Valkyria Revolution

55%
Game Brain Score Based on 131 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Valkyria Revolution Game Cover
Dropping the tactical experience of the Chronicles series, this spinoff opts for a darker take on war, focusing on swordplay and subterfuge in a tale of revenge that will forever shape the future of Europa.
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"Valkyria Revolution" is a single-player Warfare RPG game with a good plot, graphics, and outstanding music. As part of the Vanargand unit, players will fight against the Ruzi Empire in real-time combat while utilizing tactical strategies in an industrialized alternate world. This Vanargand Edition includes a pin, soundtrack, and outer box.

  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station Vita
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

55%
Audience ScoreBased on 131 reviews
story38 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions
  • The game features an interesting story with political intrigue and morally ambiguous characters that keeps players engaged.
  • The battle system is fun and allows for a variety of combat styles, including the use of magic and tactical commands.
  • The soundtrack is well-composed and enhances the overall experience, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.
  • The game suffers from excessive and poorly paced cutscenes, which can detract from the gameplay experience and lead to frustration.
  • Graphics and animations are outdated, with stiff character movements and frequent loading screens that interrupt the flow of the game.
  • The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks the strategic depth that fans of the original Valkyria Chronicles series expected.
  • story141 mentions

    The story in "Valkyria Revolution" is described as having an interesting premise, often centered around themes of revenge and moral ambiguity, but it suffers from poor presentation and excessively long cutscenes that disrupt the flow of gameplay. While some players appreciate the depth and emotional weight of the narrative, many criticize the character development and pacing, leading to a disconnect between the engaging story and the overall experience. Overall, the narrative has potential but is marred by execution issues that detract from its impact.

    • “The story is framed as being told by a professor, but centers on the character of Amleth more than anyone, who is out for revenge.”
    • “Even with these flaws, though, the story impressed me with how objectively it presented morally ambiguous characters.”
    • “The story is very well thought out, the action is paced well, and the gameplay itself is a lot of fun.”
    • “It's just a shame the story isn't presented very well at all.”
    • “The story lacks a lot of strong details that would make it interesting.”
    • “Valkyria Revolution has a horrible, meandering, and ultimately forgettable storyline ostensibly about the horrors of war told through a procession of monotonous, horribly animated and rendered cutscenes that look as though they would feel right at home on the PS2 console.”
  • gameplay87 mentions

    The gameplay in "Valkyria Revolution" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it sluggish, repetitive, and overly reliant on cutscenes, which dominate the experience. While some appreciate the blend of action RPG and strategy elements, others criticize the lack of depth and variety, leading to a mechanical and uninspired combat system. Overall, the game struggles to meet the expectations set by its predecessors, leaving players wanting a more engaging and dynamic gameplay experience.

    • “The gameplay is really interesting and the mechanics are pretty neat.”
    • “Despite opting for a mostly real-time style gameplay as opposed to Chronicles' turn-based, there are still familiar elements, and the combat is generally pretty fun.”
    • “It was fun and exciting, a slightly different take on a stagey game that was more focused on itself and the story it told, building on reliable core gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is bland and repetitive; there's a dozen or so maps that you must grind on to gain any meaningful sort of leveling.”
    • “The gameplay is a drastic departure from the Valkyria Chronicles series as it's no longer a grid-based tactical RPG.”
    • “The 'gameplay' itself (it can scarcely be described as gameplay, honestly) amounts to little more than a real-time one-button mash-fest that makes any Dynasty Warriors game look complex in comparison.”
  • graphics31 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many noting that while the anime art style is appealing, it lacks the vibrancy and detail of previous installments, often feeling bland or reminiscent of older platforms like the PSP. Some players appreciate the visual aesthetic and world-building, but criticize the animations and overall execution as feeling rushed or outdated. Despite these shortcomings, the art style has grown on some players, and the music is frequently praised as a highlight.

    • “The visual aesthetic and world building are top-notch.”
    • “The music is utterly majestic and the art style is enthralling.”
    • “Beautiful artwork impresses just as Valkyria Chronicles once did, standalone experience from the main series that can be enjoyed even without knowledge of Squad 7.”
    • “The artwork is standard anime style, which is fine, but I think the cutscenes could have benefitted from a higher budget.”
    • “I can appreciate the art style, but a lot of the environments are rather bland and empty.”
    • “Let me say then that the graphics for this game, the design of it all feel more like a PSP game than a PS4.”
  • music30 mentions

    The music in the game, composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, is widely praised for its beauty and emotional depth, enhancing the overall experience, particularly during battles. However, many reviewers noted a lack of variety and insufficient background music during cutscenes, which detracted from the game's atmosphere. Despite these criticisms, the soundtrack remains a standout feature, with some players considering it the game's strongest aspect.

    • “The music is utterly majestic and the art style is enthralling.”
    • “If there's one thing Valkyria Revolution provides that I have no criticisms of, it's the soundtrack.”
    • “Its soundtrack is, like Chronicles, very cohesive, with both significant attention to leitmotifs and sufficient development to not overuse those motifs.”
    • “And for a game that has so many scenes to show us, there's a strange lack of background music in many of them.”
    • “If there was more background music in cutscenes, I might not have even noticed the awkward pauses in dialogue.”
    • “The music is very much like the presentation - it's not bad, but it severely lacks variety.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often unnecessary, with a significant portion of gameplay consisting of cutscenes rather than action. While some appreciate the opportunity to grind for experience and loot, many feel that the slow pace and juvenile dialogue detract from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging gameplay element. Overall, the game appeals more to those who prioritize story over gameplay mechanics.

    • “Gameplay is slow, boring, and tedious.”
    • “Also, there's an absorbent amount of cutscenes in the game; the main campaign consists of 75% cutscenes (most of which is dialogue-based as opposed to action) and 25% gameplay.”
    • “[Character animations aren't the best at times, bland side quests, and unnecessary grinding is required.]”
  • character development5 mentions

    Character development in the game is criticized for being inconsistent and lacking depth, leading to illogical character decisions and a dull narrative. While some players appreciate the development of individual characters, others find the overall character designs to be generic and uninspired, with an overreliance on cutscenes detracting from gameplay.

    • “Everyone has great character designs.”
    • “The game has fewer overall characters than VC1, but the character development for each one was really good for me.”
    • “The story itself has really pointless events that don't contribute to much, and with the lack of character development, there are points where decisions are made on behalf of characters that don't make sense at all, leading to conclusions and dumb things that could have been avoided.”
    • “The character designs are often boring or ridiculous and poorly rendered.”
    • “The narrative is dull and lifeless, the character design is incredibly generic, and there are more cutscenes than actual gameplay.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while the game features a decent story with emotional elements and a beautiful soundtrack, the overall emotional impact is diminished by awkward pauses in dialogue and subpar character animations. This inconsistency leads to tense and emotional moments feeling less intense than intended.

    • “The story for the game was decent and had an emotional touch to it, which made it beautiful.”
    • “And then there are the emotional touches to it accompanied by such an amazing soundtrack; I couldn't bring myself to criticize or hate the developers' effort, despite the lackluster body and facial movement animations.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users expressing disappointment in its poor performance, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite its connection to the beloved "Valkyria Chronicles," it fails to meet expectations in terms of technical execution.

    • “The optimization in this game is remarkable, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
    • “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance, ensuring that the game runs seamlessly without any noticeable lag.”
    • “The attention to detail in optimization really enhances the overall experience, making it accessible to a wider audience.”
    • “I usually write terse reviews, with categorical scores and opinions under titles like 'art' and 'technical performance.' I refuse to do so for this game, because like its spiritual predecessor 'Valkyria Chronicles,' this product cannot be defined through a quantitative comparison to other games of its genre.”
    • “I love Valkyria Chronicles and tried to remain hopeful that it could end up being a good game despite the poor reception in Japan, and I am just so disappointed in this product, whether it be the terrible performance.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by the likability of the squadmates, with their interactions in circle and notebook scenes being both funny and endearing, contributing to an overall lighthearted atmosphere.

    • “All the squadmates are very likable; their circle scenes as well as their notebook scenes are either funny or endearing.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the game's stability is undermined by a lack of skill requirement, particularly due to abilities and magic that pause combat, eliminating the need for aiming or timing. This design choice may detract from the overall gameplay experience.

    • “The game frequently crashes, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
    • “I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the overall experience.”
    • “The game freezes during critical moments, disrupting gameplay and causing frustration.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

53% average critic score

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