Squad 7, move out!
I've always loved a good strategy RPG. And make no mistake- Valkyria Chronicles deserves to be ranked among the best in its genre. It's a well designed game that has a ton of interesting mechanics and quality production values. It's unfortunate that it comes with some pacing and technical issues, but that doesn't stop Valkyria Chronicles from being a game that fans of strategy RPGs will fall in love with. I know I did.
Valkyria Chronicles fits into the mold of games like Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics. That means you take control of a squad of dudes, leading them through dozens of strategic turned based battles, while they gain experience and learn new abilities all the while. The game does a great job at replicating this formula, combining the best aspects of both genres. You have plenty of tactical freedom during the battles, and there are lots of ways to customize and outfit your squad as you earn money and experience. Valkyria Chronicles pulls off this balancing act as well as any, and there are also a handful of mechanics that set it apart from the crowd. You level up entire classes at once rather than individual people, you can use the same character multiple times in a single turn, and you control each character third person shooter style when you issue them a command. All of these features are fantastic, and do a wonderful job at making the game more accessible without losing any of the depth the genre is known for. The developers put a lot of thought into this game's design, and it shows.
In addition to the stellar gameplay, the length of Valkyria Chronicles' campaign is about perfect (it took me close to 30 hours), and there are plenty of other goodies to be found in this content heavy package. It also boasts some fine storytelling, even if it's a bit slow to get going. But the characters are likable, and the game's dialog and major plot points are handled with plenty of care, never coming off as being too cheesy, or even too "Japanese". Even better is the way it's all presented- the comic book style visuals (complete with text like "ratta" and "blam" popping up as you shoot) are awesome, and the game's pre-rendered scenes are downright gorgeous. Last but not least, Valkyria Chronicles' soundtrack accompanies the game perfectly, and its pinnacle tracks are simply beautiful. That being said, the game does hit a few technical snags along with way. There are some minor clipping issues, but worst of all are the load times. They are frequent and long, and significantly drag the game down. I've heard that installing the game can help- if that's the case, then you should definitely do so.
Between some slow pacing and long load times, Valkyria Chronicles may prove to be too much of an investment for some, and might be hard to get into if you're not already inclined to play a strategy RPG. But for the rest of us, Valkyria Chronicles is, simply put, an amazing game. Its interesting gameplay design and top notch production values are as good as any strategy RPG I've played to date, making Valkyria Chronicles one that fans of the genre should play without hesitation.
For additional information on my review style and scoring system, click here.
