Valkyria Chronicles
Okay so for the past week or so I've been playing this game and enjoying it IMMENSELY.
First thing I'll say is this game is very very different from your typical RPGs. It's more strategy and tactic based HOWEVER it's layout is very different from a normal strategy game because once you select a character from the overhead map, you get to move this character in 3rd person, walk around until your AP runs out to find enemies and get to attack ONCE per turn. What makes this game so brilliant isn't because of it's gameplay, although the gameplay itself is very interesting and fun to play sometimes it can get a little tactical and difficult without a proper strategy. The brilliance for me anyway, lies in it's very beautiful watercolour anime style graphics and it's touching story on war.
I can't really describe this game very well, it's one of those you have to play yourself to understand why it's so good. There's also an anime for this series based loosely on the game but if you want the full story I would recommend playing the game yourself to understand it better. The game isn't too difficult since I completed it within 50 hours of gameplay, give or take a few hours since I tend to leave the game idle at times to watch TV or during breaks. If it gets too challenging, gamefaqs has a full strategy guide that can take you through the game easily. And although I wouldn't do that, it can be very useful for some of the missions especially the desert duel with Maximillian.
One tip I have though is as soon as you can, level up your Scouts and Shocktroopers to Elite(level 11) because then they will have flamethrowers and grenade launchers which increases their ability DRAMATICALLY. Especially for the scouts because now they can actually do their job properly and scout without GETTING KILLED. Flamethrowers are effective if a group of enemies stand together or if they are in crouching position and also it's not 100% dodgeable since part of the damage will always go through to the enemy(providing you land a hit of course). Another importance I should note is try and learn as many orders as you can. True, they can deplete your CP quite quickly but they can also add a significant boost to your army. Due to the fact that Lancers have very little AP and because I prefer the Shocktrooper's strong defense I usually add a Demolition Boost to them to destroy tanks(they can run behind and attack the radiator in one go) If you're worried about getting killed by the interceptions fire from the tank, simple, just add a Defense boost to your Shocktrooper. Minimal damage and it usually get's healed by the next turn anyway.
Visiting the Audience Hall often and obtaining Royal Weapons are also another good method to boost your army. Royal weapons have significantly better stats than the ones from the R&D facility however there is a limited supply of them so you usually only get about 1 or 2. Equip them in Squad Barracks to your best members(my favourites are Alex and Rosie because after a while Alex gets a status boost everytime you use him which comes in very handy).
You might think going to Castlefront Street and reading the reports are a bit silly but they add to the background story of the game so it's best to check often and purchase reports whenever you can.
And I think that's about it. The rest is up to you.
Final Mission Rankings - On first playthrough
A: 3 (7 if including report missions)
B: 10 (11 if including report missions)
C: 7
D :3
My rating: 9/10 Now I will go entertain myself by replaying the missions to obtain As while I wait for my new games to arrive. :3
First thing I'll say is this game is very very different from your typical RPGs. It's more strategy and tactic based HOWEVER it's layout is very different from a normal strategy game because once you select a character from the overhead map, you get to move this character in 3rd person, walk around until your AP runs out to find enemies and get to attack ONCE per turn. What makes this game so brilliant isn't because of it's gameplay, although the gameplay itself is very interesting and fun to play sometimes it can get a little tactical and difficult without a proper strategy. The brilliance for me anyway, lies in it's very beautiful watercolour anime style graphics and it's touching story on war.
I can't really describe this game very well, it's one of those you have to play yourself to understand why it's so good. There's also an anime for this series based loosely on the game but if you want the full story I would recommend playing the game yourself to understand it better. The game isn't too difficult since I completed it within 50 hours of gameplay, give or take a few hours since I tend to leave the game idle at times to watch TV or during breaks. If it gets too challenging, gamefaqs has a full strategy guide that can take you through the game easily. And although I wouldn't do that, it can be very useful for some of the missions especially the desert duel with Maximillian.
One tip I have though is as soon as you can, level up your Scouts and Shocktroopers to Elite(level 11) because then they will have flamethrowers and grenade launchers which increases their ability DRAMATICALLY. Especially for the scouts because now they can actually do their job properly and scout without GETTING KILLED. Flamethrowers are effective if a group of enemies stand together or if they are in crouching position and also it's not 100% dodgeable since part of the damage will always go through to the enemy(providing you land a hit of course). Another importance I should note is try and learn as many orders as you can. True, they can deplete your CP quite quickly but they can also add a significant boost to your army. Due to the fact that Lancers have very little AP and because I prefer the Shocktrooper's strong defense I usually add a Demolition Boost to them to destroy tanks(they can run behind and attack the radiator in one go) If you're worried about getting killed by the interceptions fire from the tank, simple, just add a Defense boost to your Shocktrooper. Minimal damage and it usually get's healed by the next turn anyway.
Visiting the Audience Hall often and obtaining Royal Weapons are also another good method to boost your army. Royal weapons have significantly better stats than the ones from the R&D facility however there is a limited supply of them so you usually only get about 1 or 2. Equip them in Squad Barracks to your best members(my favourites are Alex and Rosie because after a while Alex gets a status boost everytime you use him which comes in very handy).
You might think going to Castlefront Street and reading the reports are a bit silly but they add to the background story of the game so it's best to check often and purchase reports whenever you can.
And I think that's about it. The rest is up to you.
Final Mission Rankings - On first playthrough
A: 3 (7 if including report missions)
B: 10 (11 if including report missions)
C: 7
D :3
My rating: 9/10 Now I will go entertain myself by replaying the missions to obtain As while I wait for my new games to arrive. :3