Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria PlayStation 2
Metascore
84 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
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  1. AtomicGamer
    87
    I still can highly recommend this game to any RPG fan, though – after getting used to it, the combat system will be fun (though frustrating at times) and the game will provide an overall rewarding experience.
  2. Deeko
    90
    When it's all said and done, Silmeria is a fantastic RPG and a proud trophy that the Playstation 2 will display as one of the finest "farewell" games. Fans of the series will surely rekindle their love for the Norse-inspired tale of redemption, and the game more than provides on the fan-front.
  3. Digital Entertainment News
    92
    A solid contender for a spot in the Top 3 RPGs of 2006, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria is a breath of fresh air in a world of play-alike RPGs.
  4. Electric Playground
    90
    A great game with high replay value. This Square-Enix title will satisfy even the most hardcore RPG fans with its innovative gameplay and many features.
  5. Eurogamer
    90
    The potent mixture of action with the high-level statistical balancing will quickly seduce the right-minded player.
  6. Game Over Online
    89
    Even with the voice work and camera problems dragging it down, this is still the most enjoyable traditional RPG I’ve played all year, and one that will be hard for even "Final Fantasy XII" to top.
  7. GameBrink
    98
    At a length of about thirty hours, the game may be considered short by epic RPG standards, but it also makes the game that much more replayable. [JPN Import]
  8. GameDaily
    90
    The inability to pause cutscenes is a bummer, but that's no reason to avoid one of the most unique role-playing titles on the PlayStation 2.
  9. GamePro
    90
    Not everyone's going to love the transplanted platform puzzler elements, and RPG purists might be turned off by the wafer-thin town exploration, but just discovering the way your different options fit together is so endlessly absorbing that even wildly divergent tastes will agree that Valkyrie Profile 2 is yummy indeed.
  10. Gamezilla!
    90
    If you can get past the stiff difficulty, it has all the elements of a great RPG with its intriguing storyline, compelling combat and deep game mechanics.
  11. GameZone
    89
    This is a great game on its own, and if you’ve ever enjoyed a turn-based RPG or strategy game, you would be wise to play Valkyrie Profile 2.
  12. Gaming Age
    91
    The world it presents is gorgeous, with some one of the most technically and aesthetically pleasing visuals we've seen thus far. Meanwhile, the revised and expanded battle system injects additional strategy while eliminating the issues that bogged down the previous game.
  13. Gaming Nexus
    88
    Despite a few flaws (difficulty and character development), Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria is a ton of fun.
  14. Gaming Target
    89
    Miles ahead of its competition when it comes to gameplay, story, visuals, and sound.
  15. Jolt Online Gaming UK
    88
    The visuals push the PS2 to its limits, the combat system is incredibly unique and enjoyable, and there are countless hours of gameplay to be had in reincarnating every Einherjar during Silmeria and Alicia’s wonderfully written adventure – even if you never really get to know them.
  16. Play Magazine
    90
    Everything about Silmeria, except for the localization, which is good but pales to the likes of FF XII(but what doesn't?)is the stuff that RPG dreams are made of. [Oct. 2006, p.58]
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  17. PSM Magazine
    90
    It's not just one of this month's best releases--it's also one of the best games in the PS2 library. [Nov. 2006, p.70]
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  18. PSW Magazine UK
    90
    To put it simply, it's gorgeous in every respect, even though it's only in 2D. PS2's last great game? What a way to go.
  19. PSX Extreme
    88
    There is a giant amount to get used to, but if you take to the style and the atmosphere, you just might lose yourself in role-playing bliss for many, many hours.
  20. RPG Fan
    89
    One of the best games of this year, and was entirely deserving of our "Best of E3 2006" award. With a fantastic tri-Ace battle system that's both accessible and deep, Square Enix has provided a sequel that both fans and newbies will love equally.
  21. Thunderbolt
    90
    If only every game’s most glaring problem could be that there are too many characters to choose from.
  22. Worth Playing
    91
    The only thing holding back this game from being a must-own for everyone is the confusing plot, but even then, players should be able to enjoy this title for its fantastic gameplay and amazing music.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. frankfartmouth
    7
    Along with Okami, Odin Sphere, and Final Fantasy X, this is one of the most visually stunning games to come out for the PS2, or for any system, last or current gen. It's also really refreshing to see side scrolling brought back to the front burner like this. A wonderful throwback to the old school days, but still feels fresh and precise by modern standards. The music is also terrific, impressively ranging from stirring, Celtic village themes to the haunting, minimalistic sounds of a possessed woods or serpentine cavern.

    Getting to everything else, however, the praise begins to thin out. The battle system (the backbone of any RPG), while not without merit, is too easily gamed through repetitive, cookie-cutter tactics. I got to a point eventually where I could win just about any battle by simply breaking off a member of my group, placing him or her behind my enemy, and leading it around in circles to keep my attack gauge full and avoid hits. Some people argue that if a game has an easily exploitable flaw like this, you should just not use it and enjoy the game in a you-know-what-they-were-trying-to-get-at kind of way, but that doesn't make sense to me. That's like saying you should ignore bad acting in a film because you know they were actually trying to give a good performance. Games are judged by the depth and completeness of their design. That's their commodity. If the flaw is there, I'm going to exploit it.

    The story, too, is a bit lacking. Not terrible, but it takes too long to get to the major turns. And the dialogue is a bit Final Fantasy 4-ish, with hot-headed, 1D characters who form inextricable bonds over one firelit night at camp, but still retain a petty, soap opera bend to their interactions. That would have been fine in 1991, but at the tail end of the PS2 era, it feels stale and trite. The voice acting, too, while overall pretty acceptable, is at times laughably bad, almost in a good way. Especially some of the battle chatter from Lezard. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether they were being facetious or not. I say not, but I still got a laugh out of some of it, so I guess it's kind of a wash. Overall, a game that's just kind of all over the place. Terrific, Good, OK, and sometimes Pretty Bad. But mostly, it's just Pretty Good. I finished it at a fairly good clip, never really felt bored even when I knew the battles were a foregone win, and always enjoyed what I was seeing and hearing. I just wish they'd done something about that running around in circles thing.    … Full Review »
  2. Caestus
    8
    Valkyrie Profile Silmeria has an awesome and deep battle system with lot of possibilities if you get the hang of it. Graphics are fabulous and the OST is also a good one. However i do not like the sidescrolling that much, it would have been better if they had made 3D controls. But still a good RPG with a great battle system.… Full Review »
  3. pandaman3608
    10
    This game is probably one of the most clever RPG's I've ever played. It makes you think it's a prequel, but then there's all these twists in the plot that make you question the validity of that. These twists are what basically make the story so great in the first place. The music, again composed by Motoi Sakuraba, is fantastic, the graphics are gorgeous, and the combat is addicting. My only concern is that the character design, though meticulously detailed, is very wooden because the lip-synching is just terrible. Other than that, if you loved the first Valkyrie Profile, you're definitely gonna love this game.… Full Review »
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