I've played this game off and on ever since I first watched a let's play back in 2016. The idea of combining turn based strategy with active, free-movement third person shooter action and xcom-esque squad building all set in an anime art style ww2 seems ambitious to say the least. Valkyria Chronicles is not perfect and is at times very frustrating to play, but it fills a niche that I don't think any other game can. It’s an easy recommendation to make despite my misgivings; for one thing, the game’s graphics hold up incredibly well, and it’s $20 base price, with frequent sales for $5 and bundles with Valkyria Chronicles 4. Overall, it’s a really good value even if you have some qualms with it.
First, let's address the story. You can tell this game was not made from an American or European perspective on World War 2. That's not to say the devs don't appreciate the history, they very clearly do; in my opinion, it just gets muddled in the translation to a low-fantasy, anime setting. Creating a Jewish analog in the Darcsen opposite a genuinely real Aryan super race that conquered them is certainly… a choice. I don’t think the devs meant any harm here, it’s just a very unfortunate portrayal. The story has its heart in the right place; I love that you actually get to liberate a concentration camp, for example. Even dedicated WW2 games tend to shy away from that.
However, I don't think it's wrong to call the story insensitive to the holocaust and the overall tragedy of such a devastating event. Again, it does more for the human side of the conflict than a lot of other games, but the whole Valkyria thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, even if it does try to tidy things up. To an extent, the game is unwilling to really wrestle with the idea of the existential struggle that Gallians or the Darcsen face, despite making the latter’s persecution a central point. It’s a totally valid option, to be fair; I just wish they actually mentioned the word ‘genocide’ at some point.
This noncommittal direction creates a sort of lighthearted, almost cute tone that persists through most of the game’s chapters, matching its rather one-note cast. I can only imagine that the devs thought this would make the serious moments hit harder, but it doesn’t; when the game gets serious, it feels like it’s going for shock value. Sometimes it works regardless, like that concentration camp mission I mentioned. But I feel like there’s a better balance on the side of seriousness to be had here. I’m not saying that I want a gritty, grimdark war story. I think Valkyria Chronicles fills a niche, but it could have done better in that role.
The gameplay is, while unique, a mixed bag. On paper, I love the concept. Turn based strategy applied to a map that isn’t a grid feels really unique. Limited Command Points mean you have to really think about whether you want to send more troops into the fray or use a powerful Order. However, in practice, you will almost instantly figure out the most efficient strategy: rush your scouts to the end of the map where they will probably get shot, you load a save and stop them about 3 inches back from where they were so that they don’t trigger the enemy aggro. Abuse the startup lag enemies have when you start an action and shoot them before they can shoot you, then move on to the next enemy.
Full disclosure: I do not think I am good at this game, nor do I believe I’m playing exactly the way the devs intended. But making map ranks be based solely on turn count is ridiculous. The player is rewarded by abusing the scout’s incredibly large movement range while other classes feel like they’re walking through cement. Even without considering rewards for finishing a mission in time, as you can grind as much EXP and money as you want, it still feels like scouts are the only viable unit in many missions because shocktroopers, lancers and snipers can only move about a third of their range, at best. Scouts are ostensibly supposed to be light recon units, but if the game didn’t want me to abuse them, it shouldn’t have given them enough damage to easily dispatch 90% of enemies just as easily as a shocktrooper can. Genuinely, the only real downside to scouts is their fragility, but again, the player will quickly figure out how to abuse the enemy AI. Also, the ‘All Defend’ Order essentially lets you use a human wave of scouts to run past nearly any defense and clear out any camp three turns quicker than a few shocktroopers would mop it up. I do think the game encourages experimentation and customization of your squad, but I cannot believe that scouts should be *this* strong. It makes the game less customizable when one unit has so much more utility.
Some maps bring things back into balance well, but most either have a random gimmick or are just obstacle courses for your scouts to run through. For example, Chapter 13 has a trench system with bunkers targeting you as you run across no man’s land, and you don’t have the Order system at the start. Great idea; you have to establish a foothold with your shocktroopers, then clear out the bunker and race the scouts in. In practice? Run scouts to the corners where you can abuse the bunker’s line of sight to sneak them past, then they can blow up the bunker just as easily as the shocktroopers, and hey, they still have 30% of their movement range left!
A lot of maps have bosses, and they generally just become a pain to kill. It’s never really that much of a stimulating challenge as it is a DPS check. A lot of these maps have some genuinely interesting mechanics going on, and then they throw a boss in and it just slows the whole thing down.
Anyway, I’ve rambled on about this game enough. I really, really enjoy it, but it’s not perfect. Absolutely recommended though, even if it’s only because of its great value.
