Today’s issue of Weekly Famitsu included a large spread on the upcoming mainline chapter of the Valkyria Chronicles series, Valkyria Chronicles 4.
Part of the new information and screenshots we get is focused on enemy characters. There are many talented combatants among the Imperial forces, and the closer our heroes will get to the capital, the more challenging opponents they’ll face.
We start with the new valkyria, named Clymaria Lewin, and voiced by Yukana (known for playing Tear Grants in Tales of the Abyss).
She appears on the battlefield announced by a snowstorm, and another rages when she leaves, which is why she is called “Witch of the Snowstorm.” She has the special rank of captain belonging to the Imperial Science Institute Special Test Force X-0 “Zechs Owl”. She used to have a strong inferiority complex because she was forced to live at the Valkyria Laboratory as a test subject, and she fights alongside a wolf named Fenrir, that was her only friend during those harsh times.
Unlike previous valkyrie who used to fight in hand-to-hand combat, Clymaria uses magic.
The Special Test Force X-0 is a dangerous enemy that the protagonists will have to face many times, responsible for testing and support development of Imperial armaments, and reporting directly to the top executives of the Imperial Science Institute.
Forse (voiced by Kaito Ishikawa, who was Nero in Devil May Cry 4) is the commander of the Zechs Owl in charge of strategy. He is impaired, so he cannot participate in battle directly, but his extreme self-confidence leads him to think that he is always right. He is calm, and his strong spirit cannot be easily shaken.
Berger (voiced by Shou Hayami, who played Maximilian Jenius in the Macross series) is a former aristocrat from a country annexed by the Empire, and he is the highest ranked executive of the Imperial Science Institute due to his outstanding talent as a scientist. He has the rank of general, and behaves like the members of Zechs Owl are his pawns on the field.
Kiara Rodino (voiced by Yukiyo Fujii, who was Hotaru Tomoe in Sailor Moon Crystal) grew up at the Imperial Research Institute together with Nikola, creating a bond similar to that of sisters. She is in charge of eliminating Berger’s enemies and she has a sadistic personality, uncaring about the value of human life.
Nikola Gref (voiced by Naomi Oozora, who played Norika Mizuyama in Momokuri) is Berger’s bodyguard like Kiara, but differently from her, she is the sneaky type that normally doesn’t resort to direct violence. She prefers to play mind games.
Kiara and Nikola will eliminate enemies with incredible coordination but strangely, they don’t seem to approve of each other’s methods.
Klaus Voltz (voiced by Hiroko Touchi, who was Cor in Final Fantasy XV, Ovan in the .hack//GU series and Chris Redfield in the Resident Evil series) is the captain of the independent Imperial unit “Aosburuf”. He lost his mother when he was a child and grew up sheltered by the people of his town, which is why he fights with a strong belief that he is protecting the citizens of his country. He believes in intuition and instinct, and he is always quick to act. He is a veteran commander of many battles and fights riding on his own personal tank. He is determined to chase down the protagonist’s Squad E.
We also get more information about the gameplay. First of all the “Brave” system is a new element introduced in the game. When soldiers are about to die due to enemy attack, there is a certain probability that the system will trigger, causing them not to immediately collapse.
They can either choose to “commit” which will restore 1 command point (CP) and temporarily increase the stats of fellow soldiers around them or “stand up” which will restore their action points (AP) letting them perform one last action while invulnerable.
When soldiers fall, they are in “dying” state. If three turns pass without being touched by a friendly soldier, or if an enemy touches them, they will actually die.
As in previous games, the story progresses with the player selecting episodes on a notebook. If you select an episode marked by a map, it’s a battle mission, and you will proceed to the briefing menu. Episodes that you have not seen are marked by a “New” icon.
In the briefing menu, players can form their initial strategy by assigning different soldiers to slots in the starting area of the mission. Different missions allow a different number of units.
At the beginning of each turn, you’ll see the battle map. You can spend one CP to have one unit perform an action. Once all CP are used, you can select to end your turn. Once that is done, it’ll be the enemy’s turn to do the same. Enemy units are not displayed until they enter the field of view of a friendly unit.
Once a unit is activated by spending one CP, they will be able to move, which will consume AP, displayed by a gauge at the bottom of the screen. Pressing R1 will enter aiming mode. While moving a character, all other units will be stationary, but you will be intercepted if you enter an enemy’s line of sight.
The available classes are the same from the original Valkyria Chronicles (Scout, Shocktrooper, Engineer, Lancer, Sniper), plus a new one, the Grenadier. There are no fencers this time around.
You can check out the screenshots below, keeping in mind that they’re from magazine scans, so quality is not perfect. If you want to see more you can check out the first trailer, more artwork and info, the first screenshots, info on the launch DLC, and more images and info from an earlier issue of Famitsu.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 will be released both in North America and Europe for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, and will come in 2018. In Japan, it will launch for PS4 on March 21st and for Nintendo Switch later in Summer 2018.
