War is a common backdrop for many games, and different genres provide players various ways to experience it, whether through the strategy of command or the urgency of ground combat.

Buy Valkyria Chronicles 4 Valkyria Chronicles is a franchise with an odd history. The original PS3 game was released early in the system's life and sold rather poorly until it was in the bargain bin. The first two sequels were released on the PSP as budget titles.

a robust, romantic sequel with a few ropey elements

There's an argument to be made that Valkyria Chronicles 4 is just more of the same. In some ways that's true, but it's selling an incredibly fun and exciting strategy game short. This is a sleek and streamlined experience that is easy to learn and full of depth.

Valkyria Chronicles is a series which has been through its ups and downs since the first game released in 2008. After the first game gained critical praise it's sequels ditched home consoles for the PSP, with the third entry not even making it out of its home country.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 brings the series back to its roots and polishes that experience to a shine. It's a return to form for the decade-old tactical RPG series and its best entry to date, albeit playing it extremely safe.

Gorgeous aesthetic; Engaging core gameplay loop; Plenty of content

Slow start; Orders are still overpowered; Plays it too safe

"Valkyria Chronicles 4 possesses the minimum surfeit of identity necessary to distinguish itself from Valkyria Chronicles 1." © 2018 SEGA. All rights reserved.

Well-balanced and challenging gameplay; appealing visual style; occasionally poignant story beats

Uncannily similar to its predecessors; clunky "book mode" and character progression systems are missed opportunities for refinement; surprisingly forgettable musical score

Sega's beloved action strategy finally gets a proper sequel, but how much have things changed in the last 10 years

Still one of the best action strategy games ever made, with a clever spin on traditional turn-based combat; Nicely humanised units and the cel-shaded artwork still looks great

Very little in the way of new ideas or feature; Story is less interesting than the original and there are too many cut scenes; Limited AI and twitchy tank controls

Doggos of War.

Gorgeous; Plenty of story to unlock; Extensive tutorials

Overused character types; Awkward vehicle controls

Firing up Valkyria Chronicles 4 for the PS4, I had the feeling I'd played the game before. Wait, wasn't this on the PSP It certainly seemed very familiar. In fact, Valkyria Chronicles 4 leapfrogs over several sequels on the handheld system to be the first proper new game on a console since the...