I'm very much of two minds about this latest murder-mystery adventure game from Danganronpa creator Kazutaka Kodaka; there's a lot I actively disliked and I had a pretty low opinion of the game for a good amount of my playthrough, but when things finally kicked into high gear in the last couple chapters, I basically found myself totally won over and was suddenly having a great time with it.

On the one hand, some of the character writing can be pretty grating (Desuhiko's whole wannabe playboy shtick and Shinigami constantly saying things like "boom-kill" and "mysteriful" and repeatedly referring to a teenage girl as "flatty" are the worst offenders), the pacing really drags in the middle to the point where I was pretty bored for a lot of chapters 2 and 3, and the game runs pretty terribly on Switch, with frequent and lengthy loading screens.

On the other hand though, the presentation is top notch, Masafumi Takada killed it with the soundtrack as always, and like I said before, the last couple chapters were so good that they completely turned around my opinion of the game. The final reveals were actually really interesting (and way more fucked up than I was expecting), and there's one tidbit in particular that's such a clever play on audience expectations (especially if you're familiar with Danganronpa) that it genuinely had me cackling when it was revealed.

Basically what I'm saying is, I do recommend this game, but only if you have the patience and tolerance to slog through many uneven hours to get to the best parts. I found the experience extremely worthwhile in the end, but your mileage may vary.

Dragon Quest VIII is my favorite video game of all time because it contains everything I value in one beautiful package. Many people see DQ as a generic or uninspired series that refuses to evolve, I see the exact opposite. Dragon Quest is pure, it's wondrous, it's cozy, it's immersive, and it's unapologetically memorable. I feel right at home wandering around the towns, I feel like I am truly on an adventure when I get lost in the world, I feel victorious when I outsmart a boss, and I feel like I really got to become friends with the wonderful cast. This game is packed with so many moments that I can think back on fondly, it's got arguably the best soundtrack in video game history, and there are few things as addictive as leveling up my skills to learn a new spell or ability. I don't usually write reviews more than a couple of sentences, but for a game like this, it doesn't do it justice to skim over the impact it left on me. I have played more jrpgs than I can count at this point, but none have me sitting there reminiscing about my past adventures like DQ8 does. Absolutely perfect in every way. This is the type of game that has me reaching for my 3ds just to walk around and listen to the music and party chat with my companions months and months after the credits roll. Lots of games leave an impact on me, but this is one where I can say I don't think my life would be the same if it never crossed paths with me

This game is such a fantastic JRPG and it's even more impressive considering it's the first game like it that the company made. The combat system is fantastic, feels almost like the mario rpgs with how you can block moves and do certain button prompts at the right time to get better damage, but more complex with positioning and weaknesses having a huge part in the game. Only issue is the xp gain is really low on normal battles (but you barely need to grind so it's fine) and if Iciban dies, the game is over which I kind of hate systems like that. The story is fantastic as well, Yakuza games constantly have great stories and this is probably my favorite of all of them, it can be incredibly goofy and weird when it wants too but serious and emotional too. I could ramble about how fantastic this game was even more but this will just become an essay so...

Vuelta a un Tactic Rpg (algo diferente a lo que estoy acostumbrado) tras muchísimo tiempo. Y una experiencia bastante buena, eso sí, no falta de algunos peros que podrían haber dado un juego mucho mejor, o al menos, haber cumplido mis expectativas.

Valkyria Chronicles es un TRPG que desecha los tableros a los que estamos acostumbrados en los JRPGS por una vista en 3º persona más cercana a un shooter, que combina turnos con algo de acción real (te pueden disparar al acercarte). Una base bastante sólida y entretenida. A esto se le añaden hasta 5 clases muy diferenciadas (+ 1 adicional como son los Tanques, siempre obligatoria), cada una con su rol y situación a la que es más adecuada, dotando sobre el papel de la suficiente variedad de mecánicas para afrontar las misiones. Luego, en las misiones también tendríamos diferentes modos, el típico tomar la bandera, eliminar a un enemigo u objetivo en concreto o anaquilar a todos. Sobre el papel parece que el gameplay te va a dar las suficientes herramientas para tener variedad en todos los sentidos. Pero aquí empieza uno de sus fallos gordos, el juego tiene una predominancia bastante grande de las misiones de tomar la bandera, siendo además donde más fácil es de romper el juego. Ya que el juego te da un rango al terminarla, que a menos turnos rango más alto. Esto ya te "empuja" a ir a lo Rambo siempre si quieres obtener el rango más alto. Donde chetando con ciertas órdenes a Alicia irás paseando entre balas como si nada para completar la misión lo antes posible. Haciendo que el 90% de misiones se completen exactamente igual. Eliminando así también la utilidad de las diferentes clases que te proporciona el juego, con usar el tanque para dar órdenes y alguna cosita puntual + Alicia modo Rambo SSJ te vale para completar casi todo (más aun cuando se desbloquea la orden de despertar habilidades).

Por supuesto, hay alguna excepción como la misión del capítulo 7 (sudor y lagrimas). Esto quizá se podría corregir si el propio juego no te empujara a terminar cada fase en el menor tiempo posible, donde la herramienta más eficiente, y con muchísima diferencia, es Rambolicia. No es que deje de ser divertido, pero sí que desecha en gran parte su variedad mecánica y su intención inicial de "una misión se puede plantear y superar de muchas formas, todas igual de válidas". No, hay una manera que es más válida que todas las demás, SIEMPRE.

Para conducir estas misiones lo haremos a través de una estructura capitular, encapsulada en un libro donde iremos seleccionando tanto capítulos de historia como misiones a completar. Algo que es original y que encaja bastante bien con el estilo visual del juego.

La historia nos sitúa en una especie de reimaginación de la II Guerra Mundial, durante pleno conflicto entre la Alianza Imperial de Europa Oriental y la Federación Atlántica. Nosotros estaremos en el centro del conflicto, siendo una especie de Suiza que tendrá que tomar las armas. Neutrales hasta el comienzo del juego, desarrollaremos la historia al completo en el Principado de Gallia. La historia no se hace pesada, pero sí que da la sensación de que no han sabido exprimirla del todo y queda más como un mero trámite para completar la siguiente misión. Cuesta empatizar con los diferentes personajes, aun con las desgracias que les pasan, al ser capitular su estructura, el momento de duelo se pasa de un subcapítulo a otro restando bastante credibilidad. Tampoco llega a profundizar demasiado en ningún tema, notándose apresurado.

Sí que parece que no tiene miedo en comentar ciertos temas como la muerte, racismo o incluso meterse en el Holocausto. Pero no sabe adaptarse a la propia estructura que plantea, y parece que simplemente está yendo del punto A al B pasando por estos puntos como simple trámite. Quedando siempre un comentario demasiado naif en todos los temas que plantea. Una falta total de profundidad en sus subtextos, que tampoco sabe rellenar con la suficiente emoción o empatía hacia sus personajes. No duele viajar en esta historia, pero sí que podría haber dado más.

En la banda sonora tenemos al veteranísimo Hitoshi Sakimoto, toda una institución que deja ciertos temas bastante chulos. No se llega a notar tanto como debería el impacto de la bso, pero eso no quita que haya hecho un trabajo bastante decente.

Me gustaría ir cerrando con lo que para mí es lo mejor de la propuesta sin duda, y es su estilo artístico, mezclando el cómic con la pintura de acuarela dejando uno de los cell shading más bonitos a la vista, y que pese a su más de 10 años no ha envejecido ni un ápice. Tanto en las escenas como el propio gameplay (donde no será raro ver onomatopeyas saltando por la pantalla) nos quedaremos fascinados con su arte, llevándonos además a una ambientación nada típica en el mundo del jrpg, que le dota de aun más carisma.

En definitiva, es un buen juego, con el que quizá tenía demasiadas expectativas por todo lo que se comentaba de él y en ese aspecto le veo ciertos puntos claves que debería mejorar. Aun así, me lo he pasado bien y es posible que le dé a alguna entrega más de la saga.

A beautiful and emotional ride.

Valkyria Chronicles was originally a PlayStation 3 game released in 2008. The original game has been remastered for a PlayStation 4 release with added trophy support, crisper visuals and all previously released downloadable content for less than £20. This is a steal for such an amazing title.

Although the story is very much it's own tale filled with it's own fantastical elements it draws heavy inspiration from world war II history for it's ideas and setting. In1930s Europa in the small kingdom of Gallia which is stuck in the middle of two superpowers, the Empire and the Federation. Unfortunately Gallia is home to a large source of Ragnite, a powerful fuel source which results in it being invaded. You play the role of Welkin Gunther, son of a former war hero who joins the militia to fight for Gallia's people and it's freedom.
The story is excellent, something I really didn't expect from a strategy role playing game. The core cast of characters are brilliantly fleshed out with their own personalities, their likes and dislikes and it brought some surprising emotional moments as the story progresses. I had tears in my eyes a couple of times to my utter surprise. The story is told from a book where you select different panels to watch story scenes in each chapter as well as engage in battles.

At the start of each battle you are given a birds eye view of a map, where your units start and how many you are allowed to take into battle. Each unit has a specific class which shows their general usefulness:

Scout - Large movement range, basic rifle.
Shocktrooper - Has a machinegun, medium movement range.
Sniper - Has a sniper rifle but has limited movement range.
Lancer - Has an anti tank weapon, limited ammo.
Engineer - Can repair tanks, refill troop ammo.

Depending on the map and your objective for each battle will depend on how many units you may want to take, as well as which type. To add to that each character has their own unique abilities as well as class abilities called "potentials" making every character in a class although the same, totally different. These abilities are not always positive and can often have a negative effect if say you bring a character allergic to pollen on a woodland map or a character that hates men with an otherwise all male squad etc. It's a really nice idea that makes you shift some of your squad around and even make some characters that get no story scene time feel like they have personalities.

The game is turn based with each side having command points that designate how many actions you can take on that turn. Every time you select a unit you lose a command point from your total, you can then move them if you wish attack with either one of their weapons or grenade and then continue to move them for the duration of their movement bar. The only exception is with Welkin and his tank the Edelweiss which takes two command points per action taken but is insanely powerful and immune to most gunfire though enemy lancers and tanks can still decimate it if you aren't careful. Command points can be saved from turn to turn if you have done all the actions you wish to take you can pass. The most interesting thing though is you can use the same unit multiple times, each time you select them after the first though their movement bar decreases as if their stamina is wearing down. It's an interesting feature (one the AI can and will use against you, though not unfairly) that can even allow you to complete battles in just a couple of turns with one unit if you know how.

Each battle has it's own objective to go along with the story, no two battles feel the same both because of this and the excellent variety of locations from small villages, forests, desert plains, cities and trenches. The art design to this game is superb and the graphics are simply gorgeous. It may be a PlayStation 3 port but thanks to it's canvas engine the game looks almost like a watercolor painting in motion so easily stands up to more technically proficient games designed for the PlayStation 4 in my opinion. The music matches the visual quality step by step with some outstanding pieces. There are some rousing orchestral tracks, especially the main theme but all of which have a distinct military flair to them to match the theme of the game.

There are 18 chapters to the main story of Valkyria Chronicles with some chapters having multiple battles. There are also skirmishes to play which take certain chapter maps you can free play and on harder difficulties they really mix up the enemies and starting locations for added challenge. My first time through took me around 25 hours, getting the platinum trophy, A ranking every battle and collecting every character profile took me about 36 hours so there is plenty of value to be had.

I can't recommend this unique game enough. It mixes third person shooting with strategy gameplay, a great cast of characters and an engaging story. It's such a good price that even if you aren't sure it's really worth the risk.

+ Enjoyable plot filled with interesting characters and emotional moments.
+ Unique potentials are a nice idea, separates characters in the same class and gives them personality.
+ Each battle feels fresh objective and location wise.
+ Beautiful art style and visuals.