I played "The Apocalypse of the Valkyrie (Reginleif)," a free game based on Norse mythology and Cthulhu mythology.
This is a luxurious modern fantasy work that skillfully blends two completely different mythologies.
I was drawn to this book because it features both Norse mythology, which would appeal to any game lover, and Cthulhu mythology, which would be irresistible to horror fans.
The completion time was approximately 11 hours.
(Until the secret boss is defeated)
Game Overview
This game, "The Apocalypse of the Valkyrie Reginleif," consists of two parts: a scenario part where you read through the story, and an RPG part where you prepare and engage in battle.
This game employs a non-field RPG format, meaning you don't need to move around and explore a field, making it easier to focus on the story and combat.
The story begins with the protagonist, Yuto Kuze, living with his grandparents and stepsister, Hikaru, when his grandparents are murdered by a mysterious armed group, and he and Hikaru are kidnapped.
Yuto became a magician to save Hikaru, who was under a curse that brought misfortune to those around him, but Hikaru herself begs him to kill her to prevent further misfortune.
The game is packed with information right from the start, and immediately jumps into a climactic scene with many mysteries, but I think it will quickly draw the player in.
As you progress through the scenario, you will see the main screen shown in the image above at key points.
On the main screen, you can progress through the scenario, engage in free battles, and prepare for other combat situations.
Choosing to advance the scenario may sometimes lead to combat, so be sure to save frequently.
(However, even if you are wiped out, you won't be returned to the title screen; you will also receive hints.)
If you select "Scenario Progression," you will proceed by reading through text, similar to an adventure game.
After reading a certain amount, you will be returned to the main screen.
Be aware that you may encounter formidable opponents in some situations.
If you select "Free Battle," you can choose an enemy party and fight freely.
If you can't win the battles in the main story, you'll need to level up in these free battles.
The leveling system in this game is unique; your level increases by 1 every time you win a battle.
Furthermore, if you win with all characters still alive, it's a complete victory, and your level will instantly increase to the "level cap" with just one win.
(Example: If your party level is 5 and you achieve a perfect victory against an enemy party with a level cap of 10, your party level will become 10.)
Conversely, be aware that no matter how many times you defeat enemies, your level will not exceed the maximum level cap.
The combat system in this game is slightly different from that of typical RPGs.
Although it is a turn-based command battle,In one turn, the party can act three times, and anyone can act any number of times.
The same member can act three times, or three people can each act once.
The order of actions is determined by the agility of each member.
However, the second action of the same member will inevitably be delayed because it will only occur after everyone's first action has finished.
Similarly, the third action will also occur after everyone has completed their second action.
The main commands include normal attacks, skills, and rune magic.
Using skills requires SP, which accumulates by 10 at a time through actions such as performing normal attacks.
At the start of a battle, you'll have a certain amount of SP accumulated, but if you only use skills, your SP will decrease. Therefore, in long battles, it's important to use normal attacks moderately to accumulate SP.
Rune magic can be used by equipping magic stones.
There are many different types of magic stones, and the rune magic that can be used varies greatly depending on the type of stone.
Additionally, some members can use rune magic even without equipping magic stones.
Using rune magic consumes 1 MP, but you cannot recover MP during battle, so be careful not to overuse it.
With the exception of a few members, everyone generally has 3 MP, so assume that each member can only use Rune Magic up to three times per battle.
You can change your equipped magic stones from the main menu.
When equipping your characters, consider their roles as attackers, healers, and support characters.
In a separate menu, the "Rune Release" screen, instead of increasing the "Invasion Rate" parameter, you can also increase the level of magic stones or increase the number of magic stones.
However, be careful not to raise the corruption rate unnecessarily, as exceeding a certain value can have negative consequences (the threshold value is shown in the in-game help).
You can also change the formation, such as front row and back row, on the same screen.
If the enemy has skills that affect entire rows, spreading your own units out somewhat between the front and back rows will help minimize damage.
However, if you also have a skill that heals entire rows, there is a drawback in that you cannot heal everyone at once.
It's important to use different tactics depending on the enemy's characteristics.
Review (no spoilers)
I was able to enjoy the game all the way to defeating the secret boss.
I felt that this game was a compelling experience, drawn in by both its engaging non-field RPG system and its compelling story, making it a title you'll want to play to the very end.
The main story has many mysteries, and the themes of Norse mythology and Cthulhu mythology are intriguing, making me want to keep reading.
Since it's a non-field RPG, there are no unnecessary elements like exploration, which made it easy to focus on the story, and I appreciated that.
In this game, battles are positioned as a way to say, "If you want to continue reading the story, you must win this battle," so the frequency of battles was just right—not too frequent, not too intrusive.
Regarding the free battles for leveling up, the system doesn't require you to repeat the same battle over and over; instead, you reach the level cap in one go, which was stress-free and enjoyable.
Regarding combat, I think it was interesting because you had to use various tactics depending on the enemy.
I found it fun to think about the synergies between skills, and the feeling of satisfaction when my strategy worked exactly as planned was exceptional.
Even if your entire party is wiped out, you can get hints on how to proceed, and the game's system is such that you shouldn't get stuck in battle and unable to progress.
However, an understanding of the combat system is required, so if you don't properly understand how it works and fight accordingly, you'll likely struggle to win by brute force.
The story, perhaps because it respects the actual mythological setting, sometimes felt a bit complicated, especially when the protagonists were trying to deduce the motives of the opposing forces.
However, judging from the afterword, the author's unique interpretations of the setting seem to be kept to a minimum, so it could serve as good background knowledge for future explorations of Norse mythology and Cthulhu mythology.
A minor suggestion would be that it would be convenient to be able to check each character's skills and other information from the menu screen.
Since you can't check skills without entering the battle screen, it was a bit inconvenient when planning tactics.
Also, I think it would have been easier to pause the game if there was a way to save mid-scenario.
However, since this game takes care to ensure that each scenario part doesn't become too long, you probably don't need to worry about it too much.
I was pleased to see the attention to detail, such as the ability to skip the scenario up to the battle when retrying a boss fight.
I've written a lot, but I really enjoyed both the story and the battles.
I felt that it was a well-executed example of a non-field RPG that prioritizes storytelling.
Strategy Notes (Spoiler Warning)
The combat system in this game is a bit unique, so you might find it a little confusing at first.
However, if you are wiped out, you can get helpful hints and other kind advice, so I don't think you'll get stuck too much.
I'd like to jot down a few notes about tactics I found useful and strategies for defeating challenging bosses.
Useful tactics
- Yuto's protection + cross counter
Having Yuto use "Guard" from the beginning and act as a tank is an effective strategy.
By utilizing the cross-counter technique, which you learn in the mid-game, you can employ a strategy that allows you to protect your teammates while safely counterattacking the enemy.
However, it's a bit weak to be used as the main source of damage, so it's best to consider it primarily as a defensive strategy.
Phase conversion using the silver key
Yuto's Phase Shift, which becomes available midway through the game, is a powerful technique that grants a barrier to all allies that nullifies two attacks.
Although it can only be used once every four turns, it would be a waste to save it, so I think it's effective to use it at the start of the battle.
Using this allows you to prepare for offense without having to worry about defense, so use it to get a head start in the early stages of battle.
Be careful when facing enemies that use multi-hit attacks, as your barrier will be destroyed very quickly.
- Mind's spatial manipulation + skill enhancement
By using Kokoro's "Spatial Manipulation," you can make skills and magic affect the entire area.
It only lasts for two turns, but if used effectively, it can unleash powerful single-target attacks on all enemies multiple times.
If you can increase your attack power through rune magic such as the operation of Sol, your attacks will become even more powerful.
Vali's Yew Bow + Shinko's Astral Razor
Vali's Yew Bow can attack a single enemy nine times.
1発当たりの攻撃倍率は低いため、防御力が高い敵にはあまりダメージが通りません。
However, if you add additional fixed damage with Shinko's astral razor, each attack from the yew bow will deal additional fixed damage, allowing you to consistently inflict large amounts of damage.
If you further enhance this by unifying spatial manipulation and increasing attack power through the movement of the soul, you'll be able to inflict tremendous damage even on multiple enemies.
This is a combination technique that I want to incorporate into the basic tactics of the second half of the game.
Chapter 1
: Daughter of Yog-Sothoth & Tail
Beforehand, raise your magic level and magic stone level to 2 so that Hikaru and one other person can use Cleaning Ray (cures all status ailments and restores 15% of HP).
Yuto will be in the front row, and the other members will be in the back row.
Yusa primarily attacks the tail with "critical hits," and once the tail is defeated, she attacks the main body.
I think everyone will become poisoned every turn, so someone should use Cleaning Ray to make sure the poison status is completely cured.
If you have enough HP, you can let Yusa attack three times.
Once Yusa's Tote Sword is ready to use, you can use it instead of Cleaning Ray, but be aware that it targets a row.
If Yuto's HP starts to decrease, use Kimo's evil spirit exorcism to restore it.
When the main body uses its trump card, its tail will regenerate, so carefully defeat it again with Yusa's critical hits.
You should be able to defeat it before you run out of Cleaning Ray uses.
After defeating the boss, you will be presented with choices to see Yusa's ending and choices to proceed to Chapter 2.
After seeing Yusa's ending, you can create a save file that allows you to choose options again without having to defeat the boss again, so those who are curious can go ahead and see Yusa's ending without worry.
Chapter 2
: Skoll Lion, Skoll Sniper x2 (Free Battle Level Cap 47)
It's tough if Skall Sniper uses his trump card, but it's also difficult if you defeat him first and Skall Rion's attack becomes area-of-effect.
Let's focus our attacks on Skoll-Lion and take him down first.
If you use Hikaru's Snow Bullet and the other members to focus fire and ice magic attacks, which are its weaknesses, you should be able to defeat it relatively quickly.
As long as the sniper is alive, Skollion only uses single-target attacks, so it's not scary.
Chapter 3
: Skoll Chain x 5 (Free Battle Level Cap 53)
You have to defeat all five of them at the same time.
By using Shinko's spatial manipulation to unleash Vali's skills on a larger scale and repeatedly using Repeat Strike, you can easily defeat him.
: Guardian of the Crystallizer (Free Battle Level Cap 59)
Since the sleep-inducing effect is troublesome, use the silver key to neutralize the enemy's attacks and try to fight as quickly as possible.
If you use Kokoro's Space Manipulation + Skill Enhance, and Lv3 Flame Rune Magic - Soul's Operation on Yui, and then unleash Destruction on the whole group, you can wipe them all out.
Once the Silver Key's attack nullification effect wears off, your party will be wiped out by sleep, so try to finish the battle quickly.
: Skoll Angel (Free Battle Level Cap 63)
Damage below a certain threshold will be nullified, so let's finish this off with Yuto's Destruction.
If you use Kokoro's Skill Enhance and the Ancient Mark, along with the Lv3 Flame Soul, before using Destruction, you can deal over 10,000 damage and defeat them in one hit.
: False Baldur
They are quite formidable opponents and the battle will be tough, but you can minimize the damage by effectively using Yuto's attack-blocking ability and Kimo's skill-blocking ability.
You can barely inflict any damage on Baldur unless you use ice-elemental rune magic or inscribe an ancient mark on him before attacking.
Since no one but Hikaru can use rune magic, the key is to not use it haphazardly, but rather to buff yourself as much as possible before attacking.
The most powerful combination would probably be Vali's Yew Bow + Old Sign + Astral Razor.
Each attack from the Yew Bow inflicts additional damage from the Phantom Razor, allowing you to significantly reduce its HP.
Using this will allow you to wipe out the crows early in the battle.
If you observe Baldur's actions carefully and use attack-blocking and skill-blocking effectively, you should be able to fight him without letting him attack much at all.
You can use Kimo's skill to recover SP while blocking attacks, or if that's too much trouble, use Reginleif to recover SP all at once.
Once the Silver Key's phase shift becomes available, stack buffs on Vali again in the same way and prepare to attack.
By the way, Baldur's trump card grants him automatic resurrection, so be sure to remove it with Hikaru's Dispel or Kimo's skill before finishing him off.
The trump card can be prevented by sealing skills, so if used at the right time, it's possible to prevent the enemy from automatically reviving.
: Nyarlathotep
This is a formidable enemy with fierce attacks and high defense.
The longer the battle drags on, the worse things will become, so let's finish it as quickly as possible.
The opponent's normal area-of-effect attacks are powerful, but you can withstand them with attack seals, phase shifts, and Svel.
If your attack-blocking ability works and your opponent only uses normal attacks on the next turn, you'll have a full turn to attack.
Effective attack methods include using Hikaru's Rune Enhance followed by Snow Bullet to deal around 2500 damage, and using Shinko's Divine Sword Release followed by a critical hit to deal around 3000 damage.
Since you want to attack as much as possible while the attack-enhancing buff is active, try to attack effectively when Svel or Phase Shift are active.
Since enemies can also become invincible with a silver key, use dispel or other spells to remove their buffs before fighting.
Final Boss
This boss uses attack support skills to overwhelm you with a flurry of hits.
This opponent is difficult to attack because it recovers a small amount of HP each turn, has high defense, and attacks fiercely.
The tactic I used to defeat him was a combination of offense and defense, utilizing Yuto's cross-counter.
Have Yuto use Cover + Cross Counter, then strengthen your attack power with Soul's movement and Attack Enhance while reducing damage with Svel, etc.
Without any buffs, a cross-counter counterattack will only deal about 100 x 2 damage, but with buffs, it can deal around 400-500 x 2 damage.
Once you've whittled down its health to a certain point, you can reliably defeat it by finishing it off with Laevateinn.
(※The name of the secret boss has been blacked out to prevent spoilers.)
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