Review: Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)

The unique look and genre it fits itself into may be a little daunting for most. On the surface it has a distinctive cartoon style with wonderful brushstrokes making it seem a little like Okami, but underneath lies quite a challenging experience that some may find a little too difficult. Gamestyle may have glossed over the look of VC a little too quickly. It really is gorgeous. Cut scenes are wonderfully animated and even when you get into the game it still looks just as good. It’s certainly one to be seen in motion, as simple screenshots really don’t do it justice.

Explaining the gameplay of Valkyria Chronicles is going to be quite tough, but we’ll try our best. It’s a strategy RPG with the emphasis on winning battles and levelling up your squad. It starts off simple as you’re introduced to all the main characters and have a few training levels to get to grips with the combat, which is unlike anything that’s come before. There are a number of units at your disposal, such as scouts who are fast and mobile though lack shooting power and lancers who have heavy ammunition, but are not as mobile. Each unit has a limited number of CP, which is how you move around. Moving reduces it and while you can move the unit multiple times the CP will get less and less. And naturally you only have a limited number of moves you can make before the enemy starts to move their pieces. So you need to balance out which unit is best for the task at hand and movie them accordingly, but being careful not running out of CP in the middle of the battlefield.

What makes the game different from others in the genre is the way the AI reacts. In normal strategy games the unit that’s not mobile will just stand their even when being shot in the face. Not here though. Move up to an enemy unit and they will fire back unless you get some shots in quickly. So flanking them is the best option or taking them out from a distance with your trusty sniper. So the strategic element here is stronger than ever with plenty of thought needed if you plan on progressing to the games conclusion.

When the easy missions out of the way you’ll seen be given your own squad and this then throws even more control at you. You have your own barracks where you can swap characters, a training facility to level up each unit with the experience earned and a weapons area where you can buy upgrades to all your weapons and your tank. Also later on you’ll unlock the Skirmish option allowing you to replay old levels, crucial if you’re finding later levels too difficult and need to level up more of your squad. There’s plenty here and luckily the game drip feeds you each new option rather than overwhelming you at the start.

While we’ve already mentioned how great the cut scenes are, the message hidden underneath is hardly the most subtle. We’re surprised there wasn’t a massive message at the start saying “war is bad” because they certainly hammer it in hard enough. What doesn’t make it so great are the villains who could very well be made out of cardboard with the leader stepping straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon, with the bad voice acting to boot. While not as bad as in Metal Gear Solid (can love really bloom on a battlefield?) it does need to learn how to get a message across without shouting it at you.

Valkyria Chronicles is a game that hopefully will gain popularity in the same way the likes of Beyond Good and Evil did, with good words being spread. It’s a shame that this could be destined for obscurity because it’s certainly one of the most unique games this year and a series we wouldn’t mind seeing continue.

Rating: 8 / 10

Words by Adam Gulliver