When the Nintendo Wii first came out, gamers tried to be more patient with the games that were either ported to it or which simply could not adjust to the new style of the system. The Wii can be endlessly fun to play, but if not utilized properly it can also be frustrating, boring, and full of glitches. It is no longer possible to excuse bad games on the Wii, because too many companies have proven that excellent games can be made on the system. The videogame industry has been booming for years, and it has gone well past some of the early-ish charming console games like The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy. These games had their place, but the industry has to keep developing and moving. I say all of this because playing Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga is a big step backwards. If it was released ten years ago, it would be an impressive game, but today? We've been there and done that a hundred times.
Valhalla Knights is a franchise with the first two games on the PlayStation Portable, so this release represents the first one for a non-portable console. Developed by K2, they are fantastical action role-playing games set in exotic far worlds.
In classic RPG style, this title has evil things to kill, levels to gain, stats to raise, items to buy and sell, and characters to join one's party. It also has that "pick up and play" feel to it — it has very little depth, but can be entertaining for a few spare hours. This makes the whole thing feel as though it would be much better had the franchise remained on a portable console.
Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga is about a land populated by several different races (humans, elves, dwarves, halflings). A meteor hit the planet and unleashed a great deal of monsters that started attacking everything in sight. Everyone worked together to push them out into Eldar, and that's where the story begins.
The player gets to design their main character at that point, but ought not get overly attached to them. The first chapter is designed to really get you used to the fighting system and controls, and the second chapter begins sixteen years later when the first character has a grown-up child. The player gets to choose the mother, although they might not be aware of that first, so be sure to choose her from a race that has great stats. It will matter.
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