By: Nate
One of the best Strategy Role-Playing Games of all time has finally answered the call and has gotten a remastered, Playstation 4 version. Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is the same adventure as before just with dual audio, full 1080p/60 frames per second visuals, trophies, and includes all of the original DLC for the game.
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered takes place in a fictitious, alternate representation of Europe called Europa. The small and neutral nation of Gallia is caught in between the war of two large Europan parties, the Federation and the Empire. Because of the immense amount of the valuable resource, Ragnite, the Empire decides to make Gallia a target.
The son of a war hero from the first Europan War, Welkin Gunther just so happens to be the game’s main protagonist. As Welkin returns home, his hometown’s life is flipped upside down because of an Empire invasion. Welkin must now take over as lieutenant of Gallia’s Squad 7 to fend off against the enemy forces.
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered’s story mode is quite lengthy with 18 main story chapters and several DLC missions. The plot of the game has both its boring and intriguing moments as you meet new characters and take on tough missions. The story has not changed from the original and the storybook style of progression leads for a unique experience.
Being a storybook tale, the book is titled, “On the Gallian Front.” One could think this is a very close title to the novel, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” I will leave that one up to you, the gamer. Once you conquer a few chapters of Valkyria Chronicles Remastered, you will be able to use all of your book’s features. There are several different sections within the few tabs of your book that are fun for any RPG fans including the Training Field, Skirmishes, and Headquarters.
Each of these sections offer something unique and fun for any gamer. In the Training Field, players can distribute their battlefield experience to their character classes. This helps provide any character in this class unlock new abilities and make them stronger. The Headquarters area lets you choose how to spend your money. You can decide to invest in better upgrades to your tanks, weapons and more. Skirmishes help you level up your characters if you are having difficulty on the battlefield or money issues.
With all that being said, there are so many rewards and options for players to progress. Players get the option to play the game their way. It is not a linear path.
Gameplay in Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is a turn-based, strategy system. First, players will choose which of their characters to put into battle and which will be reserves. Remember, the game is all about strategy. A player will get up to 20 turns to either capture the enemy’s base or kill all of the foes. The rules of winning and losing may change for each battle.
Each step and attack a player takes is very important. Want to use a tank? Well, make sure that you know what’s around the corner because you could be ambushed by multiple rocket enemies. The unique choice of weapons is interesting for this game too. It is all gun-based.
Even though there are so many positives about the gameplay, there are some negatives too. I felt like the game did not always run at 60 FPS; therefore, this made the experience slightly less impressive. I also wish that the game had a way to make it so that if you didn’t mean or want to take those final steps, then you could cancel it or at least be able to go backwards without it counting against your total steps taken. Yes, you only can move for so long with each character or tank and then you stop dead in your tracks.
In the future of the franchise, I would like to see a system like Disgaea’s, where you can cancel an attack before proceeding. This way, players can survive much more easily. The game also might be too hard for newcomers of the game. Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is not for the weak. Think of it like Bloodborne – really hard and mistakes can be costly.
Finally, we must talk about the graphics of this game. The art style is certainly distinct and gorgeous. This game has a unique anime infused with a pencil-drawing art style. Back in 2008 the game looked great and now with full 1080p HD, it looks slightly more vivid. Also, one last addition, the load screens have been shortened by a lot. It only takes a few seconds for most loading screens.
Overall, Valkyria Chronicles Remastered didn’t need to have a remastered version, but Sega insisted on giving the fan base what they’ve been asking for the past 8 years. With the already exquisitely drawn characters to the entertaining 30’s European style story, this game has so much going for itself. The additions of all the DLC, 1080p/60 FPS, and fantastic upgrades to this tough strategic game, make it to be one of the best experiences on the PS4 for the price. $29.99 is such a low amount of money for this masterpiece.
9/10 – The best Strategy Role-Playing Game for PS4 that you’ll get for under $30.
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