Valkyria Chronicles II review

When I reviewed Valkyria Chronicles in 2008 for PS3, I saw a classic, unique game which to me was one of the best of the year. Unfortunately for others, they didn’t see it that way and missed out on this brilliant title. 

  Now SEGA has released the sequel, albeit on PSP and while it’s not quite up to the standard of its predecessor, it’s still a fantastic game, which hopefully this time people will realize.  If you did miss the original game, thankfully you needn’t worry about playing Valkyria Chronicles II as it’s designed with newcomers in mind. The beginning of the game provides an extensive tutorial which puts you directly into the action, while teaching you how to play the game at the same time.  The story sees the game take place in January 1937, two years after Squad 7 defeated Maximillian in Gallia. Now a rebel group of aristocrats, soldiers and citizens called the Gallian Revolutionary Army has decided to stage a civil war against Gallians of Darcsen descent. What this boils down to is that resources to fight the Gallians are low; therefore the government decides to deploy military academy cadets including 17-year-old Avan Hardins to fight.  As you would probably expect, you control Avan Hardins in his fight against the Gallians. Avan is out to avenge the reported death of his older brother, however he isn’t the greatest cadet in the world; he doesn’t listen, messes around and isn’t generally the type of person you would send out to win a war. Thankfully throughout the game he does learn a few things, mainly thanks to you exploring the various relationships within the game and learning new skills.  Due to his general attitude Avan ends up being placed in class G, who are basically the losers of the bunch, like him, they mess around and are generally bad apples, he does however end up as the leader so at least that’s something I suppose.  Missions are played out by selecting them from the class teacher who will send you out on various exercises. During the missions you take control of G squad and decide the various tactics needed.  In between missions you will be returned to Avan’s room, you can also use this time to visit different parts of the Academy, speak to classmates and further your relationships in a still, comic style conversation.  As with the original, the action once you get started is superb, there is still the opportunity to think tactically to take down the enemy as you control all the characters you would like to take into battle. Each character within the game falls under the scout, shock trooper, engineer or lancer class, all of which return from the first game. There is a new class too, in the shape of the armored solider, who carries a huge shield to deflect gunfire, but who has no weapon.  The classes can also branch out as the characters gain experience, therefore you can choose which skills and areas you would like your character to specialize in, sniper anyone? Later in the game, players also have access to a tank, which can also be customized, allowing you to change it from a heavily armored weapon to a more flexible, faster moving vehicle.  When you start a battle you are presented with a bird’s eye view of each area, this allows you to see the enemy’s base and any soldiers which are in view. Once you select your solider the screen changes and you are thrown into the action by being given direct control. This allows you to move a certain distance (as confirmed by the movement bar), before going on to take cover, open fire or choosing any other relevant action. Once you have taken your turn you can then select another soldier or choose the same one again. You enemy will move once you have ran out of turns, something which is determined by the command points you are assigned at the beginning of the level.  Although the missions start off small, you will soon be able to capture enemy bases and then move into two, sometimes three areas, which can see you taking on a lot of enemies and requires some good tactics if you are to survive. One thing you must beware of when you do this is that you don’t let the enemy capture your base, otherwise you will fail the mission.  One of the annoying things about Valkyria Chronicles II is the repetitive missions, which to be honest are a far cry from the first game. It certainly feels very limited with missions often recycled and not really evolving until later in the game. This is a bit of a shame really, though it may be down to the technical limitations of the PSP.  If you played the first game you are in for the same visual treat here, the beautiful watercolored graphics make a return, although this time the cutscenes are generally still rather than animated. The design of this game is one of the most stunning things about it and is probably one of the reasons it’s so unique, so it’s good to see this area translate to PSP so well.  Valkyria Chronicles II may have its problems but it’s still one of the most unique and beautiful looking titles on the PSP. If you like a game which requires you to think tactically and is wonderful to look at, then you will love this. 

Rating: 8/10

[gallery link="file" order="DESC" columns="4"]  

Please register or login to post comments