Fantastic Strategy/RPG
Valkyria Chronicles is one of those under advertised games that very few people will play, but will likely really enjoy. There just isn’t really anything out there like it, and its level of polish is truly top notch.
Valkyria is a turn based strategy/RPG that allows you to take control of each unit and make your move with more personal attention to the result of the outcome. There is still that random hit or miss calculation going on in the background, but the specific movement decisions you make while controlling your unit still feels like it does affect the outcome in a big way.
The story isn’t the typical fantasy tale either. Although there are some fantasy elements, it is more of an alternate universe tale of war. It delves into a lot of different subjects including racism and morality, but it isn’t told in a dark way. A lot of the dialogue is incredibly light hearted, making it seem very child-friendly. Despite that, it is still a very effective story, with an appropriate amount of humor, romance, and despair.
Before you enter battle, you can setup your squad with particular soldiers, buy them equipment and spend your experience points on new orders or upgrade your classes. There are 5 classes you’ll have at your disposal: Scouts, Shocktroopers, Lancers, Engineers, and Snipers. You’ll have a squad limit of 20, so you’ll have to decide the balance of classes you wish to take before a mission starts. Each class has its strengths and weaknesses such as Shocktroopers are strong attackers but can’t travel a great distance or spot far off enemies, while scouts can travel a great distance and spot enemies more effectively at the sacrifice of attack power and defense.
Gameplay is incredibly refined and balanced. Although I hate that the luck factor is still there, I do like that you can run around openly with your unit as opposed to being stuck to a movement grid. Before you select your unit, you’ll get an overhead map of the battlefield and be able to plan your attack before choosing which unit to move, or which order to give. Orders are basically stat boosts or non-unit attacks such as dropping a mortar on an enemy base. You’ll definitely want to choose carefully, losing a unit means they are dead forever. You can rescue a fallen unit, but if the enemy gets there first or you take too many turns to get a medic then that unit is lost and cannot be recovered unless you restart the mission. Losing a unit isn’t the end of the world though, there are plenty of reserves in case something does happen.
One of Valkyria’s strongest features is its visual and audio presentation. The water colored graphics are absolutely gorgeous, closely mimicking the visual style of a 3-D Japanese anime. Also the music and voice acting is very well done, making those numerous cut scenes that much more enjoyable to watch.
The amount of time you get out of Valkyria just depends on how good you are at Strategy/RPG games and a little bit on how lucky you are. You could blitz through this game in a little over 20 hours, but most players will likely want to do most of the side-missions and skirmishes which will give you around 40-60 hours. You can also carry over your levels and equipment to replay the game if you wanted. Valkyria Chronicles is definitely one of those hidden gems that few have experienced, but I can certainly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys fantastic SRPGs with an adequate amount of challenge.
