INTRO:
The first Valkyria Chronicles has a colourful cast of characters, a tradition that the later entries would continue. Just about every entry afterwards has the original crew appearing as cameos too, and later added to the player’s roster as non-canonical playable units.
This DLC is not unlike the one in the third entry, in which the main protagonists come across circumstances in which they fight alongside Squad 7 of the Gallian militia.
PREMISE:
The story in this DLC package occurs sometime after the liberation of the city Reine. The exploits of Squad E have come to the attention of a certain Jean Townshend, a Federation diplomat that has been working behind the scenes of the first game. (Townshend also appears in the second entry, which chronologically happens three years after the first game and this one.)
Using his influence within the Federation, Townshend suggests that Squad E conduct a training exercise together with Squad 7, who by then has also gained renown of its own (apparently after defeating General Jaeger in the first game). Squad E and Squad 7 get together for this, but friction occurs almost immediately between the more hot-headed members of the main casts.
However, a (conveniently timed) Imperial assault on the (unnamed) city that they were in throws them into a battle that would forge bonds of respect between them.
Squad E soon departs (though not before Townshend tries to recruit them on a secret mission), heading towards their bittersweet destiny and leaving Squad 7 to their own.
SOMETIMES PAINFUL NOSTALGIA:
Beneath the camaraderie and amusing remarks about each other’s faults and fortes, there are implied but likely deliberate reminders of what has happened in the first game and what will happen in this one. The most notable of these are the remarks made by and at characters who are doomed.
THE FIRST MISSION – AND ITS DISAPPOINTMENTS:
The first mission is the aforementioned training exercise. Both squads face off against Federation soldiers that are posing as Imperials. This is of course another one of the ludicrous mock battles that happen so often in the series.
The peculiarity here is that the player controls Squad E, whereas a CPU-player takes control of Squad 7. Either squad has their own approach to the objectives. Incidentally, Squad 7’s approach has a lot less resistance, and Squad 7 would eventually reach the objective on their side.
There are enough obstacles and barriers that prevent the player’s own units from assisting (or hindering) Squad 7 by much. Besides, the player’s own side of the map has more objectives and threats to worry about.
Squad 7’s CPU-player is not dumb, but it appears to follow fixed strategies that are conservative and perhaps even overly cautious. For example, Alicia is the most fragile member of the squad, so it seems prudent that the Edelweiss is always positioned such that Alicia is shielded from most enemy fire. However, Alicia’s considerable APs are definitely being wasted.
If the player is using a post-game Squad E, it is likely that the player’s units can clear the way to the objectives and reach them before Squad 7 even does.
Worst of all, the storytelling of the DLC will not acknowledge the player’s initiative. Regardless of the gameplay outcome of the first mission, Squad 7’s and Squad E’s training exercise is considered a failure. Players who dislike narratives that disregard the player’s achievement would not be pleased.
THE SECOND MISSION:
The second mission is about the actual Imperial attack. The Imperials are attempting to use their numerical superiority to isolate and surround the defenders (i.e. the protagonists).
The player can use units from both Squad 7 and Squad E, but only their main casts. The player does not even get to choose secondary characters to deploy. The number of CPs that the player get is small, and none of Squad 7’s units are leaders, despite being leader units in their own game.
Furthermore, the first part of the mission has complicated scripting. After capturing any of the objective bases, the capturing unit leaves the area. The player must also ensure that the Imperials do not recapture the bases; if they do so, Squad 7 is cut off from Squad E and it is game-over. This is indeed the most challenging part of the mission.
The second part has the player controlling the main cast of Squad E. Again, if the player is using post-game units, they are likely to just run roughshod over the Imperials. The player must end at least one turn in the second part, because the objectives cannot be captured until after Squad 7’s main cast have appeared on-scene as reinforcements.
It is likely that a deft player would already have eliminated most of the Imperials before Squad 7’s units even appear; Largo and Rosie are not likely to do much of anything in such a case.
FIXED EQUIPMENT FOR SQUAD 7 IN SECOND MISSION:
The equipment of the Squad 7 characters is fixed for the second mission. For the most part, this is not an issue. As a satisfactory example, Largo is equipped with his trademark old but up-gunned anti-tank lance. Despite the huge targeting reticle of the weapon, he is quite skilled at using it.
There are dissatisfying limitations though. For one, Rosie’s machinegun does not have an attached flamethrower; she would not be getting any until after she joins Squad E as a non-canonical unit.
THE THIRD MISSION:
The third mission presumably occurs sometime after the Imperial attack, but just before Squad E left to rejoin Operation Northern Cross.
The most intellectually-inclined member of either main cast comes together with the other to exchange technical ideas. Isara Gunther learns about the Grenadier mortars from Riley.
Sometime into her lesson, Imperial scouting elements sneaked into the area that they were in. They are (conveniently) not aware of the Gallians’ presence, so Riley has the bright idea of having Isara learn how to use a mortar first-hand. Thus, Isara takes to the field as a Grenadier.
The player only has two Grenadiers, and has to fend off incoming Shocktroopers and Scouts – both can make short of Grenadiers, even if the player is using post-game units. Consequently, this is a challenging mission. It is also a gratifying one if the player manages to set up Isara and Riley such that they kill most enemies during the latter’s turn with their interception fire.
THE ORIGINAL BAND OF MISFITS:
Largo and Rosie come with special weapons, specifically their iconic weapons. However, these are outclassed by the player’s own standard-issue weapons, vastly so if the player is already in the post-game stage.
The Squad 7 characters’ value lie in their personal Potentials, most of which are beneficial. Largo, in particular, has Potentials that make him a very effective tank-buster.
The version of Rosie that the player gets is the one before she learned to overcome her apprehension of Darcsens. Therefore, there can be a problem in fielding her together with Raz, Zaiga or other Darcsens for that matter (including even Isara). Otherwise, she is a very effective Shocktrooper, as to be expected of Rosie.
This game’s version of Alicia already has unlocked some of her Valkyria powers, namely her ability to restore HP rather frequently. This triggers more often than not, which compensates quite well for her being a Scout.
That said, all of the Squad 7 characters are voiced by their original voice-talents, at least for the Japanese voice-overs.
THE EDELWEISS:
The Edelweiss joins Squad E as a non-canonical vehicle, completely operated by Welkin. It is not as powerful as a post-game Hafen, but it moves a bit further. Its weapons do scale with the Hafen’s upgrades, meaning that it is a competitive alternative to any of the secondary vehicles. Indeed, it could act as a second Hafen, if the player chooses to utilize it as a line-breaker.
GRENADIER ISARA:
The most notable non-canonical unit is of course Isara, who is never fielded as a unit in the first game. Perhaps appropriately, she is a Grenadier, being no stranger to ballistics and artillery trajectories. On the other hand, players who remember all too well about her fate in the first game might find fielding her a bit too much to deal with.
REUSED ASSETS:
The Gallian city that the two Squads are in is unnamed. This is perhaps intentional, because the mission maps use maps that appeared in the early parts of the main campaign of the fourth game.
Indeed, the models and animations for the Squad 7 units appear to have been adapted from the first game’s. There are Largo’s iconic kneel and Rosie’s blowing of a kiss, to cite some memorable examples. Only Isara’s celebratory animations can be considered new, though they are also a disquieting reminder of what could have been.
Considering that the fourth entry of the series is running on an updated version of the engine for the first game, such recycling would not have been difficult for the developers to carry out.
On the other hand, the assets that have been taken from the first game are not entirely unwelcome. Perhaps the most welcome ones are the music tracks for the first game. Recognizing the inspiringly cheesy battle theme of the first game would be a wonderful moment for players that had played the first game years before.
SUMMARY:
For players who have fond memories of the first game (and especially its remaster), this DLC package would be a wonderful but also perhaps sad experience. The personalities of the first cast of protagonists are what set the series on its path years ago, and being reminded of the deliberate themes of motley crews and bands of misfits can be entertaining.