Humdinger
Member
Inspired by the "games with soul" thread, I decided to replay Valiant Hearts: The Great War. I'm halfway through at this point.
I am surprised by how emotionally affected I am by the game. The narration and music are beautiful. The principal narrator in particular is great. They do such a fine job of juxtaposing the lighthearted, almost cartoonish characters with the grim historical details of the front -- the gas attacks, trench warfare, dead bodies on barbed wire, the brutality. I feel so sad for those men. I'm a softie for dogs, so I love Walt. And I know how things turn out in the end, so I suppose that adds to the sadness, too.
The game has this really nice mixture of humor and tragedy. That is very hard to pull off well, but they did it. They do a wonderful job of juxtaposing those elements. You're playing a rather simple game with characters who look kind of silly, talk funny, and walk in a goofy way. Then, along the way, they let you see photos of the men fighting the war, letters from soldiers, descriptions of what is going on, and it sinks in.
I remember one section in particular, where you're driving the taxi, dodging other cars, and this circus cancan music is playing. It's just a rollicking good time. Then immediately what follows that is a scene of men dying in gas warfare, along with the historical details. It's jarring and very effective. Whoever was in charge of this production knew what they were doing.
The gameplay isn't action-packed, but it's enjoyable. It's not too challenging. You rarely get stuck, and there are hints available if you do. Save points are frequent, so if you die, you don't lose much progress.
The story is really well told. Characters are memorable. Music and narration is spot on. It all comes together into one of the best games I've played in a long time. I'm glad I took the time to revisit it. It definitely deserved a replay.
I am surprised by how emotionally affected I am by the game. The narration and music are beautiful. The principal narrator in particular is great. They do such a fine job of juxtaposing the lighthearted, almost cartoonish characters with the grim historical details of the front -- the gas attacks, trench warfare, dead bodies on barbed wire, the brutality. I feel so sad for those men. I'm a softie for dogs, so I love Walt. And I know how things turn out in the end, so I suppose that adds to the sadness, too.
The game has this really nice mixture of humor and tragedy. That is very hard to pull off well, but they did it. They do a wonderful job of juxtaposing those elements. You're playing a rather simple game with characters who look kind of silly, talk funny, and walk in a goofy way. Then, along the way, they let you see photos of the men fighting the war, letters from soldiers, descriptions of what is going on, and it sinks in.
I remember one section in particular, where you're driving the taxi, dodging other cars, and this circus cancan music is playing. It's just a rollicking good time. Then immediately what follows that is a scene of men dying in gas warfare, along with the historical details. It's jarring and very effective. Whoever was in charge of this production knew what they were doing.
The gameplay isn't action-packed, but it's enjoyable. It's not too challenging. You rarely get stuck, and there are hints available if you do. Save points are frequent, so if you die, you don't lose much progress.
The story is really well told. Characters are memorable. Music and narration is spot on. It all comes together into one of the best games I've played in a long time. I'm glad I took the time to revisit it. It definitely deserved a replay.
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