Readers who have been following news coming out of Japan on the development of SEGA's follow up to Valkyria Chronicles may know the game as Valkyria Azure Revolution. Along with information on the game's western release window in a press release today comes the news that the western release will drop 'Azure' from the title, naming it Valkyria Revolution. The game, set to release in Q2 2017 on Playstation 4, Vita, and Xbox One, will be a dramatic departure from the previous title which is part of the reason for the name change, according to the developer. The sequel will feature a new world, new timeline, characters, and gameplay and SEGA say that the new name ensures the games stand "equal but apart."
One of the most dramatic changes for Valkyria Revolution is the switch from turn-based gameplay to a real-time system on a 'living battlefield' with the ability to set tactics for your squad through customizable AI. SEGA promises that the customization options will go right down to the nitty-gritty of your squad's behavior, allowing you to set everything from general roles like attack and defense to when to use different weapons and which enemy types to target. The game will also feature unique upgradeable melee weapons for each character as well as a variety of ranged weapons, from pistols to rocket launchers. There has been some controversy already over the new battle system and changes have already been made after an initial demo was released alongside a remaster of Valkyria Chronicles in Japan, as we previously reported here. A second demo of the game's revamped system was released on October 6th which addressed many of the issues fans had given feedback on, as seen in this list of improvements published by SEGA at the time. As well as combat, information from the developers that can be found on the PlayStation blog suggests the game will have features involving making contacts to further your military intelligence operations and developing relationships with squad members.
Valkyria Revolution will also have some common features from the previous title; permadeath returns when your squadmates fall in battle and the titular Demi-Gods will return in the game's deep and weaving storyline. The new title follows the story of five friends known as the 'circle of five' as they use their combined military and political influence to spark a revolution against their imperialist oppressors. The game also looks to question the morality of such revolutionary action, asking whether the five will be remembered as heroic liberators or traitorous conspirators and promising a look at war's blurred lines of morality from the ground up.
Deep Silver will handle the EU publishing of the game, with SEGA handling North America, when the game releases in physical and digital form in Q2 next year on Xbox One and PS4 and in digital format only for PS Vita. You can see the latest duo of screenshots for the game below.
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