War, especially historical war, in video games is generally presented in a similar way across titles. The player assumes the role of a heroic soldier who shoots and strategizes his way through enemy lines, making a name for himself and decimating enemy troops to achieve victory. Combat dominates the game’s experience. While war might not be blatantly glamorized, the warfare in these games is almost always painted as heroic or admirable. Valiant Hearts is a game about war; but it isn’t about warfare. It’s a game about heroes, but not about the kind that turn the tides of war. Rather, Valiant Hearts is a game about personal courage and loss, the every day feats of heroism that populate true war stories, the human bonds that exist even in the most hellish of environments, and is a beautiful depiction of the tragedies of World War I.
Inspired by real letters from World War I, Valiant Hearts follows the tales of four characters and their canine companion. Each has their own tale but they’re connected by a shared motivation: a passion for their family and a desire to reunite in a time of turmoil. Karl, a native German, who, although living in France and married to a French woman with an infant son, seeks to return with his family after being deported back to Germany and drafted into their army against his will. Father-in-law to Karl, Emile, shares a similar goal when he’s drafted into the French army, leaving his daughter to fend for the family farm. Anna, a Belgian medic and student, charges into the battlefield in an attempt to reunite with her father who is behind enemy lines. Finally, Freddie, an American who enlists in the French army, enters the war to get revenge for his loved ones who were killed by German forces.
Valiant Hearts integrates each of these tales within the larger narrative of World War I to create a personal yet historically rich story. Each character has their own individual and touching arc. At certain points, however, multiple characters cross paths. Although it is a bit disappointing that players (at least thus far) are not able to control two characters at once other than their dog companion, it’s nevertheless rewarding to see the characters’ interactions. Despite the fact that there is no actual dialogue outside of a few lines of muffled and cartoony speech in their respective languages, every character is sympathetic and well defined. It’s hard not to get attached, which does not bode well if the story takes a tragic turn.
Much like Child of Light, UbiArt’s – a pseudo-indie subset of Ubisoft – other artistic title, Valiant Hearts boasts gorgeous visuals. Every aspect looks like it has been intricately hand drawn. The design possesses certain innocent qualities that make the destruction and violence of the war all the more horrifying. Although it is not “gritty” or graphically realistic, the game’s aesthetics employs its unique style to create a genuine emotional appeal.
There is no “true” combat in Valiant Hearts outside of the occasional grenade toss necessary for destroying barriers, moments where guards need to be knocked out before proceeding, and certain confrontational boss battles. This is a true testament to Valiant Hearts‘ take on war: although gunfire and death surrounds the player, the player never participates in any of the bloodshed. Instead most of the game is comprised of puzzles. These are consistently more engaging than those in Child of Light but aren’t so difficult so as to cause frustration. Many puzzles require the player to simultaneously use the featured character and the dog in order to complete them, an aspect I found personally enjoyable (that dog is just so cute).
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the game is the insight it gives into World War I. Players are challenged with collecting all one hundred pieces of memorabilia scattered throughout the game. These range from items used by soldiers like gas masks to compasses to soldiers’ personal items, to letters that soldiers from both sides wrote home. After collecting each the player is encouraged to read the small snippets of information giving the item proper historical context. Likewise, as action happen around the characters, players are presented with small bits of history further explaining the events that occurred at that specific location, which not only adds to the depth of the narrative but makes for a nice little history lesson.
Valiant Hearts approaches World War I with the reverence and tone it deserves. By crafting a game that presents the personal side of war and that genuinely reflects on the true struggle faced by the lives sucked into the conflict, it truly resonates.
