Valiant Hearts: The Great War was announced last September. It's one of those games that peaked my interest right from the start. World War I is a very unexplored setting with a dark story. The art style also really caught my eye. Now that I've played through the game, I'm here to give you my impressions of Valiant Hearts: The Great War.
Valiant Hearts is the 2nd non-Rayman game use the UbiArt framework, the 1st being Child of Light. Child of Light looked beautiful, so I had pretty high expectations for Valiant Hearts. The game didn't disappoint. Despite using the same engine as Child of Light, Valiant Hearts looks drastically different. The color palette is full of dark colors, which is fitting for the dark tone of the entire game. The characters have their hair covering their eyes, which surprisingly evokes more emotion than if their eyes were uncovered.
For a war game, Valiant Hearts has little direct killing. You never fire a gun once throughout the entire game, though you do occasionally fire cannons or drive tanks. During stealth sequences, you only knock out enemies; you don’t, stab, shoot, or assassinate them. Valiant Hearts focuses on the emotional toll World War I had on families, rather than focusing on the battles of the war.
The puzzles in Valiant Hearts are all very similar. There are retrieve missions, in which you get a uniform to enter a room to grab wine to give to a commander so you can get up a ladder to obtain a… well you get the idea.. There are also lever-based puzzles that clever use the dog companion, whose name is Walt, as another character that can trigger events and retrieve items for you. There is a hint system that you are able to use throughout the game to assist you in puzzle solving. It was helpful, but there were a few times when the hint was extremely vague, or there weren’t any hints at all.
Now let’s talk about the story. Valiant Hearts is based on real letters sent during World War I. There are four main characters. Anna, a Belgian medical student, Karl, a German farmer, Freddie, an American who chose to enlist in the French army after his wife’s death, and Emile, Karl’s father-in-law who is drafted into the French army. There is a narrator that wonderfully describes the protagonist’s objective during cut scenes, as well as giving historical facts and helpful exposition. All this is delivered brilliantly, and fits right in with the mood of the game. The story starts with Karl being deported from France, which separates him from his wife and son. Emile then takes cares of them, until he is drafted into the French army. Along Emile’s journey, he meets Freddie and Anna. The story shifts perspectives between all four characters throughout the course of the game. George, a British aviator, is a fifth character shown in trailers and promotional posters, but only makes a brief cameo in the game.
Since Valiant Hearts is based on real letters sent during the time period, its collectibles should reflect that as well. The collectibles in Valiant Hearts range from everyday items used by the soldiers to the propaganda that circulated around those still at home. Each collectible has a description, many of which tell of the item’s uses and history. I found myself want to find all the collectibles not for the achievement, but for the historical context that they bring to the game.
The music of Valiant Hearts adds an extra layer of emotion to tense scenes. There are many piano tracks, as well as music from the time period that is performed by soldiers. The music also brings comic relief, as there are a few light-hearted tracks that release tension. There are even game play moments that have you dodging barrels to the beat of a song.
Valiant Hearts is unique. The game’s beautiful art style, story, and soundtrack make it a touching, truly memorable experience.