Well... What can I say? Good old Valkyrie still has plenty of fire left in her belly. As usual, the introduction sets the tone with just a couple of sentences that give the reader some basci info.
In short:
It’s a great game for fans of Japanese tactical games and themes. The graphics leave something to be desired, the translation is terrible, and there are some questionable aspects… However, Valkyria still deserves at least an 8 out of 10 for its unique gameplay mechanics and a pretty strong storyline.
More:
Actually… For those thinking about playing this game for the first time, all I can suggest is to check out the gameplay videos and screenshots. Most likely, after that, you’ll be able to tell whether it’s worth playing for you spesialy. Be that as it may, on sale, this game is worth every coin you spend on it — you can be sure 100% of that.
Next, let’s get the worst parts out of the way. Just three points.
First, the translation. The classic, poor American translation from Japanese reaches the height of its absurdity here. Of course, the meaning is rarely lost… But when they translate “uh-huh” as “thank you”… That’s a pain for any linguist. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg…
Second, the same flaw that was present during my first playthrough remains. It’s a major problem in many games: Im talking about characters that can’t hit their target's at point-blank range. In Valkyria, this feels twice as bad, since—relatively speaking—we improve our “accuracy” as we progress through the game. Even with maximum accuracy, though, some characters still miss. It’s annoying. And they do that A LOT.
Third, the final boss—as well as some other battles—remains extremely... challenging when it comes to figuring out “the best way to defeat it.”
Unfortunately, tactics don’t play much of a role when you earn the most resources based on speed. Casualties, captured camps, defeated enemies, and so on simply don’t count. Speed and intuition—plus a little experience—are what lead to victory. Personally, even on my second playthrough, I caught myself thinking that the gameplay would be a bit more interesting with a different scoring system, at the very least... But as it is... An experienced commander floods a scout with defense and attack orders, and the scout races off to capture the enemy’s main camp in 1–5 turns... Here you go. A. Max mobey and exp for your sqad. Luckly game quite often tells you that you CANT do that. That scout may be good...But nope. Use some brains.
Now for the good stuff.
This game is far from being one of my favorites, mainly because it’s incredibly linear and lacks depth, and yet... It has some nice things I do apriciate. Many modern (and perhaps even older) games can only envy such stuff like decent romantic, story and engaging gameplay.
There’s a wonderful sense of realism here that works surprisingly well even for a game rated 12+. Didn’t save a soldier? He dies in a dramatic way and can’t return to battle. What’s more, after being wounded, a soldier remains on the battlefield for up to three rounds; if an ally finds him, a medic saves him, but if an enemy finds him, he dies. This mechanic may seem small and insignificant, but it’s still original and gives The Chronicles a special charm that, I must admit, I haven’t seen anywhere else.
The story itself touches the player with its classic setting, where a dispute over land leaves ordinary civilians to suffer the consequences. The male protagonist, who dreamed of becoming a teacher, becomes a commander in an effort to protect his home, while the female protagonist, who dreamed of baking bread, becomes a scout with an ancient power within her... To say more would be to spoil the story. But be that as it may, many of the setbacks faced by the 7th Squad (the main characters) can be attributed precisely to this aspect. They are barely trained soldiers who are forced to fight without any real desire to do so...
As for the gameplay, Commander Velkin plays the central role by managing operations, controlling the tank, and issuing the right orders at the right time. The turn-based system adds a great deal of realism to this process, as the most influential command takes up nearly half of the action points. This is an extremely important resource when your soldiers’ stamina is severely limited. Essentially, if you make a mistake, you’ll pay dearly for it. Just like in life. Just like in chess. Just like on the front lines. Think first, act after. Don’t make the same mistake's twice.
Of course, you can get around all of this if you choose the “easy” difficulty setting. Brains off - just shoot stuff and enjoy the stroy.
What do we have to wrap things up? The verdict? The verdict is pretty obvious.
"Chronicles of Valkyrie" is a Japanese strategy game that’s perfect for anyone who doesn’t mind this genre or style. It drags on a bit, but it wraps up at just the right time—and you’ll forget how long it is if you play one chapter a day or so. A seven-month span flies by in a couple of weeks, and you’re left with a pretty substantial journey that, despite all its flaws, you’ll want to continue… to improve… And no, the ending here is more than decent; it’s just a shame that the "Chronicles 4" turned out to be an order of magnitude worse, as far as I recall. I might replay it later on but...Yeah. If you finished game with the "right" feeling you do understand me. It is a...unique feeling to say at least. And Val sure have it for you at the end.
Of course, we could go on and on about the snipers who miss their shots, the helpless engineers, or how unfair the victory conditions are... Win with 24 people when the enemy has endless reinforcements, for example... But all of that is just trivial. Trivialities of an old game, trivialities of the unfairness of the world, and trivialities of old artificial intelligence that sought only one thing. To entertain you with a good game and a good story. And anyway, even the world’s last remaining romantic would admit that protagonists who’ve supported each other through the fires of war — doesn’t just sound cool. It is strong stuff.
At the end of a day Valkyrie Chronicles is far from perfect. It’s not a masterpiece. But it’s a game that stands so firmly at an 8 that sometimes you want to give it a 9. If all games in our world were of its quality, it would be a different world. Doesn’t that sound good enough for you to try it out?
Overall Rating: 8/10
System Requirements: Potato
Gameplay: Good
Voice Acting: Excellent (Japanese)
Bugs: Barely noticeable
Story: 8/10
Graphics: Good for veterans, terrible for younger players
Grind: Minimal
Difficulty: Above average
Length: Above average
