Review - Valkyria Chronicles

When somebody says "SEGA" to you, I somehow doubt your first thought is to JRPGs, or to Real Time Tactics games. But despite this, they have given it a go, by creating a Strategy RPG named "Valkyria Chronicles". So how does the new blood do in this genre?

In a nutshell, it does very well indeed. Valkyria Chronicles is set on an alternative Earth in the year 1935, where the 2nd Eurpoan war has just broken out. The player takes command of Welkin Gunther, a natural sciences undergraduate who has been drafted into his country's militia, and the squad he is given to command. The story begins when the Empire to the east invades the Welkin's homeland, the neutral principality of Gallia, which then has to fight the imperials back to where they came despite massive inferiority in numbers.

Cliché? Absolutely, but there are enough twists and turns to make the main premise interesting, and it serves well to push the true focus of the narrative along, which is that of the characters. Valkyria Chronicles puts a large focus on the development of relationships between members of your small squad, and it builds them in a believable manner. Each has their prejudices, their flaws, and a distinct personality. The focus on such a small group allows the game to go into great detail with each one, and the net result is you actually truly care for them all, something few games in the last decade have manged to achieve.

The game is pushed forward via a series of "Episodes", which are selected from a book, and more unlock as the game progresses. This allows you to view cutscenes and briefings before starting the battle, but at the same time can break the flow from time to time. Battles themselves are epic, and something JRPG fans will have to get used to. The player can have up to ten soldiers on the battlefield at once, and can move each around the battlefield separately by spending "Command Points". For example, one command point will allow one character to move and perform a single action, such as attacking or healing. When all your command points are spent, it's the enemies turn, which does the same.

The system works well, and manages to cleverly combine a turn based battle system with real time action. There is a limited amount any character can move each turn, and emphasis is placed on proper weapon selection and positioning, so careful planning is required. In many ways the system is like a game of chess. Except with more explosions. Longer battles can sometimes become tedious, especially when you have to sit through 10 minutes of the enemy phase without the ability to speed it up or skip it entirely, but for these situations are rare and for the most part the system is consistently rewarding.

Winning battles gains you EXP and money, which can be spent on training up your soldiers and developing new equipment respectively. Additional content can also be "purchased", which allows you to explore sub-plots and get a more in-depth look at your squad. Doing these things adds plenty of depth and playtime to the game, and as you level up your soldiers by class rather than individually, it isn't a tedious process either. Another element of strategy comes in when developing tank upgrades, as there is only a certain amount of space on your tank for certain types of upgrade, so it is important to choose carefully and prioritise for offence/defence etc.

Valkyria Chronicles doesn't just get by with its story and gameplay alone, it has over 30 hours of playtime, a new game + feature, and some of the most beautiful graphics of this generation. Abandoning "realism" for an anime themed cell-shading technique, the result is a watercolour masterpiece. The soundtrack is strong as well, as although composer Hitoshi Sakimoto falls down a little with his ambient tracks, set pieces such as the Main Theme are incredible, and some of the best music of the genre. Voice acting as well is superb across the board, with the original Japanese dub included for good measure.

In conclusion, SEGA has done a cracking job at something a bit different, to the extent that it is one of the best titles of this generation so far. It is one of the few games that manages to make you feel somewhat saddened as the credits roll, because the experience is over, and the ability to manipulate the players emotions to the extent it is able is simply astounding. There are some minor gameplay flaws here and there and parts of the story can be a tad predictable, but as a gaming experience this is right up there with the top. If you have even a passing interest in JRPGS, anime or just a mind blowing experience, you need this game. Period.

Overall: 9/10