New Faces, Better Missions--Valkyria Chronicles 4

My recent purchases in a Japan themed Steam sale included the very fun and mind-boggling Nier:  Automata (I would recommend it) and Valkyria Chronicles 4.  I decided that I was done trying to re-play through Nier after I unlocked the last of the four major endings.  Switching over to Valkyria Chronicles was a marked change from button-mashing, robot-slashing.

Not all the Valkyria titles have made the transition over to PC so we have to settle for what we can get.  The first game (Valkyria Chronicles) came to PC several years ago and I snapped it up not really knowing much about the series  Here are some basics if you're like me and are unfamiliar with it too--Valkyria Chronicles is a turn-based strategy game that tells the story of a group of soldiers fighting in the ongoing fictional wars that take place on the continent of Europa.  The games hinge on a blend of story-based elements--much of the story is told through short cutscenes and dialogue between squad members--and combat missions which place you in the role of commander and requires you to strategize troop movement and actions.  Valkyria Chronicles is a great fit for someone who doesn't want a strictly combat focused strategy game and enjoys story and character-related elements.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 follows a new squad of soldiers from the oft targeted realm of Gallia--Squad E is a talented group of rangers who find themselves fighting in the second Europan war. Similar to the story in the original game, many members of the squad come from the same hometown and have very close ties.  In true Valkyria fashion the members of the squad have their own quirks, strengths, and weaknesses that they must learn to use or overcome.

The core of Squad E poses with the Hafen.

The core members of Squad E are:

--Claude Wallace--the young, but brilliant tank commander.  Claude has the unique ability to read the weather and use it to his advantage.  He also has to overcome a reputation for being a bit of a coward during his childhood days.

--Raz--a Darcsen (a fictional ethnic group that is frequently the target of much malign) rowdy who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.  Raz is written as a very over-the-top kind of "bro" character who is hot-headed and frequently going off on his own and ignoring orders.  (I've read several reviews which specifically mention the fact that Raz is basically sexually harassing women and people feeling unhappy about this fact.  I agree with those views and wish that they had re-written Raz without all the ridiculous ass-grabbing and whatnot).

--Miles--he is the quiet, but smart, tank driver of the Hafen, the tank for Squad E.  Miles is a bit socially inept, but is a genius when it comes to tank driving and repair.

--Kai/Leena--there's a bit of mystery around the story of the squad sniper.  She goes by the name of a different soldier (who is notably absent for reasons that I haven't quite gotten around to figuring out yet) and is a crack shot.  Her character is the level-headed strategist who helps balance out Raz's stubborn stupidity.

--Riley--although she doesn't start off with Squad E, Riley is introduced in an early mission.  She was a member of a different squad, but comes from the same hometown as the other members of the Squad.  She and Claude were close friends as children, but a tragic event caused her to grow distant from Claude and distrust his abilities to lead.

--Ragnarok--he's a cute dog and member of Squad E.  He's not actually playable and just appears to be part of the game for cute dog reasons.  Who doesn't like cute dogs though?

Of course, these aren't the only members of the squad and the roster fills up with others as you progress through the story.  In fact, there are a ton of side characters added in--way more than in the first game.  I usually have a very core group of 10ish characters that I use consistently and the rest remain primarily on the sidelines.

Many of the gameplay elements from the first game remain core parts of VC4--the story is told through a storybook with short cutscene episodes and one (or more) combat missions per chapter.  There is the option to go to headquarters to train, spend resources gained from combat to develop new gear/tank parts, and learn new orders.  There are also squad-based story chapters that tell the stories of the various members of Squad E as well as skirmish missions.

I still have quite a bit of story to play through, but so far I am enjoying VC4.  The combat missions are much better than in the first game and there is a ton of variety and challenge.  Similar to the first game, my one major gripe would be the overarching cheesiness of the dialogue (it's an inherent part of the series unfortunately).  Overall, the positives outweigh the negatives and I hope to wrap up my first playthrough soon and write up a review.

Happy weekend gaming!