Valkyrie Profile

 is a Norse mythology-based role-playing game series developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix (formerly Enix), created by Yoshiharu Gotanda.
Development.
History.
The "Valkyrie Profile" series is developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix (now Square Enix). It was created by Yoshiharu Gotanda, one founder of tri-Ace. Motoi Sakuraba composed scores for the series.
Creation and design.
"Valkyrie Profile" draws heavily from Norse mythology, though it takes artistic liberty with the source material and does deviate from it significantly.
Common elements.
The "Valkyrie Profile" series has been distinguished for its inventive gameplay. Aesthetically, the series is known for its muted colors and melancholic ambiance. Players usually take the role of a valkyrie, one of a host of female figures who choose warriors who may die in battle and lead them into the afterlife, though sometimes they play mortals called upon by the divine beings.
Music.
The music of all the "Valkyrie Profile" games was composed by Motoi Sakuraba. "Valkyrie Profile" and its remake ' were composed by Motoi Sakuraba, with original soundtrack version highlighting just a handful of the songs on the game soundtrack as being really enjoyable, with his use of rock music and harpsichord. The music of ' composed by Motoi Sakuraba of Star Ocean. It has two original soundtracks, Alicia and Silmeria. Each soundtrack is divided into two discs totalling 70 songs from the game. Prior to the release, a special artifact box was released which included a copy of the game, ten musical tracks, a keychain, and a figurine. In 2012, characters Rufus and Alicia were added to the Square Enix card game "Lord of Vermillion Re: 2". The Music for ' was composed by Motoi Sakuraba The in-game score was written as MIDI tracks, allowing it to fit easily onto the DS cartridge. Drawing from the darker themes of the narrative, Sakuraba created a subdued and emotional score that noticeably moved away from his score for "Silmeria" while still being separate from his work on "Valkyrie Profile". The score included original composition and arranged versions of tracks from Sakuraba's scores for "Valkyrie Profile". The soundtrack conversion for the DS cartridge was done by sound design studio Noisycroak. A two-disc soundtrack album was published on November 5, 2008 by Square Enix's music label. For the album release, Sakuraba used the MIDI originals as reference and redid all the tracks with fuller orchestration. While faithful to the original, the larger range of sounds resulted in some differences. A twelve-track arrange album, handled by Sakuraba, was published alongside the main soundtrack album. For ' composer Motoi Sakuraba was chosen. Producer Yoshinori Yamagishi mentioned his favorite way of drawing out emotion in players was through music and sound effects, helping to both immerse new players in the world of the game and play upon the nostalgia of series fans. The game utilizes a mixture of music from the franchise and new compositions.
Printed adaptations.
Several manga have been written based on the series. They are "Valkyrie Profile", "Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria", and "Valkyrie Profile: The Dark Alchemist". A manga anthology called "Valkyrie Profile Enix Supercomic Gekijoh" is based on PlayStation Portable of "Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth".
Reception.
Overall, the "Valkyrie Profile" series received positive critical reception both in Japan and the West. The series has sold over 2.2 million copies as of 2016.
Some "Valkyrie Profile" games have been included in various lists of top games. In a 2006 reader's poll conducted by "Famitsu", the first "Valkyrie Profile" was voted the 27th best video game of all time. "Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth" received IGN's award for Best PSP RPG of 2006. "Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria" received IGN's award for "Best Game No One Played".