Valkyria Chronicles has been out for many years now and while I have played both the original release the PS1 (among other systems), I figured I would write how I felt about the recently released PS4 remaster.
VC is a great game, the same thoughts I had many years ago when first getting my hands on it. While there is generally is nothing which can be considered "new content" present, the game is such a classic and inspirational in so many ways that I could not help but be enthralled in the world of Europa yet again. The characters are so innocent and likeable that you can't help but be involved and be concerned enough to not want to see harm come their way.
The story is a believable one, and can almost certainly have been inspired by real world events. The world is at war, and Europa (said world) is dwindling in organic life, that being mostly human life. Gallia, which is a small independent establishment, is almost like its own little nation and is the homeworld of our protagonist. This war is being waged on Gallia by the Imperial Allied Forces or Empire over a rare and valuable resource called ragnite. This mineral is grown in Gallia and is being sought over by the evil Empire. They have waged a full fledged assault on Gallia and this is where our story begins.
The graphics hold up to this day, but should not be expected to stun and awe. The cel shaded like designs are unique and full of a shaded greyish like color, and the age is evident. However, this does not by any means it is ugly. The creativity and talent of the game's artists is clear and evident in each facial expression.
Welkin, the easy going and nature loving protagonist, is a normal late teen college student whose parents were both killed at a very young age. He has been raised by a surrogate mother and father and wants anything but war when he is suddenly met by a mysterious and charming woman being led by armed escort guards. Alicia, as you will learn, is the woman and she informs Welkin that Gallia is under attack and everyone should evacuate the town. Welkin loves his family and home far too much to abandon it so he joins the squad in ridding his home of the invading forces. This is the beginning of the 2nd Europan World War. After seeing his innate shooting abilities, Welkin is convinced in enlisting in the Gallian Armed Forces. Not only does the plot involve a lot of terrible and tragic stories of youth being thrust into a greed-inspired war, but it also has many scary comparisons to the world we live in and how scary and eventful a war can be. Not the normal JRPG silly, goofy vibes can be felt here.
The story contains many more side plots and twists, but I'll not get too far into it. After Welkin enlists and is soon thereafter named Captain of a small squad. Squad 7 is created and the real action begins. In between missions and battles, you will be at your home base facility where you will be able to strengthen your weapons and gear and also your own Tank which is called the Edelweiss. In addition, you will also be tasked with handpicking your allied units of Squad 7 and will be able to choose your own Snipers, Engineers, Shock Troopers, Scouts & the Lancers. They will each be unique and have their own personality as well as skills and flaws. Its hard not to begin to feel a friendship with most of them because they are portrayed as such average and normal teens and adults that its very relatable to real life. You will want to choose your favorites and will need to weigh their abilities if you want to get a killer squad. Some are keen to the desert life, some want to be around female soldiers, some are just plain hard accustom to. Also, at base, Welkin can swap wounded soldiers out for rested ones, and he can also get involved with the local newspaper and provide Gallia with the latest news on the frontline. Also, the graveyard can be visited and when there, you can purchase special Squad Orders, which can be very useful in battle. The better your score from battle to battle, the higher your grade will be and thus, the more money you receive. Also, later in the game, you can be awarded medals and weapons taken from enemy units. You will want to do good and level all of your classes up. Rosie is a beast and a force to be reckoned with when she is leveled up and has the right weapons layout.
Now, on to the most interesting element of VC. The battle system. The turn based factor is still present, but is done so a little differently with VC. Now, each side is given 10 turns for instance. You will choose which unit you want to move, and the camera zooms in on them. For a brief period of time, you will be able to move this character a certain number of steps and when in shooting range of an opponent, the AI takes over and shoots whoever is in the way. It is very easy to be killed and oh by the way, once one of your squad members is downed and is moved onto by the enemy, he is gone for good and will be another war casualty. (except for a few key characters who will retreat if this happens due to plot reasons). You can call a medic to revive downed allies but in some cases, the enemy will encroach and make it seem inevitable to keep everyone alive. I lost several top notch soldiers early on and regretted that I let them beget this fate later on. The game has a nice story-book codex which keeps up to date info on all your characters and their fate. Back to the battle, strategy is the keyword here, as you will find out in the later battles where enemies will be waiting around every corner and use all sorts of tactics that will keep the challenge flowing. The only downfall to the battle system, is sometimes it fails to work as it is supposed to, such as the steps that you can take will not give you enough steps and leave you feeling cheated, and the A.I can be a little crazy and unpredictable sometimes and in a bad way. The system is outdated but remains fun to interact with to this day. Its interesting to see at the end of a playthrough, which soldiers you were able to keep alive and their fates in life, and those who became a statistic.
VC has magical elements but do not expect them in multitudes, as it rarely involves it. There is a lot I could go into and discuss, but will let you see for yourself. Also, there is a ton of replayability to be had with VC, as completing the story unlocks new side chapters as well as certain story lines. New optional battles unlock as well and the game throws a stricter difficulty at you. So there is plenty of hours that can potentially be put into doing all the stuff it has to offer. In my humble opinion, VC remains to be the best strategy-based JRPG we have seen thus far. And that is saying a lot!!!!