I'm not a Valkyria Chronicles veteran by any means, but I do enjoy the series enough to finish each game as they release (except for the abomination that was Valkyria Revolution). Valkyria Chronicles 4 does feel overly familiar at times and while this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's also not always a positive. The new game provides just enough tweaks and additions to make it feel slightly different from the first game. What Valkyria Chronicles 4 does do well, is portray war and the people caught within it.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 follows the story of Commander Claude Wallace and the squad he commends, "Squad E". The story plays out over the same time period as the first game, so keep that in mind as we move forward. Fans looking for a continuation of the overall arc might feel disappointed but the story in Valkyria Chronicles 4 is strong enough to hold its own. Valkyria Chronicles 4 manages to strike a good balance between visual novel-ish storytelling and action-packed tactical combat. The serious story, sometimes mixed with quirky moments, doesn't feel like a slog when you know it's building up to an awesome battle. The narrative also has enough depth to it and the combat is fun enough to let it stand on its own.



The series has always told great stories, but most players come for the strategic combat. Each battle starts with a top-down tactical command view of the battlefield. Here, you can look at the layout and form a potential grand strategy to complete your objective. This sounds pretty simple but the enemy is smart and has their own strategies in place. After this, you can select a unit and spend their Action Points to perform various actions. Send a Scout ahead to get the lay of the land, or take down an enemy with a far-seeing Sniper, the choice is yours. These actions aren't limited to just one turn per unit, you can move a unit multiple times, at a cost, of course. Using a single unit more than once will see them incur a stamina penalty on subsequent turns. Think carefully before using a single unit multiple times.

The series has always told great stories, but most players come for the strategic combat.

Running around the map isn't all fun and games though. Move into an enemies line of sight and they will open fire. Normal shots aren't as bad but that surprise mortar to the face is going to hurt. Above these basic commands, each squad member has his or her own traits, which vary wildly and some border on silly. Some give a boost to evasiveness, some will give a small boost to damage. Units can also follow leaders around the field, giving troops extra use and more mobility. Getting to know what situation will trigger which squadmates trait was a delight. Not only this, it gave every single soldier in my squad a personality.



Growing to care for your soldiers is easy, making their management all the more crucial. Equipping them with the best equipment and leveling them up felt necessary. Not in the sense of normal "RPG mechanics necessary", it felt like I was genuinely equipping someone I care for with the best possible equipment to ensure their success, and more importantly, their safe return.

While your troops are unique, the enemies still feel like an empty, faceless mass. Again. this is something that has plagued the series since the first game. It would be amazing if the enemy troops had the same details and personality as your own. Killing hundreds of Empire soldiers always feels like just that - killing hundreds of enemy soldiers. Outside of a few "special" enemies, they all pretty much function as cannon fodder.

...it felt like I was genuinely equipping someone I care for with the best possible equipment to ensure their success, and more importantly, their safe return.

The fantastic tactical combat looks all the more vibrant in the signature hanart style. The CANVAS-engine has been used to its fullest and the results are amazing. As with all games in the series, the hand-painted anime art style pops with color and vibrancy. Don't mistake this for a cute war game, the CANVAS engine has enough capabilities to convey the brutality of war, and its victims, in a very grim way.



Some problems persist though. Most battles are great fun to plan and play through, but some suffer from pacing problems. A quick battle can take 20 minutes while a longer battle can stretch close to 45 minutes. The 45 minutes wouldn't be a problem if you knew this from the onset. You might think your next skirmish is a short one, only for it to explode into a multi-objective marathon, complete with constant surprises from the enemy.

Another problem that persists through the series is slogging through menu after menu, just to see if there is any better equipment available for your troops. A simple indicator could eliminate this entirely, yet there's none. Movement during combat can sometimes be a pain - tanks get stuck on fences, squad members struggle to jump over a tiny obstacle. These aren't game breaking issues, but the fact they've persisted since the first Valkyria Chronicles game is annoying.

You might think your next skirmish is a short one, only for it to explode into a multi-objective marathon, complete with constant surprises from the enemy.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a solid entry in the series. It sticks to its tried and tested formula, for better and sometimes worse, and provides an excellent entry point in the series if you've not played them before. The small improvements outweigh the issues that have been present since the beginning. If you are a fan of the series, you will certainly enjoy Valkyria Chronicles 4. If this is your first Valkyria Chronicles game, now is the perfect time to jump onboard.

If you've just started your journey through Valkyria Chronicles 4, check out my handy tips that'll assist you. And, if you want to catch up on the story of the series, check out the 5-minute history lesson right here.