Developer(s): Tri-Ace
Publisher(s): Square Enix
Genre: RPG
Wikipedia: Link
Game review links: Metacritic: 84/100
Game description: Hundreds of years before Lenneth's tale, another saga lies concealed by the gods. The valkyrie Silmeria once served Odin loyally, but after an incident ignited a conflict between them, Odin forcefully reincarnated her as a human. The human soul that would carry her spirit was that of Alicia, Princess of Dipan. Ordinarily, Silmeria-s consciousness would have been sealed, her spirit dormant until she was next summoned... However, the forced transmigration causes Silmeria's spirit to awaken within Alicia, leaving two souls to inhabit a single body. The spirit that should have been sealed has awakened-a situation Odin will not ignore for long. This installment introduces the new Photon Action System to the classic side-scrolling action format found in the original. Projecting photons grants players more freedom to explore and expands the action, resulting in challenging puzzles with clever solutions. Add to that "sealstones" that affect the laws of nature in dungeons, launching strategy to new heights. The unique battle system of the previous game has evolved into the Advanced Tactical Combination Battle System.

Test configurations on Windows:

Environment			Configurations			Comments	Tester
Region	OS	CPU/GPU	Revision	Graphics	Sound/Pad	Comments	Tester
NTSC-U	?	Intel Core i7-920 @ 3.6 GHz EVGA GeForce GTX 275 CO-OP PhysX Edition 1280MB	r1888	GSdx 2660	SPU2-X r2663 1.4.0 LilyPad (r1853) 0.10.0	HACKS: VU-Add Hack (Tri-Ace games boot fix), Set the Interlace Mode to Bob Tff (use Blend if shaking) to make the game look smooth. Needs a fast CPU and GPU. It will need at least a Core 2 Duo @ 3.4 GHz and a 9600GT or equivalent to maintain full speed throughout the game. However, the game has some bugs and will drop FPS to around the 20-50 range. It only happens in some areas of the game.	Master DX
NTSC-U	Windows 7	Intel Core i7-6700k @ Stock EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Sig2	v1.5.0-dev-1189-gc1f45da	GSdx - 20160823125621 - 1.10	SPU2-X - 20160823125621 - 2.0.0 LilyPad - 20160823125621 - 0.11.0	Runs Full speed OpenGL Mode 4x, Blending Unit Accuracy:Basic, CRC Level:Full, TF:Forced, MTVU:On ( I have this on by default)	Tsunami2311
NTSC-U	Windows 7	E5500 2.8 Dual Core R7 360	1.4.0	GSdx 2016010513232 SSE2 Mode: HW DX11	SPU2-X 20151231175709	Speedhacks: 3 - Balanced Is playable (60 ~ 70% speed) until i reach "Lost Forest" because red black box, i tried to play in software/opengl mode but speed drops to 20 ~ 30%, making game unplayable.	Charl9576

Trivia

Original names: ヴァルキリープロファイル2 -シルメリア- (SLPM-66419) & (SE-W0003) & (SLPM-66782), 발키리 프로파일2 -실메리아- (SCKA-20079)
Holding the triangle and X buttons while the game boots up allows the selection of Progressive Scan mode. Interlacing can be disabled.
There is a widescreen patch for the game, but the NTSC-U version was removed from the archive in the git build 1.5.0-dev-1090 due to the fact that it causes various freezes in the game. Most notable was if you try to enter 'Sound Settings' while the patch is enabled, it will instantly freeze PCSX2 entirely. The same happens when trying to enter the Change Attack screen, or even fighting the final boss. This is most likely caused by the built-in anticheat system of VP2.

Known Issues

Decreased drop rate and freezing

Type: Note (not an issue)
Description: The monsters will drop way less items than they should and you'll rarely get the direct assault item. The game might freeze in the menus, and you won't be able to fight the griffon in the Ancient Forest.
Workaround: Under System, disable the cheats and the widescreen patch. Due to the game's security detecting that cheats are enabled, your entire save will be affected. You will need to start a new game to fix the issues. This note needs confirmation from other users.

Ghosting on some screens

Status: Active
Type: Minor
Description: Valkyrie Profile 2 suffers from ghosting similar to Tales of the Abyss. This issue only occurs on certain maps.
Workaround: Under GSdx options, Enable HW Hacks, and then set TC Offset X: 450, and TC Offset Y: 250 to mimimize ghosting. Note that his will cause graphical glitches in other scenes. Alternatively you may also use the Alpha Hack, but this will remove some effects from the game.

Crash while attempting to adjust speaker position under Options.

Status: Active
Type: Serious
Description: The game will freeze when you attempt to adjust the speaker position under Options. The Console log will display various 'TLB Miss' errors.
Workaround: This is caused by one of the Widescreen Patches. If you want to change this Option, start the game without Widescreen Patches and adjust the options to your liking. Feel free to enable the Widescreen patches again afterwards.

Update: After doing some further testing, the crashing in the menus occur at other parts as well. They do not occur with the WS patches disabled. It's recommended to just use Valkyrie Profile's native 16:9 option rather than using the patch until this issue is completely fixed. (It most likely has to do with the security of the game against cheating, but the exact cause is still unknown as of right now)

Bad rendering in certain areas

Status: Active
Type: Serious
Description: In some areas of the game (in particular the Forest area at the start of the game), there will be a purple effect all over the screen when the Renderer is set to any of the Hardware modes. You can still advance, but it will be very difficult to move around without being able to see where you are exactly.
Workaround: Go to Config -> Video (GS) -> Plugin Settings, set the Renderer to "OpenGL (Hardware)", and set Blending Unit Accuracy to "Basic" or higher will be slower but Basic is fine. Or set the Renderer to any of the Software modes.

Note: OpenGL HW mode will need CRC Hack Level set to "Full (Safest)" for the best performance. For best performance in SW mode, make sure you set Extra rendering threads to 3 under GSdx's options if your CPU is a quad-core processor.

Vertical lines during FMVs.

Status: Active
Type: Serious
Description: Some FMVs will have vertical lines on them, some will be barely noticeable while others are visible on the entire screen. It doesn't affect the game much itself as everything is still visible.
Workaround:

Press F9 to switch to Software Mode.

Alternatively, enabling 'Alpha Hack' on GSdx fixes the vertical lines on certain FMVs. (GSdx r5221 and higher)

Enable HW Hacks > Configure > Alpha Hack

Audio missing and freeze during cutscene.

Status: Active
Type: Serious
Description: Entering the boss room in the Turgen Mines dungeon triggers a short cutscene. Audio is completely missing during the scene. Half-way through the scene the game softlocks. Some animations will continue to play, but the cutscene does not advance and trigger the boss.
Workaround: Go To Config > Audio (SPU2) > Plugin Settings, and set Synchronizing Mode to "Async Mix". Alternatively, press "start" to skip the cutscene. The boss battle will resume after skipping it.

Fixed Issues

Framerate drops, and zooming issues. (Only affects NVIDIA cards)

Status: Fixed
Type: Minor
Description: Using Direct3D11 (Hardware) on an NVIDIA card will cause a drop in frame rates and the game menus will zoom in and out.
Workaround: Enable the NVIDIA Hack or run the game in Progressive Scan mode. Information enabling Progressive Scan can be found under the Trivia section.

Ravine Cavern Rush (Fixed in v0.9.7)

Status: Fixed
Type: Serious
Description: Some areas will be covered in fog making it hard to see anything at all (This was an old GSdx problem where fog was not rendered correctly.)
Workaround: N/A (Fixed)

Tower of Lezard Valeth (Fixed in v0.9.7)

Status: Fixed
Type: Minor
Description: The fog in the first section of the dungeon will be dark, making the entire area a bit difficult to see. The character textures however, will still be visible.
Workaround: N/A (Fixed)

Screenshots

Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
Game general and emulation properties:
Languages supported:
Region NTSC-U:
Serial numbers:	SLUS-21452; SLUS-21452GH (Greatest Hits)
Release date:	September 26, 2006; 2008 (Greatest Hits)
CRCs:	CC96CE93
Windows Status:	Playable
Linux Status:	?
Mac Status:	?
Region PAL:
Serial numbers:	SLES-54644; SLES-54645 (PAL-F); SLES-54647 (PAL-I); SLES-54646; SLES-54648
Release date:	September 6, 2007 (Australia); September 7, 2007
CRCs:	04CCB600 (PAL-E); C70FC973 (PAL-I)
Windows Status:	?
Linux Status:	?
Mac Status:	?
Region NTSC-J/C/K:
Serial numbers:	SLPM-66419; SE-W0003 (Artifact Box); SCKA-20079; SLPM-66782 (Ultimate Hits); SCAJ-20177; SCAJ-20197 (Ultimate Hits)
Release date:	June 22, 2006; June 28, 2007 (Ultimate Hits)
Windows Status:	?
Linux Status:	?
Mac Status:	?