One of Sega's much loved franchises is prepped for a comeback, at least in Japan. Famitsu revealed that Sega is working on a remaster of the original Valkyria Chronicles for PS4. The game is expected to release in early 2016, alongside of a demo of a brand new entry in the series, titled Valkyria Azure Revolution. While Azure Revolution shares the Valkyria name of its predecessors, it appears to be something different and separate from previous incarnations.
Via translating from Gematsu, some additional details have come to light (you can read the entire story with more details in Famitsu's latest issue, available on November 19th). The game is slated to have a similar feeling to the battlefield and world of Chronicles, and will also have other elements familiar to fans of the series (Ragnite, tank battles, etc), but that is where the similarities seem to end. Due to Ragnite having a magical bent this time around, there is a bigger emphasis on magic in combat and in the world overall. Also the game is full on RPG, with a more real time battle system. While it might not have the tried and true tactical gameplay of the original, you will still manage your party in a variety of ways before going out to conquer more territory from the enemy.
As for the original Valkyria Chronicles, no changes have been mentioned, and it will of course come with a new graphical sheen. I've already seen many a comment bemoaning the changes the team is making to the formula for Azure Revolution, and all I'm saying is how about we cool it until we actually see something. This really is the best of both worlds here. For fans of the original's fantastic SRPG gameplay and feel, you get that exactly how you remember it, just prettier. For people who have never played the originals (with two sequels released for the PSP) or are just looking for something a bit different, Azure Revolution could be just that. Nothing has been confirmed for North America as of yet, but I imagine Sega will bring it over at some point down the line.
