I rather enjoyed the
original Valkyria Chronicles, so when Valkyria Chronicles 4 went on
sale recently, I decided to give it a spin. But I feel like I could
copy and paste my entire review of the original Valkyria Chronicles
and most of what I’d written there would still apply here. Because
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is, more or less, the same game.
If you’re expecting VC4
to be a radical overhaul of the original game, then you’ll be
disappointed. I’m not just talking about the core gameplay, but the
way the game is presented and the way you progress. VC4 is set during
the same conflict as the original game, but focuses upon a new squad
on a new mission.
Once again, the missions
unlock via the pages of a ‘story book’, each accompanied by
animated scenes. Like the original, you can sometimes feel like
you’re spending more time watching the animated scenes than you are
playing the missions, and the game gets off to a slow start with some
rather easy and dull operations.
But, like the original, the
missions do become more complex and interesting as you progress –
as does the story. Once you start getting to know your squad, you
really do become invested in their mission and want to see it through
to the end.
As in VC, each mission
begins with a briefing and a map overview in which to position your
squad. You have a set number of command points per turn in which to
move and attack, after which the enemy turn begins. It’s the same
mix of strategy and puzzle that made the original so fun to play.
Because like the original, obtaining the best grade on a mission is
based on turns taken, so it’s all about figuring out the most
optimal way to complete your objectives.
As you progress through the
missions you’ll earn money and experience that, just like in the
original, you can use to level up your squad classes, learn new
orders and purchase upgrades for your weapons and equipment. There
are ‘squad stories’ to unlock which are smaller, more character
focused missions. And, as you’d expect, a range of skirmish maps to
test your skills.
That’s not to say that
VC4 doesn’t have any new tricks up its sleeve. In fact, most of my
criticisms of the original game appear to have been addressed. You
can now replay missions as you progress and overall, the mission
ranking system is far more generous in VC4 than the original.
Too often in the original
you’d rely entirely upon the scout class if you wanted to obtain an
A rank on an operation. This came as a detriment to the other
classes, some of which you’d rarely – if ever
– use in a mission. But because VC4 is more generous with its
rankings in terms of turns taken, you now have more freedom and
flexibility to approach your objectives in a variety of ways.
This is helped by another
new addition to the game – squad commands – in which a ‘leader’
character can order two other squad members to follow and support
them in battle, without any loss of their individual action points.
Another welcome new addition is the APC, which can transport your
squad across the map – once again, without the loss of their
individual action points.
Some may dislike how much
easier it is to obtain A ranks in VC4 compared to the original, but I
prefer these changes because I don’t feel quite so restricted in
how I want to approach each operation. I’m not relying entirely
upon a single class. I get to plan out more elaborate strategies, not
only to complete the operation in as few turns as possible, but also
to destroy as many enemy units as I can.
Like the original, VC4, at
its heart, is a puzzle game. But whereas in VC there was often only
one
solution to completing a puzzle with the best rank, in VC4 there are
multiple solutions. VC4 also introduces a new class – the
grenadier. Equipped for either anti-tank or anti-infantry, the
grenadier will be an important part of your strategy. The only
negative I have for the grenadier class is that it’s kind of
rendered the lancer class almost entirely redundant.
Another new addition is
that of ‘ship orders’ which you can use to reveal hidden enemy
units or call down artillery strikes, although these aren’t as
useful as they seem and you probably won’t rely upon them much
during your operations – at least, I didn’t feel I needed them.
Oh, and they also reduced the command point cost of vehicles from 2
to 1, so you don’t feel so restricted with how much you can use
your tanks or the APC.
As far as gameplay goes,
I’d say VC4 improves upon the formula of the original. It doesn’t
make sweeping
changes, just small tweaks and additions to create a more flexible
and creative system for the player to explore. And I think most fans
will be happy with that. It’s an improved version of the original
game – no more, no less.
But if there is one thing
I’d say I preferred in the original, it’s the characters and
story. That’s not to say I didn’t like the story and characters
of VC4 – because I did. But overall, I’d say I enjoyed and was
more engaged by those in the original game.
If you’ve never played VC
then you can just as easily start with VC4, but it might be worth
playing the original first so you can appreciate the changes. But if
you’ve already played VC and you enjoyed it, then VC4 is an easy
recommendation to make. Just be aware that what you’re getting
isn’t any kind of radical overhaul. It’s the same game with a new
story, characters and some welcome quality of life gameplay
improvements. And sometimes, that’s all a sequel really needs.
7/10
