Sega has relaunched the official website for Valkyria Chronicles 4, providing a plethora of information and screenshots on characters, the CANVAS graphics engine, the BLiTZ battle system, and the six character classes.

Get the details below.

■ World

Prologue

The setting is the fictional continent of Europa. Specifically, the entire western region of the largest continent in the northern hemisphere. Since ancient times, many battles for supremacy have been fought in pursuit of the country’s unification.

In the 1800s, the continent of Europa was divided into two major powers in the east and west: the allied nation called the “Autocratic Eastern Imperial Alliance,” which governs the country with an emperor at its center, and the federation of republic states known as the “Atlantic Federation,” which abolished Imperial rule. Eventually, both powers fought over the mineral resource known as “Ragnite.”

In 1935, world affairs steadily worsened, and the Imperial army violated the non-aggression treaty and began advancing onto the Federation. And the greatest war in history, the “Second Europan War,” which engulfed the entire continent of Europa, suddenly commenced.

Claude Wallace, who participated in the war as captain of the Federation army’s Squad E, fought an early battle in the war and struggled to attain victory.

However, three months after the war began, the Federation army, which was repeatedly defeated by the Imperial army’s overwhelming resources ended up in a difficult situation.

After finishing a battle, Claude returned to base and was informed by his superior of a large-scale strategy having begun. It was “Operation Northern Cross,” a major counterattack to raid the empire’s capital city in order to overturn the Federation’s numerical inferiority.

■ Characters

◆ Edinburgh Army 101st Division No. 1

Claude Wallace (voiced by Ryousuke Kanemoto)

Edinburgh Army 101st Division No. 1 Battle Brigade No. 32 Armored Ranger Battalion Squad E squad leader and tanker. A first lieutenant. He is a serious, passionate, and caring commanding officer. He is a talented individual who graduated at the top of his class at Edinburgh Military Academy. He has no military shortcomings, and in addition to military skills, he has an animalistic intuition in regard to the weather and climate. His “Revelation of the Wind,” a perfect guess of the change in weather from a few minutes to several days later, often ends any stalemate. He has a strong determination to accomplish his objective, and even in the face of a difficult mission, inspires his comrades with his fiery determination.

Riley Miller (voiced by Nao Touyama)

A member of the Edinburgh Army 101st Division No. 1 Battle Brigade No. 32 Armored Ranger Batallion’s Heavy Weapons Support Team and a grenadier. A second lieutenant technician with great scientific ability, who is prideful and has great confidence in herself, and is a genius in Ragnite engineering. She specializes in mental arithmetic and physical calculation, and thus exhibits talent in ballistic calculation as a gunner. She and Claude are childhood friends, but it seems that something that occurred in the past, as they are currently not on speaking terms. Before the war, her Ragnite engineering talent enabled her to skip a grade and advance to the University of the United States of Vinland. She is positive and cheerful, and ambitious in that she pushes forward without fear of failure.

Raz (voiced by Kazuya Nakai)

Edinburgh Army 101st Division No. 1 Battle Brigade No. 32 Armored Ranger Battalion Squad E division officer and Assault soldier. His rank is sergeant. He is aggressive and quick to get into fights, and talks with a rough tone. Since his people, the Darcsen, once devastated the continent, they are still persecuted to this day and do not have surnames. His physical ability is very high, to the point where he calls himself “Immortal Raz,” and both his physical strength and agile nature make him incredibly efficient as a soldier. He tends to be misunderstood due to his clumsy personality, but he is extremely caring of his friends.

Kai Schulen (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto)

Edinburgh Army 101st Division No. 1 Battle Brigade No. 32 Armored Ranger Battalion Squad E division officer. She is a sniper master sergeant. She is Claude, Raz, and Riley’s childhood friend, and is usually silent and blunt. With the nickname “One Shot Killer,” she is a prodigy sharpshooter whose eyes conceal a strong purpose. Also, her physical strength is second to none when compared to a common soldier. While she may sound mannish and curt when she speaks, she is actually very mature and kind. She loves fresh-made bread.

◆ Imperial Army

Crymaria Levinc (voiced by Yukana)

A member of the Imperial Science Institute’s special test unit, “X-0.” A special duty captain, she is a Valkyria who possesses miraculous ability, and can even has the power to destroy a tank with a single blow. She was forced to live as an experimental body and was unable to build up normal human relations, so she does not like to associate with others. She appears cold, cruel, and silent, but given that she was at the Valkyria Experimental Facility up until just before she was assigned to X-0, she is mentally immature and ends up revealing her emotions. While there are some who treated her as a normal human after escaping her life as an experimental body, her long stay at the Experimental Facility caused her to developer a strong inferiority complex, and as a result she seeks out the warmth of others. She is also a being of legend on the battlefield revered as “Witch of the Snowstorm” for the way she enters and leaves the battlefield with a snowstorm. She is accompanied by a wolf named Fenrir, who is a friend from her time at the Experimental Facility.

Klaus Walz (voiced by Hiroki Touchi)

The commanding officer of the Imperial Army’s independent gang known by the name “Ausbruch.” He is a lieutenant colonel. He is OK with anything as long as it interests him and does not bother with trivial matters, but will fixate on important things and hunches to the very end. In that sense, he will obediently follow his brimming curiosity. Because he believes in his own intuition and keen nose to make quick decisions and take action, he makes mistakes from time to time and tends to jump to conclusions, but that is also the reason for his great success and one of his personal charms. Since he lost his mother at a young age and grew up under the protection of the townspeople, he fights with the strong desire to protect the people living in the Empire, as well as a strong conviction to protect his homeland. He relentlessly pursues Squad E, which he calls “Femme Fatale.”

Forseti (voiced by Kaito Ishikawa)

A special duty captain among the tactical officers in the Imperial Science Institute’s special test unit, X-0. He is a man with great confidence in himself, who is always calm and has a strong spirit that does not frighten. He judges all matters and takes action with a cool and dry attitude, but if his opponent exceeds his expectations or the like, he rides that emotion and loses sight of his surroundings. He always thinks he is right and has a strong determination to see things through. Due to a leg injury, he cannot participate directly in battle, but Belgar, who acknowledges Forseti’s talents and invited him to join X-0, he acknowledges Forseti as someone with clever and rational ideas that remind him of himself.

Belgar (voiced by Shou Hayami)

Supervisor of the Imperial Science Institute’s special test unit, X-0. He is the top executive at the Imperial Science Institute, which develops various heavy weapons according to the Empire’s requests. As a noble from a country annexed by the Empire, he has no feelings of patriotism for the Empire, but has had interest in science and technology since childhood. He procures funds from the Empire in order to acquire that technological strength for the military and continue his own studies. He both a natural politician and stubborn, and established a position in the military and gained fame in order to help his family name. He has the authority of an admiral, and with X-0 as the chess pieces under his direct control, he does whatever he desires on the battlefield.

Nikola Graf (voiced by Naomi Ohzora)

A special group member of the Imperial Science Institute’s special test unit, X-0. Like Chiara, she works under Belgar and was raised alongside Chiara like a sister in the Imperial Research Institution from a very young age. As a bodyguard under Belgar’s direct control, she is assigned the duty of eliminating Belgar’s enemies. Because her body has been strengthened through repeated “adjustments,” her spirit is partly broken and she lacks a humanistic way of thinking. She is sadist who loves to torment others, but is the malicious type who likes to drive the enemy into a corner mentally rather than through direct violence.

Chiara Rocino (voiced by Yuikiyo Fujii)

A special group member of the Imperial Science Institute’s special test unit, X-0. She was raised alongside Nikola like sisters in the Imperial Research Institute overseen by Belgar. She is obedient to Belgar and will abide by any command, but given that Belgar is both someone she owes her life to and a “father,” she only considers it natural. Also, harsh “adjustments” await for when she does not abide by his commands. She has a strong desire to be recognized by Belgar, who she calls her “father,” and not be cast aside, and often acts selfishly. Like Nikola, she loves to torment others, but unlike Nikola, Chiara does so with straightforward and relentless physical violence.

■ Systems

◆ CANVAS Graphics Engine

The CANVAS Graphics Engine, through which hand-painted watercolor illustrations come to life, has evolved in pursuit of an even greater hand-painted impression, higher density, and a warm, detailed expression. Players will be invited to a story that plays out in a unique game world where there is discrepancy in contour lines, extruding color, shadows depicted with oblique lines, sound effects where text appears on the screen, and more.

◆ BLiTZ Battle System

The “BLiTZ” battle system, which blends strategy and action, has carried out various evolutions including the series’ largest maps, a higher number of units, new classes, and more. Actively move the characters on the field with a heightened sense of reality from the addition of counterattacks when under fire, and repel the enemy force while running about in real-time.

01. Book Mode

By selecting an “Episode” written in the notebook, you will read and progress the story. By selecting an episode with a “NEW” icon attached to it, you can read the next episode. Also, by selecting an episode with a map, you can begin a battle episode.

02. Briefing

By selecting a battle episode in Book Mode, you will move to the Briefing Screen before going into battle. On the Briefings screen, the strategic details of the battle are explained. From there, you can decide which characters to send into battle, as well as determine their starting positions.

03. Command Mode

When you start the battle, the terrain and position of enemy characters are displayed on the screen. This screen is called “Command Mode.” When it is the enemy’s turn, you will first enter Command Mode and can get a full view of the current situation on the map and the positions of the enemy units. Choose which characters you want to take action while monitoring the terrain and enemy’s position.

One CP is consumed when one character moves. When your CP becomes zero, it switches over to the enemy’s turn. The enemy also has CP, which is uses to move. When the enemy’s turn ends and it becomes an ally’s turn again, you will recover a fixed amount of CP.

What is CP?: CP stands for Command Points, which are a value that indicate the power to command your force. The player can move their ally characters based on the number of Command Points available.

04. Action Mode

By choosing a character in Command Mode, it switches over to “Action Mode” in order to move that character. In Action Mode, you can freely move the character using the d-pad or left joystick. Only the characters designated in Command Mode can be moved during Action Mode. The enemies and allies outside of those designated during Command Mode are essentially immobile.

By pressing the R1 button during Action Mode, the screen will switch to “Target Mode.” By switching to this screen, you can align your shot to attack the enemy. Even if the attack ends, remain on alert as the targeted enemy will counterattack if he was not killed! It should be noted that you can only attack once for a single action.

What is AP?: AP are Action Points, which determine a character’s ability to take action. The player can only move characters in proportion to the amount of AP available. (Your AP bar will decrease as you move.) If you detect an enemy, you can ready your gun to attack.

Battle Memo

—Regarding aiming and weaknesses

The outer circle displayed in your sights when attacking indicates that bullets will be shot within it. Aim for an enemy within the circle. If a bullet hits a weak point, such as a soldier’s head, you can deal great damage. Being that the number of shots is indicated at the top of the screen, whether the enemy can be defeated is indicated under “To Kill,” so aim skillfully in order to defeat the enemy.

—Moving to the enemy front opens you up to a counterattack

By moving in front of the enemy on the map, even if it is your turn you will be greeted with a violent counterattack. Additionally, in Valkyria Chronicles 4 if you detect an enemy you can counterattack by the new “Grenadier” class tossing a grenade. Grenade-based attacks can also be done from positions that are not directly visible, so be on the lookout.

05. Recovery and Ragnaid

Each turn, soldier characters will recover a fixed amount of HP. However, in situations such as when you have been dealt a great amount of damage, it may be dangerous not to recover immediately. In those situations, you can use the “Ragnaid” possessed by the soldier character to recover. Engineer characters possess a “Rebirth Ragnaid” that is expected to have an even greater effect.

06. The Verge of Death, Death, and Medics

When you take damage from enemy attacks and your HP becomes zero, that character will enter the “verge of death” state. A character in the verge of death state is unable to take any action. Furthermore, if they are left as is for three turns, or if an enemy comes into contact with them, they will become “dead” and can never be used again (with the exception of some characters).

In order to defend against “death,” an ally character must make contact with and rescue a character on the verge of death. By rescuing them, a medic will appear and the dying character will retreat from battle. The withdrawn character can be brought back onto the battlefield during the next turn.

07. Brave [New System]

Among the new actions in Valkyria Chronicles 4 is the “Brave” system. When a character enters the verge of death stage as a result of the enemy’s attack, their dauntless fighting spirit will rise and a situation will arise where you can take one final action, which is called a Brave.

There are two types of final actions—“Rise Up” (a counterattack on the enemy’s turn) and “Entrust”—from which you can choose between while a timer is displayed on the screen.

If you choose “Rise Up,” you can become invincible for a fixed period of time (for one AP Gauge) and take one action. If you choose “Entrust,” an ability of the most nearby ally will rise, and you will recover one CP. The ability that rises depends on the class of the unit on the verge of death. Choose an action based on the situation to carry out that character’s dying wish.

08. Base

On the battlefield is a location known as your “base,” where you can receive various benefits. Allies within the vicinity of the base will have their defense power, and HP and ammunition recovered per turn increase. Also, standby characters and withdrawn characters can be summoned as reinforcements. You can occupy an enemy base by approaching their flag after defeating all of the enemies defending it. There are both “main bases” and “standard bases.” Battles are won by occupying the main base.

◆ Classes

There are six types of soldiers: “Scout,” “Assault,” “Engineer,” “Lancer,” “Sniper,” and “Grenadier.” Learn the characteristics of each class, form your unit, and lead your army to victory.

Grenadier

A class that equips grenade launchers (mortars) and uses high-angle fire grenade attacks. It is possible for a Scout to gather information and a Grenadier to attack from behind cover outside the enemy’s line of sight, as well as counterattack an enemy not within your own line of sight. Also, since the blast of a grenade attacks a certain range, it can also be used as a way to destroy sandbags from long distances.

Scout

The overall standard class of the army, which emphasizes mobility. They have a high amount of AP. Scouts are equipped with a rifle, and the distance at which they can detect hidden enemies is longer than other classes. As its name suggests, it exhibits its strength in scouting. Since a Scout’s AP is extremely high, one of its characteristics is the ability to cover a wide range, and while its rifle’s range is to some extent longer and its accuracy is higher, the power of the rilfe itself is not as high.

Assault

A class with superior combat ability against the enemy soldiers moving out on the front lines in response to information gathered by the Scout. Because its fire power is concentrated on the front lines, it uses heavy equipment compared to the Scout. It can attack and counterattack making use of its high attack power machine gun. Also, because bullets from the machine gun easily scatter during rapid fire, the closer you approach the enemy, the easier it is for all of the bullets to hit.

Engineer

A class that specializes in recovery and replenishment on the front line. It can repair tanks and sandbags, as well as remove land mines. It possesses a “Ragnaid” that can revive front line soldiers on the verge of death, and can also replenish ammunition.

Lancer

A class that specializes in tank destruction. It is equipped with a high armor damage ability anti-tank lance, which essentially makes it the only class capable of destroying a tank. Also, it is resistant against blast attacks such as high-explosive projectiles. Since the range of its anti-tank lance is relatively long, it is not suitable for precision-based shooting, so it is important to get closer before attacking. However, because the Lancer does not have high movement power, it is necessary to keep an eye on its AP as not to run out.

Sniper

A class whose main duty is long-distance sniping. Equipped with a sniper rifle, the Sniper can make use of the distance to eliminate distant enemies without fear of counterattack. On the other hand, the Sniper has limited mobility and poor defense, easily taking more damage than other classes. Using the scope while on the aiming screen enables precision shooting from long distances. It is up to the player to decide whether to risk missing a headshot, or aiming for the body which is easier to hit but does less damage.

■ Japanese Box Art