Sega’s tactical role-playing series, Valkyria Chronicles, has something of a cult following overseas, thanks in part to its distinctive canvas-painted visual style, its colorful cast of characters, and its thematic blend of Fantasy and World War II genre conventions. Those same fans were greeted with some rather exciting news earlier today, when Japanese blogger Hachima Kikou found that Sega trademarked new title for the Valkyria series: “Aoki Kakumei no Valkyria,” or “Valkyria of the Blue Revolution” in English.
Credits go to to Gematsu for confirming the title’s translation.
Nothing else so far is known about the future of this mysterious title, which has fans speculating on the future of the series. Sega has given Valkyria a steady flow of activity ever since the first game’s release in 2008; a PC port for the first game was released in November last year, and two of its main characters – Alicia Melchiott and Selvaria Bles – joined the cast of Japanese developers Ecole Software and French Bread’s fighting game Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax last December.
These recent cross-promotions could indicate that a new entry in the series is in development. On the other hand, given the Japanese gaming industry’s recent penchant for tapping into the blooming mobile gaming and pachislot (pachinko) markets, there’s no way of telling whether Valkyria of the Blue Revolution will actually be used for a direct sequel to the tactical role-playing series instead of a spinoff game. All fans can do at this point is wait for further news, but at least the announcement of a potential sequel is enough to stoke the fires.
In the meantime, Valkyria fans who own the PC version of the first game can whet their appetite by checking out this neat player-created mod, which re-balances many of the game’s units and weapons to make for a more challenging gaming experience. If you ever felt that the original game was too easy, or if you just want a different perspective on this Sega classic, head on over to the NeoGAF thread and check it out.