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| Peter Triezenberg |
Gallians everywhere, rejoice.
11.17.15 - 8:26 PM
Sega recently announced Valkyria: Azure Revolution, a new game in the Valkyria Chronicles series, along with a remaster of the original Valkyria Chronicles for the PlayStation 4. The latter will be released on February 10th, 2016, and will feature higher-resolution graphics and the addition of trophies and downloadable content. It will also contain a demo of Azure Revolution, in order to solicit fan feedback regarding the new title.
The newest issue of Famitsu magazine will go into more detail regarding Valkyria: Azure Revolution on November 19th, but some information has leaked early. The game will come out in the Winter of 2016 for PS4.
With the discovery of the azure mineral Ragnite, the powerful Rus Empire achieved rapid industrial development and expanded its territory. Jutland, a small country, is economically blockaded by the large country, and advocating "independence and freedom from colonial rule," strikes the empire army's base.
Characters:
- Amleth: The protagonist. The commanding officer of the Jutland Kingdom’s elite Anti-Valkyria Unit.
- Ophelia: The heroine. The princess of the Jutland Kingdom.
- Brynhildr: A Valkyria sided with the Rus Empire that stands before the heroes.
System:
- "Gouache" Drawing Engine: Through detail and vivid color, the game is depicted in a painting-esque visual presentation.
- "LeGION" Battle System: A real-time battle system with added simulation elements. Details are still unknown, but in the screenshots, you can see all party members attacking at the same time.
Staff:
- Developer: Media Vision
- Character Models: Flight Unit
- Chief Producer: Youichi Shimosato
- Producer: Katsura Mikami
- Director: Takeshi Ozawa
- Character Design: Hiro Kiyohara, Takayama Toshiaki
One thing that is unclear is whether or not Azure Revolution ties into to the previous three Valkyria Chronicles titles. According to Game Informer, the game is a direct continuation of Valkyria Chronicles III, which never saw release outside of Japan. However, an early look at an interview with the game's creators reveals some tantalizing new information that suggests that this new Valkyria title could be very different from what we expect. According to Takeshi Ozawa, the game's director, Azure Revolution's world is "totally different" from past games, with producer Youchi Shimosato pointing out that in Japanese, Valkyria Chronicles is known as Senjou no Valkyria, and this new title is known as Aoki Kakumei no Valkyria.
The gameplay may end up deviating quite a bit from the norm, as well. According to Ozawa, in Azure Revolution, "battles are conducted by setting commands to buttons. They're action-ish battles. It takes on the familiar form of recent RPGs. The maximum amount of party members is five. You control one of them, and the rest move based on a set thought process." He also says that "there are parts similar to Valkyria Chronicles, but because it's largely different on the surface in a good way, we want you to enjoy this game with flat eyes as a new series."
It looks like we'll be finding out more about Valkyria: Azure Revolution and the original game's remaster very shortly. One way or another, I'm excited to see this series continue, and hope it will live up to our lofty expectations! In the meantime, if you're curious, you can read our review of the original game's PC release.
