Magical Valkyrie Lyristia is a lewd turn-based RPG about a young school-girl that is bestowed the power of the “Magical Valkyrie” in order to save her friend, and join the fight against the evil Fakker organization!
Adult Content?
(FxM) sexual content.
Censorship?
No. Woot! Woot!
Hours of Gameplay?
Three hours.
Patch Available?
Download from Kagura.
Foreword
I received a free copy of this game for review purposes — thanks Kagura Games! For the purposes of this review, I will only be discussing the patched game.
Gameplay: overview (4/5★)
The goal of the game is to defeat the Samuraider, leader of the Fakker organization. He is a formidable opponent, requiring some preparation throughout the game. Though you have the option to skip “random encounters”, it’s a good idea to power-up before mandatory battles. There are a handful of ways to increase your strength. Enemies drop “Energy Crystals” (or “EC”), which are used to strengthen your outfit and increase your regenerative ability. Be on the look out for “Books”, which provide hefty (and permanent) stat boosts. As long as “Lyr Smashes” are enabled, there’s a fifty-fifty chance you’ll instantly defeat random encounters (reducing the overall damage you sustain and saving time). You’re encouraged to power through combat as quick as possible; from the start of each encounter, you’re granted a limited “Stia Field”. This protective device soaks up the vast majority of damage. When it breaks (or expires), not only do you take massively increased damage — you become susceptible to sexual advances! When you’re knocked down or restrained, you’re completely helpless until you “find an opening” and return to combat! Sometimes, you’re presented with difficult choices. What looks like the “right” answer is not necessarily the best option — if you choose wrong, it’s probably game-over.
Sexual Content: overview (5/5★)
There are thirteen sex-scenes (many of which tied to “bad endings”). There are ten “bound” scenarios, which occur during combat by specific enemies (or specific situations). Enemies will either choose to attack or “grapple” you; if you are restrained, you’ll be unable to act until you spend at least one turn to break free! Meanwhile, enemies will enjoy free attacks (or they will rape you). If you’re interested in the “good” ending, it’s imperative to escape restraints as soon as possible — you’re utterly defenseless against virgin-breaking sexual advances! Grapples include a wide variety of comic-book style, cut-away CGs and sexy voice acting. If you’re forced to climax (or otherwise defeated in battle), you’ll be treated to a rape scene. Each rape scene is comprised of multiple base CGs, with lots of variation and lewd sounds that are sure to make you forget your failure — or watch in horror if visceral rape fantasy isn’t your cup of tea. Barring a single “bad ending”, Lyristia never comes to terms with her violation. The artwork is high-quality, showcasing her emotions and brutality of her foes. The sex-scenes are nicely written and somewhat lengthy — great for you know what!
Story: overview (3/5★)
Come nightfall, a dark and mysterious organization known as “Fakker” picks the streets clean of women. They are taken to one of many secret bases, where they are raped until they no longer provide precious “energy”. The denizens of Fakker are beings of pure energy — they can only exist through sexual exploitation and subservience. Women are advised to avoid the night, no matter of cost. Despite the warnings, not everybody heads home in time. Fakker Troopers are stronger than humans, easily subduing their prey.
However, humans are not alone; patrolling the streets at night are Magical Valkyries, powerful deacons of justice!
Magically enhanced by creatures of the Spirit Realm, Valkyries are tasked with helping those in need. They are ordinary people, sometimes victims, granted enhanced strength. Like the Fakker, they tend to be active at night — to maintain their “ordinary” lives outside of battle. Magical Valkyrie Lyristia revolves around Rin Himesato, a school girl reqcued by Valkyrie Frostria. After her run-in with Fakker, Frostia bites off more than she can chew; she is captured by Fakker agents, leaving the night unguarded.
On her darkest hour, Himesato exclaims “I want to become a Magical Valkyrie!” On this fateful night, Magical Valkyrie Lyristia is born!
It’s refreshing to play an RPG that doesn’t revolve around some sort of “mysterious dungeon” that appears from nowhere. Magical Valkyrie Lyristia is at least somewhat creative, even though it borrows tired ideas from other lewd RPGs. The main antagonist are a generic baddies that extract some form of “energy” from abducting and raping young women because “world domination”. They’re basically the same guys from Psychic Guardian Super Splendor (and they even look the same). However, my biggest complaint with the story is the gross cliffhanger. It is implied that you must fight through four Fakker “lords” (and ultimately, the Fakker king) — but after defeating “Samuraider”, the game abruptly ends. I guess this implies that there are (or will be) four or five other entries in the series, but I felt led-on. It’s fine making way for a sequel, but the main story suggests there is three or four times the content ahead of the final boss. Considering the price tag, that’d seem appropriate.
Sound: overview (4/5★)
Wow, I’m impressed! Magical Valkyrie Lyristia features genuinely awesome beats. The music is atmospheric, foreboding and when appropriate — pumping! The sound tracks are full of guitar riffs, and rock happens to be a genre I appreciate. Though I enjoyed the music, they are pretty short loops. Lyristia isn’t fully voiced, but she offers an assortment of sexy sounds whenever grappled or exploited. Sometimes, her dialogue is spoken — but I can’t vouch for the quality of acting. I don’t understand a word of Japanese, but her combat lines were adorable! I wish the user-interface sounds weren’t RPGMaker defaults. They aren’t bad — they’re just overused.
Visuals: overview (4/5★)
The titlescreen looks great! The artwork and lettering are beautifully arranged. From “Options”, you may adjust audio and gameplay preferences. In-game, additional audio and gameplay preferences can be adjusted via special items in your inventory. A gallery (to review unlocked scenes) can be viewed in-game between missions. The user-interface can be hidden by right-clicking. The application can be borderless-fullscreened via the “F4” key. Combat is a delight; the character and background artwork mesh nicely together (though I recognize premade content from similar RPGMaker games). The main protagonist, Lyristia possesses a handful of animations, providing her special moves an extra layer of “oomph!” The character portraits look pretty dope, but they don’t always match the thumbnails displayed side-by-side with dialogue. Each villain and major side character is illustrated — most lewd RPGs seem to only show the protagonist (or female leads). I hate reading next to generic silhouettes (or worse yet, no silhouettes at all!)
Verdict: cliffhanger gone wrong (4/5★)
The moment I saw this game, I knew I was in for a treat (but I was gravely disappointed by the story cut short.) Magical Valkyrie Lyristia teases you with a grand story, but after three-four hours you’re left hanging at the credits. I enjoyed the ways Magical Valkyrie Lyristia breaks the mold, but it seems a little unrefined. At no point did I feel challenged — the most difficult battles typically ended with an over-powered “tornado attack”. The enemies, scenarios, mechanics and artwork remind me of another RPG from Kagura Games, Psychic Guardian Super Splendor. From the “grapple” mechanic to the main antagonists, there are parallels between these games. Thankfully, Magical Valkyrie Lyristia doesn’t suffer from the same grind and slow combat as the aforementioned game. Magical Valkyrie Lyristia offers a selection of delightful animations that made me forget I was playing an RPGMaker game. They make this game feel like a premium experience. The artwork is amazing, and so are the sex-scenes! They’re pretty intense — if you’re not a fan of consensual intercourse, you’ll have a hard time viewing them. There isn’t a “corruption” mechanic where the protagonist learns to like rape. Every time you lose a battle (or choose the wrong option), you’ll get to watch her humiliation, degradation, and ultimately, how her story ends. If that’s what gets you off, I would highly recommend this game!
