Valiant Hearts is the latest indie-esque release from Ubisoft. It uses their UbiArt Framework to bring the horror and devastation of World War I (also known as The Great War) to life. If anything, I think they did their job too well.

VH ana

The game centers around three men, a woman and a dog: Emile, an old farmer, drafted into service despite his age; Freddie, an American soldier fighting for the French to honor his dead wife; Ana, a Belgian nurse tending to wounded soldiers and driving like a demon; Karl, a German living in France at the start of the war, drafted into service and separated from his wife who happens to be Emile’s daughter; and the dog, who interacts with each of the characters and receives plenty of belly rubs for his help in solving puzzles. Each of the male characters are rather nondescript in their appearances – gruff faces often unidentifiable from the next man except by beard or hair color. It is their emotional journey, rather than physical appearance, that keeps the players connected.

The course of the game spans from 1914 at the outbreak of the war until 1918 when it finally comes to an end. For those who know their World War history, the game is incredibly accurate and includes stages at most of the major points in the war, most notably Ypres and Verdun. However, the focus of the game is depicting the war at a human level, not the grand scale that we normally see. WWI was about mud, the invention of tanks, the horror of the trenches and the reliance on the mail and rail services. All these elements are fully entrenched in the game – the stress and fear is immense as Emile digs through the thick mud, occasionally encountering unexploded shells that trigger on impact. The reality that death is a misstep away is integrated throughout the game, leading to some serious emotional turmoil.

VH belly rub

That is the true crux of the game, bringing the reality of World War I to life. Most people have very little knowledge about The Great War – they might know about the trenches, or perhaps have the odd bit of random factoid knowledge that they can share. However, as far as wars go, it doesn’t get a lot of attention. This year marks 100 years since the outbreak of the war, so it makes sense for a game based so heavily on historical fact to come out now. The goal of the game is to make us remember the horrors of the war, to never forget the men and women who gave their lives. It certainly does that, particularly towards the end when you’re using mounds of dead bodies as cover, however it makes some rather weird gameplay choices along the way.

Most of the game works as a puzzler. You need to find the necessary items, interact with objects and progress towards achieving certain aims. Unfortunately, this part of the game is rather uninspired. Oh look, I need to turn a wheel to adjust pipes in order to change the flow of water/steam/gas. Or what about the level that basically amounted to wandering around the map opening closets and cupboards while searching for some first aid items? Unfortunately, this is not the worst of the weird gameplay decisions.

VH puzzle

That award would go to the driving sequences. Kudos to Ubisoft for having Ana as the ace driver, but her driving levels are so bizarre they end up feeling like a strange dance as players must dodge obstacles to musical tracks such as “The Tango” (as heard in Adams Family Values) and Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries. These generally follow very emotional sequences; I’m sure the goal was to lighten the mood but instead it broke the realism of the game and made it seem almost ridiculous. Other ridiculous elements include blasting steam at a Zeppelin using a series of organ pipes during a boss battle. While well executed, it simply takes away from the power and emotion of the story telling without adding gameplay that is particularly worthwhile.

It’s not all bad when it comes to gameplay, though. There are well designed stealth portions as you must sneak past guards, as well as heart-pounding action sequences that see you running to avoid mortar attacks or taking cover from machine gun fire. However, the majority of the gameplay feels like an uninspired tool rather than a core part of the experience.

VH driving

For the most part, I believe Ubisoft achieved their goal with this game. The characters are compelling, and I did become attached to each of them in a particular way. The emotions run high, and by the end of the game I was practically in tears. Valiant Hearts successfully tells the story of World War I from a very human perspective and will help keep the memory of the war alive, for at least a little longer. It is excellent as a piece of storytelling, historical commemoration and emotional catharsis; I’m just not convinced that it’s an excellent game.

 

Last Updated: June 25, 2014

Valiant Hearts
Valiant Hearts is a good game offering an emotionally satisfying experience. With about six hours of gameplay (depending on puzzling speed) it has solid value. As humans, we should all play this, even though it's not the best gaming has to offer.
7.5
Valiant Hearts was reviewed on PlayStation 4

26 Comments

  1. Norm

    June 25, 2014 at 15:41

    This game sounds very interesting. Will give it a look.

    Reply

  2. UnholyMunk

    June 25, 2014 at 15:43

    I think I might just pick this up! Thanks for reviewing this.

    Reply

  3. Rince&exhale

    June 25, 2014 at 15:44

    wow, sounds refreshingly different!

    Reply

  4. Pieter Smal

    June 25, 2014 at 15:44

    I saw the E3 trailer last night and I was mesmerised by it!

    Reply

    • Norm

      June 25, 2014 at 15:50

      Just watched the trailer.
      I had chills.

      Reply

      • Pieter Smal

        June 25, 2014 at 15:52

        Me too. Made me think – and made me long for the transcendental.

        Reply

    • hairyknees

      June 25, 2014 at 16:14

      e3 trailer was so so so good. I make everybody (gamers and non-gamers) watch it! 😛

      Reply

      • Pieter Smal

        June 25, 2014 at 17:18

        I know, right? I even made a few of my friends watch it! 😀

        Reply

  5. Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

    June 25, 2014 at 15:45

    I’m a sucker for an epic story

    Reply

    • Spathi

      June 25, 2014 at 15:46

      Fan of Twilight then?

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        June 25, 2014 at 15:48

        Great. Now everyone wants to know why I was laughing.

        Reply

      • Admiral Chief Cyber Commando

        June 25, 2014 at 20:55

        I said EPIC story, not lamefest

        Reply

  6. Hammersteyn

    June 25, 2014 at 15:50

    Child of Light now this. Ubisoft what are you trying to do?

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      June 25, 2014 at 15:52

      Given all the current revelations I’m worried this started out as a WW2 story but they could only handle WW1.

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        June 25, 2014 at 15:59

        LOL!

        Reply

  7. HvR - Still dislikes Random.or

    June 25, 2014 at 16:06

    Love the detail they went into, story-lines based on actual WW1 letters and the Franco-Belgium style drawings.

    Reply

  8. hairyknees

    June 25, 2014 at 16:13

    I fell in love ever since I saw the e3 trailer. I want this game!

    Reply

  9. CaptainNemo42

    June 25, 2014 at 16:20

    I was interested when I first saw it. Will definitely give it a bash. Since I’m a bit of war history geek. Sadly, WWI is one of the wars I know very little about.

    Reply

  10. derp

    June 26, 2014 at 12:08

    Going on steam now to check how much my wallet has to suffer..

    Thanks :/

    Reply

    • derp

      June 26, 2014 at 12:09

      Child of light seems to be on special -_-

      Reply

  11. Hammersteyn

    June 30, 2014 at 07:36

    This is a very very nice game for the asking price. There’s one part with the dog…… You bastards!

    Reply

  12. Pieter Smal

    July 1, 2014 at 08:41

    So far, so good. I enjoy the game. 8

    Reply

    • derp

      July 1, 2014 at 11:27

      I loved the game. 9/10 for me.
      Was in tears at the end ;_;

      Reply

  13. DiggityDingDong

    July 1, 2014 at 12:21

    I’ll wait for it on ps plus, yes I am cheap!

    Reply

  14. Pieter Smal

    July 3, 2014 at 15:09

    Money well spend! I did cry at the end of the game too. 8.5/10!

    Reply

  15. Peet Luckhoff

    July 28, 2016 at 10:18

    You know nothing! This game Rocks!!!

    Reply

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