Octopath Traveler Fans Should Try Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth

While many people who talk about the RPGs of yesteryear cite Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VII as their favorite RPG of all time, I’ve always had a bit of a niche favorite. Tri-Ace’s cult classic RPG Valkyrie Profile captured my imagination from a young age, but it also did something that might be familiar to recent RPG fans. Octopath Traveler’s storytelling structure might seem unique and different, and to a degree it is. Yet its roots lie in an RPG from the 90s that now can be played on most PlayStation consoles.

The storytelling structure focusing on the backstory of a specific character leading into their recruitment is a tough balance to tread. Octopath Traveler focuses on using it to start the beginning of their journey, while Valkyrie Profile takes a very similar approach but turns it on its head. Valkyrie Profile focuses on the end of a character’s life before they join Lenneth the Valkyrie on her journey.

The storytelling structure of Valkyrie Profile usually revolves around Lenneth searching (as the “Chooser of the Slain”) for souls to help Valhalla in the coming war of Ragnarok. When she finds a soul that has one or more qualities that would be valuable for the war effort, you see a vignette (sometimes playable) that gives you a backstory. You experience the last days of this person’s existence before they usually meet some form of grisly or tragic ending.

Some of these vignettes are beautiful and emotional. Some are also referenced as you progress, with party members commenting on the state of various locations, or even talking with Lenneth about those they left behind. It makes me wonder if Team Asano took inspiration from things like Valkyrie Profile in building up their characters.

Certain characters in Valkyrie Profile (much like Octopath Traveler and its sequel) appear in stories for multiple characters and become more important as time progresses. If you like the storytelling in Octopath Traveler, I highly recommend Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, the remastered version available on PS5 and mobile devices. I wish it were available on PC, but as it is a bit of a niche franchise I can understand why they haven’t ported it.

Overall I find it interesting to see the building blocks of games that are popular today, and over our holiday break Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth captured my imagination all over again. It is easily one of my top 5 favorite classic RPGS, and you are missing out if you don’t give it a try. I wouldn’t recommend picking up the original PlayStation version though, unless you want to spend close to 600 dollars on an original copy.

When people ask me for game recommendations like Octopath Traveler, I always recommend Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. It is a deeply moving story and has a rich Norse-Mythology-infused world that will keep you interested and eager for more. I wish Valkyrie Elysium wasn’t so disappointing as a modern successor though. There’s always Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria for the PS2, but it is in dire need of a remastered version.