14 DAY TRIAL // 
Video games have focused on all sorts of wars throughout their history, either real ones, like World War 2, or fake ones in the past or the far-flung future.
Valiant Hearts: The Great War follows this tradition by taking place during World War 1, with Ubisoft Montpellier telling the story of different souls caught up in the huge conflict that swept the entire globe.
However, it's not a violent game in which you just shoot everything that moves. It's a touching puzzle experience in which the tough realities of war as well as the few brighter aspects of the main adventures are put on display for players to go through.
With such a lofty goal as well as a great visual style courtesy of the UbiArt Framework, Valiant Hearts certainly has a lot to live up to. Does it achieve this bold premise or does it end up a not-so-valiant effort? Let's find out.
Story
Valiant Hearts: The Great War kicks off right at the beginning of the major conflict by portraying the current political situation in Europe, with Germany and all the other major powers starting a conflict that would change the face of the world.
However, immediately the scope shrinks to follow a family near the border of France and Germany. Karl is a German citizen married to a French girl with a small son. He's deported back to his native land, while his father-in-law, Emile, is conscripted to join the French Army.
The game also focuses on a couple of other characters, in the form of Freddy, an American who joins the French Army after the German occupation of Paris kills his French wife, and Anna, a Belgian girl who goes behind enemy lines to make sure her father is safe. Besides these human characters, a relatively constant companion is a small dog that's certain to endear himself to any player.
The overall plot of Valiant Hearts uses the Great War as a backdrop of sturdy friendships and tearful reunions between the main characters, all through the conflict. There are many upsetting moments that highlight the harsh reality of war, but also a few scattered moments that are a bit more cheerful, such as Anna's escape from Paris.
While the characters communicate largely without words and through thought bubbles, the game also threw in a rather unnecessary narrator that more or less acts as a "Captain Obvious," highlighting things that were already pretty straightforward, such as the relationship between Emile and Karl.
Gameplay
Unlike many war games, Valiant Hearts doesn't really rely on violence. Sure, you are forced from time to time to eliminate machine gun nests or enemy planes, but in most cases you can get past enemies by distracting them with thrown objects or by hiding during their patrol routes. What's more, considering the game shows plenty of situations from the two warring sides, the Allies and Germany, you quickly notice that both armies have good and bad people. You can also whack enemies over the head but these moments are few and far between.
In terms of actual gameplay, Valiant Hearts is a puzzle experience, in which you traverse the 2D environment by solving all sorts of challenges involving platforms, levers, or missing objects. At first you must solve most of the problems by yourself but, as soon as the dog joins you, the loveable pooch will play a much bigger role, as he can sneak through holes in order to reach new places, pull or push on levers, as well as fetch different objects.
The difficulty isn't that high and, if you do manage to get stuck, there's a hint system that shares some pointers on what you might need to do in that specific area. However, this hint system isn't designed all that well, as it doesn't detect your current actions. As such, it might have three different hints, of which you have already figured out two. This means that you have to endure several times the 1-minute cooldown before accessing the next hint and figuring out what you have to do.
The action in the game is quite varied and you won't stick around in one location for long, as the story has a great pace that doesn't outstay its welcome. Each protagonist has different tricks up their sleeves, as Freddy can cut through barbed wires, for example.
Besides regular puzzles there are some boss sequences, so to say, such as a scene in which you beat the main German villain, a Baron, by messing with his zeppelin using the pipes of a destroyed church organ, not to mention a few well-placed grenades.
A key aspect of the game is also the array of items scattered throughout its stages that, when found, unlock even more real-life details about World War 1. The game also shares plenty of images and details from that period, which is certain to delight history fans.
Visuals and Sound
Valiant Hearts: The Great War is powered by Ubisoft's UbiArt Framework, previously seen used in Rayman Legends or Child of Light, and here it once again does wonders to elevate the experience to new heights. Considering its premise and setting, the game could have easily used a realistic style to underline the realities of war, but its actual style manages to keep things attractive, both in the tough times and the more cheerful ones. The colors are just vibrant enough to keep the experience from becoming dull and the character design, which sees hair or other items obstruct the faces of the main cast, works quite well.
The sound design is top-notch, with the soundtrack perfectly accompanying the action on screen at almost all times. While the characters don't talk per se, they do say a few things in their native languages and, if you pay attention, things are even better.
The Good
- Charming story
- Great characters
- Superb visual style
- Impressive soundtrack
The Bad
- Narrator doesn't really impress
- Puzzles don't evolve all that much
- Historic elements might annoy some people
Conclusion
The narrator might not fit into the experience and those who don't like history might not enjoy the constant details offered by the game, but it doesn't detract from the experience all that much.
