Proving yet again that video games are an art form, Ubisoft Valiant Hearts: The Great War, a puzzle-platformer, combines hand-drawn beauty with an engrossing narrative to humanize the World War I game in a fashion the avoids the visceral, high-fidelity gameplay and super-soldiers first-person shooters often employ to interpret the era.
Valiant Hearts was developed using Ubisoft's in-house UbiArt engine, the same framework the company used to create critically acclaimed titles such as Child of Light and Rayman Legends - the engine was also said to be in use for a 2D remake of Prince of Persia.The game follows the stories of four characters as they suffer love and lost during World War I.
While Valiant Hearts' comic book-style graphics initially made some gamers wonder who seriously the game's story could be relayed, reviewers have lauded the title for its ability to invoke powerful emotions.
Referencing a scene that depicted a brutal interrogation occurring in a building on one side the landscape and a squad of soldiers drowning out the savagery with music, a reviewer praised Valiant Hearts art and detail as a captivating experience. The review went on to attribute the game's "adorable" artstyle as one of the factors that encourage players to fall in love with the characters and to care about their progression as the war rages on.
While many reviewers haven't reported any disappointment with Valiant Hearts' gameplay mechanics, most have described it as a standard set of conventions that avid gamers could power through without much in the form of a tutorial.
Another reviewer conceded Valiant hearts' gameplay mechanics offered nothing new and refreshing, but stated the game's context and narrative turn it into a meaningful experience. As opposed to collecting items to level up, players are tasked with "trying to make sense of a senseless situation."
As for sound, the game's story is driven forward through narration that delivers content that holds true to the history of World War I - while just short of a history lesson, World War I buffs will find little to critque in terms of accuracy. Valiant Hearts' music features a classical score, which one reviewer said melds well with the game.
Valiant Hearts' action and cinematic sequences were said to move to the rhythm of the game's classical score. Rather than jarring gamers or coming off as goofy and out of place, a reviewer said the soundtrack's classical tone simply works for the game.
Some of the reviews Valiant Hearts has received includes a 5/5 from Joystiq, 9/10 from Destructoid, 7.7/10 from IGN, 8/10 from Gamespot, 7/10 from Game Informer, 7/10 from Eurogamer and a 65/100 from PC Gamer.
