Overview
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is the fourth mainline entry in Sega's strategy RPG franchise developed for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Amazon Luna, and PC. The game marks the series' return to console hardware after the last two installments were created for handhelds as well as the return to the strategy genre after the franchise experimented with several spin-offs, including a mobile card game and an action title. Valkyria Chronicles 4 was initially published in Japan for the PlayStation 4 on March 21, 2018. The international release for the PlayStation 4, as well as the PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch ports were published on September 25, 2018.
Story
Valkyria Chronicles 4's story takes place during the same time period as the first Valkyria Chronicles but focuses on the overarching war in Europa between the the Federation and Empire instead of just the conflict within Gallia like in past titles. The Federation, in an attempt to end the war quickly, is beginning a risky campaign to infiltrate the Empire through the frozen north of Europa in order to invade the enemy's capital. The story follows the exploits of Commander Claude Wallace of Squad E and his childhood friends as they take part in this dangerous mission, code named "Operation Northern Cross", that will not only test their strength but the team's friendship as well.
Main Characters
Squad E
Claude Wallace: 2nd LT and the CO of Squad E. Normally functions as a tank commander, but is adept as a Scout outside of the Hafen. Has learned to read the wind after an incident during his childhood left him traumatized, giving him tactical insights that others don't have.
Raz: Hot-headed Sergeant and Shocktrooper of Squad E. Often fights with Claude over his decisions, sometimes physically.
Kai Schulen: The quiet but blunt Sergeant and Sniper of Squad E, nicknamed "Deadeye Kai" for his skill with a sniper rifle. After the original Kai left the squad for mysterious reasons, his sister Leena took on the identity of Kai in his place, but turned out to be just as good a shot as him.
Riley Miller: Science Officer and Artillery Advisor for Squad E who functions as a Grenadier in game. Considers Claude a coward, but slowly warms up to him. Has pyrophobia after a fire set by suspected Imperial agents took the life of her family when she was a child.
Minerva Victor: The leader of Squad F and Claude's rival who hates that his seemingly aloof and carefree personality makes him a better leader than her own professional demeanor. After her squad is almost completely wiped out in an ambush, she ends up joining Squad E as a Scout.
X-0
Klaus Walz: Leader of Ausbruch, the 502nd Heavy Tank Platoon, who sees Squad E (and the Hafen in particular) as his chief rival after being beaten in their initial encounter. He drives a customized tank called "Vulcan" with a weak point on the top and a separate machinegun on the front.
Heinrich Belgar: Head of the Imperial Science Board and the leader of the experimental weapons squad called X-0.
Forseti: X-0's Chief of Operations and a man of few words. Later revealed to be the original Kai who defected after seeing the cruelty of the Federation's own experiments.
Crymaria Levin: The Special Duty Captain known as the "Winter Witch" for the snowstorms that seem to follow in her wake. Allegedly contains the strongest power of all the Valkyria. She travels with a super-intelligent wolf named Fenrir.
Nikola Graf and Chiara Rocino: Two girls raised by Belgar from a very young age to serve as his assassins and bodyguards. Both of them come equipped with crossbow bolts that can damage both infantry and armor.
Gameplay
Each battle is played on a large map where the player must field a squad of a limited number of soldiers who specialize in different roles. Battles are played out in turn-based fashion, where each unit has a set amount of Action Points (AP) to move around the map. At any time the unit can stop and fire their weapon at enemies or heal/repair allied units. However, they cannot take another non-move action until they end their current move, no matter how much AP is left. The same unit can be re-used in the same turn, but they will start their move with less maximum AP until the turn is over.
While moving across the map, units risk coming under "Interception Fire" from certain individuals, vehicles, and turrets with line of sight to the target who are in their firing range. Units performing Interception Fire have unlimited ammo, but may have to stop and reload depending on their weapon's firing rate. When a unit is attacked but not killed, the targeted unit may fire back if they have a weapon that can perform Interception Fire, and if the attacker is within their firing range.
Unit Classes
| Class | Main Weapon | Description | Elite Promotion |
|---|
| Scout | Rifle | Fast-moving units with high AP and vision and average health. Capable of picking off lone, weakened units. | Rifles now hold a grenade attachment, allowing the scout to fire a grenade at a much longer distance |
| Shocktrooper | Submachinegun | Frontline troops with average AP who can shred enemy infantry up close in seconds. | SMGs now have a flamethrower attachment, which burns through infantry in a short but wide range. |
| Lancer | Anti-tank Lance | Anti-armor specialists with below-average AP who can take more punishment than other units. However, their Lance ammo is limited and they cannot provide Interception Fire. | Lancers can now equip Mortar Lances that deal more damage to infantry. |
| Engineer | Rifle | Relatively fragile support troops with high AP who can repair vehicles, disarm mines, resupply troops with limited ammo/grenades, and carry special ragnaid vials that heal allies better than those of other troops. | Repair Tools now fix even more damage to allied vehicles. |
| Sniper | Sniper Rifle | As the name suggests, the Sniper focuses on killing infantry from afar, and can zoom in while aiming for a better headshot unlike other classes. However, they have limited ammo, low AP, do not provide Interception Fire, and are weak to enemies up close. | Snipers can now perform Interception Fire against enemies in their normal line of sight. |
| Grenadier | Mortar | New class, the Grenadier launches explosives from afar in a wide radius that devastate enemy infantry, and can even provide Interception Fire if an ally spots an enemy within their firing range. However, they have limited ammo, low AP, and are weak to enemies up close. | |
Log in to comment