Return of the Valkyria.

I have a lot of fond memories of my time with the PS3, but when I think back, there was one genre of games that was sorely under-represented on the platform compared to its predecessor.

The JRPGs.

Amidst the sea of mediocrity, consisting of FFXIII and Neptunia games, there was one new IP that I remember most fondly and that is, of course, Valkyria Chronicles. It told a mature story, touching on themes of prejudice, love and the ugliness of war. Combined with a unique watercolor visual presentation and a mix of real time and turned based combat engine, I was immediately enamored with the game. To this date, I consider it hands down my favorite JRPG on the PS3.

Due to this fact, it was all the more disappointing when I saw where Sega decided to take the series next with two PSP exclusive sequels, one of which was never even localized for the States. The insult to injury was the disaster that was Valkyria Revolution, which was as much of a Valkyria game as Silent Hill the Pachiko Machine is a Silent Hill game.

However, it is true what they say- a good thing is hard to kill, and a full decade later, a proper new entry to the series has arrived and I’m happy to report that it’s exactly what I wanted and more.

Squad E, reporting for duty!

MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: PS4, X1, Switch, PC
Voice Acting: ENG/JPN
Demo: Yes!
Length: 40~ hours

There are many fronts to every war, and the story of VC4 takes place at the same time as that of the original. As soldiers of the Federation, the elite rangers of Squad E are tasked with a mission of utmost importance- to strike at the Empire’s heart by taking its capital and ending the war. However, such a decisive maneuver is easier said than done, and the war campaign ahead is fraught with peril.

While the overarching story present here hits familiar notes we’ve all seen before in war stories, the likeable cast of characters had me feeling invested from the very beginning. Each of the diverse team members brought something unique to the table more than just the weapons that they carried. Claude is a clever tactician, trying to redeem himself after what feels like a lifetime of regrets. Raz the invincible is reckless, hot headed and has a penchant for pulling off the impossible. Riley is a brilliant scientist who has a habit of blowing things up, both intentionally and unintentionally. Kai, the Deadeye sniper would rather be at the cafeteria eating some freshly baked bread but has a strong sense of responsibility to her family and friends that compels her to take to the battlefield.

She has a very particular set of skills…

The other members of Squad E, while not getting the time in the limelight nearly as much as the main cast all get their moment to shine during the Squad Stories, where a 3-4 members of the squad are tasked with a mission where their personalities and motivations are explored. Going through these squad stories also yielded the benefit of improving previously negative traits into something positive. For example, Odin, who is a coward by nature which manifests as a decrease in accuracy when being spotted by enemies, overcomes his fear and earns a trait that increases his stats instead in the same situation. It’s satisfying to see the numbers go up and see my characters become more powerful, but that satisfaction is increased by several folds when it’s in context to the story.

The same goes for the main characters as well, and I really felt like I could feel their growth not just in strength on the battlefield but in their resilience and perseverance, which made it easier to get invested in their story.

I could also take experience and money earned from completing missions to level up classes, unlocking new traits and orders as well as unlocking new powerful weapons through the R&D branch.

I love character progression tied to story elements!

The visual presentation of VC4 is another highlight, as the gorgeous canvas watercolor style makes a return and looks just as impressive as it did a decade ago. It’s a mark of timeless art style that I don’t feel it has aged in the slightest even after all these years. Even the game’s menus look gorgeous as the motif of the chapters of the story being on the pages of the journal that Claude is writing works to tie the visual presentation in context to the story.

It’s so nice that it kind of makes me want to keep a journal myself.

As for the combat, those who have played the original should be familiar with the “BLiTZ” system which is a mix of real time and turn based. Combat is broken down to two movements where in one phase, I am able to spend my turns moving my units around and attacking and once I was all out of turns, the phase would shift to the enemy where they were able to spend all their turns doing the same. This repeated until I was able to complete the objective.

When moving the units, the enemy wasn’t nice enough to just sit back and watch me wandering around the battlefield looking for the best vantage point. When I found myself in their line of sight and in range of their weapons, they would begin raining down a hail of bullets. Due to this fact, it was of utmost importance to proceed carefully, as encountering a squad of shocktroopers or a tank unexpectedly meant being riddled with bullets before I could react. Death could also be permanent, as once one my soldiers were down, I had a limited amount of turns to retrieve them either by using precious turns ordering an evacuation of getting a fellow soldier to do it themselves. If enough turns passed or the enemy was to make contact with their downed bodies, that character would be gone for the rest of the campaign. Luckily, story characters were immune to this mechanic but rest uneasy as you are sure to have to make a tough choice somewhere down the line where coming away without casualties might be impossible.

There’s still no combat engine that pulls off a mix of real time and turned based as well as BLiTZ in my book.

The various unit classes like the fast moving scouts or the tank busting lancers served their purpose well, and the newly added grenadiers provided new tactical options as they were able to break bunkers and blow up enemy encampments from a distance.

What really sets apart VC4’s combat isn’t so much in the engine itself as it remains mostly the same but in the variety of creative battle encounters. While the original had its share of unique objectives, the ones present in VC4 are of another level. Shooting down a squad of paratroopers before they can land using snipers or using the scouts to discern the real tanks from the fake ones so the artillery team can destroy them, the campaign is brimming with creativity. Sure, there are still some levels that involve taking the enemy camps or getting to a specific location, the expert level design required to me to think outside box, requiring multiple attempts as I experimented with different load outs. There’s just enough of a challenge present here to feel satisfying when completing missions but not enough that it became frustrating.

Unfortunately, how well I was graded for a level was still tied to how quickly I was able to finish the mission, leading to a mad rush to the objective and ample abuse of the overpowered orders which took some of strategy out of the latter levels. I would have much preferred it if it was tied to a variety of factors like camps captured, enemies defeated, allies lost and etc which would have rewarded a slower, more meticulous style of play.

Now you’re just being crazy.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 weaves an emotionally charged tale about how war changes everything it touches and even through moments where winning felt just as bad as losing, I felt compelled to push forward to the end. As a title that carries the heavy burden of expectations following the original’s pedigree of excellence as well as having to make up for a string of lackluster sequels that followed, Squad E carries on with its head held high, exceeding lofty expectations as it improves on nearly every aspect of the original, proving with utmost certainty that this is one of the finest series the genre has to offer.

Fun Tidbit – Once you complete the game, there are still more missions to challenge and much more things to unlock so keep playing! Also, very much looking forward to the VC 1 tie in DLC.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.