Valkyria Chronicles 4 - PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

To start This game satisfies my need for another Final Fantasy Tatics game although it is not made by Squareenix or even a Final Fantasy Tactics game. A lot of excellent IPs have dissapeared from the 90s and even early 2000s (Lunar, Skies of Arcadia, Vandal Hearts, Suikoden and even Final Fantasy Tactics) so when I look at JRPG/tactics games I look for a bit of nostalgia and a bit of something unique. Valkyria Chronicles series kind of borrows from all the games mentioned but still remains unique. Here are the good and bad. The good: -The game still has that great "sketch" look with hand-drawn textures and a subtle filter over the screen. -Character models are far more detailed and expressive. -Visual effects are majorly improved. Sandbags fall apart with physics, ragdolls aren't as silly as VC1, snow actually gets pressed down when characters/vehicles move across it, and even some really nice attention to detail such as tank ragnite engines giving off tons of steam during winter missions. -TONS of new gameplay mechanics: Captains can move with 3 other ppl, APCs, call in special assistance from command, Grenadier units, Elite snipers can now intercept fire, mortar lancers, etc. -Missions are way more varied and interesting. VC1, as fun as it was, was typically just "kill all enemies/capture all bases/kill boss unit". This game mixes things up quite a bit with more objectives as well as changing objectives multiple times in a mission. -Squad isn't just randos. In VC1, your squad mates had personalities, but that was about it. They were relegated purely to just being the forces you deployed and didn't exist outside of gameplay. In VC4, not only do your squad mates appear and take part in cutscenes and dialog, but they even all get their own side missions. Doing these side missions gives you a look into the characters as well as gets rid of some of their negative Potentials with positive ones (ex- being around tanks lowers AP changes to being around tanks increases defense). -TONS of new customization options. You can now equip accessories, there are more branching paths in R&D so you can tweak individual squadmates (ex- make one shocktrooper have high defense and high attack w/ poor accuracy so their playstyle is now running face-first into gunfire to decimate enemies from up close). You can also tweak your tank's emblem for different stat boosts. The bad: -Enemy AI still isn't very great. They still have a bad habit to run directly in front of your troops or even run past them while getting shot before finally stopping to shoot back. This might be different in harder difficulties, I haven't tried yet. -Some dialog and cutscene transitions are a little weird and animation can be stilted at times. Doesn't really ruin anything, but it does make some of the viznovel style scenes a little janky. -Some crazy difficulty spikes. There's a point pretty far into the game, I think around chapter 12 where the difficulty SKYROCKETS. I'm talking rarely having any of my troops get downed to suddenly having half my troops getting gun downed in a single turn. Probably also doesn't help that this mission also introduces an enemy ability to essentially undo your entire previous turn. -Some weird hitboxes/collisions. It doesn't happen often, but there were a couple times where I had a clear line of sight to an enemy only to have the bullet hit the collision of a wall/rubble that extended way too far off the 3d model. Only happened maybe 2 times, but it was frustrating nonetheless. Overall, this game is fantastic and exactly what I wanted out of a series that I've been waiting to get more of for an entire decade. I would 100% recommend this to anyone who loves tactical RPGs (Vandal Hearts, FF Tactics, etc), if you enjoyed the first game, or even if you're a newcomer (this game takes place during the first game so you can play this without knowing anything about the previous ones.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 has the same beautiful art style, amazing storyline, and deep turn-based/real-time hybrid gameplay that made the original my all-time favorite game on the PS3. The story is slightly longer than the original, with plenty of bonus content, revelations, and harder difficulty missions hidden beyond the initial story completion. One of the best games on the PS4, hands down. If I had to dock it for anything it would be the noticeable increase in profanity (particularly the use of "GD", which I find particularly offensive as a Christian) from the original. I realize this is a war story and people use profanity in real life, but the first game was a textbook example of how to handle that and other mature subject matter (even concentration camps) with minimal language. A different publisher handled the translation for VC 4, so that may explain at least part of the discrepancy.

Great gameplay. Kinda annoying with action turnbased. Rather have unlimited time without pausing. Hate you can't speed up enemy movement

Was a while before I noticed this one, played through the first valkyria chronicles back on the ps3 and enjoyed it. VC 4 is a lot like the first, my favorite part of this game and really the series outside of its excellent strategy game play is the gorgeous graphics engine. I love the rush towards photo realism in many modern games but when something comes along with a unique look like this game its always a nice change of pace. Give VC 4 a chance if you like strategy games.

The first Valkyria Chronicles was a PS3 game and thankfully the series has continued onto PS4. The art style is awesome and the gameplay is a mix of strategy, shooting, and RPG. Lots of fun! I recommend this one and the original remastered on PS4 as well.

If you like strategy game play with anime aesthetics and squad customization, then give this game a go! Its a great game and they brought this series back with this entry. The last one fell a bit short, but they killed it with this game. I highly recommend this game to friends and family!

I loved the first VC game and was even happy to play it again as a remaster. I played one of the handhelds but couldn't finish it since it was much simpler in every way. When I found out about VC4 on consoles I was very happy. I have played through VC4 a couple times now on different difficulties and I love it! The story is not reliant on any previous knowledge so it is great for people both new to the series and returning. Gameplay favors new players. This entry has a little more to offer than VC1 for content, but strategic gameplay is identical meaning the same strategies that worked before, work again. I am not mad about this because changing it a bunch would feel like a different series (cough* valk revolution cough*). For returning players, I recommend playing on higher difficulty because normal and easy mode would be very boring. For new players, enjoy diving into a beautiful series and learning how to dominate!

I was a big fan of the original Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3, and this one lives up to the series potential. The story is engaging, gameplay challenging, and graphics a joy to behold. Highly recommended for newcomers and fans of the series alike!