Dear Internet,
Well, I
did not finish "Valkyria Chronicles" today. And I will tell you why. Paritally because I am trying to weasel out
of having not done what I said I was going to do, but also because it leads
into something that I should touch upon concerning the game. That reason is side-quests.
While I
knew that I was only three or so chapters away from finishing, which means
fighting about five battles, I did not know how many side-quests there were
available. Before I knew it, I had an
extra three side missions that were available.
Side-mission examines a specific character and elaborates upon their growth
within the greater narrative. They are
completely optional and have no large weight to the main story. However,
the game uses these side-missions in a way that add a greater depth to each
character that it centers on. But I am
getting ahead of myself. I should
mention how the game separates the side-missions from the main storyline.
Instead
of making the side-missions available as the story progresses, they have to be
bought from the news reporter Irene Ellet.
This works within the context of how the game is told. Considering that the game is told through the
use of a book, having the side-quests as purchasable and insert-able "reports"
makes sense. The player can choose to
purchase the reports if they want to play them.
This can cut into the funds for a better upgrade early in the game. The player always has the opportunity to do
skirmish battles for extra money to buy the reports, so the decision is not an
either/or situation. The player does not
have to choose if character exposition or battle benefits are more vital. Later on in the game, the amount of money
that missions hand out well exceeds any early financial problems. So, it really is a moot point later on. In fact, I have more money than I know what
to do with. After purchasing, the
side-missions handle like main plot missions.
The can only be played once and non-essential team-members can die permanently.
From a
story-telling standing, the reports are a nice add-on. They act as both sidestepping narratives and
as adding information to more minor elements of the main story. Take for example the Cpt. Varrot report. It tells more about Varrot's past and why she
had stayed on with the military after the first Europa War. The game gives a hint to this in another
side-story where Largo mentions the name Frederic. Varrot requests that Largo refrain from
mentioning that name. The player can reason
that Frederic was somebody close to the two of them that most likely died in
EWI. The player can take this as it is
and be content with an ambiguous character since there is enough information to
be able to draw enough of a conclusion to read between the lines. The Varrot side-mission elaborates upon
Frederic's death by telling how he died and relating it to the current
situation.
Or you
could take the Signs of Awakening report.
It is not in any way essential to the main storyline, but it does give big
hints as to one climatic plot reveal. I
did not get the chance to play it until after the big reveal, so I was not
spoiled too much concerning that event.
I am not sure exactly when the report was available for purchase. This could mean that it was only available to
buy after the big event occurs. The
report occurs much earlier, so when I played it, I was going back in time to
witness events that had already occurred.
This non-linear storytelling works well here. Since each mission chapter and side-mission
is a self contained event, they are already broken up for the player. Inserting a side-mission between the main missions
can be done since there is already an implied amount of time between chapters. Side missions can fill in those gaps.
Then
there is the obvious numerical advantage of these side-missions. They make more money than what the player
puts into them provided that the player does well. The side-missions deal out extra EXP and cash
in the same way that other missions do.
I already covered mission grading yesterday, so I will try to be
brief. The more missions that the player
has access to, the more they will have to gain EXP and money. Some of the missions can be relatively easy
for getting an A rank, and the rewards can become disproportional to the difficulty
of the mission. I think of the Hostage
Rescue Operation, or the Varrot report, when I say this. The mission brief tells you to sneak as close
as you can to a building without being detected. If the turn ends and any of your soldiers can
be seen, the mission is a failure. With
this in mind, I merely followed instructions and only moved while hiding in
tall grass. After letting the enemy do a
patrol and allowing them to expose themselves, I went on the attack. I wiped them out and got an easy A for the
mission. Afterwards I got more EXP and
money than I think was proportional to the mission. It was less than what I would get for an A
rank main mission, but I will take the easy road if possible. The EXP at least helped me upgrade my troops
a few levels.
 |
| Easy-peasy. |
Side-quests
are a great way to add depth to a game's narrative and give extra content that
would detract from the main story if it was shoehorned into making the player
go through it as necessary content.
"Valkyria Chronicles" makes sure that the side-missions do to
detract but add content by remembering that they are non-essential. Unlike games that wish to showcase the side
content by forcing the player to sample each one before continuing the game,
"Valkyria Chronicles" remembers to make side-missions add to the game
rather than be a distraction or an alternative to the core gameplay. What is the point of playing a game's
side-quests if it is radically different than the core gameplay? One should just go play a different game at
that point.
Hopefully,
I only have got one more day for "Valkyria Chronicles." I do not have anything against the game nor
am finding it to be boring at this point.
I say this because just when you think that the game is going to be
over, more content starts to pour out.
Yours in digital
BeepBoop
No comments:
Post a Comment