Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume

Previous titles in the series have put the player in control of the Valkyrie, the Goddess of death who heaps despair on all who cross her path (mwuhahaha, etc). However this time round the onus of the player is placed on a character named Wylfred who is eager to seek vengeance on the Valkyrie herself for the death of his father in battle.

There is no room for kindness while battling enemies either. The party of characters are tactically controlled by grid squares. Each figure is moved with the stylus in this way, advancing towards enemies in a tactical battle. And you can forget the sweet innocence of merely sending the enemy to sleep or badly injuring them; you are wholeheartedly encouraged to beat the living daylights out of opponents — even when they're practically dead.

The insatiable need to carry out acts of evil is what sets this title aside from the norm. A game that not only rewards you for sadistic acts but punishes you for compassion is too delightfully twisted to ignore. For the most part the screen is neatly divided, most if not all functions are accessible via the stylus and there are no particular sound effects that would upset the ear.

It's a shame that battle scenes seem to drag on as a result of the sluggish turn-based mechanics, and for what it's worth the visuals are a little too grey for comfort. Expect to be at the helm of command for long a great deal of time — it's a lengthy adventure with many alternate endings and the replay value is definitely there.