Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (iOS) Review

Possibly the first thing players will notice is the app's price-tag. Square Enix has become well known of late for charging a much higher price than a lot of its mobile app contemporaries. This is a topic that could spawn a whole article in itself, but suffice it to say things get a little more understandable considering this is a full PSone title, and not a run-of-the-mill mobile game that feels like a hollow reskin of pretty much every other run-of-the-mill mobile game.

As for the game itself, it definitely shows its age in terms of graphics and style, but in a way that somehow doesn't quite feel dated. Many titles today, especially on the mobile platform, strive for a retro- or classic-type feel to them, so one that actually comes from that era feels right at home. That said, the graphics often come across as pixelated and sometimes look like blown-out jpegs, and the music, while sometimes beautiful and always competent, frequently sounds like stock music from the latest RPG Maker.

Sound effects aren't much better. Lenneth lumbers around with the thunderous clapping of her shoes against stone echoing across the dungeon with her every step, the voice acting is solid but nothing to write home about, and all of it sounds compressed. The gameplay doesn't fare much better; the backgrounds and level design make it difficult to tell what is or isn't interactive terrain and, in battle, the screen is full of disjointed prompts and meters, most of them accompanied by broken English phrases like "Purify Weird Soul!" and "Step on it press button!" On top of all of this, it doesn't do a particularly good job explaining anything.

It seems clear the developer of the port is aware that the adventure throws players into the deep end, and there is an auto-battle feature that might help get players accustomed to the flow of battle. Enemies and players take turns, and all player-characters can make moves during the same player turn. It's an interesting and mostly unique combat system, but with all of its nuances and even basic actions tucked away, players are mostly left in the dark as to what is actually going on during battle. In general, this feels targeted at fans of the original, not people who have never played the series before.