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Valkyria Chronicles
December 8, 2008 | 5:48 PM PST
Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.
What the Game's About
Valkyria Chronicles is a pseudo turned-based strategy game set in a world that loosely resembles the Cold War era. The Geo-political powers are given different names but back-story really is reminiscent of the democracies of the world versus the Soviets. The story is told like you are reading a history book of a great war. You start in a small nation Gallia from a small hamlet called Bruhl. Because Gallia has the highest concentration of a precious material, Ragnite, the enemy Empire wants to control the neutral nation. It is up to you and your team of allies in an ultimate story of David going up against Goliath.
What's Hot
If you are looking for a feel-good story, apply elsewhere. The game's tone -- a melancholy of war wrapped up in tragedy -- is the most compelling aspect of the game. The story is told visually with colored pencil style that looks more Okami than straightforward anime. The stylized approach goes a long way in conveying the narrative and pulling players into the sad world of war
What makes Chronicles stand out from other turned based strategy offerings like Fire Emblem, Disgaea or Advanced Wars is that it does away with the checkerboard style game board that makes your characters feel more like pawns in a chess match. When you see the battlefield map and select your fighter, you are pulled down into the third-person action in real-time. You have a mobility meter and you are able to change weapons or items as you dodge out of the way of gunfire from the Empire. As you navigate the battles, you can find cover to hide behind or stand out in the open like a sitting duck. These choices feed into the overall strategy of how you complete the missions. The unique blend of action and the elements of turned-based strategy work extremely well together. It isn't just a novelty; it'll profoundly affect how the genre functions from here on out.
After a few tutorial rounds, Chronicles opens up and gives you more options to customize your squad. Leveling up your team is a perfect compromise between micro-control and autonomy over the progression of your units. There are five different unit classes, which is enough to give you to plan some nice strategies but not too many so that the balance is out of whack and breaks the strategy.
What's Not
The most obvious thing missing is a multiplayer mode. Neither online nor offline modes are available. It really limits the game's lasting appeal because after you play the entire single player campaign, there isn't anything left to explore or keep experiencing other than missions you have completed before. Chronicles is perfectly set up to integrate multiple, but doesn't capitalize on that fact.
The action isn't without faults. The battle map is something to get used to and you don't get a really good sense of the flow of battle until you zoom down to where the action is. You'll need ultra quick reflexes to not get hammered with potshots from the Empires' forces when you are trying to selected your weapons or end your turn. This annoyance leads to more lost HP than it should. Aiming weapons is somewhat of a rushed affair; thankfully the enemies will stop firing when you look down the sights to give you some reprieve. As soon as you want to run around, they focus like a laser on you and drain your HP if you aren't careful.
The genre and the style is something very niche. You have the often intense and slow pace of the turned based RPG genre, and you also have the anime-influenced characters and story. If you aren't a fan of one or the other (or either) you might not get wrapped up in the otherwise beautifully crafted gameplay and story.
Final Word
If you want a focused single player game with a heavy reliance on strategy that blends genres in a unique way, you need to play Chronicles. If you have a hankering for something more expansive in terms of modes and features, then perhaps you might want to look elsewhere but, be warned, you are missing out on something truly special.
What the Game's About
Valkyria Chronicles is a pseudo turned-based strategy game set in a world that loosely resembles the Cold War era. The Geo-political powers are given different names but back-story really is reminiscent of the democracies of the world versus the Soviets. The story is told like you are reading a history book of a great war. You start in a small nation Gallia from a small hamlet called Bruhl. Because Gallia has the highest concentration of a precious material, Ragnite, the enemy Empire wants to control the neutral nation. It is up to you and your team of allies in an ultimate story of David going up against Goliath.
What's Hot
If you are looking for a feel-good story, apply elsewhere. The game's tone -- a melancholy of war wrapped up in tragedy -- is the most compelling aspect of the game. The story is told visually with colored pencil style that looks more Okami than straightforward anime. The stylized approach goes a long way in conveying the narrative and pulling players into the sad world of war
What makes Chronicles stand out from other turned based strategy offerings like Fire Emblem, Disgaea or Advanced Wars is that it does away with the checkerboard style game board that makes your characters feel more like pawns in a chess match. When you see the battlefield map and select your fighter, you are pulled down into the third-person action in real-time. You have a mobility meter and you are able to change weapons or items as you dodge out of the way of gunfire from the Empire. As you navigate the battles, you can find cover to hide behind or stand out in the open like a sitting duck. These choices feed into the overall strategy of how you complete the missions. The unique blend of action and the elements of turned-based strategy work extremely well together. It isn't just a novelty; it'll profoundly affect how the genre functions from here on out.
After a few tutorial rounds, Chronicles opens up and gives you more options to customize your squad. Leveling up your team is a perfect compromise between micro-control and autonomy over the progression of your units. There are five different unit classes, which is enough to give you to plan some nice strategies but not too many so that the balance is out of whack and breaks the strategy.
What's Not
The most obvious thing missing is a multiplayer mode. Neither online nor offline modes are available. It really limits the game's lasting appeal because after you play the entire single player campaign, there isn't anything left to explore or keep experiencing other than missions you have completed before. Chronicles is perfectly set up to integrate multiple, but doesn't capitalize on that fact.
The action isn't without faults. The battle map is something to get used to and you don't get a really good sense of the flow of battle until you zoom down to where the action is. You'll need ultra quick reflexes to not get hammered with potshots from the Empires' forces when you are trying to selected your weapons or end your turn. This annoyance leads to more lost HP than it should. Aiming weapons is somewhat of a rushed affair; thankfully the enemies will stop firing when you look down the sights to give you some reprieve. As soon as you want to run around, they focus like a laser on you and drain your HP if you aren't careful.
The genre and the style is something very niche. You have the often intense and slow pace of the turned based RPG genre, and you also have the anime-influenced characters and story. If you aren't a fan of one or the other (or either) you might not get wrapped up in the otherwise beautifully crafted gameplay and story.
Final Word
If you want a focused single player game with a heavy reliance on strategy that blends genres in a unique way, you need to play Chronicles. If you have a hankering for something more expansive in terms of modes and features, then perhaps you might want to look elsewhere but, be warned, you are missing out on something truly special.
November 20, 2009
