Valkyria Chronicles 4 Reviews
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a game that tries to embrace its past while also taking a step into the future, and it fails spectacularly on both fronts. The story is incoherent, the characters are developed poorly, and the gameplay's constant gimmickry and penchant for not telling you the rules quickly becomes fatiguing. That's not even getting into the unskippable cutscenes and numerous technical shortcomings, either. The original Valkyria Chronicles is a classic, but it was clearly the beneficiary of beginner's luck that's depleted in the decade since.
It is more of the same for Valkyria Chronicles 4 - and that's no bad thing. Going back to what SEGA did best with this series following the awful Revolution was really all that was necessary, even if it might feel too familiar if coming off of playing the first game recently. Comic book visuals, a story based on World War II, appealing anime-like characters, a mix of overhead and third-person strategic and real-time gameplay - there are so many crazy ideas melded together, and yet it all comes off so well. There still isn't a series much like it.
SEGA managed to artfully revive this franchise by improving some of the mechanics and maintaining its distinct art style.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
I do love Valkyria Chronicles 4 for many reasons. Its characters are more endearing than any I had encountered in the series thus far and its systems and mechanics are still as engaging as ever. However, there is still plenty going against even its most positive attributes.
With Valkyria Chronicles 4, Sega have succeeded in creating a true sequel to the original. The game offers strong, polished gameplay, a good amount of customisation and some likeable characters, but a few clunky choices and pacing problems do hold it back from fulfilling its potential.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 take the series back to its roots for the better. The new E Squad may use the very same twists and stories as the first episode, but the game itself stills delivers a solid war experience somewhere between the tactical genre and the TPS. Unfortunately, only those able to accept its naive manga tone may enjoy this light experience : indeed, the endless and sometimes pointless conversations are a real nightmare.
Review in French | Read full review
Valkyria Chronicles 4' developers made the game in the best traditions of the first one, but they did not bring anything new. As a result, Valkyria Chronicles 4 feels like a very large expansion to the first game, which was released 10 years ago. Of course, this does not make Valkyria Chronicles 4 a bad game, but we, frankly, hoped for more.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Valkyria Chronicles 4 has an entertaining and beautiful core unfortunately covered by a flawed shell. You have to break through that shell repeatedly if you want to get to the really good bits and the bits are fantastic, sure, but the in-between moments are incredibly annoying.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 brings the series back to its roots and polishes that experience to a shine. It's a return to form for the decade-old tactical RPG series and its best entry to date, albeit playing it extremely safe. While it does iron out some of the kinks that plagued its predecessors, it does little else.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 has a major benefit that is understandable even for whom never played the series before; there are new elements in gameplay which makes it a better game than the remastered version of the first title.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Trying to sum up everything about Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a tumultuous ordeal. Just know it’s an excellent strategy-RPG that is consistently engaging, challenging, and full of depth, vital for the game’s 30+ hour campaign and full $60 price point. Its full of genre-blending combat, likable characters, and potent storytelling that click well together. You don’t need any prior familiarity with the series to enjoy what’s going on. Despite a large learning curve, if you’re a strategy game greenhorn or no, Valkyria Chronicles 4 might just win the battle for your heart.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 represents the best of its genre. Sega innovates well-known aspects with new, interesting mechanics and combined with the emotional story, it creates an unique video game war like never before.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is tasked with recapturing the magic of the first and return the series to a firm footing. In this it mostly succeeds, with exceptionally engaging strategic combat that is a considerable improvement over the original incarnation.
'Valkyria Chronicles 4' improves on almost every element from previous games in the series, but it has a few hiccups in difficulty near the end of the game. The development team has definitely learned what the major issues in previous games were, but seem to have ignored some of the smaller problems the game has.
It’s a human story about people stuck on a battlefield. Some days are full of action, while other days you’ll sit in the trenches and tell stories.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a solid entry in the series. It sticks to its tried and tested formula, for better and sometimes worse, and provides an excellent entry point if you've not played them before. The small improvements outweigh the issues that have been present since the beginning.
Whether you're a fan of the series and have been patiently waiting for a new entry or if you're interested in getting into the series for the first time, Valkyria Chronicles 4 represents the series well and provides an engaging experience.
With few major changes from the core formula, fans of the series will feel right at home with Valkyria Chronicles 4. The game changes enough for the better and offers some degree of fresh air to the experience even after four entries. Any flaws that were present in previous titles still exist to some extent, holding it back from true greatness, but the general formula is more than solid enough and stays fresh despite the '4' in the title.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a cautious sequel. It is almost identical to the original Valkyria Chronicles game from PS3 era, but that's not a bad thing! For a decade we've been waiting for the proper big game in the series, and Valkyria Chronicles 4 delivers on all fronts.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is the true sequel that fans of the original Valkyria Chronicles have wanted. It's safe, by the book, predictable, and it does little to fix the flaws of the original game. However, that's not a bad thing.