Valkyria Chronicles is a series of military-themed tactical role-playing video games created by Ryutaro Nonaka and Shuntaro Tanaka, and developed by Sega. The series began with Valkyria Chronicles, which was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2008, and later for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch. Two sequels have been released on the PlayStation Portable, with the latest installment, Valkyria Chronicles 4, released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows. The series has also been expanded into anime and manga media.
Settings, gameplay, and characters
The main line of games uses a turn based system known as the BLiTZ (Battle of Live Tactical Zones), while the later installment is described as being real time with strategy elements. The setting resembles an alternate version of Earth during the early 20th century. Welkin Gunther is the main protagonist of the first game, Valkyria Chronicles. Selvaria Bles is a character that has appeared in every single installment, with the exception of Valkyria Revolution.
Games
Valkyria Chronicles debuted on PlayStation 3, with the original game later made available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Sega opted to continue the series on PlayStation Portable instead of on PlayStation 3. However, Valkyria Chronicles 4 was released on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch, it was the first Valkyria Chronicles game to debut on a Nintendo platform and Microsoft Windows in the West.
Main series
Valkyria Chronicles
The first main entry in the series was originally released for the PlayStation 3 and later ported to Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. The Windows port was developed by Little Stone Software. It takes place in Europa, a fictional continent based on Europe, during the beginning of World War II. Because of its abundance of Ragnite ore, which takes the place of petroleum in the game setting, the neutral nation of Gallia comes under attack from the East Europan Imperial Alliance, which is itself engaged in a war with the Atlantic Federation. Players take control of a unit of the Gallian Militia, dedicated to repelling the invasion. The game's visuals, which use Sega's CANVAS graphics engine, resemble pencil drawn paintings in motion.
Valkyria Chronicles II
The second main entry was moved to the PlayStation Portable platform. Story-wise, it takes place two years after the events of the first game, with a fight that breaks loose against the Gallian Revolutionary Army and the Regular Army in a bid to remove Cordelia from the throne. The game's story focuses on a military academy as its cadets seek to prevent an ethnic cleansing campaign by a ruthless rebel group.
Valkyria Chronicles III
The third main entry was also released on the PlayStation Portable. However, it takes place during the events of the first game. The story follows the "Nameless", a penal military unit serving the nation of Gallia during the Second Europan War who perform secret black operations and are pitted against the Imperial unit "Calamity Raven". Unlike the previous installments, it did not have an official release outside of Japan.
Valkyria Chronicles 4
The fourth main entry was released on the PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2018. While taking place during the events of the first and third game, Valkyria Chronicles 4 focuses not on the Gallian forces but those of the Atlantic Federation, the other major superpower during the events of the war, that enacts a bold plan to strike at the imperial capital.
Spinoffs
Valkyria Chronicles D
Valkyria Chronicles D is a mobile game released only in Japan. It was a free browser-based/iOS game, with radically different gameplay, focusing more on character management of war troops similar to sports team management simulations. It was released on July 26, 2012 and shut down on April 22, 2015.
Valkyria Revolution
Valkyria Revolution (known in Japan as Valkyria of the Blue Revolution) was released on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita on January 19, 2017 in Japan. It is considered a spin-off, with a storyline separate from the main series, taking place in the fictional country of Jutland. It was released in North America and Europe on June 27, 2017 and June 30, 2017 respectively for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Xbox One, making it the first series game to be on a Microsoft console, alongside the PlayStation versions.