Video games are obsessed with warfare: ancient, covert, modern, futuristic. But Valiant Hearts is one of only a few to look at the first World War. It’s a studied depiction, but one in which you rarely shoot a gun. It’s a puzzle adventure that’s much more interested in how people are affected by such terrible events than recreating the violence. It occasionally gets too bogged down with historical trivia, but overall it’s a stylish and sincere adventure with a big heart.
The most striking aspect of Valiant Hearts is the splendid art direction. Playing it really feels like watching a wonderful piece of animation, and I was surprised at just how versatile the style is. Of course, it shines at beginning when asked to depict the calm of rural France, but it’s equally effective when tackling much more difficult environments. The trenches and frontlines of the war, in particular, resemble scenes from Hell, with thick smoke weighing down from above and piles of corpses providing cover. Importantly, the cartoon style never conceals the horror of what is taking place.
Similarly, the characters have much more depth than their flat appearance initially suggests. Set along the border of France and Germany, the story tells the interlocking tales of five protagonists all touched by the war. You spend time with each one, and while the storytelling’s strong enough, it’s the animation which brilliantly reveals so much about each one. Barrel-chested Freddie struts into battle with the conviction of a man out for revenge, while Emile has a downtrodden gait that betrays a weariness that can’t be overlooked. While there are snatches of dialogue, a lot is also conveyed through the inarticulate yet strangely intelligible sounds made by these squat figures.The bold art style succeeds because of some deft touches, so it’s a shame that the narrator has no qualms with laying it on a bit thick. Nowhere is this more pronounced than at the end, which is predictably moving, though spoiled somewhat by the narrator underscoring what I already felt unprompted.
Unexpectedly, there’s also a sense of humor to be found. This works brilliantly on occasion, like when Ana flees Paris to the strains of the can-can. But elsewhere, it’s less well-judged. One of the points the story goes to great lengths to emphasize is the universal horror of war and how it affected people of all nationalities; one of the characters you play is a German soldier, even. So to have a bratwurst-chomping, pretzel-loving villain as the only identifiable antagonist seems at odds with the rest of the experience. He’s definitely more caricature than character.
When it comes to gameplay, Valiant Hearts is an adventure full of puzzles which aren’t all that difficult to solve. It’s clear the experience is being pitched everyone, rather than those who need a challenge. This never bothered me in the slightest – the puzzles are satisfying enough to work through, and I actually think getting stumped would have undercut my interest in the plot.
And there’s plenty of variety in what you’re given to do. Some puzzles involve simple object gathering, while others require strategic costume changes. You’ll lend your hand to plumbing, trench digging, and safe cracking. And it’s all in service of the plot, whether it’s reuniting loved ones or venturing behind enemy lines, the puzzles drive you forward. There are also more action-led sequences dotted throughout – again, they’re not particularly demanding, but do create some of standout moments. A particular highlight of mine was escaping from a POW camp by moonlight, evading torchlight and hiding behind scarecrows, bushes, and even a herd of wandering sheep.
Throughout its six or so hour running time, Valiant Hearts does a magnificent job of incorporating so many aspects of the First World War. Each chapter introduces more iconic elements: zeppelins, flamethrowers, tanks, barbed wire, mustard gas, and even things like military insurrection. Everything finds a place. But what’s really great is they aren’t just chucked in – they’re always used in a way that makes sense: as a mechanic to learn, an obstacle to overcome, or even the basis for a new type of puzzle.
Less successful is the way in which it flaunts historical credentials alongside the fiction it’s trying to unfold. You’re constantly bombarded with historical fact boxes. Reading them is entirely optional, but I found the prompt too insistent and a bit irritating. It totally clashes with the sense of style created by the art. Valiant Hearts does a great job of presenting such information through the world itself. It doesn’t need Encarta ‘95-style footnotes.
It also creates some unnecessary tension between fact and fiction. Right at the beginning, we’re told these stories are freely adapted, and sometimes it’s more of a game than historical re-enactment, and I’m completely fine with that. For instance, there’s a section in which you attack a zeppelin with the help of a busted church organ in Reims’ cathedral. I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen… yet it works, providing a fun, memorable encounter that doesn’t undermine the subject matter. The slight awkwardness comes when the grim historical reality is presented immediately after one of these more fanciful interludes.
