Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a World War I themed game, available in March as a PlayStation Plus title.
I first saw Valiant Hearts at E3 2014 and was immediately interested in it. I finally got my hands on it to play with the March line-up of games for PlayStation Plus. Set in World War I, you’ll experience some small slices of life in that period.Don’t worry – it’s not just another shooter. It’s truly an experience as a story-heavy adventure game.
The game itself is a bit slow paced, however it works. You start off with a family being torn apart due to the war – the husband is sent to fight for the Germans and the father is sent to fight with French. Their paths will cross several times, and will also pass with two other individuals in the war. By the end, you’ll likely feel your heart sink as the very good 
story just gets better right until the end.
Gameplay wise, Valiant Hearts is your typical side-scrolling title. There are points where you can move to another layer, though typically it’s just moving into another room. Within these levels are hidden historical items. The art style for the game lends help here – it’s like a hand-drawn piece, and the hidden objects can become even trickier to spot.
The game isn’t without glitches unfortunately. Through my time playing I experienced a few, though thankfully they weren’t game breaking. At one point I found an invisible mine, though at least it was preventing me from going the wrong way I suppose… Another point I needed to put a flag on a pole. I had left the room with it at the top, came back and there was the flag sitting there at the bottom. Oh but what? It’s still on the pole too!
Trophy hunters out there may find some points of trickiness in Valiant Hearts, though thankfully they aren’t that bad. The worst one is finding all the historical objects, followed by needing to successfully complete some QTEs at the end without a single mistake. There’s also trying to get through at least one car sequence without getting hit once – a feat made harder by the fact you’ll likely be laughing very hard during the parts because they just look so silly.
If you’re looking for a good World War I inspired story, then check out Valiant Hearts. Even now, a few days after I’ve finished it, I wonder why the other soldiers didn’t care about a dog going by them… A dog that was sometimes showing they were from another side. Ah well, guess it lends into the “Dogs of War” part (which you can read about in game too). The gameplay is solid, despite some minor glitches that came up. And while a bit slow-paced, it works.
Now if only one could get rid of the UPlay mentions in there…
Valiant Hearts: The Great War Review Score
4.5/5
