Valkyria Chronicles 4 announced for Nintendo Switch, out next year

20 November 2017 Lite_Agent SEGA, Valkyria Chronicles 4

As Japanese publishers are (finally) realising the Nintendo Switch isn’t a Wii U 2, more and more of them are finally announcing brand new games for it (as opposed to mere ports). That’s the case of SEGA, who announced earlier today that Valkyria Chronicles 4 would be released on the Nintendo Switch (alongside other platforms).

With this game, the mainline Valkyria Chronicles series makes its comeback on home consoles, with a game said to be an “orthodox evolution” of the series. It will be released in Summer in Japan, and 2018 in Europe and North America.

Here’s the debut trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGzoUoQg9bc

Return to a continent ravaged by conflict with a familiar-yet-refined tactical RPG battle system, a vibrant and evocative art style that portrays a living canvas of watercolors, and a gripping World War II-inspired story full of momentous triumphs, heartbreaking loss, and unexpected hope for the human spirit.

The game takes place in the year 1935 EC, on the Europa continent, where the flames of the Second European War between the Atlantic Federation and the Autocratic Eastern Imperial Alliance are raging. But while the Federation is struggling valiantly against the Empire, it’s about to be consumed by the relentless imperial military machine.

As a last-ditch effort, the Federation executes Operation Northern Cross: an attempt to capture the imperial capital, and end the war. Squad E, led by Commander Claude Wallace, are sent to fight on this desperate operation, but they have a lot of enemies: waves of imperial soldiers, the terrifying Valkyria… and even the very weather! During their mission, they will come to unravel a grave truth, that will “shake them to the very core”.

Valkryia Chronicles 4 takes place in the same timeframe as the original Valkyria Chronicles, but instead focuses on a brand new cast of characters:

Commander Claude Wallace (voiced by Ryousuke Kanemoto)
Riley Miller (voiced by Nao Touyama): engineer/heavy weapons extraordinaire
Darcsen Raz (voiced by Kazuya Nakai)
Kai Schulen (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto): ice-cold ace sniper

Together, the members of Squad E will get to experience the painful realities of war, but will the bonds of their friendships survive the frozen battlefield?

Valkyria Chronicles 4 brings back the “BLiTZ Battle System”, but in a “Next Generation” version. This battle system brings together over-head turn-based strategy, RPG, and real-time 3rd person shooter, and is one of the reason the original Valkryia Chronicles came to be regarded as a cult-classic.

And “Next Generations” implies new features, such as:

a new class: Grenadier
various offensive/defensive battleship support options
Last Stand: chances for units to have a “last stand” action before death
and more…

The game is also said to feature larger-scale maps, with more units to battle.

Another element that was brought back for this game: the CANVAS Graphics Engine, that provides the series with its signature hand-drawn visual style, inspired by watercolour paintings. Naturally, the engine has been overhauled for the newest generation.

Finally, Hitoshi Sakimoto (the composer of the three mainline Valkyria Chronicles games) is back for Valkyria Chronicles 4, and will provide a “sweeping orchestral soundtrack” for the game.

Finally, here’s some pictures for the game: