Saturday, 15 November 2008

Valkyria Chronicles: game review


War is never a beautiful event and has been grittily portrayed in countless shooters over the years in all its grim reality. However, Valkyria Chronicles is a war game with a twist, painting - quite literally – a fictional European war with the most distinctive graphical style to hit the PlayStation 3, using stunning watercolour cell-shading to lighten plotlines as dark and depressing as any other battle-based title.

Valkyria Chronicles focuses on the struggle of nature loving Welkin Gunther, a reluctant commander of a small militia squad. Set in the small, neutral state of Gallia, a country overrun by an invading empire intent of plundering its natural resources for their own military gain. Alongside love interest Alicia Melchiott and a rag-tag squad of girls, boys, gay and trans-gendered soldiers, the moving story of Welkin’s struggle against brutal oppression and indiscriminate killings is as poignant and involving as some of modern gaming’s most celebrated tales.

Gameplay mixes strategic role-playing with action-packed gunplay missions - your choices before battle as crucial as your aim during skirmishes. Will you take long-ranged scouts to war or put your faith in the short-range fire power of shocktroopers? Hang back and rely on snipers or launch a frontal-assault on tank battalions with your anti-tank troops? Valkyria Chronicles tests your tactics as a commander, pushes your battlefield skills as a soldier and tugs the heartstrings as a player.

Sadly, the slow pacing of the game will prove unappealing to gamers keen for a quick fix of frantic gunfire. Valkyria Chronicles is packed with gloriously animated cartoon cut-scenes and lengthy conversion sections. But for those willing to involve themselves in something greater than another shallow shooter, the game’s storyline is ultimately its strongest suit, and Valkyria Chronicles goes some way to filling the role-playing desert that sadly still dogs the PS3.

As written for http://www.orange.co.uk/games/1478.htm

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