‘Valiant Hearts: The Great War’ is proof video games can surpass feature films in narrative depth. Alex Yarde has details.
One hundred years ago on the 28th of June the assassination of archduke Ferdinand ushered in the 20th century. At the beginning of The Great War, soldiers arrayed themselves as they did in the days of Napoleon in red and blue across a field in formations recognizable to ancient Generals like Agamemnon or Caesar. By the end of the conflict, we saw the modern armies and technology of today. Based upon the letters written by allied soldiers of the day, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a puzzle adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft.
Letters written during the Great War inspire the game and you play one of four characters on the battlefield to help a young German soldier find his love. This story is about sacrifice, friendship and survival of five crossed destinies in a bleak war torn world trying to survive the horror of the trenches following a faithful canine companion. The story begins in the year 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination prompts Germany to declare war on Russia. Anticipating war, France deports all German citizens. Karl is one of the many Germans deported, and is forcibly separated from his French wife Marie and their child. Karl is then drafted into the German army. Likewise, Marie’s father and Karl’s father-in-law Emile is drafted into the French army.
In Valiant Hearts, over the course of the game the lives of these characters are pulled apart then drawn together. Friendship, love, sacrifice and tragedy befall each one as they help each other in their struggle for humanity against the backdrop of war. Valiant Hearts: The Great War is melancholic, thoughtful, and historically accurate and a surprisingly deep war game not a twitch Call Of Duty shooter but an intriguing puzzler. Its characters are not “super operators” and there is zero gun porn. The character models are simple and lovingly drawn 2D side scrolling animation powered by UbiArt Framework, an in-house engine by Ubisoft used for Rayman Origins and its sequel, Rayman Legends by Ubisoft Montpellier. Outside of the aforementioned chillingly beautiful letters home narrations in between levels, no one speaks but clear pictographs of grenades to clear a machine gun nest or a bottle to distract a guard prompt you at appropriate times and the intuitive control scheme never gets in the way. It’s a great stand out from other war games as this is based upon the lives and experiences of actual soldiers in their often poignant letters home. Where grand ideas of nationalistic pride and patriotism clashed with the realities of the daily horrors, mundane realities and small mercies combat vets could relate too. If Ken Burns made a World War I game this would be it. Should Émile follow orders of an officer yelling at him to run to the right, he will lead the charge across muddy hills past dying men through a shower of shells and machine gun fire. If he disobeys as and runs left, he’s cut down by the sword of a French officer as a deserter and dies.
After the terrific training tutorial that is couched in your Basic Training Emile is thrown into battle, he’s captured straight away after his unit is killed and as a POW is made to cook for the Germans. His captor is the villain Baron Von Dorf, Karl’s Commander, who’s advanced weapons, chlorine gas and zeppelins are developed by another character the Nurse Anna’s father who is held captive. As soon as Karl recognizes his father in law Emile Allies attack Von Dorf’s camp, and Karl is forced to flee with Von Dorf. Emile manages to escape in the confusion and meets Freddie; an American who volunteered to join the French army after his wife was killed in a German bombing raid led by Von Dorf. They then meet Anna, the Belgian student and battlefield nurse who is tracking Von Dorf since he has kidnapped her scientist father, forcing him to develop advanced war machines and technology. The three chase Von Dorf’s zeppelin and shoot it down. Von Dorf manages to escape with Anna’s father in a biplane. Karl luckily survives the crash and is captured. I won’t spoil the rest of the story for you. But I cared for these characters more than any in all media I can recall recently. I can’t recommend it enough for thoughtful, puzzle solvers or history buffs this is a no brainier. If this is the kind of game that appeals to you by all means you should check out this brilliant side scroller for $15 On Xbox Arcade or Playstation’s on line store.