Valkyria Chronicles - An Old War, a Little Bit Different

Copyright © SEGA

Sega announced a new Valkyria Chronicles game recently, so to celebrate I thought I'd do a review of the original game. The version I'm playing is the remastered re-release version that game out for the Playstation 4, and PC, with all the DLC included. Although, I don't expect there is any real difference to the original.

Since Valkyria Chronicles 4 is the first home console game since the original (with the others having been released on PSP), this will hopefully give me a little insight on what to expect from the upcoming game. Not to mention re-introducing me to a series that I haven't played for a good while. Does this game still hold up after almost ten years?

So without further ado, let's get started.

As always, this is just a small warning of possible spoilers before you proceed.

Valkyria Chronicles is set in a pseudo-historical setting, that is essentially an alternate universe version of World War II, but with some significant changes. The principality of Gallia is invaded by the Autocratic East Europan Imperial Alliance (or the Empire for short), and we play as a squad of Gallian soldiers attempting to fight back. However, there are some significant fantasy elements to this story, and they become more prevalent as it goes on. Whilst it can get a little bit silly at times, it does consistently make sense, the introduction of fantasy elements does not muddy the narrative.

That said, the tone of the story does not really change. It sticks close to to tone of a war film, if an optimistic one.

The greatest weakness of the story I feel, is that it tries to do too much. It has a lot of themes and morals it wants to teach, but these don't always interact with each other much. This can lead to it tripping over and contradicting itself; or sometimes a couple of the morals merge to create a lesson that is a little … strange, in its implications. Nothing truly nasty, but things that can be a little head-turning if you think about them hard enough.

Copyright © SEGA

The real joy in the game I find, is all of the individual characters. Not just the main character, but also the minor characters that you can recruit into your squad. Each of these characters have some real depth and emotion to them; with their own backstories, and character traits. Where most developers would have been tempted to make these characters into throw-away blank slates, Sega did more. This helps the player create a bond with the characters, creating an actual sense of loss if they die.

A personal favourite was Susie, since she gives a nice go of the “loss of innocence” idea, whilst still being fairly light-hearted about it. Plus, some of her dialogue in battle is fairly humorous.

That's not to say the main characters are lacklustre, they are anything but. In fact, the main story depends heavily on the relationships between the five main cast members, and how they develop over the course of the story. This is really a story of standing together in the face of adversity, and overcoming hardship together.

It was not the main relationship that was most interesting to me either; but one between two female characters. I don't want to spoil too much, but the two characters in question start at odds with each other, and their relationship develops from there. It's not exactly an incredibly original story, but it's executed well.

These characters are help along by some pretty good voice-acting. Whilst I do feel that they struggle to make some lines sound natural, that's more of a problem with the writing than anything else. So overall, I think that the actors give solid performances, and definitely get across the personalities of their characters.

The gameplay is split into two, perhaps three parts, the planning stage, and the combat stage. The planning stage happens at the beginning of the battle, obviously, and is where you pick which members you want to deploy, and where. Each character is part of one of five separate classes, each with their own strengths, and you'll want to carefully consider which ones to use for the best effect.

Copyright © SEGA

The classes are:

Scouts, which are your most basic class, they can move the furthest, but can't take much punishment.

Shock Troopers, they can take and dish out more punishment, but have a reduced movement range.

Lancers, these are your anti-tank units. They're slow, but resistant to explosion, and obviously have heavy weaponry.

Engineers, who can repair your tank, and do things like disarm landmines.

Finally you have the snipers, who can hit from long range, and hit hard; but are frail, and have a reduced movement range in comparison to other classes.

Then comes the combat stage, which can be broken into two sections itself. At the beginning you see a map, from which you select the soldier you want to use, but the map gives you an overview of known enemy positions, allowing you to plan ahead. Although, some enemies do remain hidden until you discover their position. This makes sense, and never feels cheap, instead adding an extra layer of strategy to the gameplay.

Finally, you take direct control over your squad members, and control them like a normal third-person game. Although the gameplay is somewhat turn-based, as whilst enemies can shot you whilst you wander around the battlefield, they stop once you raise your gun, giving you time to aim properly.

This is a strategy game first and foremost, after all.

The controls are easy to learn, and almost become second nature after only a short time of playing.

The art for the game is excellent, being a mix between an anime art style, and a water-paint, storybook style. The design of the characters are definitely based in Japanese animation, not just in terms of clothing, but in hair and facial features too. Whilst the way it's coloured and highlighted imitates a western storybook style. The two styles complement each other well, creating some really nice visuals.

The only other game I can think of that uses this style in Final Fantasy Tactics.

It also works well in animation, making for a crisp, clear style that manages to avoid looking busy, whilst maintaining a sense of urgency during the action. Yet, it also allows for some quite moving images during the more emotional scenes, proving itself to be quite versatile.

The soundtrack for the game is also fantastic. It is by turns soothing, inspirational, and adrenaline-pumping. Each song is good on it's own merits, but they also add to the feel of the story, creating a feel for what is happening in the scene.

Overall, I think that Valkyria Chronicles is an excellent strategy game that still stands tall almost ten years later. Whilst the story is draws some inspiration from eastern writing conventions, and may not be to everyone's taste, it is well-done, save for some minor hiccups. The visual and audio have aged remarkably well, and the gameplay is as good now as it was back when the game was first released.

Until next time,

PhoenixAct.