Valkyrie Elysium

This is probably the most generic Action RPG I’ve played. It would’ve probably been a notable game if it released in the early lifespan of the PS3. But it can’t even count as a “hidden gem” on the PS5. 

There isn’t much to say about visuals. You get a pretty blond girl as your protagonist, so there’s that to look at while you play. But everything starts to feel stiff when you actually start to look at the characters doing any action. 

The combat is really just there. You have standard attack, dodge, block, utility actions. It is kind of annoying that you have to unlock the actual good mechanics with a skill tree. Simple things like counterstrikes and Rushdown attacks have to be unlocked when they would’ve been great to just start with. 

The story is really predictable. I don’t mean it in a “they hinted this from the beginning” kind of way because there wasn’t anything implied (or at least, I don’t remember and I don’t want to go back). It’s more of a “there’s literally nothing else happening and this is the entire cast of the game, but the game needs a conflict.”

It’s crazy to think someone at Square Enix played Final Fantasy XV and thought that this in a better state to release. The budget for this game was definitely a bunch of energy drinks and a dream.