Valiant Hearts: The Great War™ / Soldats Inconnus : Mémoires de la Grande Guerre™
One of the best all around adventure story games released in the last few years. A mix of a beautifully composed musical score, stellar artwork, great story, impressive puzzles, and real life historical content. This game actually made me think about the collectibles and ponder the historical facts as much as I did the story at times.
Set during World War I (The Great War), Valiant Hearts gives you a look at individuals in war and how this particular group of individuals finds themselves connected. A German man married to a French woman who is forced to go back to Germany and fight. His father-in-law forced to fight for France. An American who befriends the Frenchman. A female doctor that finds herself crossing paths with all of them. Then there is Walt, the war dog, who becomes their ally, friend, and savior at times. While they all may battle for different reasons, countries, or leaders, they all care for one another. They all find ways to help one another overcome struggles, support one another in troubles, and connect to one another as humans rather than enemies.
– Real player with 26.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best World War I Atmospheric Games.
It seems only natural that since we are in the midst of the centennial anniversary of the war that was to end all wars, a game should be released. In the gaming world, it seems that almost every war has been covered. Sadly, little to no recognition has been given to the war that launched the world into the modern age and changed how we live today. Valiant Hearts proves to be one of the first games to give a great picture of the struggles of World War I as well as a satisfying gaming experience.
In Valiant Hearts, we follow the stories of five heroes: Emile, a Frenchman; Hans, Emile’s son-in-law who is deported from France because of his German origins; Freddie, an American who volunteers and fights alongside the French in his quest for revenge; Anna, a nurse searching for her father in Belgium; and Walt, a German first aid dog that comes across the path of each of these heroes and helps any way he can. While it may seem highly coincidential how these five individuals continually come across each other’s paths, their backgrounds and motivations are very believable. The friendships that they build are genuine and felt by the players, without dialogue. Most conversations in this game are done by comic book bubbles and short distinct phrases that are spoken by the characters.
– Real player with 15.1 hrs in game
Warplane inc.
Even after upgrading your plane to the max, it is so difficult to complete a mission it is not even fun anymore. Stay away from this one!
– Real player with 9.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best World War I Wargame Games.
Having completed the game I really struggle to recommend it. Clunky controls, weird game design, bad balance and lack of common sense - this game has it all. Most of these issues can be fixed with some polish, but I’m not sure this will ever happen.
– Real player with 6.1 hrs in game
Because We’re Here - Act I
War isn’t about middle grounds, and neither is Because We’re Here. It’s a game that may well prove to be polarizing (and I’m glad the dev took the risk). You could find this otome game a complete waste of time, or unusual but worthwhile. I’ll tell you why I’m in the latter camp as I go through different aspects of the game.
Older fans have probably played the demos (both super old and now defunct) that constitute what is now Act I, and might be wondering if it’s still worth it to buy this part of the game. Plot is the same but there’s been a pretty big glow up in other aspects. The biggest plus for me was how the other guys aside from August now feel much more fleshed out - nothing big, but little changes in the writing strengthen the characterization. There’s also longer ending scenes (with CG!) that make for better closure.
– Real player with 62.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best World War I Story Rich Games.
I first encountered this visual novel a day before it was released, and immediately I was excited – I love historical settings, and WWI doesn’t get nearly enough media attention, and the characters looked very varied and setting-appropriate, so I had high hopes. Having played the first act now, I can say that the VN delivered everything I wanted and more.
Firstly, this is a very well-researched story. Everything from the details of the trenches to the many different wartime roles that were available to the different kinds of reactions people had to the war – and how they changed over time – are replicated here perfectly. But it doesn’t feel either overwhelming or confusing – apart from a brief explanation of the political history of the war early on, there’s no exposition, instead allowing the reader to familiarise themselves with the world by watching it unfold. It’s worth noting now that this story isn’t technically based on the real WWI – the countries and their geography are different, with some interesting results – but if you want something that captures the spirit of WWI in a very personal, in-the-trenches way, I can’t fault it.
– Real player with 48.1 hrs in game