Valkyria Chronicles hype thread - Very, very simply one of the best games this year

Chrono Helix · March 2008

Japanese Title: Valkyria of the Battlefield (Gallian Chronicles)
Japanese release: 24/4/2008

US/Europe Title: Valkyria Chronicles
US/Europe Release: 4/11/2008

Demo is up on PSN

Platform: PS3
Genre: Strategy RPG
Website: http://valkyria.jp/

Story:

Wikipedia wrote:

Valkyria Chronicles is set in the fictional world of Europa, in the country of Gallia. Because of its abundance of ragnite oreâ€”which can be refined into a powerful fuelâ€”it has come under attack from the East Europe Empire, which itself is engaged in war with the Atlantic Ocean Federal Organization. Players take control of an uprising of Gallian nationals, dedicated to repelling the invasion.

The beginning of the Second Europa War (E.W.II)...
Europa, 1930.
The 2 major military powers on this continent are the East Europa Empire (EEE) and the Atlantic Ocean Federal Organization (AOFO).

Eventually they declared war on each other. The entirety of Europa was suddenly drawn into the conflict, which came to be known as the Second Europa War (E.W.II).

When their hometown was invaded, they banded together and formed a volunteer army.

There is a small country between the EEE and the AOFO, known by the name of Gallia.
It was suddenly invaded by the EEE.

In the face of the military might of the EEE, the Gallian troops were forced to retreat.

Just before the fall of the capital, a platoon leader unexpectedly came up with a plan to repel the invaders. That platoon leader's name is...

Characters:
Gallia Volunteer Army

Welkin Gunther (22)
Voice actor: Susumu Chiba
Notable roles: Kondou Isao (Gintama), Sai Fujiwara (Hikaru no Go)

The hero of this story. Sniper class.

Alicia Melchiott (19)
Voice actor: Marina Inoue
Notable roles: Yoko (Gurren Lagann), Minami Kana (Minami-ke), Kitsu Chiri (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei)

The heroine of this story. Infantry class.

Brigitte "Rosie" Stark (27)
Voice actor: Megumi Toyoguchi
Notable roles: Revy (Black Lagoon), Winry Rockbell (Full Metal Alchemist)

Used to sing in a bar, and Rosie was the name she used then. Shocktrooper class.

Isara Gunther (16)
Voice actor: Houko Kuwashima
Notable roles: Kagura (Azumanga Daioh), Minoru Kokubunji (Chobits)

Welkin's sister. Pilots Edelweiss.

This is Edelweiss.

Largo Potter (36)
Voice actor: Hisao Egawa
Notable roles: Shinichi Maki (Slam Dunk)

A survivor of the first Great Europa War. Lancer class.

Edy Nelson

Shocktrooper class. (insert obligatory 'if you know what I mean' sentence with the word 'assault' in it)

East Europa Empire:

Selvaria Bles (22)
Voice actor: Sayaka Ohara
Notable roles: Rika Harada (Honey and Clover), Yuuko Ichihara (XXXholic)

A general on the enemy's side who always keeps a calm expression.

Maximillian (29)
Voice actor: Jun Fukuyama
Notable roles: Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass), Albert de Morcerf (Gankutsuou)

A prince of the East Europa Empire.

Gameplay:
The battle system in the game is called Battle of Live Tactical Zone systems (BLiTZ). Battles alternate between player phase and enemy phase. Player phase is further divided into 2 portions: Command Mode and Action Mode.

Each of the shield icons at the top of the screen represent a Command Point (CP). Each CP allows you to move one unit. If you have 10 CP, you can choose to move 10 different units once, or move 1 unit ten times, or move 5 units twice etc. Once you select a unit you enter Action Mode.

The bar at the bottom represents your Action Points (AP), which determines how far you can move. At any time during Action Mode you can press R1, the game will stop time and you can take aim. Then just press O to fire. You're only allowed one attack everytime you enter Action Mode from Command Mode, but you're allowed to continue moving after the attack if you have AP left over. In Action Mode the enemy will shoot at you if you enter their line of sight, although you can avoid this if you sneak up on them.

Unit classes:
Infantry: Equipped with rifles. Very high movement. Versatile.
Shocktrooper: Equipped with machineguns. Average movement, high damage at close range.
Anti-tank: Equipped with an anti-tank gun. Low movement.
Sniper: Equipped with a sniper rifle. Low movement and defence.
Engineer: Clears mines, restores ammo and repairs tanks. High movement.
Tank: Equipped with... well, it's a tank. Costs 2 CP to command though.

Tanks will beat all infantry except for the anti-tank, who in turn loses to all the other infantry types.

Trailers:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/180299.html
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/29813.html
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/29092.html

"The Gallia's military training"
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/28225.html

Gameplay movie:
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/108178.html

TGS 2007 Promo Vids
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25171.html
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25287.html
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/108610.html

Avatars & Signatures! Spread the love!

Made by Chance, CarbonFire, Corporal Carl, Rent and Reznik.

Avatars

Signatures

greeble · March 2008

This game looks awesome, just wish we didn't have to wait till the fall. I think it will be the first SEGA game I've bought since the dreamcast.

lostwords · March 2008

I am anxiously looking forward to this game. I love SRPGs, and its a nice change of pace to see one thats not so fantasy-ish. Also, the art styleis something I can never get tired of. Too bad the release date is sooo far away still.

chamberlain · March 2008

This reminds me of Ring of Red, but without the mechs.

I never once expected the xbox is be home to quiry japanese titles, but between this and Culdcept Saga I am quite pleased.

lostwords · March 2008

chamberlain wrote: »

This reminds me of Ring of Red, but without the mechs.

I never once expected the xbox is be home to quiry japanese titles, but between this and Culdcept Saga I am quite pleased.

sorry dude, ps3 exclusive

chamberlain · March 2008

lostwords wrote: »

chamberlain wrote: »

This reminds me of Ring of Red, but without the mechs.

I never once expected the xbox is be home to quiry japanese titles, but between this and Culdcept Saga I am quite pleased.

sorry dude, ps3 exclusive

Whoops.

Pretty pictures in the OP distracted me from the actual words.

It's all good, I will still be able to play it.

Galcian's Son · March 2008

... I will probably buy a PS3 for this game.

EggyToast · March 2008

Is this going to end up like Bladestorm, with a weird mix of strategy and on-foot control? The turn-based system mentioned means it *should* be much better, but switching to live-action to move makes me wonder if it's going to be really, really dragged out to simply move bits on a map.

Arguably the system lets you position yourself for better cover, flanking positions, and so on. I wonder how it actually plays out, though. Looks promising.

Lunker · March 2008

chamberlain wrote: »

This reminds me of Ring of Red, but without the mechs.

I never once expected the xbox is be home to quiry japanese titles, but between this and Culdcept Saga I am quite pleased.

I think you're thinking of Operation: Darkness, which is that alternate universe WWII Nazi-with-dragons-and-magic SRPG. That's the 360 one; I get them jumbled too.

Children · March 2008

So how do strategy RPGs work without the grid?

greeble · March 2008

So how do strategy RPGs work without the grid?

Xcom is before your time, huh? (I couldn't believe how addictive that game was when it came out.)
As you run around (like a 3rd person shooter in this case) your action bar decreases. When it hits zero you can't move anymore. If you end your move with enough action points left over your character can take "opportunity" shots at the enemy when its their turn to move. Its easier if you just look at the gameplay vid in the original post.

B:L · March 2008

Hey, neat, a spiritual sequel to Future Tactics.

I was expecting more Lenneth though.

Chrono Helix · March 2008

You need leftover AP to do opportunity shots? Must have missed that bit, I thought it would automatically happen all the time.

Unco-ordinated · March 2008

I'm super excited about this game, it looks really unique and interesting, but I think you may've made this a little too early. There's still a long six month wait before it comes out...

Btw, something you might want to add to the OP is that it's coming out in the US AND Europe in Q4.

Chrono Helix · March 2008

Well, the Japanese release is actually only a month away (made some changes to the OP, by the way). The following portion is taken from neoGAF, which in turn is using http://dol.dengeki.com/data/news/2008/3/22/8eeed57565de2f7742247af9a8001f0a.html as a source:

From Discovery to Intercepting the Enemy-
Battle Aspects of "Valkyria Chronicles" Revealed

New information was announced regarding Sega's upcoming S-RPG, "Valkyria Chronicles", slated for release on April 24th.

"Valkyria Chronicles" is a simulation RPG which depicts a war-time drama with a fictitious Europe as its backdrop. The human story revolves around Welkin Gunther, an aspiring teacher born in the small country of Gallia, trapped between the Republic and Empire, two long-time warring factions, and the 7th volunteer platoon.

What became clear this time around are the 3 aspects of the battle system: Enemy Search, Target Mode, and Interception. Being a fusion between strategy simulation and action, discovering the enemy (Enemy Search), aiming and attacking (Target Mode), and automatically attacking enemies that enter into your field of vision (Interception), become very important aspects in battle. We'll introduce you to these battle aspects with a mix of images below.

If the enemy cannot be found, they cannot be fought

In this game, you cannot necessarily see all the enemies at the onset of the battle. Enemy units behind barriers, hiding in the bushes, etc, are not shown on the map. Because the enemy unit types or numbers are not revealed, there are situations where you will be at a disadvantage because you cannot take advantage of the characteristics of your units (soldier, tank, anti-tank units), nor will you know what balance of forces to send into battle. That said, it becomes important to discover the enemy and execute an effective strategy. The Enemy Search mode is described below.

In the Command Mode where you give your units their orders, undiscovered enemy units are not shown on the map. Only movement sounds of undiscovered units can be heard, and even if you find them once, depending on the situation, you may lose track of them again.

After moving your unit and entering the Action Mode, if an enemy unit is in your visual range, lines are drawn between yourself and all the discovered enemy units. This is called the Enemy Search Line. With this, it gives you a much better idea of how many enemies are surrounding your platoon unit. Depending on the degree of danger, the line colors change as well.

Battles also occur at night, which reduces your range of vision significantly. Because of this, even if you are at a good outlook, it becomes necessary to approach the enemy units to an extent for the Enemy Search Line to be displayed. As such, it's important to be vigilant.

To Reliably Kill, or All or Nothing
When you hold a weapon in Action Mode, the system progresses to Target Mode. Once in Target Mode, red circles known as pointing marks appear. During Target Mode, time stops, which allows you to aim at the pointing marks and attack the enemy. During this time, the amount of damage you do to the enemy is determined to a large extent by hit accuracy (i think?) and what part you hit, this how you fire becomes important. These aspects are explained below.

Once in Target Mode, time stops, which enables you to aim at the pointing marks. Around the mark, there is a red circle which indicates the circumfrence of where your bullet(s) might land and its size is determined by the weapon's accuracy and the unit's firing skill. If you compare the left and right images you should notice the difference in the circle sizes for Alicia who holds a rifle, and Rosie who holds a machine gun.

The higher the accuracy, the smaller the red circle becomes, and vice versa. The smaller the circle, more accurate attacks are possible whereas the larger the circle, the opposite is true. High accuracy weapons are generally similar to rifles and are limited to single shots, whereas low accuracy weapons are generally similar to machine guns capable of multiple shots. If multiple shots land, the end result is that automatic/semi-automatic weapons do more damage. Thus, where to aim becomes an important factor in battle. Furthermore, accuracy goes up the closer you are to an enemy, thus enemy units are easier to hit when closer. In addition, accuracy improves as your units level up as well as through R&D of advanced weapons.

Aiming points are divided into 3 locations: Head, chest, legs. Headshots result in smaller targets but do a significant amount of damage. Chest shots are easy to hit, but does average damage and are relatively easily dodged. Leg shots do about as much damage as a chest shot and is difficult to avoid, but is difficult to aim properly (I guess there's a separate parameter for your character aiming and the enemy dodging). Changing your targets depending on the enemy's remaining HP and the weapon you're using in Target Mode is the basic strategy in Target Mode.

There are times when you fire and miss due to the enemy's evasion. For these enemies, aiming for the legs, which is difficult to avoid, might be effective.

Though Welkin typically rides Edelweiss (tank), depending on how the story progresses, there may be times where he is required to join the battle with a gun.

Ambushing Strategies are Effective
In this battle system, it's possible for your units to intercept and damage a unit that comes into field of view. Each unit type has a predetermined intercept range where if an enemy enters, your soldier automatically attacks with its equipped weapon. Generally the intercept range is limited to the area in front of the unit, but patrols can cover a wide intercept range both in terms of distance as well as their flanks. Incorporating intercepts into your strategy, it is possible to do a tremendous amount of damage even during the enemy's turn. Note that snipers and anti-tank units do not have an intercept range.

In this game, predicting the enemy's invasion route and placing units for intercepting the enemy is an effective strategy. Player units automatically attack when an enemy enters their intercept range. Thus, it's possible to do significant damange not only during your turn, but during the enemy's turn as well, leading to a quicker resolution of the conflict.

Obviously the enemy will try to intercept you as well. To evade life threatening damage, it becomes necessary to take actions such as taking the shortest route through the enemy's intercept range as quickly as possible, or moving from barrier to barrier while taking advantage of the enemy's reload time.

However, being intercepted by a tank results in multiple attacks and heavy attacks, so don't push yourself. When moving through a tank's intercept range, you need to be prepared to take critical damage. Thus, taking a long way around to avoid this may be an appropriate strategy. However, depending on the tank type it may have an auxiliary gun armed to protect the tank's weak link; the radiator, so quick and accurate decisions are required.

EggyToast · March 2008

Great update. My biggest worry about this (and most games that try to mix strategy w/ action) is the downtime between actions. Nothing kills a game more, in my opinion, than having to wait forever just to actually *play*. This one looks like it handles the selecting, moving, and shooting really smoothly, though, with no annoying "loading" or "long fade to another character." I was worried when I read about how moving, seeing the enemy lines, and firing were all so separate, but it's really quick in the actual gameplay video.

This game goes on my radar now

Chance · September 2008

I can't believe no one's posted on this thread in 5 months (did a search for 'valkyria' and this is the only one that came up). For the most part all my information about this game consisted of pretty screenshots on Kotaku, the acronym SRPG, and the gorgeous trailer I yanked off of PSN (and, I admit, confusion as to whether or not this is a sequel to the Valkyrie Profile games).

It takes a lot to get me interested in an RPG, but this one looks damn good. Also, this review from RPGfan is heartening.

>.< Bioshock, LBP, Fallout 3, Mirror's Edge... way too many must-buys this season. It's a good year to be a gamer.

Malechai · September 2008

Yeah honestly I'm hoping this marks a return to the days of shining force for sega and what videos of game play I've seen look impressive. Even when trying to handle all the kanji and often foolish tactical moves by the players. Only thing that has me slightly bothered is it looks like it may be a bit on the easy side.

Chance · September 2008

Okami and Persona 3 have taught me I that don't mind easy - so long as they're pretty.

And no, that's not a double entendre.

guidedbyvices · September 2008

Dammit Chance! Why isn't it a double entendre?
And dammit x2! You just reminded me of another game I have to buy this season.

My dollars. They weep.

scootch · September 2008

Lunker wrote: »

chamberlain wrote: »

This reminds me of Ring of Red, but without the mechs.

I never once expected the xbox is be home to quiry japanese titles, but between this and Culdcept Saga I am quite pleased.

I think you're thinking of Operation: Darkness, which is that alternate universe WWII Nazi-with-dragons-and-magic SRPG. That's the 360 one; I get them jumbled too.

I think he meant ring of red....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Red

great game, a bit slow.

I'm looking forward to this game. it looks fantastic.

Chance · September 2008

guidedbyvices wrote: »

Dammit Chance! Why isn't it a double entendre?
And dammit x2! You just reminded me of another game I have to buy this season.

My dollars. They weep.

'Cause I'm jealous of easy men and women and I disapprove of their behavior. Though, it means the most when they compliment your technique - 'cause they should know. They're sluts.

Let's see... I really should make a list, 'cause I know I'm forgetting some big ones...

Must Buy: LBP, Fallout 3, Bioshock, Mirror's Edge, Prince of Persia, Penny Arcade Adventures.

Looks Really Damn Good: Dead Space, Rise of the Argonauts, Far Cry 2, Spider Man: Web of Shadows, Valkyria Chronicles, Legendary and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

...and Dead Space and Valkyria Chronicles look good enough to move up to 'must buy'. Eight must-buy games at $60.00 a piece. $480.00. Plus 12% tax = $537.00.

I need a job.

The_Scarab · September 2008

iirc vyse and aika from skies of arcadia are in this game right?

scootch · September 2008

yes they are

Unco-ordinated · September 2008

The_Scarab wrote: »

iirc vyse and aika from skies of arcadia are in this game right?

Yup and the game was directed by the Skies of Arcadia director. I wonder what he's been doing over the last 5 or so years, rotting in a cellar because up until recently Sega has had no interest in developing good games?

Chance: You're buying all those games? You're crazy. I'm getting Valkyria Chronicles, LBP, Resistance 2, Mirror's Edge and maybe Prince of Persia. While I don't own Bioshock, I'm really not sure if I should wait for the PS3 version or just pick up the PC version. Oh and Spore comes out tomorrow...

urahonky · September 2008

Mmmm. The game looks damn sexy. When/If I get a PS3 this will be a purchase the same day.

lostwords · September 2008

there was a playable demo at pax. soooo good, though dang short. whet the appetite for it something fierce.

guidedbyvices · September 2008

So for the PAX players... How did it stack up visually? Does the game do the screenshots justice?

lostwords · September 2008

guidedbyvices wrote: »

So for the PAX players... How did it stack up visually? Does the game do the screenshots justice?

the visuals were very nice, stylized stuff. much more smooth and dynamic than the pictures would show. there's a lot of little things that you noticed while playing (shadows, characters, etc) that add up to something really good. sorry, having a hard time describing it with anything but praise, but i am just so excited for this game.

scootch · September 2008

theres a pretty good video of it on psn and it looks fantatsic in motion.

greeble · September 2008

Chance wrote: »

Must Buy: LBP, Fallout 3, Bioshock, Mirror's Edge, Prince of Persia, Penny Arcade Adventures.

Looks Really Damn Good: Dead Space, Rise of the Argonauts, Far Cry 2, Spider Man: Web of Shadows, Valkyria Chronicles, Legendary and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

...and Dead Space and Valkyria Chronicles look good enough to move up to 'must buy'. Eight must-buy games at $60.00 a piece. $480.00. Plus 12% tax = $537.00.

I need a job.

Heh one of your must buys is Penny Arcade which is no $60 so that should help. But yeah there are too many awesome games coming out I'm going to have to make some hard choices.

My only day one purchase is LBP. But Fallout 3, Resistance 2, Mirror's Edge, Dead Space, and Valkyria Chronicles are all must buy soon purchases in which I plan to wait a bit and see if I can get deals on them.

guidedbyvices · September 2008

lostwords wrote: »

... sorry, having a hard time describing it with anything but praise, but i am just so excited for this game.

Perfect. Don't get me wrong, graphics weren't the deciding factor or anything, but I've found that at times, SRPGs can look stunning in screens, but bland in motion (Operation Darkness? However: WW2 Werewolves... :winky: ).

AND

Chance -- I just realized you included Legendary in that list. I thought I was the only one stoked about it.

Chance · September 2008

guidedbyvices wrote: »

lostwords wrote: »

... sorry, having a hard time describing it with anything but praise, but i am just so excited for this game.

Perfect. Don't get me wrong, graphics weren't the deciding factor or anything, but I've found that at times, SRPGs can look stunning in screens, but bland in motion (Operation Darkness? However: WW2 Werewolves... :winky: ).

AND

Chance -- I just realized you included Legendary in that list. I thought I was the only one stoked about it.

There's a trailer you can snag off the PSN that gives you a great idea of how the graphics will look. I can't say it looks like an anime - and I know this is going to sound like a contradiction - but it looks like an animated manga.

I know, I know, anime is animated manga art style - but the art direction of this game goes so far in the direction of hand-drawn (you can see like pencil-marked strokes for shadows), it looks more like a comic book that moves than any anime adaptation of a manga I've ever seen. Again, I get it - anime is manga that moves. Just my thoughts on it. Looks gorgeous.

Edit: and come to think of it, even the exclamations during attacks (BOOM! WHAM!) are comic book style - not animation style. Animation has sounds - it doesn't need the visual reminder of it. The only time you'll see effects like that (the old Batman TV show, for example) are when they're trying to directly reference and remind you of comics.

*

I'm lookin' forward to Legendary in the same way I was lookin' forward to Alone In The Dark when I saw their fire effects demo. It has potential - I'll wait for reviews.

Malechai · September 2008

Chance wrote: »

guidedbyvices wrote: »

lostwords wrote: »

... sorry, having a hard time describing it with anything but praise, but i am just so excited for this game.

Perfect. Don't get me wrong, graphics weren't the deciding factor or anything, but I've found that at times, SRPGs can look stunning in screens, but bland in motion (Operation Darkness? However: WW2 Werewolves... :winky: ).

AND

Chance -- I just realized you included Legendary in that list. I thought I was the only one stoked about it.

There's a trailer you can snag off the PSN that gives you a great idea of how the graphics will look. I can't say it looks like an anime - and I know this is going to sound like a contradiction - but it looks like an animated manga.

I know, I know, anime is animated manga art style - but the art direction of this game goes so far in the direction of hand-drawn (you can see like pencil-marked strokes for shadows), it looks more like a comic book that moves than any anime adaptation of a manga I've ever seen. Again, I get it - anime is manga that moves. Just my thoughts on it. Looks gorgeous.

Edit: and come to think of it, even the exclamations during attacks (BOOM! WHAM!) are comic book style - not animation style. Animation has sounds - it doesn't need the visual reminder of it. The only time you'll see effects like that (the old Batman TV show, for example) are when they're trying to directly reference and remind you of comics.

*

I'm lookin' forward to Legendary in the same way I was lookin' forward to Alone In The Dark when I saw their fire effects demo. It has potential - I'll wait for reviews.

Honestly, I'm realy hoping there is an option to turn off the onomonopia(sp) effects. While it's kind of clever I could realy see it getting annoying after a few hours. Then again it may be something I learn to just sort of look past. Either way this is gona be a day one purchase for me.

Chance · September 2008

Kotaku reports that the European PSN will have a demo for Valkyria Chronicles on Thursday, October 9th. So this week it's Bioshock, next week it's VC! Very nice, very nice indeed...

peterdevore · September 2008

I have the Japanese version and it was pretty neat and challenging, until it enabled shopping, leveling up and recruiting all at once on me and I had no idea what things meant (not understanding Japanese and all).

They give you a lot of options in the way you can customize your tank (especially) and characters. Characters can be equipped with new armor and weapons (with branching upgrades for some classes). The tank even has a little grid you can put all kinds of stuff (with different sizes) on that enhances its abilities. Additionally each character seems to have some kind of perk (different kinds even within the same classes) that I can make no sense of at the moment.

I'm quite looking forward to having a guide to understand all that stuff. If anyone has basic questions though, go ahead and ask.

Chrono Helix · October 2008

Demo is up on European PSN!

CarbonFire · October 2008

What's the ETA for the NA demo?

...or IS there a NA demo?

Radikal_Dreamer · October 2008

CarbonFire wrote: »

What's the ETA for the NA demo?

...or IS there a NA demo?

Isn't the demo exclusive to Qore for NA?

minor incident · October 2008

Wow, the art style in this game is gorgeous.

CarbonFire · October 2008

Radikal_Dreamer wrote: »

CarbonFire wrote: »

What's the ETA for the NA demo?

...or IS there a NA demo?

Isn't the demo exclusive to Qore for NA?

Then perhaps it's time to "move" to Europe ;-)

Penny Arcade

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