Genre: Tactical RPG
Year: 2008
Developed by: Sega
Published by: Sega
Platforms: PS3, PS4, PC, PSP, Vita, Switch
#70
Feeling Like: Squad 7, move out!
Imaginary conflicts are a hell of a lot more fun than real ones. It’s no surprise they’re used in fiction so often; conflict is the heartbeat of a story, and what bigger conflict is there than war? While it may seem silly to drape World War 2 in a fantasy blanket with a healthy dose of anime, Valkyria Chronicles proved you can mix a strange combination of ideas as long as you do it right.
Sega did it right.
It’s an extremely tricky line to walk. The characters may look like soft, happy go lucky caricatures but they inhabit a world of legitimate threats, and they understand that. I think the reason I was so drawn to the story is that Sega treats these characters with respect. Sure, they’ll loudly exclaim how happy they are about a pie or something, but then they’ll be appropriately emotional when their village is attacked by an invading force. Psychological whiplash is present, but I cared so much about Alicia, Welkin, Largo, Isara and Rosie that I was glued to every cut-scene.
The presentation is brilliant, with every level being a page in a book. Each page will contain a number of cut-scenes and a main conflict to get through. There’s the usual tactical RPG stuff of managing your party (army), equipping your members (soldiers) and upgrading gear (training in the trenches). I’d never seen a game mix fantasy elements with a military theme similar to World War 2. If I’m researching better scopes for my sniper rifle, or practicing my turns in a tank, it’s probably in a Battlefield or Call of Duty game. Or even a real time strategy, which I guess you can sort of argue Valkyria Chronicles satisfies that criteria. It’s a delicate mish mash, but it worked remarkably well.
I liked how I could take my time while choosing what my units would do, but not dally enough so they’re prone to enemy fire. Going from a top down view to directly controlling your scout on the battlefield was a novelty I never tired of. Ok, red units over there…I’m going to choose my Lancer over here and try to sneak around their tank. WHOOSH! Ok now I’m the Lancer, oh crap! An enemy hiding the bushes! Get to cover, get to cover…ok. Barrier. Safe for now. Aim at the tank…
It was one of the few games I replayed a training mission over and over. Once I got my Scouts high enough, I could zip around the map and easily beat a mission in one or two turns, gaining a ton of experience. Some of the later maps that have magical evil bosses were so difficult that I justified the grind easily. I absolutely used a guide or two – while the combat is stellar, it can be finicky and I wasn’t in the mood to replay a mission that took 45 minutes of my time.
Despite the main theme, I was peace playing. The characters felt real, and some of the story beats were surprisingly effective. Rosie the Shocktrooper in particular has the game’s best moment and was completely in line with her personality and the tragedy that had just befallen. In a way, Valkyria Chronicles is completely removed from the horrors they’re trying to portray (how intimidating can a tank be when it emits cartoonish “BRRR” visual when it moves?), but at the same time they’re fully dedicated to the concept of slavery, occupation, violence and death. The game does not shy away from challenging topics, and in that way, it successfully ties gameplay and story together. Very few games can make that claim.
It’s the complete package. The gameplay loop ensures I wasn’t always in combat, or always going to the canteen to hear what the mechanic has to say, or shifting around in menus to find the ideal grenade. It’s such a treat to look at, the visuals are still stunning 15 years later. The soft watercolors and faded backgrounds meant the PS3 ran it perfectly and I never was at a loss for what I was looking at. Every village, landscape, building and face were works of art.
Part of the intrigue is that you’re not professional soldiers. You’re a civilian militia, volunteers for the conflict. This adds a layer of depth to the characters. Your fellow combatants are actually florists, teachers and bakers. I desperately wanted to see them all through to the end, so I could view what they’re like outside of combat. The epilogue hit hard, and it felt like I had been a part of a real global conflict, with all the heartache and triumph that comes along with it. The soundtrack is masterful, with blaring horns and sorrowful violins meant I always always feeling something. It’s easy to see why Gallia is worth defending for our heroes, and that motivation quickly shifted to me as well.
I thought I wanted more of this series, but Valkyria Chronicles 2 was a major disappointment I’m still wading my way through the fourth iteration. The foundation and fundamentals are still there, but maybe the freshness was lacking, or I already had my fill. Neither were anywhere close to the first game in terms of enjoyment, or discovery.
But I’ll never forget Valkyria Chronicles. It’s one of my favorites thanks to the earnestness of the people that inhabit Gallia, the stereotypically evil invading force, the impossible anime magic powers and the eyebrow-raising decision to incorporate all that into a semi-realistic World War 2-esque conflict. It’s a concept that probably shouldn’t work, but it’s executed beautifully.
The 500 