<s>
Valkyrie	B-Device
Profile	I-Device
:	I-Device
Covenant	I-Device
of	I-Device
the	I-Device
Plume	I-Device
is	O
a	O
tactical	O
role-playing	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
tri-Ace	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Square	O
Enix	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
handheld	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
in	O
2008	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
2009	O
worldwide	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
the	O
third	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
series	O
,	O
acting	O
as	O
a	O
prequel	O
to	O
the	O
original	B-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
involves	O
a	O
party	O
of	O
recruitable	O
characters	O
engaging	O
in	O
turn-based	B-Application
combat	I-Application
on	O
a	O
grid	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
use	O
an	O
item	O
called	O
the	O
Destiny	O
Plume	O
to	O
strengthen	O
their	O
character	O
before	O
it	O
inflicts	O
permanent	B-Application
death	I-Application
,	O
impacting	O
the	O
story	O
and	O
leading	O
to	O
multiple	O
endings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
production	O
team	O
found	O
development	O
challenging	O
but	O
sought	O
to	O
push	O
the	O
limits	O
of	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
hardware	O
while	O
staying	O
true	O
to	O
the	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Selling	O
230,000	O
copies	O
worldwide	O
as	O
of	O
May	O
2009	O
,	O
Covenant	O
of	O
the	O
Plume	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
from	O
journalists	O
;	O
the	O
story	O
and	O
gameplay	O
were	O
commended	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
graphics	O
were	O
met	O
with	O
mixed	O
reactions	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
and	O
soundtrack	O
were	O
criticized	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valkyrie	B-Device
Profile	I-Device
:	I-Device
Covenant	I-Device
of	I-Device
the	I-Device
Plume	I-Device
is	O
a	O
tactical	O
role-playing	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
main	O
protagonist	O
Wylfred	O
and	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
allies	O
for	O
turn-based	B-Application
tactical	I-Application
combat	I-Application
in	O
three-dimensional	O
isometric	O
areas	O
with	O
a	O
rotatable	O
camera	O
angle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
screens	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
display	O
different	O
information	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
top	O
screen	O
showing	O
battle	O
information	O
and	O
the	O
bottom	O
showing	O
the	O
story	O
,	O
map	O
and	O
battle	O
sequences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
field	O
four	O
units	O
during	O
combat	O
,	O
each	O
assigned	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
's	O
controller	O
buttons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
launches	O
attacks	O
in	O
real-time	O
,	O
with	O
each	O
character	O
assigned	O
to	O
a	O
DS	B-Device
's	O
controller	O
button	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
the	O
battle	O
ends	O
or	O
the	O
turn	O
limit	O
expires	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
is	O
subjected	O
to	O
permanent	B-Application
death	I-Application
,	O
removing	O
them	O
from	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
Wylfred	O
falls	O
in	O
battle	O
or	O
uses	O
the	O
Plume	O
too	O
often	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
gets	O
a	O
"	O
Game	B-Application
Over	I-Application
"	O
and	O
must	O
restart	O
from	O
an	O
earlier	O
save	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Covenant	O
of	O
the	O
Plume	O
takes	O
place	O
in	O
an	O
unnamed	O
world	O
inspired	O
by	O
Norse	O
mythology	O
;	O
the	O
worlds	O
include	O
Asgard	O
,	O
home	O
of	O
the	O
Æsir	O
and	O
Vanir	O
,	O
Midgard	B-Language
,	O
the	O
realm	O
of	O
humans	O
,	O
and	O
Niflheim	O
,	O
the	O
realm	O
of	O
the	O
dead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
storyline	O
is	O
set	O
before	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
,	O
while	O
following	O
off	O
from	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Valkyrie	B-Device
Profile	I-Device
2	I-Device
:	I-Device
Silmerias	I-Device
original	O
timeline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
ending	O
is	O
a	O
game	B-Application
over	I-Application
scenario	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
both	O
Ending	O
B	O
and	O
C	O
,	O
the	O
Æsir	O
's	O
leader	O
Odin	B-Application
speaks	O
with	O
Freya	O
about	O
the	O
impact	O
of	O
these	O
events	O
on	O
Lenneth	O
as	O
they	O
are	O
causing	O
her	O
to	O
sympathize	O
with	O
humans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
prevent	O
her	O
from	O
abandoning	O
her	O
duty	O
,	O
the	O
gods	O
erase	O
her	O
human	O
memories	O
when	B-Application
they	I-Application
next	I-Application
summon	I-Application
her	I-Application
to	I-Application
their	I-Application
aid	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Covenant	O
on	O
the	O
Plume	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
tri-Ace	O
,	O
creators	O
of	O
the	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
series	O
,	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Square	O
Enix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Production	O
began	O
in	O
2006	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
completion	O
of	O
Silmeria	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
staff	O
included	O
people	O
from	O
both	O
Silmeria	B-Device
and	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
:	I-Application
Lenneth	I-Application
,	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
(	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
)	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
original	B-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
's	O
main	O
challenge	O
was	O
creating	O
a	O
new	O
gameplay	O
experience	O
while	O
staying	O
true	O
to	O
the	O
aesthetics	O
and	O
style	O
of	O
the	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
gameplay	O
moved	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
traditional	O
RPG	O
gameplay	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
felt	O
the	O
current	O
system	O
inherited	O
the	O
tactical	O
elements	O
from	O
Silmeria	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lead	O
developer	O
Takeshi	O
Sakame	O
designed	O
the	O
games	O
engine	O
to	O
push	O
the	O
limits	O
of	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
hardware	O
with	O
its	O
map	O
rendering	O
and	O
particle	O
effects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
alterations	O
in	O
hardware	O
and	O
battle	O
perspective	O
,	O
Katsumata	O
felt	O
they	O
had	O
accurately	O
captured	O
the	O
feeling	O
of	O
battle	O
from	O
earlier	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Silmeria	B-Device
focused	O
on	O
the	O
titular	O
sister	O
of	O
Lenneth	O
and	O
her	O
human	O
host	O
Alice	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
viewed	O
the	O
einherjar	O
from	O
a	O
distant	O
perspective	O
,	O
Covenant	O
of	O
the	O
Plume	O
concentrated	O
on	O
the	O
feelings	O
and	O
plight	O
of	O
the	O
einherjar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
scenario	O
's	O
concept	O
came	O
to	O
Akabane	O
from	O
watching	O
a	O
commercial	O
for	O
the	O
original	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
,	O
which	O
showed	O
Lenneth	O
retrieving	O
a	O
man	O
's	O
soul	O
as	O
his	O
aged	O
mother	O
grieved	O
over	O
the	O
body	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
producer	O
Yoshinori	O
Yamagishi	O
suggested	O
cameo	O
appearances	O
from	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
and	O
Silmeria	B-Device
characters	O
,	O
Yamagishi	O
discarded	O
this	O
idea	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
focus	O
on	O
human	O
stories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Toshimitsu	O
Hanafusa	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
graphics	O
of	O
Silmeria	B-Device
,	O
designed	O
the	O
in-game	O
character	O
sprites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Motoi	O
Sakuraba	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
both	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
and	O
its	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
in-game	O
score	O
was	O
written	O
as	O
MIDI	O
tracks	O
,	O
allowing	O
it	O
to	O
fit	O
easily	O
onto	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
cartridge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Drawing	O
from	O
the	O
darker	O
themes	O
of	O
the	O
narrative	O
,	O
Sakuraba	O
created	O
a	O
subdued	O
and	O
emotional	O
score	O
that	O
noticeably	O
moved	O
away	O
from	O
his	O
score	O
for	O
Silmeria	B-Device
while	O
still	O
being	O
separate	O
from	O
his	O
work	O
on	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
score	O
included	O
original	O
composition	O
and	O
arranged	O
versions	O
of	O
tracks	O
from	O
Sakuraba	O
's	O
scores	O
for	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	O
design	O
studio	O
Noisycroak	O
did	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
conversion	O
for	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
cartridge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
characters	O
,	O
including	O
Wylfred	O
and	O
Ailyth	O
,	O
were	O
later	O
included	O
as	O
downloadable	O
player	O
characters	O
in	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Anatomia	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Origin	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
Generation	O
Pictures	O
recorded	O
the	O
English	O
voice	O
acting	O
and	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
:	I-Application
Lenneth	I-Application
and	O
Silmera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
amount	O
was	O
around	O
the	O
same	O
sales	O
level	O
as	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
Profile	I-Application
:	I-Application
Lenneth	I-Application
for	O
the	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
and	O
described	O
by	O
another	O
site	O
as	O
"	O
quite	O
impressive	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valkyrie	B-Device
Profile	I-Device
:	I-Device
Covenant	I-Device
of	I-Device
the	I-Device
Plume	I-Device
received	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
"	O
reviews	O
according	O
to	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
