Valkyria Chronicles™

Simple to learn, hard to master tactics hybrid that expects a lot from the player, but at great reward for the payoff when the planning and strategy pays off. The final portion of the game really pushes you to be efficient. The computer WILL take advantage of any slack you give them.

The story has some solid beats, and explores war and how it affects the characters well. However, VC does have the common JRPG slump near the end where the writing has to drive toward the final boss fight.

The game has aged well with its "history book" aesthetic and solid character/world design. Even the individual squad mates that would be randomly generated and lifeless in a modern game all have their own personality.

Highly recommended and worth the time.

At the start the mission are condensed and packed it let you make a plan and execute it in a timely manner, unfortunately the later chapters are such a slog to waddle through, no wonder people ended up rushing scouts, is that or having to stay an hour just to move soldiers through the field. Is not by any means hard but spending so much time just moving units to move units to move units to move units to move units, every unit with their animations: orders, movement, potential, execution, result, voiceline. God so many animations I just want to move a goddamn, an scenario takes so long unless you cheese it.

And on top of that the enemy turn, the enemy artillery it's so so so long

chill

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this game.
Prospective buyers be aware you need to find a patch for the ladders in chapter 15 or they'll clip your units under the map.

Overall enjoyable but be prepared for some bad-tasting gameplay moments, gameplay that rewards cheese above all else, and that most levels will punish you for starting with more than the bare minimum of units, with optimal gameplay generally being to dip into a level just enough to figure out what that minimum is, then rushing to capture points to bring in the units you want for the rest.

I'm also not sure what happens in the first Selvaria level if the side of the tank she magnetises to happens to be the last one you have left, but the possibility that's an auto-fail is horrifying to me.

I actually played VC2, VC3 and then this. I own a psp, and I just got the time to play VC1.

Based off general combat this has bigger maps, easy personnel & weapons upgrade. VC2's personnel is much worse and the 3rd is even harder. But this review isn't for VC2 nor VC3. Combat and leveling wise I give the trophy to VC1. But the tanks suck so much I could have a civilian do his job even better. (Also the 'Main Characters' the ones with medals suck balls so hard I only deploy them for extra APs. Thank god VC2 & VC3 fixed it)

You would very much cheese this game, as you get higher ranks (easier in the long run). The problem with this game is the difficulty spikes (notably chapter 7, chapter 16 and chapter 18) and you're either forced to Skirmish to FARM exp so you can beat it easier. VC2 & VC3 doesn't have much or it isnt notable.

If you are reading this and contemplating which VC to pick;

VC1: Bigger maps, easy weapons upgrade, HD (wow), basic aim, and high levelled crews eliminates RNG, also easy to get potentials
Tanks are shit and non customizable, difficulty spikes is higher than my sugar spike

VC2: Maps are smaller, weapons are locked behind Aces, levelling up mastery Potentials are RNG, Directional aim (Aiming behind them eliminates evasion), tanks are customizable, no notable difficulty spike

VC3: Same as VC2, but levelling up crew is more RNG than even depends on your crew's class (yes VC3 every char can change class), the tank is customizable. Great story + VC1 and VC2's char have cameos in this. The ending also depends on your choice.

GIve it Scouts are broken (Alicia is just a super soldier) (it's 6) out of 10 but that's because I already played all 3.

the gameplay is simple yet challenging as you try to make the most out of every action point. every mission makes you learn on your own mistakes and come up with different strategies. the themes of standing together against a greater enemy with no morals and fighting for your home really resonated with me since i'm ukrainian and made me connect even more deeply with its already well-written characters. i'm glad that this game was my introduction to turn-based single player games and i will definitely look differently on the genre after playing it.

This game is amazing, hands down one of the best and most unique games I've ever played. I'm a big fan of games like fire emblem, and this game has a lot of similarities to that genre. The characters are very memorable, and the game play is hard at points but not to hard where your slamming your desk.

All in all, there's nothing I can think of that's bad about this game besides the point there's no replay-ability, but there's so much content it'll take a while to get to that point. Very good game and very much worth every cent.

Despite being not that optimized for PC, it was a very fun game, great art and voicing, and fun gameplay mechanics. Great recommend for those that like anime and turn based games

Men of War won't open so this is the next thing that I open to blow things in a (pretend to be) WWII tactics game.

The gameplay has it's own merits tho. It is not braindead as other people claim but it falls in the easier side and the story is servicable enough to keep you going, with a couple of strikes of genious, but without breaking any molds and being WWII/Diesel-punk themed won't save you If you don't bite into anime tropes too well.

That said, the game incentivices good plans and execution, has enough mechanical deep to make you consider your squad composition and equipment in and between missions and the game loop is quite solid, taking all mission objectives in record turns will never get old and the main cast is likeable enough to care for them and follow their journey.

Next time MoW crashes on me I'll review VC4.

Really enjoy the tactics in this games, simple yet satisfying. Second purchase of this game will play again in the future for sure. Glad its on Steam so I don't have to worry about console compatibility.

Hopefully they will release VC 2 and VC 3 in the US someday maybe remastered into a PS5 format (really missed out on the customization of the classes from both games). or maybe a VC5 in the future that incorporates those mechanics.

Great game with rich story. Consider to buy it when it's sale. The gameplay mix with turn base, and shooter which is more aiming player's strategy to win this game. Worth to buy

its a great addition to the tactical rpg genre, the soundtrack is amazing and the combat is really fun

Finished the game 100%. Scratched my tactics itch and I'm now aiming to 100% VC4. Story was fun, mechanics was good. Must buy classic if you're into japanese tactics games.

I never played the og but, this game is fucking amazing. Everything from art, animation, story, and game play is really fun. Eventually you realize you only need 1 bread baking scout to basically beat the game, but if you avoid the aliciarushing you can have a lot of fun. i really recommend this to start you off in the VC universe.

Only downside is barely any valkyria running around, and our main girl only uses her power twice and barely does much with it. which makes me a bit sad.

Braindead easy gameplay with a story that would give Tim O'Brien a seizure. All morality in the setting is directly centered around Welkin and what he believes.

It good, but can feel it as the control might be a bit clunky due to an old game

Fun and unique turn-based game with a cool story. Not to be played as a big time-sink but a more comfort game with fun challenges. Enemy AI is usually just the right difficulty, but this doesn't mean there aren't frustrating moments.

is good

War, war never changes

It was very good. Get it on sale and your in for a fun time.

This game along with the remaining of the franchise easily got his way amongs my all-time favourites.
My entry of this franchise is quite unusual, started with the VC2 in the psp, then years later down the line, i tried VCV4 and them VC1, i do hope eventually SEGA will remaster or remake VC2 and VC3.
I don´t think my words would make justice on how much i liked it.
Now, onto to the bad points i found:

-Even though i had found the cast memorable, as i played, along the story, i found a bit of shame that there wasn´t any developtment for any of the secondary characters, there were times it felt that the main story perspective was only within the "main characters, that being welkin, alicia, isara, largo, and rosie).

-Once you get all leveled up and get to have a wide range of tools (weapons), i hate how easy it is to clear a map in a lazy manner if you want to, it doesn´t have to be like that, but it´s very hard not to play like that to get an A rank, and also, the last two missions, map-wise, were a bit of a led-down, i managed to beat the last main boss within 2-3 turns.

-Because of the nature of the game, despite carrying good topics and good dialogue overall, sometimes, there are lines that came out a bit too much cheesy (childish) for me.

I don´t think else i can say related to bad points, and this is just a me thing.
If you decided to decided to give this game a try, i want you to know this, the difficulty of the maps spikes from chapter to chapter and even if you didn´t get an A-rank, you can always come back when you you´re better at the game after clearing the main story, and for the love of Valkyria, DO NOT FORGET TO SAVE, everytime you do something,i can´t tell how much time i lost, problably 10 hours.

A great game that I suck at (replaying a level 5+ times to complete it)

Anime Band of Brothers = Good

In this supposedly tactical game you can't plan your movement because of a mechanic called intercepting fire. You are getting shot at constantly not only when you move (I thought - reaction fire, fair enough) but also when you stop and stay in place or aim from behind the cover. If you take longer than a few seconds your characters just die. An extremely stupid mechanic in my opinion, the devs clearly wanted to to a third person shooter instead.

Very interesting from
the beginning. Becomes extremely boring.

If you love the anime, buying this on sale is quite worth it!
You may also buy the 4th version and play it afterwards, but since I didn't have the money for the 4th version, I'll probably buy it at a later time after finishing this first version.
Unfortunately, you will not be able to play the other versions for they didn't get ported, sadly.
However, as I've said, this is worth it if you like the anime.

I need to play more

One of the best games I've ever played.

This game is a console-oriented story-based tactical turn-based strategy JRPG. And it really works. Plays great on controller and works fine with keyboard and mouse.

The story is rather cute. All the characters have genuine stories, motivations, emotions, and have flaws. No objectification or s**ualization here.

If you like the aesthetic of the 1930's and 1940's but want none of the uh, depressing additions that come from those times, this game is for you

The voice acting is nice. I have no idea of the Japanese dub, but the English stuff sounds nice and well done. I haven't noticed any weird lip sync issues, but I haven't paid that much attention either

Uh oh apparently yesterday was its 16th anniversary!!!

i like it

9/10 Wish there more games like these. (And that 2/3 are ported properly)

The game sometimes opens but minimizes and wont let me bring it up again.

In short: it's a combination of advanced wars and a light-hearted anime. Great soundtrack, engrossing game mechanics and an overall charming story.

In detail: I got this game on steam out of nostalgia. I last played this game when it came out. I loved advanced wars on the DS and simply couldn't find another game like that, turn based ish, but with more depth and plot. I found Valkyria chronicles and enjoyed it thoroughly.
The game runs perfectly no issues there. The soundtrack is good and never gets familiar. You grow attached to your squad and it's painful if they ever die on you. The plot stays with an (overall) lighthearted theme. The scale of missions reflects a growing theatre of war and with the extra skirmish and dlc missions they can get very difficult.
Overall would give it an 8/10. when you consider there aren't many games in this kind of genre then you could even give it a 10/10 for what it does.

Its a fun game with a great story line.

Damn fun game that combines the adrenaline of a shooter with the cocaine-like cerebral effects of a turn-based strategy game. Graphics and UI are dated, but for $5 on sale, it's an absolute steal to pick up.

One of my favourite games of all time, a timeless and niche tactical rpg from 2008 that I remember fondly growing up. This series is something special and somewhat of a hidden gem. This world and the story told through it is very charming and I would recommend this series to anyone who likes tactics-esc rpg games. Valkyria Chronicles 1 does show it's age these days, and I would highly recommend playing blind without the use of guides, due to lots of easily exploited mechanics and jank from the old design of the missions. I love VC1 over VC4, however I would recommend VC4 for more solid and modern gameplay. There is also an Anime released for this game, however the story is portrayed significantly better in the game.

The only thing that'd make this game better is if Sega would hurry up and give us a 5th in the series.

one of my favorite games of all time the turn based combat some how feels faster than most games in the same catagory probably due to the crossfire mechanic
my only real gripe is the between game menus and how you navigate them (and some achivements requiring you to let party members die)

Tried to like it, but unfortunately not for me. Combat is interactive enough and provides a decent challenge though.

Any individual who would join a military (of any nationality. They are all, ultimately, all roughly the same in this regard,) should first turn to history as their primary teacher and advisor.

History teaches us:

-Exceptionalism is a threat to those above you in the hierarchy and it must be punished.

-Success will earn you increasingly impossible tasks.

-Political recognition is a temporary shield from a jealous structure that wants you dead simply for doing the job you were hired for.

I'm not being funny; this was my experience while I was in, and this game does an excellent job of emulating that reality.

In the event you don't believe this to be an endorsement:

-The cast is very endearing.
-The gameplay is extremely fun, once you understand the unique take on turn-based combat.
-It's a slow burn, but it ramps significantly in intensity the whole way through.
-Hitoshi Sakimoto has a divine gift for music. He can reach straight into your heart and pull a love for a country you've never visited (and technically doesn't exist. Alternate history and such,) straight out of your heart.
-I hold the epilogue of this game as being among my all-time favorites. It's extremely wholesome, and grants an incredible sense of closure.

Furthermore, "Senjou no Valkyria" (the anime) exists for anyone without the patience to play through the game.

Valkyria Chronicles is a truly standout game in the tactical RPG genre. Its mix of strategy and action creates a unique experience that sets it apart from most other games in its category. The blend of turn-based combat with real-time aiming and movement gives the gameplay a fresh and dynamic feel, making each encounter engaging and rewarding.

One of the game's strongest points is how it manages to balance tactical depth with accessibility. The ability to control individual units on the battlefield, combined with strategic positioning, gives the player a sense of control over every situation. It feels satisfying to plan your moves carefully and execute them with precision, but it’s also forgiving enough to allow for experimentation.

The story, while not groundbreaking, is solid and does a good job of carrying you through the game. It’s character-driven, with a variety of personalities in your squad that add a nice layer of depth to the narrative. While it may not reach the emotional heights of some other games in the genre, it’s engaging enough to keep you invested throughout.

That said, the game isn’t without its shortcomings. One notable frustration is the inability to fast-forward or skip enemy turns. Watching the enemy's moves in real time, especially in longer missions, can really slow down the pacing and drag out the experience. This feels like a small but significant issue, as it interrupts the otherwise smooth flow of gameplay.

Despite these minor flaws, Valkyria Chronicles remains a great tactical experience with a unique blend of gameplay mechanics that make it feel different from the rest. If you’re a fan of strategy games or are looking for something new to try, it’s definitely worth picking up.

I liked this game until I couldn't return to book mode because it kept crashing every single time I tried. You also can't save at that point in time, which means that I lost all the squad choices + upgrades.

On top of that, in order to go to the book mode in the first place, I need to get through tons of dialogue. Frankly, I don't have the patience. The game doesn't work for me. A shame really, since it seemed to get good just around that point.

If anybody has any resolutions, I'll gladly try any of them. However, I've attempted it multiple times now, and the game just can't handle going back to the damn book mode.

Edit: Found a fix. You have to go to the book mode before doing any upgrades to your weapons/squad. They had 10 years to fix this bug but alas, no. This workaround is sadly still necessary to this day.

👍

It's pretty fun with good characters and story

El arte estilizado tipo libro de ilustracciones hace que los graficos del juego se sigan sintiendo vigentes y le dan un aire bastante unico.

Its a delightful game with its own unique aesthetics leverages its well with solid presentation. Though I wish more games like this existed because the story book idea would work amazing with RPG and such. The combat itself is very fun though it *can* get slow at times especially if you are binging it (dont) Only complaint I got is DAMN IT ISARA. All and all would recommend 9/10

Great Game

Funny scout team go brrrr

I was suprised with this gem of a game, unique gameplay thats very enjoyable, great story, charming characters and great OST, i highly recomend, such a shame games like these arent made anymore and the only thing that sells is slop and AAA garbage, do u guys not like good games anymore?

Buy it NOW.