Now Playing: Valkyria Chronicles 4

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