Return to a continent ravaged by conflict with a familiar-yet-refined tactical RPG battle system, a vibrant and evocative art style that portrays a living canvas of watercolors, and a gripping World War II-inspired story full of momentous triumphs, heartbreaking loss, and unexpected hope for the human spirit. 

It is the year 1935 EC...

The continent of Europa is engulfed in the flames of the Second Europan War between the Atlantic Federation and the Autocratic Eastern Imperial Alliance. Although the Federation struggles valiantly against the Empire's forces, the relentless imperial military machine threatens to consume them. With victory slipping away, the Federation executes Operation Northern Cross: a last-ditch attempt to capture the imperial capital and end the war.

Commander Claude Wallace and his loyal childhood friends in Squad E are sent to fight for the desperate operation's success, but they will have to endure harsh bone-chilling elements, waves of imperial soldiers, and the terrifying Valkyria... and unravel a grave truth that will shake them to the core.

To the west of the Northern Hemisphere's largest landmass lies Europa. For millennia, this fertile continent has endured countless battles for dominance. By the 1800s, Europa was governed by two superpowers: the Empire and the Federation. Both depended on a precious mineral called ragnite for survival. Its growing scarcity led to war in 1935 EC, when a broken peace treaty brought international tensions to a head. So began the Second Europan War, the largest conflict in world history.

Claude Wallace, leader of the Edinburgh army's Squad E, had faced several battles himself—and was winning, however narrowly. But three months into EWII, the Federate forces found themselves backed into a corner by the Imperial army's overwhelming numbers. After resolving a border skirmish, the Ranger Corps was assigned to a mission that would turn the tides: Operation Northern Cross, a decisive campaign to take the fight to the Empire.

The CANVAS Engine: Watercolor Paintings in Motion

CANVAS, the driving force behind the main series' signature, hand-drawn style, has been upgraded to feel warmer and more detailed than ever before. Using indistinct outlines, color bleeding, crosshatched shadows, and bursts of textual onomatopoeia, the engine will draw you into a world like no other.

The BLiTZ System: Turn-Based Tactics, Real-Time Action

The BLiTZ system has been fully recalibrated, boasting the largest maps in the series to date, more units per map, and an all-new soldier class. Command your troops across a battlefield more immersive than ever. New additions like artillery interception fire bring the real-time trials of combat to life.

• Book Mode: Discover the untold history of the Second Europan War by following the episodes of this chronicle. Photographs indicate story segments, while maps delineate missions.
• Briefing: Selecting a mission from Book Mode takes you into a briefing. An advisor will then explain the upcoming operation as you prepare your fireteam for deployment.
• Command Mode and CP: When combat begins, you will enter Command Mode, which displays a map of the area and your units' positions. Study your surroundings and the enemy's position before sending your troops into battle. Moving a unit during the player phase costs one Command Point. The enemy phase begins when you run out of CP. At the beginning of each turn, you and the enemy both recover CP. Command Points are an abstractification of a squad leader's ability to rally their troops. If you end the player phase early, leftover CP will roll over into the next turn.
• Action Mode: Directly commanding a unit will shift your perspective from Command Mode into Action Mode, where that unit can move and attack across the battlefield in real-time. From Action Mode, your unit can enter Target Mode once per turn to heal an ally or take aim at an enemy. An enemy who survives an attack may be able to launch a counterattack, so make every shot count. Action Points are an abstractification of the distance a unit can travel on the field. AP depletes as a unit moves, so plan ahead to get the most out of every step.
• Aiming and Weak Points: While aiming, the reticle's outer ring shows a weapon's projected spread. Aim for an enemy's weak points, such as a soldier's head, to land a critical hit. Refer to the number needed "to kill" your enemy to line up the perfect shot.
• About Intercept Fire: Moving in range of an enemy on the field grants them an opportunity for interception, even during the player phase. Grenadiers can launch intercept fire from a distance, so be mindful of your surroundings.
• Ragnaid Recovery: Foot soldiers recover some of their Hit Points at the beginning of each turn. Use Ragnaid to recover lost HP. Engineers carry Revival Ragnaid, which heals even heavy damage.
• Incapacitation: Units whose HP drops to 0 fall into critical condition and cannot act. Leaving a unit in this state for 3 turns, or allowing an enemy to reach them, incapacitates them. Except in a few cases, incapacitation results in death Avoid losing soldiers by making contact with allies in critical condition ASAP. Rescued units will be evacuated by a medic, and can then redeploy from a camp on the next turn.
• Last Stands: When a soldier falls into critical condition, they may be able to take a Last Stand. This allows the unit to Stand Up for a burst of invulnerable action, or Inspire their teammates to carry on in their name. Don't let their sacrifice be in vain!
• Camps: Units stationed near an allied camp receive a bonus to defense and HP recovery at the start of each turn. While stationed at camps, soldiers can be called in as reinforcements or safely sent back to headquarters. An unoccupied field camp can be captured by opposing forces, while base camps are crucial to the success or failure of any mission.

Combat Classes: Meet the Troops

There are 6 combat classes: Scouts, Shocktroopers, Engineers, Lancers, Snipers, and Grenadiers. Each has strengths and weaknesses that can make or break a battle.

1. Grenadiers: The Grenadier class launches explosive shells from mortars in an arc to reach enemies behind cover or on high ground. Grenadiers can even intercept enemies behind cover, so long as the target is in an ally's line of sight. However, setting up leaves them exposed.
2. Scouts: The Scout class boasts high mobility. Scouts can spot enemies waiting in ambush from a greater distance than others. High AP allows them to move quickly during reconnaissance. Their rifles have medium range and good accuracy, but are lacking in damage output.
3. Shocktroopers: The Shocktrooper class pushes the front lines forward. Their heavy armor and anti-personnel machine guns make them ideal assault units for engaging enemy infantry. Shocktroopers truly shine in CQC, where they can utilize their fully-automatic bullet spread.
4. Engineers: The Engineer class makes up for low combat prowess with the ability to repair vehicles, reconstruct sandbags, raise ladders, resupply weapons, remove landmines, and revive allies in critical condition. Engineers are always equipped to offer invaluable combat utility.
5. Lancers: The Lancer class uses armor-piercing lances. They have the defense and HP to get behind tanks and hit their weak points. Lancers are resistant to explosives and take less damage from mortars and grenades. Their power is offset by low AP and slow movement speed.
6. Snipers: The Sniper class specializes in shooting down enemies from afar. Snipers lack mobility and defensive capabilities, but more than make up for it with superior range and critical damage. Their rifles feature scopes that can zoom in to land head shots at a distance.

Elite Classes: When a combat class reaches level 11, its members will be promoted to Elite ranks.

Once you've been fully-briefed and you're ready to join the front, you can invest in the future of Europa by pre-ordering the game.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 Features:

• A Coming-of-Age Story in a Time of War - Valkyria Chronicles 4 takes place in the same timeframe as the original Valkyria Chronicles, but focuses on a whole new cast of main characters. Players will take command of the eager, young Commander Claude Wallace, engineer/heavy weapons extraordinaire Riley Miller, hotheaded Darcsen Raz, ice-cold ace sniper Kai Schulen, and more. Together, they will experience the painful realities of war--but will the bonds of Squad E's friendships survive the frozen battlefield?  
• The Next Generation "BLiTZ" Battle System - The part overhead turn-based strategy, part RPG, and part real-time 3rd person shooter "BLiTZ" battle system returns to the field. New features include an explosive new class called the Grenadier, numerous offensive/defensive battleship support options, chances for a unit to have a "Last Stand" action before death, and more. Plus, fight the imperial threat with more units on larger-scale maps than ever before.
• CANVAS Aesthetics - The series' signature hand-drawn visual style is back and overhauled for the newest generation. Inspired by watercolor compositions, the CANVAS Graphics Engine blends visual elements of reality and imagination to create an expressive world filled with colorful emotions. Watch the journey of Squad E unfold like an interactive painting!
• The Return of a Legendary Composer - The illustrious Hitoshi Sakimoto, original composer of the Valkyria Chronicles series and countless other emotional epics, returns to provide a sweeping orchestral soundtrack for the game.

Valkyria Chronicles 4 will be available on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One in the Americas and Europe in Fall 2018.