Journey Back to Europa
Following lukewarm reception to the 2017 spin-off Valkyria Revolution, Sega has announced that Valkyria Chronicles 4 is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2018.
The announcement was made via the “Valkyria Project” portal on Sega’s website. In a five-minute half-developer diary, half-trailer, the Valkyria team highlighted several of their goals for the upcoming title. These include creating believable, dynamic characters and improving upon the series’ warm, watercolor visuals.
An underlying theme that was continually emphasized was that of “player immersion”: immersion in the characters’ joys and strife; immersion in the game’s visuals and UI; immersion in the game’s controls and tactical gameplay.
The developers wrapped up the diary by teasing Valkyria Chronicles 4 as a project that “transcends national boundaries.” This presumably means that Sega and Atlus studios from outside of Japan are also involved with the game’s development. It may also point to the fact that Valkyria Chronicles 4 has been confirmed for North American and European release (2011’s Valkyria Chronicles III never left Japan).
After making the confident claim that Valkyria Chronicles 4 will be “the greatest game in the series,” the developers showed off a trailer of the game’s story and characters. Watch the full trailer (as well as the developer diary) below:
The announcement of Valkyria Chronicles 4 was accompanied by a Sega press release, giving further details on the game’s story. It reads:
It is the year 1935 EC…
The continent of Europa is engulfed in the flames of the Second Europan War between the Atlantic Federation and the Autocratic Eastern Imperial Alliance. Although the Federation struggles valiantly against the Empire’s forces, the relentless imperial military machine threatens to consume them. With victory slipping away, the Federation executes Operation Northern Cross: a last-ditch attempt to capture the imperial capital and end the war.
Commander Claude Wallace and his loyal childhood friends in Squad E are sent to fight for the desperate operation’s success, but they will have to endure harsh bone-chilling elements, waves of imperial soldiers, and the terrifying Valkyria… and unravel a grave truth that will shake them to the core.
Sega also confirmed that the turn-based combat found in previous Valkyria Chronicles titles would be back in Valkyria Chronicles 4, as opposed to the real-time gameplay that was heavily criticized in Valkyria Revolution. Hitoshi Sakimoto (Valkyria Chronicles, Final Fantasy Tactics) will also return to helm the game’s soundtrack.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 marks the first mainline entry to release in North America and Europe since Valkyria Chronicles II in 2010. It also marks the first non-spin-off console game in the series since the original Valkyria Chronicles in 2008.
Are you excited for Valkyria Chronicles 4? Let us know in the comments below!
