Valkyria Chronicles 4, the long awaited return to console of the strategy series, will launch on September 25th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
The strategy RPG that Sega describes as a coming of age story in a time of war follows Squad E, a completely new cast of characters that fights a desperate battle over a snow-capped battlefield while also learning to grow through the horrors of war.
Similar to the original game, Valkyria Chronicles 4 looks to be a story about people rather than war. The game’s trailers have put an emphasis on the relationships and bonds formed between the characters through the hardships they face.
The game features a return to the series’ original blitz combat system that mixes elements of real time strategy, role playing games and third-person shooting to create something wholly unique. The team boasts the series’ biggest maps, number of units and new units.
The game also sees the return of the canvas engine that gives the series its unique hand-drawn, water colour/comic book aesthetic. This art style was missing from more recent entries in the series, and they suffered for it overall.
The game is available to pre-order now. In North America, the first run of physical copies of the game will include an exclusive extra, the Ragnarok controller skin (Ragnarok is the adorable Shiba medic in the trailer).
In Europe and the UK, first run copies will get an exclusive sticker of Ragnarok (apparently, Sega believe putting a Shiba on our controllers isn’t a priority over here ….how little they know us).
Finally, there is also the memories of Battle Premium Edition that comes packaged with a host of physical and download goodies listed below:
- Valkyria Chronicles 4 – Memoirs from Battle Premium Edition ($99.99)
- Exclusive Vinyl Statue of the “Hafen” Tank
- Claude’s Travel Journal – Exclusive 100-page themed artbook: Inspired by Claude’s journal in-game, features a wide selection of watercolor-styled art from the game.
- Two DLC Adventures featuring Squad 7 characters: A United Front with Squad 7 and Edy’s Advance Ops addes three additional hours of gameplay across four exclusive story missions, featuring fully-voiced cutscenes and unique challenges. After completion players will unlock six Squad 7 members, as well as Edy’s personal submachine gun.
- The DLC missions included in the memoirs from battle editions will be made available as an add on for standard players some time after the games release.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 looks to be a return to form for a series that in the West has been increasingly distant. Since the original game’s launch, fans have wanted a true console sequel following 2 and 3’s release on PlayStation Portable (the latter only available in Japan) and the disappointing spin-off, Valkyria Revolution, that ditched the combat and art style of the original.
Over the years, Valkyria Chronicles 1’s legacy has endured after an initially weak launch, and the game has gone on to top 1 million sales on PS3 and Steam. Here’s hoping that Valkyria Chronicles 4 brings that legacy home when it launches on September 25th.
