Valkyria Revolution Reviews
Valkyria Revolution is an experiment, more similar to a musou than to all of its predecessors, and this won't resonate with the majority of the fans of the franchise. But, taken for what it is, it's still a decent action game with light RPG and strategic elements.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall Valkyria Revolution is an interesting and fun game, but it does take a while to really get going. The introduction and early chapters are really the low points of the game so if you can make it through those you should be good. I had no real issues with anything in terms of anything not working correctly or performing badly. There are however a lot of loading screens and they can sometimes feel like they take forever, but none were very long. For anyone who enjoys action RPGs with a heavy focus on storytelling, this game will be a winner.
I really don't get what the developers were trying to achieve with Valkyria Revolution. It pretty much takes everything that was good about the prior games and just throws it out of the window, replacing it with tedium and banality.
Valkyria Revolution never should have existed in this state. While its predecessors were a breath of fresh air in the J-RPG genre, this spin-off is as generic as it gets. At times, it seems that Valkyria Revolution is a parody of J-RPGs, taking all of the tackiest elements and poorly shoving them together.
All in all, Valkyria Revolution is well worth avoiding. Unless you're a hardcore fan of the franchise's mythology, there's little reason to slog through this.
Valkyria Revolution has two major issues that make it incomprehensible as an RPG: an inane plot driven by asinine characters.
So is Valkyria Revolution worth a look? My answer is no, not even for the diehard of diehard fans. Perhaps a rental if curiosity levels really cap out but seriously, let this one go. Remember fondly the series of old and let this call to arms go unanswered.
All told, Valkyria Revolution isn't a complete disaster. Every now and then, it manages to hoist itself out of the loathsome depths, and deliver an adequate strategy RPG. The ragnites and other abilities are fun to play around with. There is also a small level of satisfaction in crushing hapless soldiers. Still, outside of very specific circumstances, this title demands absolutely nothing from its players, so it's unlikely to hold their attention for long. The intriguing plot is completely wasted by a combination of bad storytelling, laughable cut-scenes, and exorbitant loading screens. All in all, it's a shameful affair.
Valkyria Revolution has a solid foundation and it could have been an excellent game, however, there are many issues that turn it into a mediocre game. Its plot is intriguing, but badly told. The battle system has some interesting stuff, but the game does not encourage the player to use them. I honestly hope we can see a follow-up that can achieve all the potential that Revolution has.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If this change is what can breathe life into a stagnant series once again then I'm all for it.
Unless you're just dying for something different, Valkyria Revolution isn't worth your time. Its attempt at genre blending just leads to a confusing mess of styles that never quite works.
This is a spin off that simply shouldn't be. It tries to take on too many ideas without forming an interesting and engaging core. With boring characters and a story that requires more cutscenes than gameplay, this game really exemplifies why "Show, don't tell" is still true.
Valkyria Revolution fails to live up to the pedigree of its lineage. Though it tries something new with its dynamic battle system, the clunky execution will leave players frustrated and yearning for something different.
Valkyria Revolutions suffers from some pacing issues and stiff cutscenes that make it hard to follow the serious tone of the story, although it attempts to mend some of its flaws with the excellent battle system.
Valkyria Revolution has the confidence of a much better game. The story is presented in a historical lense meant to pull at the player's heartstrings, the gameplay combines action RPG elements with strategy features, and the cast is depicted so as to highlight the realities of war. While that all looks nice in concept, Media Vision's execution is seriously lacking. The plot simultaneously needs to let scenes breathe more, instead of dragging them out for minutes on end. What should be thought-provoking combat turns into mindless button mashing. The depiction of war, as poignant as it can be sometimes, never manages to hold onto its brilliance for longer than a minute. There are genuinely great ideas present, both from its narrative and gameplay, but Valkyria Revolution fails to live up to the potential of either.
Valkyria Revolution is an intense, special, and downright important game, with a powerful message to share not just about war itself, but also how we also talk about, and share stories about, war.
Valkyria Revolution is a noble effort at providing fans with a fresh take on the series but it unfortunately doesn't quite live up to its genre contemporaries.
Valkyria Revolution tries a lot of new things, but loses the Valkyria-soul in the process. The combat system is stuck between action and tactics and the style is completely different. It's only saved by an interesting story and beautiful soundtrack.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The game is lifeless, with anime stereotypes coming and going without any impact. The effete princess. The stoic soldier. The spunky one. A conflicted villain whose arc doubly disappoints by taking the entire course of the game to play out a single face turn. After all, if he had left the axis of evil sooner, the game could not recycle his boss fight three times. Honestly, criticising Revolution for resorting to overused cliches is an insult to better JRPGs that use anime stereotypes wonderfully. So much is worth commenting on as a lesson of what-not-to-do, but the above critique is more than enough. Valkyria Revolution is a dull action game, a wafer-thin war story, and a mishandling of the franchise: disappointing whether one played the previous games or not. Gamers know that Sega has so much more to offer, even if the series might now be buried for good thanks to this spin-off. Instead of revitalising a beloved property, Revolution is a snafu.
It was a bold step to change up the battle system, one that may pay off for attracting new players