INTRO:
In just about any turn-based strategy game ever made, including the Japanese ones, any player will eventually make what can be considered the “A”, “B” or “D” teams. The “A” team is the player’s preferred set of units, whereas the “B” team is the one that the player uses if the game has limitations on the repeated usage of the same units. The “D” team is anyone else that the player does not want to use, unless there is a need to.
If there are no such limitations, there are only the “A” and “F” teams – the latter being units that the player would never want to use unless they are imposed unto the player, for whatever reason. Valkyria Chronicles is a series of such games.
For better or worse, this DLC package for the fourth entry in the series focuses on the “F” team.
PREMISE:
The DLC has a side story that presumably occurs after the player characters and their ship have moved onto the Crystal Sea. Presumably, it also happened shortly after they have encountered the Imperial Valkyria for the first time.
Due to some silly mishap involving missed feeding times, Ragnarok the medic-dog goes missing. For all kinds of reasons, several secondary player characters come together to rescue the dog before the ship leaves without them.
They would go on to encounter the unpleasant Valkyria again. They would somehow survive, and for all kinds of reasons, decide to keep this encounter a secret among themselves.
When the awful excuses for their going AWOL did not catch on well with Claud Wallace and the other leaders of Squad E, Claude and the other main player characters challenge them to a mock battle.
It is a lot of entertainingly terrible storytelling. This alone would have been plenty amusing – but the gameplay posed by the three missions only highlight how awful it is to play with the “F” team.
THE “F” TEAM:
The secondary player characters are units that most players are not likely to field, unless they somehow relish the challenge of using them. This is because they have some of the most troublesome Potentials.
Firstly, there is Zaiga. Prior to his Squad Story, Zaiga should never be fielded without Raz, and Raz is definitely not usable in the missions of this DLC. If the player has finished Zaiga’s associated Squad Story, he is much more reliable to use. Otherwise, he becomes rather useless as a Shocktrooper.
Second, there is Rosetta. Rosetta has two particularly problematic Potentials. One reduces Rosetta’s ability to go around scouting, whereas the other reduces AP if Rosetta makes a kill. The only silver lining is that Rosetta – being a gender-ambiguous person – will not trigger gender-related Potentials, and there so happen to be two such units that the player has to use and who have these potentials.
Third, there is Azusa, who is obviously of the kunoichi archetype of anime characters. Azusa would have been a great Scout, if not for two bad Potentials. One reduces her defence if she is close to any male character, including enemies, and it so happens that most enemies are male. The other Potential lowers her evasion rating if she is seen by too many enemies (though this Potential is replaced with a positive one if her associated Squad Story has been completed).
Fourth, there is Simon. Shocktroopers are supposed to be damage sponges, but in his case, Simon becomes more vulnerable if he lost half his hitpoints. He also suffers lowered accuracy if he hangs around women for too long (he is meek when around them), and it so happens that half of the “F” team are ladies. Completing his associated Squad Story does not resolve this setback.
Fifth, there is Hanna. Lancers cannot perform interception-fire and cannot retaliate against attacks. Therefore, it is in the player’s interest to have them stay in cover, or better yet, hide them to avoid detection. Hiding is not Hanna’s thing; not even the tallest and densest of grass can hide her presence. Incidentally, the first mission needs the player to hide units in grass, because there are a lot of enemies that can perform interception-fire.
Sixth, there is Rita. She has a bad Potential that triggers when men are around, though this can be resolved through her Squad Story. Her other bad Potential cannot be replaced. Where other units gain benefits from having friends around, this Potential causes the reverse for Rita; being a Chatterbox, she lowers her accuracy if friends are around. This can trigger when she is near anyone else in the team, by the way, not just for people whom she personally likes.
Seventh, there is Connor. Connor is statistically the worst of the Grenadiers; his accuracy ratings remain the worst of them even as the Grenadiers are trained to high levels. He also has Potentials that make him rather squishy, making him difficult to relocate if the way ahead of him has not been cleared.
Last, and perhaps the most frustrating of them, is Neige. Neige has quick growths in her accuracy as a Sniper; in fact, she becomes the statistically third-best Sniper after the Snipers have been trained to level 30. Unfortunately, she has two horrible Potentials. One lowers her accuracy, which is a no-no for a sniper, but it can be resolved through her Squad Story. The other cannot be addressed, and is far more devastating: she cannot be seen by too many enemies, otherwise her APs are outright depleted when this Potential triggers.
REQUIRED USE:
The player has to use a team that is composed of these misfits. The player will not have Orders or Ship Orders, because they are technically going AWOL without any support.
The first mission is not too bad if the player can deal with their setbacks (though this might involve a lot of save-game reloads). Meticulous players who want efficiently enacted turns might be particularly frazzled, because these are among the least reliable units.
A PAIN:
The second mission is where even the best players would be grinding their teeth. It is possible to complete the second mission in under two turns because the enemy is so stupid, but this requires a lot of luck – specifically the luck to not have their bad Potentials trigger. Neige, in particular, is much needed for the opening gambits, but she has to be seen by many enemies.
If the player makes even one inefficient turn, someone would be going down. The only silver lining is that their rescue is always performed by Ragnarok the medic dog, meaning that the rescue always includes a morale buff for nearby player units.
UNPLEASANT REMINDERS:
The third mission has the “F” team squaring off against the bulk of Squad E in a mock battle. Although overcoming the main protagonists with a bunch of unreliable soldiers can be gratifying, having the main protagonists be just as incompetent as any other enemies that the player would face can seem like an insult. After all, the player has been playing the role of Squad E and their commander.
REWARDS:
The player’s rewards are the cutscenes in which characters have amusing poses that are never seen in the main game and the two canine characters becoming friends. There are special guns to be had too, but many of these are side-grades, and will eventually be eclipsed by other weapons.
Perhaps the greatest disappointment is that the player characters of this DLC do not get any upgrades to their Potentials. This DLC is very much a Squad Story for all of them, but any personal growth that they have from their ordeal is not translated into improvements to their gameplay statistics.
SUMMARY:
This DLC has the player using the least reliable units in Squad E. The main challenge from this DLC’s missions is dealing with their debilitating quirks. The rewards are mainly silly cutscenes, and any practical benefits are short-lived. The missions also remind the player of how incredibly stupid the CPU-player is.
Overall, this DLC may be little more than a waste of time, despite some amusing moments.