Theoderich and his trusty bodyguards move to the front, absorbing the charge of two units, while Konrad rains arrows from the back. My other three units, two swordsmen and one cavalry try to move around the flanks, putting all enemy squads in the middle. Theoderich uses his devotion ability to give everyone a little bit of fighting spirit back, before using his Retribution strike to almost kill three enemies.
My archer hero contributes with his own abilities, dealing with the rest of the enemy group. Good use of special abilities on all my units quickly brings this battle to an end with minimal losses. It’s time to move toward the final enemy camp and see what kind of unique units I will have to face to finish the level.
The Valiant is developed by KITE Games and published by THQ Nordic. I played using Steam on the PC and the title is also offered on the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and S, and older devices from both Microsoft and Sony. The title offers squad-based strategy challenges with a story set in a historical context.
The narrative focuses on Theoderich von Akenburg, a knight with a pure heart. Alongside his battle brother, Ulrich von Grevel, he discovers an artifact during the Crusades and then renounces violence. But after a decade, the Rod of Aaron is corrupting his former friend and Theoderich must go on a quest to find the missing pieces of the looted treasure and make sure that darkness does not engulf the world. The writing in The Valiant is mostly solid but it’s filled with tropes and does not make too many attempts to meaningfully engage with the period of history it’s set in.
Gameplay is real-time and centered on squads. Players will get to control named characters and mercenary groups, each with their own abilities and place in the battle order. Swordsmen can bash and do well against spears, cavalry is better when charging and will quickly eliminate archers, this sort of thing. Heroes are better than mercenaries and will be able to upgrade their own abilities as they gain experience. As they engage, they also gain Retribution, which is then used to launch a powerful strike that damages all those around them. If a battle is going against you, retreat to the nearest building that can replenish units and try again.
To add complexity, The Valiant distinguishes between Fortitude and Health for each squad. The first regenerates and can be boosted while the second requires specialized buildings to replace men. The idea is to keep units engaged as long as they have Fortitude left and win the engagement by then or order them to retreat. It’s a decent system, that leads to long battles that open up chances for clever ability use or good movement and flanking. Between levels, players will choose which new ability their heroes will learn and what equipment they will take into the next battle.
The game does need more variety in its level design and challenges. It’s always a matter of moving between camps, dealing with an ambush or two, and then eliminating a group to get to a building that serves as a checkpoint. The boss battles aim to break the repetition, but they rely on big health bars to keep the enemy competitive. I like that the game encourages use of flanking and careful ability management, but there’s little fun in chipping at a big red bar over the course of 5 minutes.
The Valiant features two types of multiplayer modes. Gamers who want to cooperate with 2 friends can play Last Man Standing, taking down waves of opponents to get new skills and cosmetic items. The game also offers both 1 versus 1 and 2 versus 2 competitive matches.
The Valiant is a good-looking squad-based experience, especially when forces clash on the battlefield. The units have details, and the heroes display personality. It’s easy to keep track of units and their abilities, and the mini-map is useful. The in-game cutscenes could use a little more polish, but I love the pre-mission briefings, which seek to immerse players in the moment. The sound design is equally effective, with a medieval-influenced soundtrack and some very crunchy battle effects.
The Good
- Squad-based tactics
- Good visuals
- Story presentation
The Bad
- Scenario design
- Limited narrative
- Very few gameplay innovations
Conclusion
But the game never tries to push its idea forward. There’s nothing here that has not been done in other contexts or with slight variations. The Valiant is a good squad-focused strategy title but KITE Games should try to introduce more innovation to their next project.
Review code provided by the publisher.