As it stands, Valkyria Chronicles 3 is perhaps the most infamous of last generation’s games to never get an international release. However, Valkyria Chronicles 3 isn’t the only Valkyria Chronicles game never to leave Japanese shores.
Valkyria Chronicles D (the “D” stands for “Duel”) is a browser-based/iOS game released on July 26, 2012, in Japan. Like many similar games, it is free because of its micro-transaction system.
Plot is completely absent in Valkyria Chronicles D. Also gone is the unique strategy-based gameplay system of other Valkyria games. Valkyria Chronicles D plays more like a sports team management game than anything else. After choosing a side in the war, you send your squad of six—made up of characters from all across the main three games in the series — into battle against other player-made squads. If you win, you gain points that allow you to buy new members for your squad — as well as members for its support squad. You also use other resources (that you obtain naturally over time) to build a base camp to train your army and give them bonuses in battle.
Battle, on the other hand, is fully automated — your job is simply to prepare them for it. Occasionally after a victory, your squad will unlock a boss battle. Bosses tend to be far more than your squad can handle alone. This is where the social aspect of the game comes into play. By joining a guild, you can co-ordinate attacks on bosses and, even though your squad may fall, if the other squads succeed in finishing it off, the rewards are completely worth your death.
Not that death is any problem, really. Should your squad be wiped out, you gain an item every hour that brings the whole squad back to life — and if that’s not enough, you can also purchase these items with real world money. And like many freemium games, there is a limit to how much you can play each day before having to pay. You are allowed about seven battles every three hours — which is plenty for any sane person.
All in all, Valkyria Chronicles D is a typical freemium title — that is to say, an addictive time waster. Just how addictive it is, however, is completely dependent on how great your need is to create your Valkyria Chronicles dream team and unleash it on the battlefield.
To see how Valkyria Chronicles D plays in action, check out a video of the PC version above.
Valkyria Chronicles D is available for free on PC, iOS and Android in Japanese. There are currently no plans for an English language release but an English guide on how to get started can be found here.
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