With the release of Valkyria Chronicles Remastered on the PS4 this past week, SEGA is attempting to redistribute the seminal entry in a series other than Sonic and Yakuza in order to establish a viable new franchise with the current market. Valkyria Chronicles is also something they continue to believe in on an artistic level, as they’ve released the game on Steam, as well as two PSP sequels, Valkyria Chronicles II and Valkyria Chronicles III (which also enjoyed a subsequent enhanced update with new content called Unreleased Chronicles). In addition, there is a new entry coming later this year called Valkyria: Azure Revolution which, like the other three games in the series, looks stunning.
In case you aren’t familiar with the subject, Valkyria Chronicles is a story of war that takes place in a universe that is a fictional parallel to Europe during World War II. As with most conflicts, it’s a battle over land and resources. At the heart of the fight is a precious material called Ragnite that has mystical properties useful as healing aids, fuel sources and to awaken long hidden powers inside those who possess ancient blood. These wars are initiated by aggressive empires looking to expand and the protagonists are predominantly younger people that end up volunteering to defend their independence. Along the way, the heroes meet many people from different walks of life whose careers and passions have been interrupted by the invasion and have taken up arms in service to the cause. The hallmarks of the Valkyria Chronicles series are its endearing protagonists, their interactions with their allies and the antagonists on the other side of the battlefield (who often have their own complex motivations) and in the increasingly rising stakes of the struggle. They’re also pretty good turn based strategy games in their own right.
SEGA clearly still believes that this franchise has legs in the west, as they’ve released localized versions of the first game across three platforms now (PS3, PC and now PS4), as well as releasing the second game on our shores. But what they really want to know is…would you buy more games in the series?
To that end, SEGA has opened up a survey that you can fill out to let them know how you feel. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete and its in service to a great cause. Namely, getting more Valkyria Chronicles localized. So take up your arms, and by that I mean keyboards and mouses, and join the cause against an overwhelming force that opposes your right to buy English adaptations of great games, and let your voice be heard! I’ve already filled my survey out, let them know exactly what I think and have all but demanded we get Valkyria Chronicles III: Unreleased Chronicles and Valkyria: Azure Revolution in English. Maybe together, we can overcome!
Click here to do your part.
And if you still aren’t motivated yet, here are some trailers to inspire you. First for what came before.
And next for the future of what could be (for those of us in the west).
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is currently available for the Sony Playstation 4 Entertainment System.
