Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume

Before they die, the character is imbued with tremendous power for a short number of turns, helping to turn the tide of battle when things are going badly. Then, when the character dies, Wylfred inherits their skills and special abilities for the long term.

As you can only take four characters into battle at one time, the game encourages the sacrifice of others in order to strengthen your tiny squad. Murdered characters, as in Fire Emblem, never return and every death closes off whole trees of dialogue and plot, ensuring no decision in this regard can be taken lightly.

To encourage morally-upright players to enter into the dark spirit of things, tri-Ace has introduced a punishment system for playing too kind. Every battle has a required amount of Sin points that must be accrued. Sacrificing teammates or, alternatively, beating on enemies after they’ve died (a practice known as Overkill) earns Sin points.

Fail to collect the stated amount of Sin during a battle and your supernatural patron will send powerful assassins your way, enemies who must be defeated immediately after the former fight if you’re to progress. Often in these cases, the difficulty is so high that it’s easier to reload the previous battle and do it again, fighting dirtier.

In many ways it's a cheap, manipulative system that shatters the illusion of player choice. But more troubling, perhaps, is that your focus is shifted from merely clearing a map to doing so in a specific way.

Visually the game world is understated, the only rare flash of exuberance found in the Soul Crush finishing moves. The dour visuals are brought to life by medieaval-style dialogue (the style of which will be familiar to players of Vagrant Story or the recent Final Fantasy Tactics remake), with an austere, overbearing tone that matches the wider aesthetic.

While all this severity is understandable, the failure to acknowledge the ridiculous premise at its core works against the game. The absence of any comic relief dulls the sense of tragedy instead of heightening it.

Covenant of the Plume is a short but tough game. It's unafraid to throw near impossible rescue scenarios your way, unashamed to punish players who rush in or lack foresight, and happy to require the waging of back-to-back battles without opportunity to save or restock supplies in between.

The hefty challenge is welcome, particularly as the DS is already home to many a lightweight TRPG. But the drawn out length of battles, the promotion of minor mechanical inventions and the depressing forced sacrifice of team-mates ensures the game is an acquired taste.