Valkyria Chronicles Remastered Initial Thoughts

In an era of first-person shooters and sports franchises dominating the video game market, “Valkyria Chronicles Remastered” stands out like a bed of roses amongst a sea of weeds. With a brilliant tactical based combat system and a character class system that makes Squad 7 feel more like a band of heroes then a military style shooter.” Valkyria Chronicles Remastered” is a brilliant Japanese RPG that cannot be overlooked in the modern era. In an initial play through, gamers are immediately taken in by the pastoral landscapes of Galia as they control the protagonist Welkin through a series of picturesque backdrop of hills and villages. As the main player in this fight to stop the evils of the Eastern Empire, you encounter many interesting allies along the way, including a tough gun wielding soldier named Alicia.

With a brilliant tactical based combat system and a character class system that makes Squad 7 feel more like a band of heroes then a military style shooter, “Valkyria Chronicles Remastered” is a brilliant Japanese RPG that cannot be overlooked.

In our initial play through, gamers are immediately taken in by the pastoral landscapes of Galia as they control the protagonist Welkin through a series of picturesque backdrop of hills and villages. As the main player in this fight to stop the evils of the Eastern Empire, you encounter many interesting allies along the way, including a tough gun-wielding soldier named Alicia.

With many of the tropes normally associated with RPGs, “Valkyria Chronicles Remastered” does provide seasoned veterans with a plethora of new features including both English and Japanese language options, all the DLC from the original release and a trophy system, which makes players strive for achievements they normally would ignore- had they played this title on the Playstation 3 when it was originally released. Much like the Steam incarnation of the same game, Sega’s masterpiece JRPG is truly a breathtaking and innovative adventure that is a journey for both the hearts and minds of its fans.

But what makes this game stand out the most isn’t so much its breathtaking storyline or its iconic score, it’s the battle system itself. With a grid-based tactical style battle system which allows players to freely roam the area with a limited Action Count to look out for, “Valkyria Chronicles Remastered” is like no other JRPG that’s around. Once you’ve found a way to adjust to its innovative and unique combat system, players realize why this game deserves a remake. Even without the great combat system, this JRPG stretches the boundaries of the imagination with its chapter system which breaks down each part of the adventure in a fairy tale-esque manner, guiding the protagonist through various parts of the story with its book-like structure.

You’ll immediately be struck by this little touch when beginning the Call to Arms chapter of the game, as each progression with Welkin was a passage of time in a novelized format.

That doesn’t mean this game is without its flaws, though. Drabbed down by hokey dialogue and missed attempts at revamping the characters into a more realized style of speech, there are a few moments that miss the mark.  In a genre plagued by stilted speech and floppy voice acting, this game could have been a breath of fresh air for the genre, but it doesn’t address the same issues that hampered the original.

Regardless, “Valkyria Chronicles Remastered,” in our initial play time, has proven itself to be much like the original, a JRPG that you can spend hours of time with.

Stay Tuned For Our Full Review In May.