Visuals
Valkyria Chronicles has a bright, lighthearted Japanese art style despite being a game about war, which makes it easy to track what is going on in the environment around you. The vast majority of the maps and text boxes are very easy to read, with high contrast between the text and the background as well as relatively large font (though the font size is not adjustable).

When scanning the environment while moving your character, important items such as enemy units are highlighted with arrows. Friendly units are highlighted with blue arrows, and enemy models are highlighted with red arrows, which may be difficult for red–green colorblind gamers.

Recommended score 7/10.

Controls
Valkyria Chronicles does not have remappable controls, though it may still be playable by a one-handed player because using buttons in very quick succession is not necessarily required. Turns are not timed and so with most movements you can take your time getting to where you need to be, aiming and firing.

The only caveat is when you are running from cover to cover the enemy can fire at you in real-time, so you do need to have a reasonable level of control over the joystick and the ability to hit the target or crouch button fairly quickly once reaching your destination. When aiming, you can take all of the time you need to center the crosshatch on your enemy.

However, when you are using the joystick to aim it is extremely sensitive to small movements and it can be difficult to get the crosshatch exactly where you want it, especially while doing head shots. There is no sensitivity adjustment for the joystick, but you can use the arrow keys on the control pad instead of the joystick to get a little better control over the movement of the crosshairs.

The only control adjustment is the ability to reverse.

Recommended score 5/10.

Precision
This game does not require a great deal of precision. It has an auto targeting feature, though, in order to make head shots you have to adjust it slightly. However, you can take as much time as needed to target perfectly. Combat within the game does not move quickly.

Subtitles/Audio
All audio within Valkyria Chronicles is subtitled well. Some character interaction is in subtitles only without an audio element.

Other
Valkyria Chronicles is fairly approachable for the beginner. The first few encounters incorporate a lot of training on how to use the controls and how to achieve the best results. It manages to be engaging, yet has a pace that does not overwhelm someone who is new to gaming or who has a hard time processing quick movement.