Official_Xbox_Magazine_USA_Issue_202_July_2017

PrevieW
Valkyria Revolution’s main theme was performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
Valkyria
Revolution
Spinning off into a new era for
its Xbox debut
Paul Walker-emig
PublisheR Deep Silver DeveloPeR MeDia.viSion
FoRmat XboX one eta june 30 2017
above Why don’t
real princesses
run about in
finery hitting
people with
swords?
The latest Valkyria game heralds a big
change for the series. For one thing,
it’s the first Valkyria title to make it
onto an Xbox platform. This is good,
because it means we won’t have to
head to Sega headquarters with Big
Spence to smash the place up in
retribution for spurning our beloved
console. And we were willing to.
The changes run far deeper than
that, however. Valkyria Revolution is
being positioned as a spin-off, rather
than a true sequel, serving as pretext
to take things in a new direction.
That starts with the setting. Where
past games have blended the big
swords, foppish hair, and outrageous
costumes mandated by JRPG law with
a World War II-inspired aesthetic,
Revolution instead blends the big
swords, foppish hair and outrageous
costumes with a style based on the
European Industrial Revolution.
In this universe, we take control of
Amleth, a commanding officer in an
elite unit fighting for a small nation’s
independence from colonial rule. This
conflict is made slightly unfair by the
fact that the empire you’re fighting
against has a Valkyria—one of those
badass demigod things that lends the
series its name—on its side, but you’ll
just have to deal with that.
Earning the name
When it comes to combat, Revolution
again makes a significant change
(have you guessed why they called
it Revolution yet?). The turn-based
battles of old have been replaced
with an action-based system that
looks like it falls somewhere between
“The empire you
are fighting has a
badass demigod
on its side”
final Fantasy post XI and the Dynasty
Warrior series in how it handles. It’s
not a complete departure from the
strategic nature of previous entries,
however. The ability to set roles like
Offense and Support for your party
members, or to use certain spells and
determine who they target in battle,
will hopefully ensure the game retains
a tactical element.
Permadeath makes a return (though
not for major characters), which
could prove to be a great feature. You
can imagine how seeing a beloved
comrade—one that you’ve come to
love, that’s fought alongside you,
whose story you’ve got to know—fall
in combat because of a mistake you
made could deliver a real emotional
gut punch. Of course, whether the
game can make us care enough for
permadeath to have that kind of
impact will depend on the quality of
its storytelling and characterization.
We’re not yet sure whether the
changes Revolution are making
will be for the better. Indeed, we’re
concerned that in moving away from
its strategic turn-based system,
Valkyria could lose what makes the
series stand out. Given the quality
of previous Valkyria games, though,
we’re happy to see whether this new
direction has its merits. If not, we’ll be
smashing up Sega HQ again. n
033
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