Raise up a mech pilot and make sure she doesn’t get Evangelion-level depressed in the sci-fi visual novel Valkyrie Iteration: Mecha Pilot Raising Pocket Simulator
Rock Paper Shotgun has previewed Valkyrie Iteration: Mecha Pilot Raising Pocket Simulator, a sci-fi visual novel that blends the mech genre with the "raising sim" format, in which players nurture and train a character over time. The game casts the player as a "technomaster" responsible for training a pilot named Lana and her sentient mech, Valkyrie, drawing clear inspiration from Neon Genesis Evangelion's themes of psychologically strained pilots bonded to living machines.
Players must manage Lana's daily schedule, choosing between training, rest and conversation to build her skills, mental health and bond with her mech, while monitoring her synchronisation and strength levels to avoid fatigue or depression before missions. The story is set in a future where humanity builds soul-bearing mechs called Valkyries to fight dimension-hopping invaders known as Phantoms. A demo of the game is currently available on Steam, where it can also be wishlisted.
- New visual novel combines mech action with a character-raising sim.
- Players train pilot Lana while monitoring her mental and physical state.
- Draws heavily on Evangelion; a demo is out now on Steam.
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Valkyrie Iteration: Mecha Pilot Raising Pocket Simulator is a sci-fi visual novel that mixes the "raising sim" genre, where players nurture a character's growth over time, with mech combat. The player takes the role of a mentor figure guiding a young pilot named Lana as she bonds with and learns to control Valkyrie, a mech that is described as sentient rather than a simple machine.
The setup owes an obvious debt to Neon Genesis Evangelion, the influential anime in which teenage pilots suffer serious psychological strain from linking with living, semi-conscious mechs. In this game, humanity's Valkyries exist to fight off Phantoms, invaders that cross over from other dimensions, and players must juggle Lana's training, rest and downtime to keep her skills and wellbeing in balance ahead of missions.
The game is still in development, with a playable demo currently available on Steam alongside the option to wishlist it ahead of a full release.