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Valkyria Chronicles
SEGA's Valkyria Chronicles gracefully
debuts on the PlayStation 3 which finally fills the much needed tactical
RPG gap on the console. The story of Valkyria Chronicles takes place
during Europe in the 1930's as a young group of freedom fighters defend
their homeland of Gallia from a nefarious empire, hell bent on world
domination.
The
developers have added social elements from the real world into the
game which makes for a quite gripping tale that is not just black and
white. This diversion entails the Darcsen, a minority ethnic group who
are oppressed by the natives of the land and through reflection,
Valkyria Chronicles is reminiscent of the World War II, although races
and themes have been changed.
With
that said, the story is not all gloom, war and depression, rather,
Valkyria Chronicles is an inspiring tale that truly changes the face of
this genre with quite a few plot twists that would make movie writer and
director David Lynch impressed.
The title is reminiscent of Japanese RPG titles and where Valkyria
Chronicles does come onto its own is through the tactics aspect of the
game. The title also brings forth RTS elements into the game and before
you engage in a battle, a map will be displayed that allows you to give
a variety of commands. This map displays both allies and enemies and
once you engage an enemy, you will then be transported to the 3D world
where the action takes place.
Valkyria Chronicles boasts real-time action which allows you to
control your characters like a third person game as you attack and
defend. The control system of the game is quite apt and you really need
to use your surroundings to your best advantage.
Although the title does
give the appearance of real-time, you do have an action bar which goes
down as you move, engage characters and fight your battles. The AI of
the game is a mixed bag but it does add to the experience of war as your
characters run through fire fights as they attempt to find cover.
Graphically, Valkyria Chronicles is a true animatic anime experience
that has over the top characters, great character designs and some rich and
diverse background environments. The cutscenes of the game are sometimes
quite verbose, however if you spend the time listening and reading them,
it will progress the story even further for the player.
At the end of the day, Valkyria Chronicles is an interesting RPG tactics
title that has quite an innovative movement and control system which is
thoroughly enjoyable and at times frustrating. As the tactics are quite
diverse, you can mix and match what you do on the battle.
Definitely for lovers of this
genre. |
