Valkyria Chronicles (video game)

Did You Know?

• Sega of America held a pre-launch event at the Sony Metreon in San Francisco on September 29, 2008, with raffles for soundtracks, figurines, and an 80 GB PlayStation 3.
• Downloadable content includes Hard EX Mode, Edy's Mission, and Selvaria's Mission, with the first two originally released in Japan on August 8, 2008.
• The game's visuals use Sega's CANVAS graphics engine, resembling pencil drawings in motion.

Plot

In 1935 E.C., the continent of Europa is dominated by the East Europan Imperial Alliance and the Atlantic Federation. The Empire declares war on the Federation over scarce Ragnite, sparking the Second Europan War. The Empire invades neutral Gallia for its Ragnite deposits. When Imperial forces attack the border town of Bruhl, Welkin Gunther, son of hero General Belgen Gunther, fights alongside town watch captain Alicia Melchiott.

With Welkin's adopted sister Isara and Belgen's prototype tank Edelweiss, they escape to Randgriz and join the Gallian militia. Welkin becomes lieutenant of Squad 7, with Alicia as his non-commissioned officer. After initial doubts, Welkin earns the squad's trust through his tactics. He and Alicia become romantically involved, but Isara is killed by an Imperial sniper.

Squad 7 campaigns successfully, but Crown Prince Maximilian deploys Selvaria Bles, a Valkyrian descendant with magic powers, who destroys the Gallian army. Welkin's colleague Faldio Landzaat shoots Alicia to awaken her latent Valkyrian powers, allowing her to drive Selvaria back. Selvaria sacrifices herself using the final flame after capturing Ghirlandaio fortress, killing the Gallian military core and leaving only the militia.

Development

The concept for Valkyria Chronicles originated in 2003 during discussions between director Shuntaro Tanaka and producer Ryutaro Nonaka, who wanted to create something new outside the Sakura Wars series. The initial pitch was titled Gallian Panzers, with artwork by Daisuke Tabayashi. No platform was initially decided; Nonaka considered the PlayStation 2 or PlayStation Portable, but suggested the PlayStation 3 after its reveal. The production team, based in Sega's GE2 R&D division, had worked on titles including Sakura Wars and Skies of Arcadia. Developing for the PS3 was liberating due to higher hardware specifications but challenging in optimizing CPU use. The final Japanese title emphasized war, with Valkyria representing fantasy elements. The team aimed to go against market trends that limited creativity. A movie pitch was made using the official title after concept approval.

Reception

Valkyria Chronicles received favorable reviews from IGN, RPGFan, G4TV's X-Play, and GameTrailers. Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot praised its tactical freedom from removing grid-based maps. Reviewers enjoyed the active combat and found situations emotionally engaging. The story and presentation were strong points, with RPGFan's James Quentin Clark noting the game improves with play.

Critics cited weak enemy artificial intelligence. Sales were mixed: 77,000 copies in Japan's first week, 81,000 during budget release, but only 33,000 in the United States in November 2008. It was the 93rd best-selling game in Japan in 2008 with 141,589 copies. North American sales increased in April 2009 after a price cut and anime release.

By 2015, the PS3 version shipped over one million units. The 2014 PC version topped Steam sales charts on release day, exceeding expectations with a Metacritic score of 85. It sold over 200,000 copies on Steam by March 2015, estimated at 940,000 by April 2018. The PS4 remaster sold 39,071 copies in Japan by December 2016. Total sales across all platforms reached about two million copies.