Valhalla When I Die®: 2035 | Beat-'em Up Minigame

VALHALLA WHEN I DIE®

Valhalla When I Die™ 2035 (not to be confused with the visual novel Valhalla When I Die) is a side-scrolling “beat ‘em up” mini-game developed by Attagirl™ featuring original art and music by J.D. Thompson. Here you'll find a slightly glitchy “first draft” version with limited game play, released to tell the basic story and to help support the release of the visual novel of the same title.

Visit ATTAGIRL! for more comics, art, and games at www.attagirlstudios.com.

To hear the Valhalla When I Die ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK  click here.

STORY

After the exotic dancers of the Valhalla Club refuse to pay protection money to the creepy crook Charlie and his gang of hoods, the mobsters demand that the deed to the club be signed over to them. Sensing that Charlie and his hoods will never give up until they take everything, the girls begin training for the inevitable showdown between the girls and Charlie’s goons.

One day, while Valhalla dancers Ellie and her girlfriend Princess are in their private gym practicing their “moves” Charlie and the boys show up and kidnap the Princess. Charlie offers a deal: sign over the Valhalla Club and he’ll let Princess go. Refuse and the Princess “gets it.”

Under the leadership of the legendary stripper known as “The Valkyrie” Ellie and the other girls decide to rescue Princess, battling the baddies across the city until the final confrontation with Charlie and his minions.

GAMEPLAY

While the gameplay in the original mini-game is a bit clunky, the creators note that the goal of the game wasn’t to provide the “gamer’s gamer” the most advanced gameplay experience…yet. The initial release was simply made to highlight the story and basic gameplay elements that will be featured in the forthcoming release of the full game, scheduled for February 14, 2024.

It begins with a “cut scene” explaining the story premise and fades to the game title, which is followed by the first and only gameplay sequence in the initial release.

The player begins as the character Ellie as she explores the Valkyrie’s training gym. Its purpose was to provide the player an idea of what the characters will look like as well as showing some puzzle elements that will set Valhalla When I Die apart from other beat ‘em ups on the market. It also features some fun but still glitchy “special moves” used by the stripper heroes to defeat their opponents.

After working the heavy bag for a while, Ellie triggers the arrival of Princess and the two foxy fighters enter a friend sparring match. Once Ellie defeats Princess, Charlie and the boys arrive and things get ugly.

In the final release, the scantily clad characters of Valhalla When I Die advance to the right of each stage, defeating enemies along the way. Players can collect healing items, weapons, and cash for upgrades to their attire or armaments. They also use their special stripper skills to lure their enemies into complacency before dealing out devastating blows. Using special skills requires a full “sex appeal” meter represented in the HUD by a glowing neon pink sign. Sex appeal is increased by successfully executing special moves.

In addition, there are puzzle elements to the game that require a bit more map exploration than most beat ‘em up side-scrollers. Certain actions, destroying specific items, flipping switches, and engaging with other elements in the interactive environment open up different outcomes in each level, allowing players to skip to later stages, skip to bosses, or sometimes discovering shops where players can buy new stiletto heels and other merchandise to enhance the allure and damage of the character.

At the end of each stage, the player(s) must confront one of Charlie’s underlings or “bosses,” advancing through each map until finally facing down Charlie himself.