of minor flaws to the controls, as both the camera and movement use the thumbsticks. This system can be a little awkward, as camera control and platforming can be tricky to do at the same time.
Difficulty – due to the non-linear nature of this adventure, the difficulty can fluctuate during play and the way that players approach the challenges. Over the course of the adventure, some of the challenges can be made easier or harder, all influenced by the crystal shards, magic spells and upgrades that have been collected. Overall this adventure is relatively accessible, offering a fun challenge for players of all skill levels.
Presentation – visually, the game has a 32-bit retro style to it, with models and environments that attempt to emulate the Classic PlayStation look. This is achieved with low poly textures, scaling and a good rendering distance. The music and sound is dome well, with atmospheric tracks that add a sense of wonder and spectacle to the adventure. There are some occasional stutters and minor slowdowns during play on the switch, but in general it performs well on the older hardware.
Final Thoughts – I had previously covered the game and had a good time with it, so when I was given a chance to return to the island, I was happy to take on the challenge. Giving this game a second go, the experience was just as enjoyable, with the older hardware working quite well. The gameplay still works well, although there is the occasional hiccup with slowdown, as well as longer load times, but these don’t impact the experience to any great degree.
The unfortunate frustrations of the hard to use map, cryptic tasks and gliding getting players stuck are still present. But these blemishes aren’t significant downsides to the experience, as they can be easily overcome. I do enjoy this game, with the 32-bit style managing to replicate the PSX style well, while using modern engine capabilities to avoid things like fog. I recommended this game already, but will repeat that recommendation as it is a fun adventure for a low cost.
In the end, I give Valkyrie Saga a final score of 4/5 again. The adventure manages to replicate the experience of classic 32-bit style games from the PSX, with solid platforming, combat and open ended exploration that is fun, working well on the older Nintendo hardware. If you want to check out the game, a link to each version will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch 2 version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
