Valiant Hearts - runs well (even on Uplay, don't frown), and offers surprising depth compared to most Ubi games, in the form of collectible items which unlocks copious amounts of historical information. A good game - would require unique gameplay and controls to be great, but it's on a good way. Be wary - despite its serious content, don't expect much action and combat, because you will be gravely disappointed.

Valiant Hearts is a game that's really hard to classify, and to review. It mixes animation fitting children's books with the horrors of war, simple controls, mild puzzles, and some quick time events while trying to hold up and carry a storyline with multiple protagonists. And not all of these are perfect.
The animation is nice - the presentation is good, it's easy to distinguish certain parts of the gameplay area, and it becomes clear pretty soon that a game has a distinguished art style, which is always a good sign for a unique, good visual experience.
The controls and puzzles work together nicely - the puzzle parts usually make good use of the game's control scheme, but after a while it gets stale. There is a limited version of puzzles you can create with (controller layout) A for grab and operate, RB/LB to send the dog for contextual places (ABXY), and one for throwing the item that you're holding. And that's it. The game has the potential to become extremely boring simply because the gameplay is a single-path sidescroller, and most of the action parts are as intense as getting past a strictly scripted guard.

But the narration saves the day. Without the historical facts on each map, without the unlockable mementos of the era, the game would fall onto its own face. There are many letters, everyday items from the world of WW1 and the countryside, from the soldiers and their families that THAT'S the main reason in my opinion, that people consider this game as good as it is. These help people without the in-depth historical knowledge to appreciate more the simpler graphics, to imagine the mud of the trenches, the freezing cold nights and the problems with communicating with the loved ones. It's needed to make the cute-ish graphics into something that hints the reality of the past.

Technically the game runs well, each episode has around 5 levels, each of them can be completed in maybe 30-45 minutes if really looking around, if needed to restart the level, it can be done in a few minutes - they are pretty short. If one dies ingame, respawns at last checkpoint, if the player exits, the whole level needs to be replayed. In my playthrough, I've faced two bugs that forced me to restart the respective levels, but as I said, it's minimal time loss. At least based on my experience, both the game and Uplay was trustworthy and hadn't caused problems besides this little hiccup.

So, after all, I would recommend the game for everyone - at least to check it out because it's a really inclusive game, I think almost everyone could get into it because of it's simplistic control scheme. But the gameplay is plain without the additional collectibles and the lack of challenge can make it hard to go on - in shorter bursts it's easily approachable for the lovers of more action-filled genres.

I am not an uBisoft Fan...far from it...but this game deserves attention

How to review this without spoiling everything..

If you are looking for a action packed game, well, this game kind of has that, but it is NOT an action game, it is a puzzle game taking place along the German-French lines of WW1 between 1914 and 1917, and do they take you all over those lines. From Ypres to Vaquois to the horrendous Nivelle Offensive. If you know your history--or are a WW1 nerd like me--then you can guess what happens action wise.

The artstyle is great. For how charming it is, the artstyle quickly delves into the dark, muddy hell that was trench warfare. The main characters do not speak much, just one or two phrases in their languages...oh and a bark or two...but the atmosphere of the story, music, and even the artstyle is really something to digest. From the beginning, it does look like it is going to be a light hearted...until the Battle of Marn where the bright colours of pre-war jubilee quickly turn into the grey, brown, and red hues of hell, with each extra "cell" (I guess we can call it that since it is a comic-book-style game) throwing in a great impact of emotion.

Thank god for the three driving scenes, those were a needed--and really, REALLY fun--break.

I almost cried at Vaquois, and I definitely stared blankly at the screen at the end.

So, unfortunatel, you need uPlay, but unlike the other games that require uPlay to play that I have...I actually want to complete this game.

Shame uBisoft can't make a game with this kind of story for their AAA titles.


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Side note: this game is what BF1 won't be.

This game is an emotional rollarcoaster where the only way is down.
8/8 would gain depression from this game again.
</3

A rather simple 2d platformer game telling a story of four characters whose lives are entwined together because of the First World War.

My friend recommended me this game for its beautiful artwork and a deep, emotional story and as far as I can agree with the former, the vision of war shown here was in my opinion way too simplified which made it impossible for me to take it seriously.
That being said, having historical facts added within the game was an interesting idea and I learnt much about the Western Front of WW1 that I didn't know before.

Overall, I would say the game is worth checking out but I wouldn't call it a heartbreaking one.

I'm not a big singleplayer lover but this marvellous game almost got me crying at the end.
The story takes place in the WW1 time and continues throughout the entire war.
The game has disastrously beautiful soundtracks that bring some real charm into the gaming process.
Graphics are astonishigly good, they really look exotic and I'd say they remind me of comics.
All characters have their own charisma and the war somehow makes their destinies interconnected.
The story is rich even though the game may be a bit short but I still was absolutely satisfied.
The game also gives the player lots of interesting information related to the First World War, I really enjoyed reading all those facts showing how cruel the war was.
9/10.

That was one of the most amazing games I have ever played in any genere. It captures the horrors of World War I so well and the art style is fantastic. The way it tells the story and the way you feel like you're there with the characters is some of the best I've ever seen. There are very few moments in games that have ever made me shed tears, and I am not ashamed to agmit that the ending to this game is now on that list. No matter what types of games you're into, this is a must play game.

Fair warning: You will cry.

An extremely beautiful, emotional game, visually similar to Belgian and French BD that will make you cry, laugh, dance, smile and scream as you follow the lives of five unlucky players in the great Seminal Tragedy. It does an amazing job of driving home the senselessness and brutality of the Great War, and the way people were swept up in it and destroyed without any choice of their own in the matter. Don't let the cute artstyle and funny sounds people make fool you: this game is brutal in its depiction of the horrors of trench warfare.

Its gameplay is simple, even a bit rudimentary for a puzzler, but the main attraction here are the visuals and the story. The game can be enjoyed just as much as a playable motion comic as a video game.

You have to install Uplay to get this game to work, but I think it's worth it, because everything is so beautiful you are made to forget about the vile, intrusive drm-ware infesting your computer.

An instant classic. Play this game and weep. 10/10

Oh . What should I say , the game is beautiful . Same idea for the game. The game tells the true story. The game is in some places cheerful , exciting and sad . The end of the game is so sad that I almost cried as he told in the letter. So so sad

This game is amazing on all fronts. Music, grafic's, game play, story line. I havn't played a good game like this for a long time!!
piece of art!

This is by far the best game I have ever played. Never ever have I had a book, movie or game touch me so much. The story, the artwork, the music and the overall ambience make me never forget this game ever. Just listening to the music makes me tear up a bit. I recommend it to everyone, not only for the educational value, but especially for the story. The story makes up for the few small errors. 10/10