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Although I have yet to finish Valkyria Chronicles II, at 90hrs into the game I think it’s safe to say that I frackin’ love it! There’s so much going on in VC2 that it’s difficult to sum it up in a few short paragraphs, but bear with me here as I try.
At it’s core, Valkyria Chronicles 2 is a turn-based, strategy RPG. You’ll command each mission from a birds eye view of the battlefield, shifting to a third person ‘action’ view when directly controlling individual units. Mission goals are fairly basic, but achieving victory is anything but. There is so much depth to this game that even at the 90hr mark I’m still learning new tricks. It’s a classic example of gameplay that is ‘easy to learn, but difficult to master’.
There’s a hefty story alongside the missions which unfolds in a mix of anime-cutscenes as well as lively still images. There’s a bit of text to contend with, but excellent voice acting helps assist with the delivery. The story is entertaining, albeit light hearted for a game revolving around revolution & war. It’s not completely cheerful though as there are a few surprising, darker moments thrown at you. A lot of the story elements you encounter are entirely optional, but you’d be a fool to pass them up.
In addition to a large cast of characters, VC2 also features a ton of options in the way of classes and upgrades. Each of the 5 main soldier classes (Scout, Trooper, Lancer, Engineer & Tech) have two branching paths for a total of 35 different options. In fact, there’s so much to take in with Valkyria Chronicles 2 that I was pretty lost at first. I found myself constantly quitting out of the game to review the ‘virtual’ instruction manual (I purchased the PSN version of the game).
Luckily, Sega published some great tips on the web via the Freshmen Cadet Guide (link) and the Lotte Insider newsletter (link). I HIGHLY recommend keeping both handy when you’re first starting to learn VC2’s basics. You’ll even find DLC codes for some in-game extras in these supplemental materials.
VC2 starts out by lobbing softball missions at you in the beginning but then quickly ramps up to fastballs and curves in regards to the difficulty. Right as I was getting over-confident with my squad the game humbled me by introducing new, devastating enemy units. The difficulty spike leans more towards challenging than frustrating, but it’s a quick slap in the face that bringing your squad to victory is no longer going to be a cakewalk.
You may be able to finish Valkyria Chronicles 2 in half the time I’ve spent with it so far, but the game has tons to offer those like myself who just can’t get enough. There is a 22 mission DLC pack, character specific missions and in-game unlockables for those that want it. Not to mention the road to A-Rank each mission will be a long and challenging quest.
Valkyria Chronicles 2 is a phenomenal game. It’s satisfying in both small chunks, and marathon sessions and works perfectly on the PSP. It has single handily made my PSPGo a necessity in my gadget bag whenever I leave the house. If you own a PSP and do not play this game there is something seriously wrong with you.
FAN-FRICKIN-TASTIC!
ps – yes, I know that is Alicia Melchiott in the photo from the original Valkyria Chronicles. I looked around for some VC2 characters to use in this posts photo, but didn't like what was available (or they were too expensive). In my defense though, Alicia is in VC2, just not as a playable character.
