Valkyria's Azure Revolution and Remaster Coming to PS4

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After spending time on Sony's portable platform, the Valkyria Chronicles series is ready to play with home consoles again! In the latest issue of Famitsu (translated via Gematsu), Sega announced Valkyria: Azure Revolution and Valkyria Chronicles Remaster for PlayStation 4. The name of the fourth Valkyria game was previously reported when Sega trademarked "Valkyria: Azure Revolution" alongside a separate trademark for "Aoki Kakumei no Valkyria" (Valkyria of the Blue Revolution). Now that name has been confirmed for a brand-new entry in the strategy series. Valkyria: Azure Revolution is coming to Japan in Winter 2016.

The big difference with Valkyria: Azure Revolution is that Sega is taking the franchise in a new direction. Developer Media.Vision, who pitched in on Valkyria Chronicles III and has been responsible for Shining Ark, Shining Resonance, and Square Enix' Chaos Rings series, will be handling development of the title. Valkyria: Azure Revolution is an RPG with simulation elements, not a tactics-style game. And Valkyria Chronicles character designer Honjou Raita does not seem to be involved with this game, with Hiro Kiyohara and Takayama Toshiaki taking his place.

"We wanted to do something new using Valkyria, and one of the things we're putting in is a real-time system. Initially, we were considering real-time strategy, but we went with an RPG because we think that's what more users will want to play," said director Takeshi Ozawa to Famitsu. "The concept of the battle system and the sensation of the battlefield are the same, but because it's an RPG with simulation elements, you can experience the battlefield through a different perspective."

This is a new world compared to the previous titles, with all-new characters and a skewed handling of Valkyria and the Ragnite resource. In fact, Valkyria: Azure Revolution chief producer Youichi Shimosato told Famitsu that he wants players to consider it a separate series.

"I want them to become known as the Senjou series and Kakumei series," he explained.

In Japan, the name of the Valkyria Chronicles series is "Senjou no Valkyria". In contrast, this game is "Aoki Kakumei no Valkyria". This looks to be Sega's delineation for the franchise and there's no word on whether players can expect more of the Senjou series in the future.

Prior to Valkyria: Azure Revolution's release though, there will be the release of Valkyria Chronicles Remaster. That title will feature remastered HD graphics and trophies, with a planned launch in Japan for PlayStation 4 on February 10, 2016. That release will also include a playable demo of Azure Revolution. There has been no word about a potential Western release for either title.

For some fans this will be exciting news until they read the full scope of the announcement. We won't be getting the same game as the previous Valkyria Chronicles titles. This will be something different, which saddens me, as I think the strategy RPG genre as a whole needs some more love. But many fans will be happy just to have more JRPG goodness from Sega, especially within the confines of the Valkyria franchise.