Review for Valkyria Chronicles 4. Game for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 21/03/2018 The version for PC came out on 25/09/2018 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 25/09/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 25/09/2018 The version for Xbox One came out on 25/09/2018
It's been about ten years since the original Valkyria Chronicles first took us to its steampunk-fantasy reinterpretation of Europe during World War II. With that first chapter, the Sega franchise gave life to one of the most interesting titles of the past generation, capable of bringing a breath of originality to the strategic RPG genre. Despite the undisputed value of the work, the series has never enjoyed great sales results; after all, the strategists have always struggled to attract a large audience on consoles, and if we count that the second chapter arrived on a PSP with a limited user range, we understand why Sega decided not to locate the third chapter of the series in the West.
In seeking a wider audience, last year Sega attempted, with Valkyria Revolution, an experiment that was too arduous to be successful: a strategic action that ended up in that category that experts call in technical language "neither meat nor fish". The unfortunate spin-off raised fan demands for a return to the more effective classic formula. A request that Sega has fully satisfied with Valkyria Chronicles 4: a pure sequel, direct descendant of the first unforgettable chapter, which will delight fans. And this time available for everyone, not only on PlayStation 4 but also on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
The direct kinship of Valkyria Chronicles 4 with the first chapter of the saga is palpable since the background of the story: we are once again in 1935, that is chronologically in the same period as the original Valkyria Chronicles. While the Empire is busy advancing into the territories of the Atlantic Alliance through the invasion of the principality of Gaul, our adventure will start from another front. Given that the advance of the imperial troops seems unstoppable, the Alliance decides to concentrate all its forces in one fell swoop: theOperation Northern Cross, a daring mission of penetration among the enemy ranks that aims to directly conquer the capital of the Empire and therefore force it to surrender.
The main characters are a group of young soldiers who were once childhood friends who found themselves in the ranks of the army as members of Team E, the elite unit entrusted with Operation Northern Cross, commanded by the protagonist Claude Wallace. Together they will embark on their delicate mission which will reserve many surprises and adversities for them. If you haven't played the previous chapters don't be scared: the story is perfectly usable even individually, and only a few references will wink at fans who know past episodes.
Even in style and themes, the title refers very much to the progenitor of the series, with all the pros and cons of the case. The game setting is always fascinating with its excellent balance of fantastic elements inserted in a good or bad realistic world (except for the ragnite and its various uses). By its nature Valkyria Chronicles 4 is aimed at an audience who can appreciate a Japanese-style narrative, with fairly verbose dialogues between the characters (in any case well characterized) and light-hearted scenes of comradeship, even insane, which interrupt serious situations, breaking the dramatic tension.
What made us turn up our noses is that the story would also contain interesting themes related to the war, but these are not explored too much. On the other hand, we found the possibility of deepening the stories of the non-protagonist soldiers of Squad E interesting by facing secondary missions centered on them and seasoned with background and insights into the mentality of the soldiers; a way enough to make them a little more three-dimensional and less anonymous than usual.
With the Revolution action experiment set aside, Valkyria Chronicles 4 returns to its classic formula with BLiTZ system, to which some interesting news and features have been added. Players of the series will immediately feel at ease, once again finding the map of the battlefield where to place and keep an eye on units strategically, and then switch to third person view to move soldiers, shoot enemies and perform other actions.
In addition to the typical classes already seen in the past, we see the addition of Grenadiers, units capable of launching powerful attacks from a distance that strike with a parabolic trajectory (thus avoiding cover and obstructions), without being bulky like tanks; slow and limited in movement, but effective for defensive cover fire.
For their part, the tanks will no longer consume two CPs (Command Points) to be used, but only one: in this way you are more inclined to use them rather than leave them behind compared to the infantry units. This facility also made it possible to create in the game more situations of clashes where the use of heavy artillery and tank coverage is essential. In this regard, we will not only have the Hafen (Claude's tank) but also an armored vehicle which, although not equipped with a machine gun instead of a cannon, is capable of transporting other infantry units protecting them in its armor. To these are added other circumstantial tanks provided by the Alliance depending on the mission, plus the support of the Navy in the form of targeted bombings.
Many small new possibilities that make the battle system more elastic and stimulate the player's tactical inspiration. At the same time, the game offers a greater variety of situations and objectives to overcome with a good choice of options that the effective level design offers. Although the Scouts still have on their side the high mobility and effectiveness that had made them rather unbalanced in previous chapters, now the situation is more balanced and fair.
In short, Sega has chosen to re-propose the typical formula of the series, rejuvenating it and embellishing it with various interesting elements, but did not dare too much not to upset the cards on the table and the identity of the brand; so if you expected an evolution in this sense you might be disappointed. From our point of view we do not feel we can blame this choice: The gameplay of Valkyria Chronicles 4 works great and will delight fans of the genre. The only real flaw that we would have appreciated an improvement is the AI of the enemies, who often fall into simple traps or do not take easy opportunities to take us out. In the advanced stages of the game, however, the level of challenge turns out to be more than satisfactory.
Even on the graphic side, the new Valkyria Chronicles could only remain faithful to his spectacular visual style that makes it look like a kind of animated film drawn in watercolors. Thanks to the enhancement of the CANVAS graphic engine, the images on the screen are even more defined and fascinating, while betraying a certain technical antiquity. The polygonal models are barely passable and the same can be said of the animations, which we will still be able to see only on very few occasions and more than anything else limited to the faces framed in the dialogues. These limits are however well hidden thanks to a really pleasant artistic direction, and even if your eye will notice the technical approximations, it will be difficult not to appreciate the general aesthetics of the title anyway. A quality that is not limited to the effects of the engine or the use of colors, but which can also be admired in the character design and in the particular characterization of Europe at war.
A setting that would not have the same charisma without the maestro's soundtrack Hitoshi Sakimoto (which we have already heard in titles like Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII, Odin Sphere). Although the tracks may be few in number and varied, the quality of Sakimoto's orchestral compositions is truly superb. The historical composer of the saga once again manages to convey the right sense of tension and pathos of the battles, and does so with a style that naturally resonates with the themes of the previous episodes. Finally, the English dubbing does its duty, even if not as much as the original Japanese one, which is fortunately available to the delight of purists.
After ten years it cannot exactly be said that the saga has made great strides, but at least it seems to have found its natural and more effective dimension. Valkyria Chronicles 4 is really the worthy sequel to the progenitor of the series, it recovers the themes and the game formula, which it develops with new elements that refine the gameplay, making it more varied and balanced. The limits found are practically physiological of the saga, but they do not prevent this episode from being an excellent product, which we recommend to all lovers of the series and turn-based strategy in general.
► Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a JRPG-Tactical type game developed and published by Sega for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 21/03/2018 The version for PC came out on 25/09/2018 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 25/09/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 25/09/2018 The version for Xbox One came out on 25/09/2018
