A closer look to Valiant Hearts: The Great War the game that shows the mad things that mankind can do

In Valiant Hearts: The Great War, War Makes Men Mad [Review]

A closer look to Valiant Hearts: The Great War the game that shows the mad things that mankind can do

t4mas89

Published: Mar 28, 2016 12:39 pm

Valiant Hearts: The Great War is an adventure game which was developed by Ubisoft Montpelier and published by Ubisoft. The game was released for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android and iOS in the summer of 2014.

The Story

Valiant Hearts: The Great War takes us to World War I in a very interesting perspective. The story revolves around Karl — a German farmer who is taken to the German army by force — Karl’s father-in-law Emile — who is taken into the French army — Anna, a Belgian a battlefield nurse — Freddie, who joins the French army after the death of his wife — and Walt, a dog from the German army. The player controls all of them and follows their story through the madness of the war.

While I really liked the story of the game, I have to warn you that though the game looks a bit cartoonish, its story is very dark and full of tears and sorrow. This game is nothing like the typical World War game. It shows how mad mankind could be. I have to say…Ubisoft chose the characters very wisely and they all have very rich backstory. They have different personalities as well, and somehow their story are connected to each other.

The developers used real letters and real stories so this make the whole thing more sad. When I finished the game I was crying like a baby because the ending is one of the most heartbreaking endings that I have seen in a game.

Gameplay

Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a 2D side-scrolling adventure game, where you have to control four human characters and sometimes a dog. Gameplay-wise the characters are a bit different, but not too much. Sometimes you have to use the dog because he can reach place where the main human characters can’t go.

There are four chapters, and every chapter has more sections. In every place you have to solve puzzles to progress. The puzzles are a bit repetitive, but there is enough difference between the chapters and the sections so you won’t feel it too much.

The controls are easy and perfectly good for a 2D game.

The game is fairly easy, and it takes around 7-9 hours to complete. There are also collectibles for those who want a little extra something to do. The game doesn’t have a platinum trophy, but the other trophies are very easy to obtain.

Graphics, Sound & Music

As you look at the screenshots, you can see that the graphics are not next gen. Valiant Hearts: The Great War uses Ubiart Frameworks (which was used for Rayman Legends and Child of Light too). So the art style is a bit cartoony. While technically the graphics are not too good, I have to admit that I really liked this style in Child of Light and I think it fits to this game too.

You will forget that the game is technically not next gen as you start playing, because the story and the atmosphere will take you to a very bittersweet adventure. It’s that case again when the creativity wins over the shiny graphics

The sounds and the music are really good, too.

Verdict

Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a very good game. It has a very engaging story which will bring tears to your eyes while you play. This game has heart, so I can recommend it to anyone who wants to have a journey that won’t be forgotten for a long time.

It’s a shame that the game is digital only — I would buy a package like Child of Light had.

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