Originally revealed as a PlayStation 4 exclusive, Sega of Japan has confirmed that Valkyria: Azure Revolution will be coming to both the PlayStation 4, as well as the PlayStation Vita.
As confirmed by a newly-released trailer (which you can check out for above), Valkyria: Azure Revolution is set to release in Japan on January 19, 2017. It’s a little odd that a release on PlayStation Vita was announced so late into its development cycle, though gamers can rejoice knowing that they can play on the go should they want to. Unfortunately, no word about cross-save, cross-play, or cross-buy functionality has been mentioned as of yet.
After its initial reveal, Valkyria: Azure Revolution was met with some criticism from longtime fans of the series. While it is set in the same universe, Azure Revolution marks a departure from the turn-based strategy elements that made the original Valkyria Chronicles so well-loved in the first place.
Instead, developer Media.Vision has built Azure Revolution as a more traditional role-playing game. Based on released promotional material, we know that the game will retain the watercolor aesthetic and steampunk elements that the series is known for, but gameplay will see a shift from turn-based combat to real-time action. This trend is not unheard of; Final Fantasy XV, for instance, has eschewed traditional JRPG combat for a system that is rooted in real-time.
While there is no confirmation that Valkyria: Azure Revolution will be released outside of Japan, a trademark for the game was registered back in late 2015. Furthermore, the original Valkyria Chronicles has already been remastered and re-released in North America, for both PC and PlayStation 4, boasting an improved resolution and running at a much higher frame rate. If you have yet to do so, be sure to check out our review of the PlayStation 4 version.
