Discover Games
This game is rated PEGI 16
Our review includes potentially triggering words:
Killed, Nudity, Splashes of blood and Wounds.
Continue
Back
Ignore All Content Warnings
GAMES Valkyria Chronicles 4 (Series)
Valkyria Chronicles 4 (Series) Review
Posted: 14 months ago, last updated 2 days ago.
Author: @GrowingUpGamers, @GeekDadGamer and Jo Robertson.
Overview
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a turn-based strategy game where you take command of a squad of soldiers and use your wits and tactics to plan and lead them to battle. You play as Commander Claude Wallace and the soldiers of Squad E and experience a gripping tale of a tight-knit group of friends set out to turn the tides of war in a last-ditch secret mission. It's an unusual combination of real-time shooting, turn taking strategy and a deep character-based story.
Play involves alternating between Book mode, where you can manage your soldiers and learn about the story, and Battles, where you command Squad E against enemy forces. In Battles you use the overhead tactical map to plan your turn and decide where to spend your command points. When you activate a unit you see the battlefield from their perspective and can move around to reach objectives or get into good firing positions and use the targeting mode to carefully take aim at enemy weak spots. If a soldier falls in battle, you risk losing them forever if they are not healed or evacuated in time.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is different than many top down turn-based tactical games, because you are able to get a completely different view of the battlefield when you step into a soldier’s perspective, and different than many first-person shooting games because your movement and shooting is limited by your available Action Points and gear. This merging of styles create a unique strategic experience that enhances the feel of really being in command of the squad.
This game is very narrative focused, for example each soldier has a backstory, positive and negative quirks, and other soldiers they prefer to fight with. As you travel across the frozen North with Squad E, you will get to know many of the soldiers very well, and may even find side stories involving certain groups of people. These relationships are a part of what makes Valkyria Chronicle 4 so special; it’s not just a war game, it's a game about friendship and loyalty, sacrifice and loss, and carrying the torch of hope through the longest, coldest nights.
Games in the main series are as follows:
Spinoffs:
Play involves alternating between Book mode, where you can manage your soldiers and learn about the story, and Battles, where you command Squad E against enemy forces. In Battles you use the overhead tactical map to plan your turn and decide where to spend your command points. When you activate a unit you see the battlefield from their perspective and can move around to reach objectives or get into good firing positions and use the targeting mode to carefully take aim at enemy weak spots. If a soldier falls in battle, you risk losing them forever if they are not healed or evacuated in time.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is different than many top down turn-based tactical games, because you are able to get a completely different view of the battlefield when you step into a soldier’s perspective, and different than many first-person shooting games because your movement and shooting is limited by your available Action Points and gear. This merging of styles create a unique strategic experience that enhances the feel of really being in command of the squad.
This game is very narrative focused, for example each soldier has a backstory, positive and negative quirks, and other soldiers they prefer to fight with. As you travel across the frozen North with Squad E, you will get to know many of the soldiers very well, and may even find side stories involving certain groups of people. These relationships are a part of what makes Valkyria Chronicle 4 so special; it’s not just a war game, it's a game about friendship and loyalty, sacrifice and loss, and carrying the torch of hope through the longest, coldest nights.
Games in the main series are as follows:
- Valkyria Chronicles (2008) PlayStation 3, PC, Switch
- Valkyria Chronicles 2 (2010) PlayStation Portable
- Valkyria Chronicles 3 (2011) Playstation Portable
Spinoffs:
- Valkyria Chronicles D (2012) Browser, iOS
- Valkyria Revolution (2017) Playstation 4, Playstation Vita
Game Details
Release Date: 21/03/2018, updated in 2020
Price: 75% off
Platforms: Android, PC, PS Vita, PS4, PSP, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One and iOS
Content Rating: PEGI 16
Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Shooting, Strategy (Action, Narrative, Role-Play and Traversal)
Accessibility: 28 features
Lists
View our choice of games like Valkyria Chronicles 4. This game is good if you want to:
Duration
Play Time: This game will take between 36 hours and 48 hours to complete. If you replay missions for experience and rewards, complete optional missions, and explore post-game content, you can spend 100+ hours playing this game.
Play Style
This is a single-player game.
You can play this game in the following styles:
Age Ratings
Content Rating
Rated for younger players in the US. Rated ESRB TEEN for Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence. Battles are mostly depicted from a third-person perspective as characters perform various actions such as claiming strategic positions, moving tanks, and firing weapons (e.g., machine guns, sniper rifles, flamethrowers). Cutscenes sometimes depict characters getting shot and killed; these sequences are highlighted by cries of pain and realistic gunfire. Some scenes depict soldiers with bloodied bandages/wounds, as well as brief splashes of blood when injured. The game contains some suggestive material: a man grabbing a woman's buttocks; a character staring at a female, saying, “Check out the a*s on that one! I'd swab her deck”; dialogue such as “Who else would try to sneak into a strip club at ten years old?” During the course of the game, characters often discuss alcohol, and one character is shown drunk (e.g., “And I'm sssuper sober, so don't worry it's fiiine… hic!”); another character is seen holding a cigarette and asking for a light. The words “sh*t” and “a*shole” appear in dialogue.
Skill Rating
10+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Still, it's important for parents and guardians to consider the maturity required to process the game content. Younger players will enjoy this if they connect to the story and can strategise battles, like Warhammer or Dungeons and Dragons fans.
Costs
Valkyria Chronicles 4 usually costs £24.99 to £39.99.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 has a range of additional content you can purchase. There is one free download "Tanks Decals". There are 6 additional story missions available for purchase:
It's important to set up your accounts and devices appropriately. More information is on our Financial Resources page.
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition
There are the following additional costs associated with this game:
- In-Game Purchases: Additional in-game purchases are offered for items that enhance the experience.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 has a range of additional content you can purchase. There is one free download "Tanks Decals". There are 6 additional story missions available for purchase:
- "Squad E, To the Beach"
- "A Captainless Squad"
- "Expert Level Skirmishes"
- "The Two Valkyria"
- "Edy's Advance Ops"
- "A United Front with Squad 7"
It's important to set up your accounts and devices appropriately. More information is on our Financial Resources page.
Accessibility
Our Valkyria Chronicles 4 Accessibility Report documents 28 accessibility features:
In Valkyria Chronicles 4 there are 4 basic play modes; Book, Command, Action, and Targeting mode. Book Mode there is where the story is delivered in small chunks that can be easily reviewed section by section. Each has a picture from the scene displayed like a photo album, which can help with remembering and tracking the story.
The other 3 game modes are battle specific; Command and Targeting mode do not have a time pressure element but in Action mode while you are controlling a soldier in your squad, nearby enemy soldiers shoot at you in real-time and you have limited Action Points to move with, so control becomes time sensitive as you try to move efficiently and avoid enemy fire.
Although missions can be failed, you are able to repeat them as often as needed until completed, and once a mission is passed it is graded on a letter scale with rewards given out for performance. Missions can be replayed as often as you like to earn a higher grade and more rewards.
Some missions take place at night or in low contrast environments to simulate limited visibility battlefield conditions (especially in the Chapters that take place in the snow) and while figuring out where enemy soldiers are is part of the challenge of these battles, this may increase existing issues with navigation or distinguishing objects on screen.
In Valkyria Chronicles 4 there are 4 basic play modes; Book, Command, Action, and Targeting mode. Book Mode there is where the story is delivered in small chunks that can be easily reviewed section by section. Each has a picture from the scene displayed like a photo album, which can help with remembering and tracking the story.
The other 3 game modes are battle specific; Command and Targeting mode do not have a time pressure element but in Action mode while you are controlling a soldier in your squad, nearby enemy soldiers shoot at you in real-time and you have limited Action Points to move with, so control becomes time sensitive as you try to move efficiently and avoid enemy fire.
Although missions can be failed, you are able to repeat them as often as needed until completed, and once a mission is passed it is graded on a letter scale with rewards given out for performance. Missions can be replayed as often as you like to earn a higher grade and more rewards.
Some missions take place at night or in low contrast environments to simulate limited visibility battlefield conditions (especially in the Chapters that take place in the snow) and while figuring out where enemy soldiers are is part of the challenge of these battles, this may increase existing issues with navigation or distinguishing objects on screen.
Diversity and Inclusion
We haven't documented diversity and inclusion information for this game yet.
Hand-Picked Games Like Valkyria Chronicles 4
Our experts have hand-picked the following similar games. These are similar to Valkyria Chronicles 4 in how they play or their theme. These are good alternative games to Valkyria Chronicles 4, or are a younger rated alternative for players not ready for PEGI 16 or ESRB TEEN games.
Hand-Picked Board Games Like Valkyria Chronicles 4
Our experts have hand-picked the following board games that offer a similar experience or theme to Valkyria Chronicles 4., or are a younger rated alternative for players not ready for PEGI 16 or ESRB TEEN games.
Colt Express
