Valkyria Chronicles™

great game design and graphic

I usually try to keep my reviews short but this will a be a long, slightly paradoxical review. The tldr is: The game is cool in concept but flawed in execution. I personally like it a lot but, even though you can get it on sale for like $4 USD, I'd still recommend getting Valkyria Chronicles 4 instead, that's a better game. Now onto my thoughts: - The objectives could stand to be more dynamic. Most of the non-boss battles are won by capturing the enemy basecamp, regardless of how many of them are on the field. You could leave every enemy on the map alive and they'd all drop their guns and run for the fields because you changed a flag from red to blue. It gets dull. Some wave defense, search and destroy, CTF, VIP escort would go a long way. - The grading system is dumb. In order to get the best grade on missions you must complete it as fast as possible. Not how many enemies you took out, or how many camps you captured, or how many casualties you suffered. Just how fast you can beat the level. Some of the levels are really strict to, it basically encourages you not to play the game. Don't use tactics in the tactics game, just find a cheap trick that lets you bypass all the enemies and mechanics. - The difficulty is weird. The AI can be dead at times, not pushing an advantage when it could or focusing on targets that are no threat to it. Other times the AI will laser focus on a target and kill you. Inconsistent. Also due to the way damage and troop movement is done, you're basically either immune to bullets or die in seconds. It's weird, especially in a game where moving units is so limited and clunky. - I wish I had more knowledge of maps going in. It gives you no info before you start, so often times I wound up restarting a mission because the troop complement I brought was hindering me. - The game can be a bit grindy, especially if you're not getting A's on all the story missions. - The story is pretty formulaic. It doesn't have much to say outside of "war and racism are not cool actually." Which... alright sure but all my soldiers do a cute pose and say a one-liner after they kill someone so it kinda seems like war is cool. Now you probably read all that and saw the big red thumbs down and assumed I didn't like this game. You would be wrong, I actually love this game. I don't love it for what it is though, I love it for what it could be. I see a world where this has more XCOM in its DNA and it spent more time expanding on the concept of real-time 3rd person shooter in a turn-based tactics game. There is something here, a good game hidden in the deepest depths of its genes. And every time I play it I see it there lurking, whispering sweetly from the darkness and beckoning me forward. So no, I wouldn't recommend it. It's not a good game, it's just the shadow of one. But I love it, so take that nugget with you and dream with me of the day it turns to gold.