Play Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume Online

Summary

The third entry in the Valkyrie Profile series, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, feels like a love letter to fans of Norse‑inspired myth while handing us a surprisingly deep tactical experience crafted by tri‑Ace. The game drops you into a grid‑based arena where you can field up to four units, each tied to a DS button, and watch the action unfold in real‑time as you build an Attack Gauge that triggers cinematic "Soul Crush" finishers and even an "Overkill" mode after an enemy’s health hits zero.

What really sets the combat apart is the Destiny Plume: a consumable that temporarily boosts a unit’s power, but guarantees that the boosted character meets a permanent death once the turn limit expires. This harsh choice feeds directly into the narrative, shaping which characters survive, which become enemies later, and which endings you can unlock. The Plume also generates "Sin," a hidden resource that, if left insufficient, summons a tougher foe in the next battle.

The DS’s dual screens are put to good use: the top displays battle stats while the bottom shows story text, maps, and the turn‑by‑turn flow. A rotatable isometric camera lets you survey three‑dimensional battlefields, and a world map links towns where merchants sell gear, taverns dispense lore, and side‑quests pop up for extra challenges. Recruiting new allies depends on the path you take, and any character you reject may later appear as an opponent.

Each character belongs to a class that defines weapon affinities, movement range, and attack style. Skill Books—found in shops, loot, or battle rewards—grant Field Skills for positioning and movement, and Battle Skills for defense or healing. Action Points fuel these abilities; they regenerate each round, with the most AP earned by staying idle, encouraging strategic pacing.

After a playthrough, New Game Plus carries over learned abilities without altering the story, and completing every route unlocks the secret Seraphic Gate dungeon, where rare units await recruitment. All these layers combine into a tactical RPG that feels both familiar and refreshingly strategic.

Storyline

Set in a Norse‑mythology inspired world that includes Asgard, Midgard and Niflheim, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume follows the mercenary Wylfred, a son whose father Thyodor was taken by the Valkyrie Lenneth as an einherjar. Thyodor’s death leaves his wife Margot insane and his daughter Elsie starving, driving Wylfred to swear vengeance and keep Lenneth’s feather as a reminder of his goal.

During a mission Wylfred is mortally wounded and rescued by Hel, queen of Niflheim, who gifts him the Destiny Plume – the feather infused with dark power that promises the strength to slay Lenneth if bathed in conflict and sin. Using the Plume, Wylfred boosts his friend Ancel’s power to defeat monsters, but the feather’s curse kills Ancel instantly, and Wylfred is escorted to safety by Ailyth, Hel’s liaison.

The game’s narrative shifts according to the player’s choices: which side Wylfred backs in a local rebellion, whether he wields the Plume, and how often he does so after Ancel’s death. These decisions affect the civil war between the late king’s sons Langrey and Kristoff and ultimately determine which of the multiple endings unfolds.

If the Plume is never used, Ailyth reveals herself as Hel’s demon hound Garm, and Lenneth allows the resurrected Ancel to help Wylfred defeat Garm; Wylfred then repairs Elsie’s music box, curing Margot’s madness and securing a peaceful life. Using the Plume once leads to Ending B, where Thyodor stops Wylfred from killing Lenneth, Ailyth attacks for breaking the covenant, and Thyodor sacrifices himself so Wylfred can atone. Using the Plume multiple times triggers Ending C, in which Wylfred defeats Lenneth but Freya retrieves her soul, condemning him to eternal torment in Niflheim as Hel’s pawn. Overusing the Plume results in a game‑over where Freya defeats Wylfred and Hel chastises Ailyth.