Bundled with the release in Japan of Valkyria Chronicles: Remaster was a battle demo for Valkyria: Azure Revolution. The first footage of the demo has appeared online, offering us a good view of the game’s action-RPG combat mechanics. These can be split into two main parts: ranged and close quarter combat (where your characters switch to melee weapons). The game transitions into close quarter combat when you get close to the enemy. If you ambush and hit the enemy from afar before closing in and entering close quarter combat, you will trigger a “Good Situation”, giving you an advantage over the enemy. On the other hand, simply rushing in will trigger a “Bad Situation”. For more information on how this works, look up our notes on “Reactions” in our previous article.
The three different characters seen in the demo each have their own special weapons. Amlet has a regular grenade to damage enemies, Ophelia has a smoke grenade to obscure enemy vision and Brigitta (a new character) has a sniper rifle to take out enemies from afar.
The early demo seems a bit rough around the edges, with enemy and allied AI that doesn’t seem up to par yet. Animations and sound effects also appear to be in an early state. Graphically, the game looks adequate. and applies a filter to give the game a more artistic look (like the Valkyria Chronicles games). At the end of the demo, it’s revealed that a 2.0 demo will be released this Summer.
Lastly, the latest Famitsu also unveiled three new characters. Brigitta (playable in the demo alongside Amlet and Ophelia), Blum, and Helena. For more information on them, Gematsu has translated the descriptions for these characters in their article. Below, you can view a playthrough of the demo as well as new high-res screenshots from SEGA. Valkyria: Azure Revolution is scheduled to be released this Winter in Japan.
Via: Gematsu
It looks better in screenies than in video… the game seems too action but at the same time the enemies move like dolls and the gameplay seems too simple, something that stands out bad when you remove all tactical elements that made this franchise. And those footsteps and gun sounds… I hope the japanese fans give feedback and sega listens to make changes.
And as a personal impression… what makes a girl go to combat dressed like that?… it totally turns down the “feel of a battlefield”…