dev, computing and games

Finished Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4).

Picked this up after playing it at a demo station at a convention.

For Valkyria Chronicles 1, it would actively bother me how misunderstood this game was. I would be talking to some gamer friend about what we're playing and say I am playing VC. I assert how good and unique it is, but they don't get it. They act as if I'm talking about Xenogears or Dragon Quest. As if it's the well-known formula with a few small changes. It is not. This is even for people who play JRPGs. Don't you dare recommend me any PS3 game if you have not played or at least heard a little of VC. It's weirdly absent from places. If there's a reviewer who talks about "the best games on the platform" and leaves it out, they haven't done the due diligence.

For Valkyria Chronicles 2 and 3 things took other directions. 1) They were mobile games, likely to cut costs. 2) They became less of a good dramatic historical fiction and more cheesy anime fan service. VC2 had practically no marketing in the west and due to VC2's low sales VC3 was not even released outside of Japan. Some people liked these games, I wouldn't go for them personally, I don't think these are fitting to WWII allegory.

For Valkyria Chronicles 4, they returned back to a proper console release on PS4 and a more serious story. Like the others it is a fictionalized version of the events of WWII. Take control of Basically-France fighting Basically-Germany in a Basically-Giant-Snowmobile. It keeps consistent gameplay with the others, mixing turn-based an action elements.

Overall:

  • It is a pretty good strategy game.
  • The game is very easy.
  • All game except endgame, I always had more money than I had things to spend it on. The money counter might as well show a random number.
  • Cutscene-to-gameplay ratio is very high.

Nonetheless would recommend because it kept me from playing Code Vein any more so it encourages healthier habits.

My late game (not quite end-game) speed run of one of the skirmishes.
May 26th, 2020 at 1:58 am
One Response to “Valkyria Chronicles 4”
  1. 1
    CAndrews Says:

    Some of the cutscenes have cringy anime tropes. It has been weird playing this immediately after Code Vein. It makes all Code Vein cutscenes seem ultra serious and sophisticated.

    Example of what I mean wrt dialogue and story delivery

    Colorful hair girl: I’m gonna do my best today, even if it means fixing all of these tanks!

    Emo hair guy: nervous chuckle

    Ugly haircut kid: Hey emo hair guy come look at this.

    Emo: Huh, that tank is broken. You can tell because of how the engine is broken and the radiator and the other parts are also broken.

    Ugly haircut: Wow, how did you get to know everything about tanks, emo?

    Emo: It all started a long time ago

    *Flashback to a still image*Before this war, Imperials and the Federation something something terrible accident…and ever since then, I promised myself I would learn how to think and feel how tanks feel so that I would understand the tanks and mortar and never let anyone down ever again

    Oh! It’s nothing hahahaha would you hand me that wrench over there Thanks

    Colorful hair: Were you trying to look at my diary, emo? Huh?

    Emo: What?! No! I was only getting the wrench. I didn’t notice it was right next to the diary

    Colorful hair: Y-you idiot You aren’t supposed to look at someone’s diary!!!!

    Emo: But I wasn’t

    Colorful hair punches emo and he dies the end

    “Anime was a mistake”

    – Wayne Gretzky
    – Michael Scott