Review: Valiant Hearts:The Great War

FINALLY A GOOD WORLD WAR 1 GAME
As a fan of WW2 history, I've always sought out quality games of the period, and the Call of Duty franchise had set the bar so high that it made most other games irrelevant. COD satisfied me much. As terrific as the thrilling action packed game-play of COD was, its educational value was almost on par, as it definitely exposed its players to the realities of life on the front-lines of WW2.

But what about WW1? This was an area that COD had never ventured into. And the other games about it were mediocre at best. And then I found this indie-game on a Steam sale; the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. 

NOT METAL SLUG
The reviewers informed me that despite the cutesy art-styles,Valiant Hearts was no WW1 rendition of Metal Slug, and that it was instead a side scroller involving puzzle-solving and semi-platforming. The key bashing action would mostly be limited to maneuvering and avoiding bombs/bullets. What they did promise me instead was an involving story of the period.

So ok. I came. I read. I bought. I played. I WRITE REVIEW NOW, because I just wanted to share that in playing this game, I was exposed to an engaging story that not only lived up to the hype of the other reviewers, but also really enabled me to immerse myself in the  atmosphere of the war.  

SO MANY FEELS
From multiple perspectives, I was at one time or another a conscript on the run, a volunteer from overseas enlisting for revenge, a POW trying to escape, a nurse trying to rescue her scientist father held against his will, an army dog aiding all of the above folks at various points, and a father and husband just trying to survive the war and return home.

This indie video game allowed me to relive the war far better than any book or movie of the period, and I think that says a lot given that this is not even an FPS, but a side-scroller. I was really able to empathize with the struggles of warfare in the trenches, and the daily issues faced by soldiers that are included but not limited to chlorine poison gas, accidentally digging onto enemy trenches, hidden dud bombs, being shelled by artillery, avoiding machine gun hails whilst moving from trench to trench, rat infestation, dysentery, etc.

Ironically, I did not fire a single shot the entire game; attacking enemies are limited to knocking them out with punches. But the violence is nevertheless present from the many attempts by the enemy to end your life. 

Running/avoiding gunfire/explosions itself is a puzzle in some cases, amongst the many other puzzles present throughout. 

when cuteness and violence come together

 

VEHICLE SCENES
Like how Asian songs find it absolutely vital to incorporate at least a string/half-sentence/word of English into their lyrics at some point, so too does this game incorporate vehicle scenes that are vital to war games. Whilst it has the expected side-scrolling action of driving a tank, what was unexpected are the Fast and Furious style car chase scenes that are interspersed throughout. Again, you are not the one doing the chasing but the running away from the enemy forces/authorities trying to catch you for desertion. 

Fast and Furious 1916

FITTING MUSIC
It is during these chase scenes also that I noticed how spot on the music is in eliciting the emotions of players. Chase scenes are supplemented by famous classical time pieces that capture the tension of the chase, very down to its lulls and spikes. Elsewhere, scenes of grief and tragedy are accompanied by notes of sorrow and melancholy. Long after I have stopped playing, the music still echoes whenever I think of the scenes I went through in the game. I may yet purchase the soundtrack from Amazon. Yep, it's on Amazon for purchase.Not only does the audio enhance the gameplay through its music, but it also complements the cuteness of the graphics through the characters verbal speech. Honestly. to call it a speech would be an overstatement; they just mumble phrases in their native language that are too difficult to hear, and yet somehow makes them all the more appealing.

The above aside, this game will appeal to many folks because of its cutesy graphics. I know, because I fell for it when browsing through the Steam online store. I was suckered in by the graphics, and I was subsequently thoroughly exposed to a game that had layers of enjoyment and depth that ran tenfold deeper. Clocking in at 5.3 hours of gameplay, this has been my most rewarding purchase off Steam alongside heavier and more expensive blockbuster titles like DragonAge and MassEffect.

 

 So cute I wish I could buy a model