Valkyria Chronicles
Sega has had a long and prosperous history in the video-game industry, enjoying a healthy relationship with former-rival Nintendo. But, in their history, they took the wrong road at too many crossroads to count, and the company has suffered repeated falls from grace.
First was their decision to market multiple consoles at the same time in the Nineties. Then there was the configuration of “Sonic Team”, the team that’s charged with churning out a new game of their beloved blue mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. Under a tight schedule, they are forced to churn out incomplete games, unsuited for one of the most famous video-game icons of all-time. They make below-average games not because they can’t make games; time is always against them, and the people at the top don’t seem to be of much help. Now, we look at their most recent mistake.
No, I’m not talking about Valkyria Chronicles. After a short selling period, it was discontinued in North America, in order for Sega to produce more copies of Sonic Unleashed. A true shame too, Valkyria Chronicles can be easily considered one of the best games on the PlayStation 3. It’s beyond me why Sega would pull one of their masterpieces for Unleashed. While Unleashed is by no means a bad game, it certainly has its noticeable flaws; Valkyria Chronicles has virtually no flaws to criticize that really affect it.
The game takes place in Europa (a fictional version of Europe, obviously), 1935. The small, neutral country of Gallia, because of its abundance of ragnite ore, which can be converted into a valuable fuel (among other items of critical value), is invaded by the militaristic East Europan Imperial Alliance (also engaged in war with the Atlantic Federation).
When the Imperials begin their Blitzkreig-style invasion, attacking the border town of Bruhl, a calm and peaceful Welkin Gunther is thrust into a leader role, successfully evacuating the town and going on to lead Squad 7 against the Imperial menace. Beside him is Alicia Melchiott, a member of Bruhl’s border guard and one of Squad 7’s most trusted squad members. In typical David versus Goliath fashion, you must grab the reins of the dwarfed military in Gallia and fight back the Imperial advance, led by Prince Maximilian and his generals; feel free to play the infamous “Imperial March” from Star Wars at full blast while doing so.
Starting with the critical aspect of game-play, Valkyria Chronicles boasts a unique game-play system that takes elements from RPGs, Strategy, and 3rd-Person Shooters. Battles are done in phases. You are given an overhead view of the map, and are prompted to use ‘Command Points’ (CPs) to move your units. After selecting a unit, you are enabled to control him or her, as you would normally control your character in a shooting game. You expend energy as you move around, so the idea is to move your character into an ideal position and fire upon the enemy. You can only fire once before your time is up, and you are prompted to spend any more CPs you have. You’re under no clock, but you can only move so far.
There is a great deal of strategy involved in moving the character, such as hiding behind objects, moving to terrain that suits your character (in example, finding the high ground to start sniping), setting up to counterattack invading enemies, or retreating for a prompt medical treatment. There are numerous factors to consider, and the only way to really shed light on this is to play the game itself and concoct your own strategy.
Akin to traditional shooters, units are divided up into different classes, such as the Lancer (the anti-armour unit) or the Sniper. A Tank unit will also accompany you, which requires 2 CPs to operate, but its armour can defend infantry units and mow down all units outside the Lancer; it will act as a pivotal unit of your attack. There’s always a counter for a class, so you’ll have to consider how you deploy and how you control your units to combat the Imperial advance.
For RPG elements, successfully winning combats, either by eliminating all enemy units, capturing their HQ, or other specified objectives, will earn you both Experience Points and Money. Experience Points are used to train units, investing accumulated EXP. Into each class until they level up. Their attributes improve, and they may acquire an additional, helpful boost to their abilities. Money is spent upgrading weaponry and equipment. Commanding a nation at war, you must be at the forefront of military technology.
The strategic analysis doesn’t start on the battlefield. You have to organize Squad 7, enlisting and discharging new recruits as you see fit. A lot of thought goes into this, as enlists will often have friends they prefer to fight alongside with (coupling them together improves morale and accuracy). They will have different attributes associated with them which can either improve or hamper their fighting ability: you may pick a soldier that doesn’t fight well alongside men, but fights better on desert terrain.
Selecting your enlists could be a daunting and irritating task, but the reality is far from it. The choices are colourful and very interesting, critically enhanced by some of the best voice acting in recent years. In recent years, voice acting can make or break games. Valkyria Chronicles boasts superior voice acting; you won’t cringe from sheer cheese. I found it amusing to select your troops and have them introduce themselves. It’s always interesting to wonder how a cute 16-year-old girl handles herself on the battlefield as a devastating Shocktrooper, and how a cross-dressing Lancer tackles a Tank on the battlefront (in my Squad 7, the word is ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’).
Some of the criticism in game is exemplified by the severity of war. In war, you can’t merely ‘respawn,’ fresh, anew, and battle-ready; if you die, you’re dead, and that’s the end of that. If any of your enlists die in combat, and they aren’t associated with your Terms of Failure (in example, if a main character dies), they’re dead. You’ll have to replaced him or her in the War Room with a new enlist. Even in skirmishes, this brutality is evident. There’s quite a bit of risk involved in grinding skirmishes for EXP and gold when putting your favourite character at risk.
In the middle of a battle, there is no way to pause, unless you leave the game at the Command Phase and proceed to do something else. This can be cumbersome, as some campaigns will span a few hours, but it is generally a flaw that can be forgiven and overlooked easily.
Another flaw is the fact that you will be unable to replay plot-based battles. You may replay skirmishes on two separate difficulties, but plot-wise, you must continually drive forward.
However, repetition should not concern you, given as there is a wealth of extra skirmishes you can test your wartime prowess in; and if those don’t satisfy you, Valkyria Chronicles boasts downloadable content from the Playstation Network (PSN), for the battle-hardened veteran who wants more challenges and more goodies from their games. Of particular note is a campaign of the invasion of Gallia, from the Imperial perspective.
The story is presented as a traditional story, its art style and graphic elements like a watercolour painting in lustrous motion. The menu interface is also bookish in nature. Presentation is executed flawlessly, bolstered by a magical, orchestrated soundtrack. In both visual and audio departments, Valkyria Chronicles does not disappoint.
Aside from some flaws that can be overlooked easily, Valkyria Chronicles is a unique and powerful entry into Sega’s repertoire of games. Undoubtedly, it is Sega’s best game in recent years (better than anything the blue blur has been in, that’s for certain). Unfortunately, it has been discontinued in North America, due to poor sales (honestly?), but fear not; it has been re-released in Japan as a “Best” PS3 game, and it will likely find its way back to our market.
Valkyria Chronicles is the best game of 2008 you never played or heard of. Its unique gameplay and flawless execution make it a memorable instant classic that has even spawned anime and manga spinoffs. If you invested in a Playstation 3, dedicate all your resources to tracking down a copy of this game; no matter what your tastes are, from Disgaea 3 and Persona 4, to Metal Gear Solid 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4 (fun with numbers), Valkyria Chronicles will appeal to any player who can appreciate a truly great game.