Valkyria Chronicles

10 Review to this product

• 

  T. Hawthorne
  November 6th, 2008 on 3:46 pm

  Rating

  First off the graphics are superb. They are not just traditional cell-shaded graphics. If you capture any given frame of the rendered graphics it looks like a pencil drawing that has been colored with vibrant watercolors. Simply beautiful.

  Each battle, or operation as it is called in game, begins with the assignment of units to the battlefield. Once these are placed the player phase begins. You select which unit to move from a top-down battlefield map. Upon selection the map fades to the actual battlefield and the camera zooms down to a 3rd person view of the unit. You are then free to run around (as long as action points are available) and position the unit for its attack per turn. Rinse and repeat(not always that simple) until victory is yours.

  The combination of graphics, unique and solid strategic gameplay, when mixed with the solid story the game tells make for a highly satisfactory and worthwhile gaming experience…if you like strategy games. Definitely a welcome addition to the PS3′s thin library of these type of titles.
• 

  Kevin J
  November 9th, 2008 on 6:05 pm

  Rating

  The presentation is great. The story is told from a book, and each event and battles are told through this medium. It’s very fluid and it works like a history book, ensuring continuity.

  And yes, the game is stunning to look at. The graphic engine is like sketches with pastel watercolors. It’s very unique and the animations are beautiful.

  The game lets you choose between Japanese and English tracks. Personally, I use Japanese track with English subs.

  The game plays like a tactical RPG. The battle mechanism is a hybrid of real time and turn-based. It sounds strange, but it works remarkably well. I was once a skeptic, but Sega did something special here.

  When battles are won, players receive experience points and money. These can be used at headquarters to level up and upgrade weapons and such. You may have up to 20 soldiers under your wing, and new ones are added throughout the game.

  In addition to regular campaign, there also are skirmishes as side quests.

  It’s very refreshing to see an original IP with great gameplay and it looks beautiful to boot. A demo of this game is available at Playstation Network, so give it a try.
• 

  Cloud
  November 11th, 2008 on 2:38 am

  Rating

  Over the years, my interest in RPG’s had started to wane to the point where I ignored some of them simply due to the time investment. While they’re great games and all, they take so long to finish and with a busy gaming schedule this year, it’s hard to sink another 40 hours into one game when you could’ve beat 3 others and had a raucously good time on their multiplayers. However with Valkyria Chronicles, not only did it look stunning but it had a unique way of fighting and seemed to have that certain “something” where you probably don’t really know what you’re getting into but you want it anyway. But we warned, this isn’t an RPG to be taken lightly but like a lot of things, the more you put into it then the sweeter the rewards.

  Story: It’s a period meant to feel like Europe in the 1930 though with a couple changes. Europe’s divided in 2, The Federation and the Eastern European Imperial Alliance or just simply Empire, the latter of whom tries to do anything and everything to get what they want. What they want is ragnite, a valuable and incredibly useful resource and where it’s abundant is the small country in the middle, Gallia, who has ties to neither side. But when the Empire invades and with a strange, powerful race thought only to exist in legend for a weapon, it’s up to Welkin Gunther, Alicia Melchiott and several others to bring down the powerful Empire.

  Graphics: The team behind this game worked on the highly-praised Skies of Arcadia for the Dreamcast and while the art style and character designs are similar, Valkyria is really in a class of its own. Using Sega’s Canvas engine, they decide to create a different approach to the visuals and while Okami was made to resemble a painting, Valkyria looks more like a drawing that’s being animated at lightning speed and it’s gorgeous. Kind of reminds me of the cutscenes for the Final Fantasy Tactics port for the PSP only more colorful. The 3D fighting visuals are also welcome and the “boom” and “ratta” visuals showing up when you explode something or fire your weapon has a great charm to it. It’s not going for realism so don’t compare it to tech-heavy games but what it lacks in realistic lighting and photo-realistic characters, it makes up for in style and art.

  Sound/Music: Ditto for the music which was done by Hitoshi Sakimoto who did the Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story and Odin Sphere soundtracks though he’s probably best known (positively or negatively depending on how you see it) as the composer for Final Fantasy XII. The soundtrack here is pleasing and there’s some good themes but it doesn’t really have any tracks that can stand outside the game but when it’s on in the game, it’s welcome. Using an option to change the language to Japanese or English and either or, the voice acting is quite well-done though some roles are either overacted or lacking in emotion but I didn’t mind either tracks.

  Gameplay: One can make a case that Valkyria’s combat is a 3D version of a chess match, with soldiers and tanks replacing the rooks and queens but essentially here’s how it works: a map reveals your position of your characters as well as known enemy positions. You then select who you want to control (which uses up CP, a certain amount of “moves” you can make your characters do with tanks taking up 2 of them), game switches to a 3D view and you can run where you want to go which drains an AP gauge and if you run out, you stop permanently till the next turn. Found in the stages are places that could make good cover such as sandbags. When you’ve found your spot, you can press R1 which brings up your targeting where you can aim where you want to shoot, throw your grenade or to use a first aid on members with low health and after your turn it’s best to crouch and end your turn right away to minimize enemies firing back (which is unfair because they counterattack your attack in addition to when your attack is over so they’re really getting 2 shots at you so it’s best to end your turn quickly).

  Here’s where it gets fun: you basically have 5 classes from standard scouts with decent weaponry to long-range snipers (Marina is my preferred one due to her cute and deadly bad***ness), shocktroopers with assault rifles, lancers who are perfect for nailing tanks and engineers who can either replenish your ammo, fix/build places for cover or provide tank maintenance though they’re more susceptible to damage. Knowing who to use and where to use them is key. Should a character lose all their health, they’re knocked out but here’s the kicker: they’ll be gone forever unless you get a member of your team over, a cutscene will show a medic rushing in and that member is taking off the field, still able to be used later but gone for the rest of the battle. While you get many reserves anyway, it’s probably best to keep your entire team alive.

  Speaking of your team, you get 20 people to use in a battle unless stated otherwise in the battle so that can make levelling up tedious right? Wrong. Using the headquarter tab (the whole narrative is played out like a book with pictures on the page being your cutscenes/battles), you can level up your characters in an amusing drill instructor way but should you say level up your snipers, every single one of your snipers levels up as well and not just whoever you use the most. Your equipment can be upgraded for better accuracy, health and whatnot and your tank can be fitted with spare treads should the enemy blast yours off leaving you immobile or strengtening the range of your fire. But don’t think this game is immune to grinding as it’s best to click the Skirmishes tab and take on the battles which can be fought as many times as you want and it’s not just recommended, it’s almost necessary since enemies after a certain amount of time will positively own your *** so why not fight fire with fire and make your guys just as tough.

  I know this fall and winter has been a particularly crowded season, especially those who own all 3 consoles and the 2 handhelds (like me) but I implore you not to miss Valkyria Chronicles. It doesn’t have the advertising of Gears of War 2 or the recognition of the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII but this game is well worth tracking down.
• 

  Jason Bean
  November 13th, 2008 on 6:04 pm

  Rating

  First off: This is NOT a RPG. I know the trailers make it seem like a real-time RPG. It’s NOT. I know everyone is billing it as a strategy/rpg…..It’s NOT! In fact, aside from the Japenese presentation, story and cutscenes there’s nothing remotly RPG-ish about this game. If you’re looking for an RPG, this is NOT it.

  Now that that’s out of the way I’d just like to say that this is one of the best, most unique game experiences to be released this year. If I were to describe this game, I’d call it a story-driven, real-time/turn-based strategy game. I know that sounds like alot of elements working against each other but suprisingly they all come together very well.

  The gameplay starts with you positioning your units on a map. When this is done you are able to take control of each unit individualy in a Eternal Sonata-ish realtime way. As you move around any enemy unit can fire at you (you do the same when it’s their turn)and each unit is allowed to attack once during their turn. This seems simple, but believe me it works.

  The graphics are wonderfully (and suprisingly) cell-shaded. This being a PS3 only title also means there is no graphical bugging or system crashing moments (though optional install helps). You can actually ENJOY the game while playing it.

  This game is very story-driven. Don’t worry, most of the game is gameplay but there are an aweful lot of cutscenes (some of which are optional). This isn’t MGS4 or anything (thank god!), but strategy fans might be a bit taken aback by the more cinematic presentaion of this game. Personally I think this worked well in establishing a more personal relationship with your units on the field (every unit has a name and personality in over 50 characters!).

  This game probably isn’t for everyone. In fact I’m sure it’ll be criticized for it’s overly simple take on the strategy genre. But if you’re like me (or like a great story with great gameplay) and are looking for something different, this is a MUST BUY (especially at Amazon’s low price!)
• 

  R. Cataulin
  November 15th, 2008 on 9:31 pm

  Rating

  Back in the old days of the genre, the battlefield was a mixture of a lego diorama and a chessboard. But no more! Finally, a SRPG that throws away grid-like maps. Your soldiers are free to roam the fields in any direction like an action game but are limited to how far they can travel based on a stamina bar.

  Different classes of soldiers specialize in certain skills and compliment other classes. Before a battle, you choose who’s in and who’ll be benchwarming. In confrontations, you have to manually aim the crosshairs of your rifle for body shots or head shots. A cover system allows allies and enemies the ability to use various waist-high objects as cover, or just hide behind a wall. :p Depending on stats, your soldier will automatically duck for cover when shot at. Stats also determine how accurate their aiming is.

  Your roster of characters can attack in unison when grouped together in a small squad, but thats if they have an affinity for each other. Yup, characters have…character. I found myself getting attached to minor subcharaters who have no effect on the plot in my army based on their individual personalities. Yeah, I’m weird.

  What shocked me is that SEGA brought this innovation to the genre. The creators really did an excellent job with Valkyria Chronicles. Along with the Yakuza series, this game is among my top SEGA favorites. Buy this game to support their efforts and hope for a sequel!
• 

  A.N.
  November 18th, 2008 on 12:53 am

  Rating

  I almost passed this game up. I kept reading about the beautiful graphics before it was released. I tend to be let down by a lot of RPG’s lately. I am a big fan of the Tactics style RPG’s but even those are getting old because it’s the same thing over and over. I decided to download Valkyria Chronicles demo when it was put on the Playstation store. I just wanted to check out the bragged about graphics and figured it was just another great looking RPG with a lame story and poor battle system. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In the demo you get to play a tutorial and a skirmish…..that’s all I needed and I preordered the game right away. Its hard to describe what genre this game is, could be called a tactics live action role playing game I guess. I am sure there are a lot of reviews that tell about the game play so I won’t get into that. I will point out my favorite and not so favorite parts. I really like how they make all the characters unique people. There are the main characters, but even the soldiers are their own person and not just nameless, faceless extras. Each person has strengths and weaknesses that makes the game that much better. Some people have desert allergy so you can’t use them effectively in sandy conditions where other are country or city bred so they shine even more when in their element. That was a nice twist to add onto the game. Some things that I don’t care for is this game is very story happy…meaning you watch story clip after story clip before you get to play a battle. At points the story can get childish (Hans the pig) and the acting at times is a little blah….this is war and sometimes it seems like its no big deal to the characters as they all seem in a good mood all the time even though their homeland was just invaded and they are fighting for their lives. It would have been nice to have it a little darker of story telling. With that said, the game play more than makes up for it and it’s a top rated game all the way. A single battle can take an hour, even 2 hours as my first boss battle lasted just last night. I am not sure the length of the game, from what I have been reading about chapter numbers it seems like I am about 1/2 done and it seems like I just started so it might be a little on the short side. The game does seem to have a lot of replay value though and I will most likely play through it again to get higher rankings than I have been. Because of the prices of games now I tend to buy very few but for any tactics rpg fan, I think you will really love this game and it would be a must buy.
• 

  Eric Kwan
  November 24th, 2008 on 4:47 am

  Rating

  Every once in a while, a game will appear and revolutionize its genre, such that you don’t ever want to go back to playing any of its predecessors. Valkyria Chronicles is the latest of those of the tactical RPG genre.

  With its innovative BLiTZ combat engine, Valkyria Chronicles blows away everything that came before. This game will make you feel that grids are anachronisms in this generation of gaming.
• 

  L. Tobar
  December 1st, 2008 on 2:56 am

  Rating

  I can’t stand anime, I am often irritated by the cutesy story presented in Valkyria Chronicles, but the gameplay is so addicting and deep I can’t stop playing it. Probably one of my most favorite games of the last 2 years.
• 

  Nite
  December 26th, 2008 on 3:42 am

  Rating

  Pros

  +Incredible story
  
  +Beautiful graphics
  
  +Amazing soundtrack
  
  +Unique gameplay that has a lot of balance
  
  +A lot of extra things you can do off the beaten path

  Cons

  -Your friends and family will feel neglected

  Sega has, by and large, given consumers a mixed bag of games. Sometimes you get games that don’t live up to the potential that have been set for them and sometimes you get some downright bad games. When Sega has their head on straight, though, you get a game like Valkyria Chronicles. It’s a rich tale with even richer gameplay. If there’s one RPG PS3 owners must get, it is Valkyria Chronicles.

  Valkyria Chronicles is set in the year of 1935, but in an alternate reality. The story itself is told some nicely rendered cel shading as well as some well written and well performed dialog. The story is told through episodes which you’ll undertake. It’s an overall engrossing story filled with fantastic characters who are all well defined. The cutscenes themselves are also fairly moving. It’s actually quite amazing how deep and mature the story really is.

  Gameplay wise, Valkyria Chronicles is somewhat different from your typical tactical RPG. In most tactical RPGs, you and the enemy usually take turns to act. Valkyria Chronicles does something a little different. Instead of taking turns you have what is called Command Points. As long as you still have command points left, you can send forth any unit you like and the order with which you send them doesn’t matter. You could even send one ally to do everything provided you have the correct amount of command points.

  When you select a unit, however, Valkyria Chronicles throws in another twist. You view the action on an overworld map, but once you select a unit the game shifts into third person where you must move them yourself as though you were play a third person shooter. It’s actually quite unique and breathes a lot of new life into the Tactical RPG genre. When an enemy is in sight, you’ll have to aim and fire. The enemy can, if they wish, counterattack you as well. Just the same however, you can take the proper precautions and duck behind cover if you wish. There’s quite a deep strategic element to the game. This is not going to be one of those Tactical RPGs where being stronger is all that matters. It goes much deeper than that. The game is balanced in such a way that each unit, depending on what they are is useful for different things. Scouts, for example, are good at pin-pointing where the enemy is, but they lack the firepower to take them down. Snipers, on the other hand, are good on offense, but lack range and defense. No matter how you slice it, it’s impossible to take complete advantage of the game. Yet for what it’s worth, you never get the feeling the game is too hard or too easy. It’s just right.

  Providing even more balance is that once you take control of a unit it isn’t for an infinite amount of time. Every unit has an action gauge, and when it runs out they can no longer move. You’re still allowed to take action such as healing yourself or shooting at your enemy at least. Also, if you decided to keep using the same character over and over again for each command point, you’ll notice their action gauge will fill up less and less. Again, it’s designed so that you can’t take absolute advantage.

  On the surface the gameplay is somewhat simple, but it’s really quite deep and asks for a lot of strategy on the players part. After completing each mission, you’ll be awarded experience and a ranking. The faster you get a mission done, the better your experience and ranking. On the other hand, characters do not level up individually. Rather their class (be they Sniper, Scout or what have you) levels up. There’s so much depth to the gameplay that you hardly realize the game doesn’t actually have online or multiplayer support of any kind. It’d be nice to challenge a friend online or work cooperatively, but with how engrossing the single player experience is, it’s not that big a deal.

  Visually, Valkyria Chronicles is an astonishing looking game. It is by far the best cel-shaded game to date. The artistic design of the environments and characters is vibrant and colorful. Everything also moves very smoothly, even when things on the battlefield get hectic. Much like the graphics, the game also sounds incredibly good. Not only is there a very catchy and moving musical score, but the voice acting is also very well done and distinguished. It’s amazing how much effort Sega went through to draw you into the story. It works incredibly well. And if you happen to dislike the English voices, you’ll be happy to know you can switch the audio to Japanese.

  Make no mistake, Valkyria Chronicles is an amazing and enchanting game. It’s got a deep, mature and well thought out storyline with lovable characters, and the gameplay experience is so unique that it’s engrossing. If you’re an Tactical RPG fan, Valkyria Chronicles is a must own title.
• 

  Celeste
  July 20th, 2009 on 5:02 am

  Rating

  Sometimes, being a good girlfriend means sitting on the couch and watching him play a game or playing a game together. I’m a moderate gamer; the new controls are generally more complicated than I’m willing to commit to. He is a hard core gamer. Some games are easier to watch than others, and some are easier to play. This review is not for the hard core gamer. This review if for the girlfriend (or boyfriend, who am I to judge?) that sits on the couch and watches.
  
  Clocking in at just over 40 hours, this game sometimes seems more like a cartoon than a game. The game is set up as a “storybook” with each mission constituting a chapter. Most chapters have one mission. At first, I found the missions kind of boring to watch, but after a few chapters, I found myself telling yelling at the screen (or Mike)! “Don’t go there…..You forgot to heal…..Use the sniper!!!” Sometimes the battles could be frustrating, and when they took more than two tries, I’d get bored and leave the room to do something else.
  
  The characters are charming and compelling and the animation is beautiful. While the story was at times predictable, I found myself staying up past my bedtime, telling Mike that we could play just one more chapter, because I wanted to find out what happened next.
  
  Mike liked the game so much that he’s already downloaded a couple of additional missions for the game, and I’m sure we’ll download more if they are released.