Review – Valkyria Revolution

Valkyria Revolution is the newest addition to the Valkyria series. Although not directly part of Valkyria Chronicles, it’s more of a spin-off. It still uses the same style of gameplay and universe.

The game focuses on a special forces team from the country of Jutland. Threatened by the oppression of the neighbouring Ruzihan Empire. Lead by Amleth, your team makes the first strike against the Empire. All armed with rare ragnite infused weapons.

These are specifically designed to take on the legendary Valkyria. One of which is under the control of the Ruzhians. The first mission has you pushing the empire out of Jutland territory.

The real time battle system is a new change for the series. The tactical strategy has been put aside presumably to follow recent trends. The primary weapons are all melee based and allow for close quarter combat. Each character also has magical abilities and secondary weapons.

When using these abilities you can stop time giving some control over the flow. The secondary weapons consist of projectiles such as guns or rockets. The magic abilities come from the ragnite and have both ranged and close quarters effects. They also boast the standard archetypes of fire, water, wind and earth.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”The real time battle system is a new change for the series” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””][/perfectpullquote]

The attempts at changing the play style does take away from what was a well-established style in previous titles. It may attract people new to the series but will likely fall short for fans. Although I enjoyed the gameplay change-up for the most part. It made the game feel very separate from the other games. Personally, I preferred the tactical mode over the new direction.

The story is enjoyable and flows well with the pacing of the missions. The characters are likeable and their motives seem valid.  Media Vision did a pretty good job of making the antagonists unlikable. All the head members of the Ruzhian army are your standard bad guys.

No signs of empathy in any of them and a strong sense of self-preservation. This title’s delve into the lore regarding the Valkyria is a nice touch. It helps expand the character development and expands the universe more.

The visuals are nothing special but the stylised design is nice. The anime character design stems somewhat past their physical design. Their narratives are very anime-like as well. I really enjoyed the industrial age theme in these games. It melds well with the touch of supernatural and fantasy.

It was a bold step to change up the battle system, one that may pay off for attracting new players. I can see fans of the original games not enjoying it as much. That will all depend on what drew them to the series. If it’s the story and lore they will definitely enjoy Valkyria Revolution.

On the other hand, if it was the gameplay I can see fans not taking to the new changes. It’s still a fun game as a whole and people wanting to enter the series will find it appealing. Most fans will have already made their mind up about purchasing Valkyria Revolution. We’ll just have to wait and see what the response is.

Valkyria Revolution was reviewed using a digital promotional code provided to PowerUp! by Sega.