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Galaxy on Fire 2 - Valkyrie

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Galaxy on Fire 2 - Valkyrie

If you haven’t played Galaxy on Fire 2 already, then you’re in the wrong review.

We're not saying that those who have are better than you. It's just that Valkyrie is the first expansion pack for the game, so it would be pretty useless to those who haven't played the core game.

If you're a Galaxy on Fire 2 veteran itching to get your hands on new equipment, a sprawling new story, and the ability to run your own space-bar (sort of) however, then Valkyrie should be right up your galaxy.

The name is Keith 'T' Maxwell

The new Valkyrie storyline kicks off with saviour of the universe, Keith (T.) Maxwell, being contacted by the shady Agent Cornelius (which Keith amusingly calls ‘Corny’).

He has an unusual assignment for our hero - to steal a new Vossk ship, the K’Suukk, apparently being designed to sell to other races.

This soon leads to the discovery of a new system - the titular Valkyrie - accessible only through making a jump without a jump gate.

I won’t go into details as to what happens next, but suffice it to say the plot gets a little more complicated after the first few missions, with the general difficulty level set at around where it was near the end of the main story.

Annoyingly, this new section is only activated once the original game has been completed, so those who spent most of their time in GoF 2’s expansive world trading between stations and being a nuisance to the various races will have to dig deep and plough through the remaining plot before playing.

Dance, into the fire

Still, even if you haven’t managed to complete the game yet, Valkyrie is jam-packed with new content that’s open to all from the word 'go'.

New weapons include the satisfying remotely guided Liberator missiles. The appearance of old ships from GoF, meanwhile - like The Phantom pirate vessel - are great for the die-hard fans but probably won’t resonate as much with newcomers.

However, some of the other new additions are far more important.

Signatures, for instance, are random drops that you can fit to your ship to fool factions into thinking you’re best mates with them, opening up whole swathes of the galaxy for (relatively) peaceful journeys even if you’ve committed acts of genocide against their populace.

There are a few new Rhonda toys as well, including the surprisingly helpful Vortex, which allows time to be slowed to a crawl for around ten seconds, making aiming in a particularly vicious battle a snip (and it looks pretty cool in motion).

Firestarter

Naturally, your enjoyment of the expansion pack really rests on how much more time you want to spend in GoF 2’s world.

The new equipment and features don’t radically alter the game - you’ll still be spending most your time flying around beautiful starry skies, shooting down ships, and flogging wares on the side - but they are, in general, a welcome addition to the universe.

The story missions vary in quality, much as with the original game. Most offer up a tough and explosive series of dogfights, while the occasional shopping trip breaks up the excitement.

While the price may seem a little steep for the expansion considering the average price of a game on the App Store, the extra content and extended (fully-voiced) story should prove a strong draw to return to Galaxy on Fire 2.


Galaxy on Fire 2 - Valkyrie

Featuring new ships, characters, storylines, weapons, and graphical flourishes, Valkyrie is a successful expansion to the Galaxy on Fire 2 universe
Score
Will Wilson
Will Wilson
Will's obsession with gaming started off with sketching Laser Squad levels on pads of paper, but recently grew into violently shouting "Tango Down!" at random strangers on the street. He now directs that positive energy into his writing (due in no small part to a binding court order).