Valiant Hearts: The Great War was a very special and memorable game. A narrative-based game set during World War 1, it did not concentrate on the military’s tactics or shooting your enemy rather, it focused on the personal emotions of those affected by the war. What’s more interesting is that it was made available by one of the largest game makers, Ubisoft, who in 2014 seemed to have devoted itself to huge action-based franchises. It was the fifth ASC: Assassin’s creed. It was the fourth Far Cry game. Valiant Heart was an encouraging sign that it saw the value in small, intimate games as well as stories.
Now, fast forward to 2023, and we’re treated to a second surprise which is the announcement and the release of Valiant Hearts Coming Home which is a sequel of the Great War, to be available via Netflix within its games for mobile devices. This announcement comes at a time Ubisoft is expanding its previously mentioned franchises again. Four brand-new games from Assassin’s Creed games. There are reports of two brand-new Far Cry games. Maybe Valiant Hearts could be an exercise in focusing for the publisher, or a tasty dessert. It also serves as a reminder of the different sides of violence.
However, Coming Home serves as a direct follow-up in the wake of the Great War, and it definitely appears like it, in the sense that it could have been pulled straight from the year 2014. It’s a simple 2D side-scrolling adventure in its heart It is filled with easy-to-follow activities and puzzles including fetch quests, and a tiny number of mini-games that are recurring – which comprise the majority of the game’s interaction. It’s also a good time to play moments of narrative explanation.
However, the interactive elements aren’t all that engaging, unfortunately. Although the game is light in theme and presented to be part of the character’s goals, the puzzles and activities generally don’t last long enough to warrant their time. The trade and fetch loops can be a little long. Trade loops and fetch last a bit too long, and they’re mainly boring – rushing around pulling, pushing, and climbing up on boxes can become exhausting quickly. It’s fun to dodge planes for a while (and it’s beautiful) however it becomes tedious quickly, despite the growing difficulty. The stealth scenes that are instant fail are my personal pet peeve of mine in particular when they last for a long time. scenes.
Although Valiant Hearts Coming Home is an extremely short game – approximately three hours it was difficult to keep my attention over long periods because of the monotonous task.
The power of the game Valiant Hearts is in the tales it tells, which place personal experiences and mishaps within the context of a larger world-changing event, while also contextualizing the events. The game’s elegant and charming design style is also an asset that is cute enough to be instantly appealing but with enough realism to effectively portray tragedy whenever it’s needed. “Coming to Home is an entertaining history lesson packed with relatable, emotional stories. It’s not uncommon for the mundane tasks you’re required to go through can get in the way of.
Of course, there’s something to say about the design of the game in light of its medium. It’s an exclusive game created to be played on mobile phones (at most, at the date of writing) and is published by Netflix the streaming service that streams movies, and more importantly, episodic TV shows. It’s not difficult to imagine Valiant Hearts Coming Home as an experience that is designed to be played in chunks of bite-sized episodes and, in actuality it’s much more enjoyable when you do it this way. 20 minutes to start with a new chapter, and then you can sift through some easy puzzles and stop when the story’s current arc is at its natural conclusion, right when the interplays begin becoming too monotonous.
Despite the flaws, the tales of stories tell are well worth listening to and watching. Freddie is the African American soldier assisting the French army, is back as a major supporting character, with the main attention shifting towards the younger son, James who joins the army to fight with him. They are the protagonists in the story of the origins of the Harlem Hellfighters. Anna, a Belgian vet-turned-battlefield nurse also returns, as does her German Shepherd, Walt.
New characters such as Ernst examine the experiences of German citizens who were reluctant to join in the conflict. Then there’s the pilot George who appears to be very adept at what he does and is surprisingly unaffected by suffering. The themes of nationalism, race friendship, nationalism, and individual heroics are addressed in this film, and the result generally hits the sad, emotional emotions from the Great War. It’s a tearjerker.
Overall, Valiant Hearts Coming Homed doesn’t offer the same impact on viewers like Great Warfirst did. Great War first did. Perhaps it’s due to the effects of the sequel. Maybe it’s due to the smaller format, which is what it’s supposedly built around. But who said that emotional narrative games shouldn’t be brief-running experiences? The core of Valiant Hearts is present and I’m grateful that the characters and this form of storytelling from the past continue to fight for another day. Please don’t ask me to bring another potato or avoid another artillery piece.
3 stars:
Valiant Hearts” Coming Home
Platforms: iOS and Android, through a Netflix subscription
Developer: Old Skull Games, Ubisoft
Publisher: Netflix
Version Date 1 January 2023
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