Remember the early days of the PS3? Back when high quality exclusives were few and far between, Valkyria Chronicles became a cult classic, delivering a unique Turn Based Strategy experience with top notch visuals that kept those who played it singing its praises. Despite critical acclaim however, far too many people missed out on what many still consider one of the console’s brightest gems. After a re-release on Steam brought the series back into the spotlight in the West, Valkyria Chronicles Remastered debuts to give the game new life on the PS4. As one of the people who missed out on the game, and is typically terrible at strategy games, I’m left feeling like I REALLY wish I had played this sooner. Yes, it’s just that good.
Welkin and Alicia reporting for duty.
Taking place in the war torn continent of Europa, a fictional version of Europe in 1935 C.E., the land is in the midst of the Second Europan War. In an attempt to secure scarce resources that are vital for the progress of two nations, The Empire declares war on the Atlantic Federation in order to crush them with their military might. Literally caught in the middle is Gallia, a neutral nation that sits in between the two warring factions. With its geographically advantageous positioning combined with its rich Ragnite sources, it makes the farm country an easy target for The Empire’s growing might. When Welkin Gunther, the son of a hero from the first war, gets caught up with the Gallia resistance led by Alicia Melchiott, the two get swept up into the conflict, one that goes much deeper than either of them imagined.
The developers at Sega had to have had people like me in mind while developing Valkyria Chronicles, since the game does a really good job of easing you into its mechanics across the first few chapters. Playing like a Turn Based Strategy game with elements of real time game play thrown in, each side of the conflict takes turns positioning their various units in order to overwhelm the opposition and claim their home base. Choosing between Scouts, Shocktroopers, Lancers, Engineers and Snipers, each class offers a certain amount of movement distance, attack strengths, advantages and disadvantages that make each one invaluable on the battlefield. To add an extra layer of depth, each character has their own personality traits as well, which can affect their performance on the battlefield. If you have a soldier who is allergic to sand, they’ll perform worse in the desert. Do they work better alone? They’ll get a boost if they’re fighting away from the rest of your squad. Predicting the Internet wars of 2016, some units even hate men and women! Just when you think you have the hang of battle, the game’s difficulty ramps up hard at about seven chapters in, adding in new objectives that will ask you to blow up train tracks, destroy tanks, or simply escape the combat area. By then, it doesn’t take long before your skills are put to the test, making each battle all the more rewarding when you finish it.
A baker vs. a tank. I don’t like these odds.
At the cost of one Command Point for most units, (two for bigger units such as tanks,) players will assume full control of the character they select to go into battle. Each class has a set amount of distance they can move and can only attack once for each CP spent, so examining the map and trying to position yourself in a way where you’re shielded from damage while being able to damage others is the strategic core of Valkyria, which helps you maximize your results even further thanks to bonus damage when you manually aim for head shots. Using CP on the same unit multiple times during the same turn reduces their movement significantly each time you go back to the well, making it easier to get stranded in the middle of a gunfight. Since both your team and the opponent’s squad will automatically shoot at anyone in their sights who is in the middle of moving, this is the quickest way to lose a unit.
Good news for my squad though, because the game gives us plenty of options to cover for terrible commanders such as myself. Hiding behind cover will boost their defense, while crawling in grass will make them much harder to hit. As you advance through the game, Gunther will gain the ability to issue Orders, which are battlefield buffs that can improve stats, call down attacks on far away enemies, or heal wounded squad-mates. If your bad decisions lead to a party member falling in battle, a different unit can recover them so they can live to fight another day, lest they be gone for good. As battles get larger, claimed bases will allow you to call upon unused units at a more advantageous place. This feature becomes a lifesaver, since one of the biggest flaws in the game comes from not having much of a clue as to what kind of units the enemy has. Pre-mission briefings will give you an idea some of the time, but it becomes annoying when you bring Snipers you don’t need, or don’t have any tank destroying Lancers when your enemy has a fleet of them.
Easier said than done when you don’t know what units you need.
Then again, there might be times where you’re getting beat because you’re simply overwhelmed. That’s where the Headquarters come in, which allows players to spend two types of currency to power up their ranks. Earned through performing well in story missions or Skirmishes, replayable missions used for grinding, EXP and money can be used for a variety of functions. First off, spent EXP will level up your classes, which will power up all units within the chosen job and potentially unlocking new skills in the process. When you feel like your squad is strong enough, visiting the cemetery will let Gunther learn new Orders at high EXP costs. Considering this is where you’ll find the most powerful skills in the game, it’s definitely worth the price.
Cash on the other hand, let’s you buy new weapons and equipment for your squad and tank, giving you a much needed boost in power when the war is getting too tough to win. Acting as more than just power boosts, weapons can eventually be given extra attributes, such as status effects that are inflicted on hit enemies. Tanks on the other hand, can only be given a certain amount of upgrades, creating a puzzle like grid where each desired upgrade has to be fit into the space provided for use. Money isn’t all for combat though, since the backstory of your squad can be expanded on by using your extra money to fund books. These can also get pricey, but learning about your team through these extended story segments strengthens what is an already compelling narrative.
The story is presented like a living scrapbook.
On the subject of the story, while the game play is the definite highlight of Valkyria Chronicles, Gallia’s struggle is just as entertaining, with a cast that grows throughout its 30-ish hour campaign. As one of the most beautiful games of last generation, the remastered version manages to be even more gorgeous, bringing the tale to life in a vibrant way. Giving the appearance of a pencil drawn account of the events of the war while employing an anime inspired look, every part of the game, from the menus to the battles themselves, ooze with visual flair. This is further improved by the strong voice acting, which really shines as the story takes on its more serious themes. Everything from the horrors of war, to concentration camps, and the individuality of the casualties, both friend and foe alike, help the player become fully attached to the world we’re witnessing. A certain scene went as far as to make me feel terrible for killing the enemy, but war doesn’t give you the luxury of life without having to take someone else’s. It’s just too bad that the voice acting isn’t as strong across the board as it is in these key scenes, because the supplementary squad in particular, often sounds too goofy our phoned in to fit in with the rest of the cast. While I appreciate that the entire game is voice acted, it also creates more opportunities for the blemishes to stand out more than they should.
Selvaria is a highlight of an already strong cast.
If the hit and miss voice acting was the game’s only issue, then we would call that a win. Unfortunately, for everything Valkyria Chronicles does right, it has a few glaring flaws aside from the ones already mentioned that can’t be ignored. First and foremost, there’s no way to fast forward the enemy’s turn, which becomes really annoying when they have double digit moves for each turn. It wouldn’t be as bad if they actually did something, but there were far too many times where enemies would just run in circles just to waste a move. The AI in general can be pretty stupid, which makes me feel better about my own poor skill set. Still, there’s no reason why enemies should routinely throw grenades into poles, only for them to bounce back to them and kill themselves. That’s not to say your squad is any better, because their accuracy is infuriatingly bad at times, especially for Snipers. As the class that should be the most accurate, I can’t tell you how many times I yelled at my TV because a tide turning move went to waste when my long range gunners would miss shots enemies that are only a few feet away. While it’s most obvious with Snipers, no class is exempt from this issue, with infantry units occasionally missing shots at point blank range. Oh, and the less said about Chapter 8 the better. This out of place stealth mission moves at such a slow pace, that what must have been an attempt to slow down the action not only grinds it to a halt, but is a literal drag that the game would be better off without.
These issues aren’t nearly enough to turn the tides of war however, since Valkyria Chronicles Remastered wraps up as one of the most visually and mechanically creative games in the genre. It’s addictive game play hooks you just as easily as the deceptively deep plot, with likable characters that are sometimes hindered by spotty voice acting. Tedious game play sections and the pre-battle guessing game aside, first time players absolutely must give this hidden gem a shot. With a fair amount of post game content, the inclusion of trophies, (since the original release predated them,) and a New Game + mode to keep you going long after the battle ends, you should be eager to enlist when Sega’s strategy opus makes its big return.
Final Score: 4.5/5