June 27, 2017

SEGA’s Valkria franchise hasn’t seen an original release in North America in 7 and a half years but the beloved cell-shaded franchise returns with the PlayStation 4 release of Valkyria Revolution on PS4, Vita and Xbox One today.

Eschewing the unique turn based / action focused combat system from the original titles in favor of full-on action RPG combat puts players right into the heart of the action without sacrificing the strategic elopements that helped make the Valkyria franchise a cult classic. Story-wise players will once again recruit a ragtag team of soldiers, this time helmed by Princess Ophellia and Captain Amleth Gronjaer as they defend the continent of Europa from the oncoming forces of the Ruzi Empire.

To celebrate the launch of Valkryia Revolution SEGA has several planned pieces of free DLC to expand the game. Including:

Special Issue Gear: Veteran’s Pouch – Grants a 10% EXP bonus
Spinning Squall – Special Ragnite used in battle
Burn Field + – Special Ragnite used in battle
30 Ragnite Shards
Smash Blaze + – Special Ragnite used in battle.

All five pieces of DLC listed above are available now with three additional Scenario and Item Packs arriving in North America for free on July 5^th, July 11^th and July 18^th. These additional packs include new quests, in the form of “tales”, more free ragnite shards and additional battle actions to expand your armies repertoire. Sounds like Valkyria Revolution fans will have a lot of content to keep them busy during one of the hottest summer months.

Upcoming DLC for Valkyria Revolution includes:

Scenario Pack: The Vanguard (Available now)
Scenario Pack: The Circle of Five (July 5^th)
Scenario Pack: The Princess and the Valkyria (July 11^th)
Scenario Pack: Maxim and Remembrance (July 18^th)

Reviews on the game have so far been mixed but I’m looking forward to checking it out. I’ve been a fan of the Valkria franchise since the 2009 North American release of the original game, I bought the digital version of Valkyria Chronicles 2 on Vita as soon as it was available and I’m still sad that VC3 never made it to the west. My limited edition arrived today and I was surprised to see that the first print-runs of Valkyria Chronicles included a bonus collector’s pin and a soundtrack sampler. Perhaps if Revolution is successful we will see future entries in the Valkria franchise and won’t have to wait another painful seven years.

A free Valkyria Revolution theme is also available via the PlayStation Network for PS4.

Fans of the survival genre have a lot of choices when it comes to meeting their needs, and I’m not just talking about filling the stamina, health and water gauges either. Hellion, a sci-fi themed space survival title recently released their first major update alongside a 20% discount during the Steam Summer Sale.

Here is a rundown of what is included in the 0.2 version update:

Big work on optimization and stability
Improved navigation and flight systems
Survival gameplay mechanics enhanced and improved

Content

Loot distribution system and zones (civilian, industrial and military zone)
Security system (authorization, locking/unlocking system and defense turrets)
Ship and station customization (ship and station naming and interior design)
Doomed outposts as world events
Female character
New weapons
A lot of new items and inventory changes
Basic tutorial and glossary (learn to play and find out what you can find in Hellion)

Hellion takes players into 23rd century – a distant solar system far away from earth to be precise. The player’s avatar was part of a 100-year mission to populate this distant solar system aboard one of the first colonization system. During transport, something went horribly wrong, with the inhabitants of the colony waking up decades away from their intended destination and any sort of assistance. Take control of your fighter, scan down enemies, engage in combat, salvage and upgrade your ship to survive another day. All of the core mechanics for survival are already in-place in Hellion Version 0.2 – and if you’re intrigued, the game is available for $19.99 on the Steam Store.

The game’s developer Zero Gravity provided Broken Joysticks with a Steam code for Hellion and we will bring you impressions later this month.

Valkyria Revolution Storms Onto The PlayStation 4 Today

Space Survival Game – Hellion – Gets First Major Update