It’s come to our attention that a special mod for Valkyria Chronicles on the PC has been made publicly available for download and use with the game. It’s most often referred to by the name “Gallian Crossfire”, and it’s the creative work of a Valkyria Chronicles fan by the name of Busard.
Gallian Crossfire is a rebalancing of Valkyria Chronicles. While praised for a variety of traits including a unique battle system and pleasing art direction, the first Valkyria Chronicles game does regularly receive criticism from some gamers who take issue with finer aspects of its gameplay systems. Continue reading to learn more about some perceived problems with Valkyria Chronicles’s gameplay and Gallian Crossfire itself!
Notably, end-mission rankings are determined solely by the amount of turns taken to accomplish the objective. Also, while players have the option to compose their squad as they see fit, some units (particularly, Alicia as the game progresses) are so much more capable than others so as to promote reductionist strategies – e.g. “Scout Rushing”, where the superior mobility/AP of Scouts places disproportionate value on the class when attempting to achieve high mission rankings. By design Scouts aren’t supposed to be especially strong, but a combination of Orders, leveling up the Scout class/unlocking Potentials, and outfitting Scouts with better equipment make them more capable than what might have been originally intended. Which isn’t of course to say that one could A-Rank missions while only using a handful of Scouts with every mission in the game (this definitely does apply to some missions,) but the lopsided reward of the class isn’t any less apparent.
This NeoGAF thread by user NyoroSF contains a link to download the mod and a lengthy series of patch notes and explanations by Busard on steamcommunity. Making use of the mod itself doesn’t require much technical expertise in navigating PC’s and Busard has attached a guide for reading. There are also files for rebalanced versions of the DLC scenarios (Behind her Blue Flame and Enter the Edy Detachment) and copies of files for original game balance settings (if you love your Scouts) should you want to revert to the original settings. Keep in mind that the mod only works in certain conditions: Alicia, Rosie and Largo must not be removed from the Squad, and it is strongly advised that none of the three are allowed to die permanently as it is understood in Valkyria Chronicles (incapacitated and tagged by an enemy.)
There are a great many changes to the experience. Alicia, Rosie, and Largo do not offer a Command Point bonus if you choose to include them in a mission. The unlockable characters are now available without having to fulfill specific conditions as is usually the case in Valkyria Chronicles. Orders and Potentials have been revamped to provide different bonuses, and some R&D unlock trees have also received reconfigurations. The above are just a few things of what to expect, so for more details be sure to stop by Busard’s post at steamcommunity.
This is a project meant to encourage an entirely different and more challenging experience of Valkyria Chronicles. It’s also a fresh take on a familiar experience. Personally, I can appreciate that people’s creative talents are put to use in such a way for others to enjoy. I’ve come across complaints on the game’s system mechanics more than once, and as someone who shamelessly abused them (but was only bright enough to appreciate the reward skew of certain tactics or units much later in the game) I hope Gallian Crossfire can provide a stimulating experience for many.