14 DAY TRIAL // 
Valkyria Chronicles was launched on the PlayStation 3 in 2008 and many gamers were surprised by the depth and the smart mechanics that the title introduced, and now the tactics-driven role-playing game is also offered on the PC via Steam, bringing the experience to a wider than ever audience.
The experience is interesting initially and will surprise many gamers who believe they know what to expect from a SEGA-made turn-based tactics RPG, but ultimately the game does not have enough solid mechanics to keep a modern player engaged in the long term.
The story focuses on Welkin, a pretty normal teenager who is forced to join a militia as his country, the game’s equivalent of Switzerland, is invaded by a more powerful neighbor because it has the potential to mine a lot of ragnite, a very valuable mineral which can power vehicles for conquest but also has some civilian applications.
The world of the game is clearly inspired by Europe during the period between 1930 and 1960 but with some major differences when it comes to power placement and technology use, although the core conflict idea between two superpowers is present and correct.
The single-player campaign follows Welkin and his squad as they try to liberate their loved Gallia from enemies, and in true Japanese role-playing game fashion, a race of mysterious and mystical alien beings shows up to complicate matters.
There’s a lot of story in Valkyria Chronicles and the premise is exciting, but the game suffers because it does not make it interesting to watch the characters talk and their personalities are fairly limited.
The title uses a turn-based strategic foundation on which the developers have layered a real-time action system.
Basically, in combat, players get access to Command Points, which can be used to activate the character in the squad they control from an overhead view, and once that’s done, the title moves to a third-person view and allows them to spend action points to move around or use abilities.
A unit can be activated multiple times, although with diminishing results, and its turn is over once it shoots at an enemy.
Once all Command Points are used up, the enemy moves and attacks and gamers can do nothing but lean back in their seat and watch their actions.
The battles start out very easily and they quickly evolve into solid tactical challenges, with gamers required to pay attention and carefully deploy their resources in order to secure victory.
The classes include scouts, engineers, lancers, shocktroopers and snipers, and each has a role to play on the battlefield, all of them supported by Welkin in his tank.
Troops recruitment, upgrades and equipment is handled in a HQ that’s easy to use and can enhance the power of a fighting formation.
Based on the mission objectives, gamers need to decide where to deploy their troops and what kind of classes to use, and once that’s done, a turn-based structure takes over.
Command Points always seem to be in low supply and that means it’s important to create a clear priority list and stick to it when activating assets, while the real-time control of characters also means that gamers need to pay attention to line of sight and the use of cover.
Combat in Valkyria Chronicles, coupled with the customization for units and the class-wide level up system, is open and engaging, and as the game progresses, it delivers a lot of interesting problems that the player needs to solve.
The biggest issue with it is the real-time nature, which means that it’s too easy to lose squad members at weird moments.
At the same time, the control scheme does not make it easy to get through a turn quickly, and there’s no way to skip the movement of enemies or get a compressed summary of their actions.
Valkyria Chronicles might have looked decent on the PlayStation 3 when it was first introduced, but it fails to make a good impression on the PC, with virtually no upgrade delivered to take advantage of the expanded computing power.
The art style is interesting and works well for the cutscenes, especially when characters are expressing their emotions and are interacting, but once combat begins it’s hard to accept how the JRPG aesthetics and the fairly realistic take on war mix.
The perspective also seems weird and restrictive most of the time, but there are moments when the game manages to deliver some cool takes on real world army uniforms and hardware.
The sound design in Valkyria Chronicles is pretty cool, with voice work which is in line with the Japanese role-playing game formula, with plenty of variety for all characters, and some interesting choices for the soundtrack.
The Good
- Some JRPG innovations
- Interesting story mash up
The Bad
- Real-time action feels underdeveloped
- Graphics are limited
Conclusion
The storytelling blends fairly horrific warfare-related elements, like child deaths, with very inconsequential discussions and weird happy interludes.
The combat might blend classic turn-based action with real-time movement and shooting, but the mix sometimes feels awkward and leads to unnecessary character death.
Still, Valkyria Chronicles has a lot of content to offer to those who can take the time to learn its unique mechanics, and hours can be spend just recruiting new members for the squad and trying to create the best possible team for each mission.
The core mechanics could be improved, but the prospects for a full sequel seem limited given that the publisher has not talked about the Valkyria Chronicles universe for the past few years.
