Valkyria Chronicles III

Valkyria Chronicles III
Official Japanese Cover Art
Developer(s)	Sega
Publisher(s)	Sega
Producer(s)	Shinji Motoyama
Composer(s)	Hitoshi Sakimoto
Series	Valkyria Chronicles
Engine	Proprietary "CANVAS" engine
Platform(s)	PlayStation Portable
Genre(s)	Tactical role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-player

Valkyria Chronicles III (戦場のヴァルキュリア3 Unrecorded Chronicles, Senjō no Varukyuria Surī Unrecorded Chronicles, "Valkyria of the Battlefield 3: Unrecorded Chronicles") is a tactical role-playing game being developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation Portable. It is the third game in the Valkyria Chronicles series and was released on January 27, 2011 in Japan.

Occurring in the same time frame as the first game, Valkyria Chronicles III is a side story that follows the exploits of an unwanted and castigated Gallian Army squad during the Imperial invasion of 1935.　Contrasting the previous games' bright outlook and recognition for their protagonists, VCIII explores the themes of being outcast and the search for redemption. As described by its catchphrase, the game tells "The tale of nameless soldiers who, on the verge of despair, changed history."

Story

See also: List of Valkyria Chronicles characters

Taking place during the Second Europan War, Valkyria Chronicles III focuses on Gallian Army Squad 442, also known as "The Nameless". The Nameless are a penal military unit composed of criminals, foreign deserters, and military offenders whose real names are erased from the records and thereon officially referred to by numbers. Ordered by the Gallian military to perform the most dangerous missions and dirty work that the Regular Army and Militia will not do, they are nevertheless up to the task, exemplified by their motto, Altaha Abilia ("Always Ready" in Latin.) The game's main characters are No.7 Kurt Irving, a disgraced army officer who wishes to redeem himself, Ace No.1 Imca, a female Darcsen heavy weapons specialist who seeks revenge against the Valkyria who destroyed her home, and No.13 Riela Marcellis, a seemingly jinxed young woman who is unknowingly a descendant of the Valkyria. Together with their fellow squad members, these three are tasked to fight against a mysterious Imperial unit known as Calamity Raven, composed almost entirely of Darcsen soldiers.

Gameplay

The map interface displaying general information and progress. Here the player is offered two routes by which to attack Imperial forces occupying a Gallian city.

The main menu interface of Valkyria Chronicles III is styled after a strategic map of the local area the player's forces are currently active in, changing in appearance to match the shifting overall situation between the Nameless and their enemies. Points of interest are marked on the maps by pins of various colors and other symbols, indicating such things as the player's home base, the locations of currently selectable battles, and intermittent cutscenes. By achieving victory in missions and viewing events, the player advances through the game's story. At times the player may be presented with a choice between missions to complete or differing objectives to accomplish during battle. According to the choices the player makes in these situations, subsequent events are altered, ultimately leading to divergent game endings, a first in the series.

In battle, the game retains the major elements of the BLiTZ System used in both previous titles of the series. The player is given an overview of the current situation via an overhead map during Command Mode. Within a mission, each map is but one among a collection of areas interconnected by enemy encampments that can be captured and used by the player. Across all available areas, the player may have up to nine units actively deployed at any time. By spending their Command Points during Command Mode, the player is able to order individual allied units to action, directly controlling them in a realistic 3D environment in Action Mode. While in Action Mode, said units can move, attack enemies, and perform other actions available to them depending on their surroundings, such as crouch behind sandbag barriers or conceal themselves in tall grass. Command Points can also be used to issue Orders that can boost units' statistics, remotely attack enemies, or provide other special effects. When all of the player's Command Points have been spent, or the player elects to end their turn, the Player Phase ends and the Enemy Phase begins, with the game's artificial intelligence moving the opposing forces' units according to the same rules as the player's. Units equipped with appropriate weapons can defend themselves by laying down interception fire when enemy units step into their line of sight, as well as provide supporting fire for nearby friendly units during their attack. Brand new to Valkyria Chronicles III is the addition of character-unique Special Powers, accessible by Kurt, Imca, and Riela. Use of these Special Powers requires Special Points that are far less numerous than Command Points and do not replenish as turns pass, placing a strict limit on how they may be used during any one mission.

When at the Nameless' Home Base, menus detailing the growth and customization of the squad's infantry and vehicles can be accessed. Experience points and money earned by completing missions are used to improve characters' statistics and equipment, respectively. While in previous titles of the series infantry were confined to a specific class type, Valkyria Chronicles III enables players to change all characters' class by altering their equipment. When changing classes that character's statistics also change to match parameters typical to that class, but each individual has a preference for a specific class type where their statistics are boosted overall. Through use of experience points, general attributes for all infantry can be increased across five categories: Stamina, Marksmanship, Agility, Support Materials, and Anti-Personnel Combat. Each character also has a set of Potentials that can be divided into two categories: Personal Potentials and Battle Potentials. While Personal Potentials are unique and cannot be changed, Battle Potentials are learned through a new system called the Master Table. Viewed as a chess board with individual pieces representing Potentials to be learned, the player traces lines from starting positions for each character class to these pieces in order to gain access to them. More powerful High Potentials are gained by following paths where lines from different class types can intersect. The squad's tank can be extensively customized, with a number of armaments and other parts available to be equipped to the tank, limited by how much weight each part adds to the tank's chassis.

Development

In September 2010, a teaser website was revealed by Sega, hinting at a new Valkyria Chronicles game. In its September issue, Famitsu listed that Valkyria Chronicles III would be arriving on the Playstation Portable. On September 16, the official Valkyria Chronicles III website was launched to the public with a developers' blog, coinciding with the announcement of the game in the 2010 Tokyo Game Show.

Anime

Valkyria Chronicles III: The Wound Taken for Someone's Sake
戦場のヴァルキュリア３ 誰がための銃瘡 (Senjō no Varukyuria Surī - Dare ga Tame no Jūsō)
Genre	Action, Drama, Military
Original video animation
Directed by	Nobuhiro Kondō
Produced by	Shinji Motoyama
Written by	Hiroshi Ōnogi
Music by	Hitoshi Sakimoto
Studio	A-1 Pictures
Episodes	2

2 episodes of OVA will be out in Spring 2011

External links

• Valkyria Chronicles III Official Japanese website Template:Ja icon
• Valkyria Chronicles III OVA website Template:Ja icon
• Valkyria Chronicles Wiki