Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Valiant Hearts: The Great War tells the story of the First World War through the fates of several people whose paths intersect. Among the heroes are soldiers from different countries, a nurse, and a dog that helps them in the most difficult situations. It's a side-scrolling platformer, but it's all about the puzzles and the atmosphere. The player understands the mechanisms, helps the wounded, looks for safe paths and simultaneously reads notes about the events of those years. There are action scenes, but war is shown primarily as a disaster, not as an attraction: the emphasis is on people, not on shootouts. Problems are solved in different ways: in some places you need to show ingenuity, in others you need skill, and sometimes it’s enough to just go together. The puzzles are not punishing, and the hints explain what to do, so anyone can complete the story. It is also worth noting that along the journey, objects and notes about the real events of the First World War are collected: they can be considered as a small encyclopedia built into the game. Dexterity tasks are interspersed with scenes where the characters communicate without words. Music and art work together to make the story memorable. It is also worth noting that the scenes in the game are staged as small episodes with the participation of all the characters: at times the paths of the characters intersect, and this makes the story whole. Levels are solved calmly, and it is almost impossible to make a mistake there. The drawing and music create a serious, sometimes sad mood, and this makes the story memorable for a long time. Valiant Hearts is a rare war game where the main thing is not the scale of the battles, but the attempt to preserve humanity in the midst of them.