Valkyria Chronicles 1 Summary

Valkyria Chronicles 1
Spoiler-Free!

Available on PS3 and PC. If you have a choice between the two platforms it is recommended to go with PC as it offers more graphical options, including the all-important framerate unlocker. The PC version also has the additional option of mouse and keyboard controls which is a vast improvement for aiming weaponry and moving units with precision... yes, including tanks, too.

This game is the beginning of the trilogy. The story is simple but charming and this is helped by the appealing unique art style and the absolutely stellar soundtrack (likely the best soundtrack for a strategy game of all time). It also avoids making the classic mistake of "character bloat in a military setting" by focusing on the 5 main characters and letting everyone else be fun, cool, obnoxious or wacky ancillary support. Some anime elements drag down a few scenes (like Selvaria's mysterious boob bounce during a serious moment) but hardly noticeable in the overall picture given the large number of cutscenes. The vast majority of the game is mostly based around trying to tell an adventurous and cheesy story while trying not to create a bloody, morbid title, which can create some strange clashing themes; though the focus on history as it impacts the current war is really well done.

The overall challenge of the title is very good. Ultimately the difficulty will vary wildly depending on how much strategy gaming experience you have. I have seen people claim that the game is impossible and need a step-by-step guide while others claim they were able to beat the entire game blindfolded while dual-wielding royal weapons. From watching many people play the game for the first time I can state the ease of the title ultimately comes down to how quickly you realize certain tactics/Potentials/Orders are the most useful. This game's enemy setups are focused more on attacking with surprise maneuvers or situations that force you to adapt on the fly. Unfortunately, one thing that is a downer for VC1's challenge is that missions are graded on speed only (# of turns) and not style (killing the Ace) or efficiency of multiple unit usage (# of units killed vs. # of your units downed).

The progression system is very simple and friendly though it can be obtuse at a few points such as learning Orders from the Old Man at the cemetary and picking up certain Royal Weapons from Cordelia. Also, navigating the Headquarters menu (where you assign weapons and soldiers, upgrade your R&D and level up classes) can be a bit tedious to deal with but it helps greatly that all of these menu choices are neatly sorted next to each other for easy access. The UI outside of the book can be faulted for being too convoluted (In order to get to Headquarters, you need to bring up a menu, hit Tab Select, and THEN Headquarters) but once you figure it out the first time it's smooth sailing.

Unlike some games that brag about how much generically described "content" they have, Valkyria Chronicles 1 boasts a highly diverse and focused line of content and missions with many types of mission goals including extra missions where you can play as the enemy or challenge yourself at the Expert level. The game clocks in at around 30+ hours of fun for a single playthrough.

My recommendation: Play the game through completely blind for maximum enjoyment as you crush the surprise enemy strategies. It is also recommended to avoid Skirmishes on your first playthrough; most of them are merely retreads of the story missions so you might as well just play the story missions. The grades from missions don't matter at all in the long run.