In Europe most of the purely "Rising Sun" games are snubbed, underestimated, defined as obsolete, boring, "classic". A real shame because many of these, especially the one I am talking about today in the GameScope column, are small jewels, gems that will remain forever in the history of the current gen and beyond. The game in question is a tactical RPG, even if defining it like this is an understatement: it is a hybrid, a perfect mix of tactics, role-playing, action, reaction: I'm talking about Valkyria Chronicles, SEGA masterpiece released near the launch of Ps3, now available in its final version also on PlayStation 4.
The game, as already mentioned, has been underestimated a lot and is the first of a series then continued only on PSP, the old-gen portable console of mom Sony. This poor success is unfortunately attributable to the strategic Jrpg genre, decidedly niche in a country where Fifa and Call of Duty are definitely the most popular.
Valkyria Chronicles is set in an alternative Europe and, broadly speaking, tells of an eternal war between the two superpowers, the Imperial Federation and the Atlantic Alliance. In all this the young Welkin Gunther is involved, university student son of a great war hero destined to follow in his father's footsteps and lead his country to victory against the imperial giant. After taking possession of the tank that belonged to his father and maintained by his adoptive sister Isara Welkin, he is placed in command of Squad 7, made up of militiamen enlisted to support the regular army. The basic plot is not very original, but the political plots, the numerous characters, primary and otherwise, make it interesting and satisfying until the last of the numerous chapters of the game: in fact, longevity is very high, thanks also to secondary missions spot on and well done.
The graphics are totally cell-shaded, among other things done very well and that masks well the defects still present; however, it is a product that feels the weight of the years, with some textures not up to par and polygons that are not always adequate. The strong point of the production, in addition to the aforementioned truly superfine gameplay, is undoubtedly the artistic direction of a higher level: Valkyria Chronicles is simply a picture in motion, with the developers indulging themselves with thoughtful direction choices and ad hoc frames to reinforce the concept.; truly a feast for the eyes, which despite the past years manages to keep up with much more current productions with a different budget. A praise also goes to the exceptional soundtrack, with war motifs and other more relaxing ones that will literally give us goosebumps and gas us, making everything even more exceptional.
Valkyria Chronicles is a great little gem of the videogame panorama, unfortunately underestimated either for the niche genre or for the lack of localization. My advice is to absolutely recover this title, also given the paltry price at which it is: we remind you that the title is now also available in the PS4 version in the splendid Europa Edition (on Amazon sold for about 20 euros), which contains over the full title also includes a 32-page mini artbook and a collectible poster.
