A fusion of third person shooter, and a turn-based tactical RPG released in 2009 on the PS3 (and on the PC in 2014), Valkyria Chronicles has aged well, especially in terms of the somewhat unique art style. One can say a player is playing an anime story.
The story itself is solid offering a variety of themes and a decent plot, although there are a few eyebrow raising moments, such as the big bad's motivations, and how one of the members of your squad is killed.
There are several characters to choose from to add to your squad, each with his or her own voice, personality, strengths and weaknesses, which humanizes all of them, and makes each character unique. A player will likely get to know each and every character, and (usually) take great care to ensure they don't die.
However, one of the main flaws of the game is that because of the aforementioned strengths and weaknesses, there is a clear tier list between awesome and awful characters.
Furthermore, the game grades players (and gives more experience and money) for ending chapters in fewer turns. For that reason, some character classes — mainly scouts, who are arguably game breakers — are more valuable than others (like shocktroopers) due to their ability to traverse the chapter maps faster (since actions per turn are limited), while other characters (mainly lancers) are situational due to their lack of mobility or accuracy.
Also, players will hate the menu system. While creative in the form of a book, it can be slow at times when a player wants to accomplish multiple tasks before the next battle. (e.g.: train or switch squad mates, upgrade weapons, etc.)
However, despite the flaws, Valkyria Chronicles is a fun game to play. There is a reason why this game is a cult classic for PS3 users, and is still playable today. For those interested in tactical games, it is definitely worth a look.
Six years later, still worth a look.
A fusion of third person shooter, and a turn-based tactical RPG released in 2009 on the PS3 (and on the PC in 2014), Valkyria Chronicles has aged well, especially in terms of the somewhat unique art style. One can say a player is playing an anime story.
The story itself is solid offering a variety of themes and a decent plot, although there are a few eyebrow raising moments, such as the big bad's motivations, and how one of the members of your squad is killed.
There are several characters to choose from to add to your squad, each with his or her own voice, personality, strengths and weaknesses, which humanizes all of them, and makes each character unique. A player will likely get to know each and every character, and (usually) take great care to ensure they don't die.
However, one of the main flaws of the game is that because of the aforementioned strengths and weaknesses, there is a clear tier list between awesome and awful characters.
Furthermore, the game grades players (and gives more experience and money) for ending chapters in fewer turns. For that reason, some character classes — mainly scouts, who are arguably game breakers — are more valuable than others (like shocktroopers) due to their ability to traverse the chapter maps faster (since actions per turn are limited), while other characters (mainly lancers) are situational due to their lack of mobility or accuracy.
Also, players will hate the menu system. While creative in the form of a book, it can be slow at times when a player wants to accomplish multiple tasks before the next battle. (e.g.: train or switch squad mates, upgrade weapons, etc.)
However, despite the flaws, Valkyria Chronicles is a fun game to play. There is a reason why this game is a cult classic for PS3 users, and is still playable today. For those interested in tactical games, it is definitely worth a look.