You can make any game better by adding a generous helping of RPG seasoning. Valkyria Shooter looks like ample proof of that.
Developed by Korean developer GamePple, it sees you running across the screen to escape a herd of marauding monsters, frantically shooting at them as you go. But it also lets you level-up, summon new servants, and much more besides.
The game is loosely based on Norse mythology, as you can probably guess from the title. Playing as a Valkyrie, your goal is to find the heart of Ymir and push back the tide of terrifying evil monsters.
As you flee the monsters, plus the odd god, you need to chip away at them with your firepower. Valkyria Shooter is all about the rearguard action.
It’s also about multitasking. Whereas most auto runners involve dodging, jumping, ducking, and that’s about it, Valkyria Shooter also requires you to dash, shoot, and more – and that’s just the action stuff.
10,000 stages of grief
There are also some pretty deep RPG mechanics at play, including an upgrade system that sees you enhancing your Valkyries with the loot you find in the dungeons you raid. Plus you need to summon servants to pad out your fighting force, collect artifacts, and compose tactically advantageous parties.
Altogether you can summon 25 distinct species of servant, and there are 27 artifacts to collect, giving you a huge amount of stuff to unlock.
There are over 1,000 stages, too, so you’re unlikely to run out of content. In fact, GamePple reckons you’ll, “completely forget the word ‘boredom’”. We’re not sure how helpful that would be in your everyday life, but we admire the ambition.
Valkyria Shooter has been in soft launch for the last three months in a few Southeast Asian countries, and is now available on Google Play in the Americas, Europe, and Australia. An iOS version will be along shortly.