Skip to main content

Valkyrie Elysium: Release date, trailers, gameplay, and more

Square Enix holds many of the most famous and storied franchises in gaming history. We all know Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and even somewhat smaller series like the new Bravely games or the Nier titles. One series that never really got a true chance to shine, and hasn’t seen a proper release in over a decade, is the Valkyrie games. The Norse-inspired games began in 2000 with Valkyrie Profile for the original PlayStation, followed by a prequel on the PS2, and then finally one last game on the Nintendo DS in 2009 (not counting a mobile game). They were innovative games that mixed 3D exploration with fluid movements across a map with turn-based battles, but the recently announced Valkyrie Elysium looks to revitalize the series with a new direction.

Fans probably thought Square Enix had long forgotten about this smaller franchise, and yet at the Sony State of Play held in March 2022, Square Enix unveiled Valkyrie Elysium to the world. For most, this would be their first exposure to the long-dormant series, and those that do remember the classic JRPG will be equally curious as to what this new entry will be. These games have deep lore and rich story, but the gameplay is what will either draw most people in or push them away. For all that and more, here’s everything we know about Valkyrie Elysium.

See more

Release date

Valkyrie standing in a grassy field in Valkyrie Elysium.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Valkyrie Elysium is slated to arrive in two waves, first on consoles and then on PC. PlayStation players can grab the game on September 29, 2022, while PC players will have to wait until November 11, 2022.

Platforms

Valkyrie attacking an enemy in a purple mist in Valkyrie Elysium.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Valkyrie Elysium will go back to its PlayStation roots after its diversion to the 3DS and mobile systems, and be released on PS4, PS5, and PC. There’s no mention as to whether this console exclusivity is permanent or if Xbox and Nintendo players will eventually see this game on those platforms, so for now your only options are a PlayStation or PC.

Trailer

VALKYRIE ELYSIUM | Announcement Trailer

The first Valkyrie Elysium trailer to dissect didn’t give much, but we also scrounged around to get a few more details about the game.

Starting with the trailer, we get a few pans over abandoned and decaying structures until coming to a woman standing in a field. We are posed the question, “In an unjust world, what will you choose?” This woman, a Valkyrie no doubt, then attempts to recruit a kneeling soldier of some sort who we don’t get a good look at.

The next section is all gameplay, which we will detail below, but does show a nice range of environments we will be able to explore. A voiceover kicks in and warns the Valkyrie that Ragnarok is ravaging the world and that he — whoever “he” is — wants her to be his tool to intervene and save the world from complete destruction. We get a shot of the Valkyrie bowing to a blond man sitting on a high throne — presumably the narrator we heard before — but again, we never see his face.

After the title drop, a scene plays where the Valkyrie calls out a foe wearing full armor and a mask and asks who they are before the trailer ends. The way this person smirks and how the two are framed lead us to believe they will be rivals of some sort.

On the game’s official site, the synopsis of the game only gives a tiny bit more context to the plot we can expect. It reads, “Long ago, Ragnarok — the End Times — loomed upon the realms. The All-Father, with the last of his strength, created an emissary of redemption; her sole task the salvation of a doomed world. And thence began the tale of a new Valkyrie…”

The best we can gather for now is that you will play as the titular Valkyrie on a quest to somehow prevent Ragnarok.

VALKYRIE ELYSIUM | New trailer | PS5, PS4, PC Steam

The next look at Valkyrie Elysium came with the release date trailer.

It opens with some dialogue on the premise of the game we already know about before diving into more gameplay. We get a lot more characterization of the companions Valkyrie will fight with, called inheriar, who apparently she is forcing to fight for her from beyond the grave. Another companion claims to have no interest in glory but still wants to “make things right.” Each one is a unique character with their own motivations and backstories we expect to learn more about as the game goes on.

Valkyrie will also be collecting things called the Four Gifts, one of which she apparently receives after beating a boss.

Gameplay

Valkyrie shooting fireballs at a flying enemy in Valkyrie Elysium.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Gameplay takes up about half of the trailer, and is very different from the previous entries. Traversal is the most similar, looking fast and fluid with plenty of options to jump and grapple around environments, but the action is no longer segmented into a turn-based RPG format as before. It is all in real time and far more action based, and looks to flow seamlessly with exploration rather than cutting to a separate battle screen.

We get a good look at a bunch of physical combo abilities with her sword, though they do mention that she will have access to multiple weapons. Valkyrie can dash, perform a stinger, launch, and pull off plenty of flashy combos that look somewhat similar to a character action game like Nier: Automata, though we don’t know how deep or complex the system is just yet.

Magic is another big component of combat. We see various spells, like fireballs and calling down thunder, but also what looks like the ability to summon ghosts or spirits. At multiple points we see that knight from the trailer fighting alongside her, and while he looks perfectly human most of the time, in one scene she calls him to her and he becomes much more spectral and translucent before fading away into a cloud of purple sparks.

Each inheriar you can call has their own fighting style, such as a two-handed sword wielding knight, a bow user, and magic caster.

Some spells seem to have a bit of a startup when we see brief moments of Valkyrie stopping and green rings appear below her as though preparing for a bigger attack. We also see one moment of her picking up green and purple crystals of some kind from the environment, perhaps replenishment for some sort of MP, summon, or even HP meters. We don’t see any HUD elements, so can’t tell exactly how magic or summoning will work, if that is indeed what is happening.

For those who are playing on PS5, and presumably a PC that can handle it, Valkyrie Elysium is also said to run at 4K and 60 FPS. Performance on the last-gen system hasn’t been revealed, and likely won’t until the game comes out.

Multiplayer

Valkyrie recruiting a knight in the trailer for Valkyrie Elysium.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Valkyrie Elysium is a single-player game, no question. Even on the store page, it is listed as a one-player game, leaving no room for interpretation. For a JRPG like this, coming from a series that has always been single player, this makes perfect sense to us.

Pre-order

A mysterious armored woman in a castle in Valkyrie Elysium.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Valkyrie Elysium is up for pre-orders with two editions to pick from: Digital Standard and Digital Deluxe.

The Digital Standard edition simply comes with the game for $60 and will give you both PS4 and PS5 versions.

The Deluxe edition costs $75 and includes the Svartalkr equipment and a Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth.

Editors' Recommendations

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
PlayStation Portal: release date, price, specs, and more
The PlayStation Portal alongside Sony's other new headsets.

After being teased under the code name Project Q, we now have a clear picture of just what Sony's latest hardware will be. Officially called the PlayStation Portal, this curious device has many gamers a bit confused about what it is, what it can do, and who it is for. Is it a new handheld, a streaming device, or something in-between? With all the information finally available, we are here to clear up any confusion about what this latest piece of PlayStation hardware really is.
Price
The PlayStation Portal will retail for $200 at launch.
Release date
You can expect the PlayStation Portal to arrive later this year, on November 15, 2023.
Specs

The most important thing to know about the PlayStation Portal is what it really is. This is not a dedicated handheld like the PSP or Vita that you can play games on natively, but instead can only be used as a companion to your PlayStation 5. This device is only intended to stream games from your main console to the screen via Wi-Fi for remote play. Games cannot be played locally on the device, meaning it cannot function without connecting to your PS5. However, you do not need to be on the same network as your PS5. As long as your PS5 is in rest mode and connected to Wi-Fi, you can connect to it through another Wi-Fi network to play, provided the connection is strong enough.

Read more
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl: release date predictions, trailers, gameplay

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the next hotly anticipated entry in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise. The game is releasing over 13 years after the last entry in the series, and it's making its debut on consoles as an Xbox Series X exclusive.

GSC Game World, just one of the many European developers, is currently in the midst of an aggressive invasion from Russian forces that has caused their entire lives to be disrupted. In their efforts to support their country's freedom, the team has put development on pause to "help our employees and their families to survive." Other game companies, such as EA and CD Projekt, have also shown support for the Ukrainian people by halting sales and the representation of Russia in their games.

Read more
Dune: Spice Wars: release date window, trailer, news, and more
Bases on a dessert landscape in Dune: Spice Wars.

As Frank Herbert famously wrote, fear is the mind-killer, but after decades of waiting, gamers can finally put their fears aside as there's a new Dune game on the horizon. There was a litany of reveals and announcements at the 2021 Game Awards, but perhaps the least expected was Dune: Spice Wars from developer Shiro Games. While excitement is surging again for this franchise thanks to the new films adapting Herbert's world-renowned sci-fi novels, no one was expecting a tie-in game to be announced, let alone one following in the footsteps of the classic Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty from way back in 1992.

While the origins of most genres are muddled at best, it is almost undisputed that Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty was the first true real-time strategy game. That makes it all the more appropriate for Dune: Spice Wars to return to the genre, and Shiro Games, developers of Northgard, seems like a great fit to bring this series back. This game is closer than you might expect, and while spice is the key to controlling the universe, information is a close second. Here's everything we know about Dune: Spice Wars.
Release date window

Read more