Alive and kicking!
Earlier this year, the Valkyria franchise was in a bad state with the release of Valkyria Revolution, which released to poor scores and some of the worst sales in the history of the franchise. It seemed like it was about to be laid to rest, among the numerous IPs in the Sega graveyard, despite the success of the re-release for the original game. However, it would appear that those fears were for nothing, as the company has announced the next main entry in the franchise will be deploying in 2018.
Oh, and also that it will be coming to all major consoles instead of just Sony consoles.
Many features of what made people fall in love with the original will be returning in the newest installment. Hitoshi Sakimoto, the composer for the series and other works such as Final Fantasy XII, will be in charge once again for the orchestral soundtrack. The CANVAS graphics engine will be returning as well and overhauled for the new generation of consoles, providing the distinctive visuals the series is known for. However the biggest confirmation is the new features to the battle system, such as a new Grenadier class, a “Last Stand” action before a units death, along with promises of larger-scale maps than ever before.
There is one curious absence from the announcement trailer however. While the game was confirmed for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, there is no announcement of a PC port. Which is a shocker, as what numbers can be found indicate it sold just over 900 thousand units, and can be partly attributed to the revival of the franchise internationally.
That being said, I’m just happy to have more Valkyria Chronicles. It’s one of the few franchises that I can say I double dipped on, buying the PlayStation 4 port despite having the PC version. Hopefully it lives up to the original game, which I consider to be one of my favorite games of all time.
