A wonderfully charming and unique spin on the strategy-RPG genre.
The first thing to say about this game is that it absolutely drips with artistic flair and originality. You can tell from moment one, this game aspires to be the type of game that you simply can't compare to anything else. The story, art design and gameplay all have a high level or uniqueness. I'll break down each of those three components in the coming paragraphs....
THE STORY - The story is easily one of the most impressive aspects of this title. The concept is a wholely engrosing combination of fantasy aspects, intermixed with historic aspects seeminly derived from European history. Though obviously driven by its fantasy aspects, the story becomes an almost familiar tale based on waring contries fighting to increase thier borders and secure resources. Think of the second world war set amongst a steam-punk or fantasy theme. Unlike many strategy RPGs that use story merely to move you to the next battlefield, the events of this story seem a relevant entity, and make for a very enjoyable experience.
THE DESIGN - Simply put, this game is beautiful to look at. It uses a soft color palette that almost gives a pastelle look, and the animations are wonderfully attractive hand drawn scenes. Its essentially like playing a live cartoon, and at times seems like a great example of "less is more". By using such a refreshing art style, the overall design seems to perfectly befit what the development team was trying to do with the story.
THE GAMEPLAY - Now, its almost unfair to call this a "strategy rpg" for fear that it will get wrongly categorized into the same company as grid based affairs. There are almost too many different aspects at play to simply lump this game into any one specific style. It would actually be more accurate to say this game combines some of the best aspects of many different genres. You collect teamates and dispatch them across the battlefield like many strategy RPGs, but the similarities stop there. There is no grid, and environments are open and vast. Different characters have different skills and abilities, and which soldiers you use and how, will form many of the game's strategic elements. You will have different classes of soldiers at your disposal, including scouts, snipers, engineers, etc and each has specific advantages and disadvantages in different situations. You move your characters about the battlefield, but once you're ready to perform an attack or action, the game takes you into a 3rd person shooter type mode. This also involves being able to hide behind cover, climb towers, and interact with aspects fo the environment. Another key element at play is your main character's vehicle, a tank, which will be the centerpiece of your army. The game manages to combine many elements together, yet in such an artisitic and seemless manner, that everything just comes together in wonderful package.
So, now you're probably asking yourself why I only gave this game an 8/10 considering how much I thouroughly enjoyed the aspects of the game right?
Well, the game isn't without a few shortcomings (though the following issues should not prevent you from playing or enjoying this title)
ISSUES - Perhaps its unfair to call these "issues", as they're not really complaints, but rather areas of improvement that could have turned this great game into an excellent one. You only get access to five classes of characters, so after a few battles, the strategies can be somewhat limitted. The addition of an extra class or two (maybe a medic, grenadier, etc) or something may have gone a long way in adding extra depth to the strategy. Same goes for the environments. They're wonderfully creative and enjoyable, but could have been a tad more complex. For example, many areas have elements of the environment you can use for cover, but there is some inconsistancy here. One minute you can hide behind a sandbag wall, yet the next moment, you're not allowed to hide behind a crate, and you must leave a character in danger, when it seems like they should be able to croutch or hide.
The only other complain I have is that there could have been more diversity in terms of how the scenarios pan out; it feels as if you're trying to script each fight at times, as opposed to being able to think and change strategies on the fly.
SUMMARY - The only complaints I can provide about this game are simply areas where certain themes or aspects could have been improved upon. Otherwise, there really aren't any negatives to talk about. This is simply an excellent game.
By combining a great story, original art design, and an addictive blend of gameplay elements, "Valkyria Chronicles" is a wonderfully charming and unique spin on the strategy RPG genre.