Valiant hearts the great war gambling addiction. Review of the game Valiant Hearts: The Great War - hand-drawn horrors of war. The tragedy of war in Valiant Hearts

If games about the Second World War have already firmly settled in the player’s liver, then this cannot yet be said about the First World War. The French from , the same guys who gave us the masterpiece Ryman, cast their gaze on one of the largest-scale armed conflicts in the history of mankind. The used engine was taken, UbiArt, but the theme is radically different from the colorful rainbow narrative. We will discuss what the team achieved in the end in our review.

And a dog.

Karl's life could be photographed and inserted as an illustration for the word "peace" in the dictionary. The beautiful wife Marie, the recently born son Victor, the cloudless sky and the work in the fields of San Miel that does not foretell troubles... However, fate decreed otherwise. Marie is French, Karl is German, and the year is 1914 with the ensuing outbreak of the First World War. Whether you like it or not, it’s time to go to the battlefields. France has long been the hero’s homeland, but now he will be forced to fight against those with whom he recently shared shelter. One of these very “those”, Emil, Marie’s father, is taken next by the front. This is where the spiritual storytelling in people begins.

Bold, natural, infantile. The plot is not taken out of thin air, but is based on the correspondence of the Frenchman Felix Chazal, the great-grandfather of one of the creators of the game. The name of the project was also not chosen by chance - it repeats the name of the requiem for the victims of the First World War. As a narrative, the player is offered the story of several characters, constantly intertwining, but, unfortunately, no less often unraveling. The story of the friendship between Emil and the American Freddie, who went to war voluntarily. The story of Anna, a veterinarian, who dreams of saving her father. The story of Karl, who needs this war least of all in the world. And finally, the story charismatic dog medical purpose, constantly helping all characters.

It is history that is put at the head of the table. Touching, sad, but the worst thing is believable. Meticulous, with attention to detail, Valiant Hearts introduces the player to the history of the war: the horrific death toll is next to the found comb, which soldiers used to comb lice out of their hair; information about the wintering of military personnel in frozen trenches is supplied along with their authentic letters to relatives and friends; finally, even behind the simple formula for the reaction of chlorine with water there is a terrible understanding of its practical application in the Belgian city of Ypres. Ubisoft Montpellier tells the story better than any history textbook.

Military fly in the ointment.

Against a creepy background historical facts and retelling real events, you can experience a feeling of cognitive dissonance when seeing local gameplay. The characters do not utter a word during the entire game, but communicate with drawings that are supplied in comic book dough. It’s clear that this is a rich and very sincere version of a creative narrative, but coupled with authentic photographs of faces disfigured by wounds, such a presentation seems infantile. When they tell you about rags soaked in urine as the only way to avoid burning your lungs with chlorine, the cheerful antics of the characters look out of place.

Local problems cannot be called not only complex, but even problems in principle. The character may have one item in his asset that needs to be delivered from point A to point B. On the agenda is a constant search for a lever handle, a pebble that can be thrown somewhere, or a kennel for sanitary dog. The latter acts as a guardian angel, helping to cope with all sorts of difficulties: to go where the hero cannot go, and for this hero to get what is missing.

Better implementation historical information simply doesn't exist. To somehow brighten up the simplest puzzles, the authors added Valiant Hearts a mini-game “patching up a patient” from Anna’s perspective, a couple of meetings with the boss and trips by car. In the last point, the office used the scheme of the latest Raymans: obstacles in the way of the car pop up to the music. Unfortunately, it is impossible to say that all these elements fit organically into the gameplay: they look exactly like an attempt to cheer up a user who is bored with the gameplay. But the music in Valiant Hearts is beyond praise - thanks to it, some scenes are so heartfelt that a lump comes to your throat.

Valiant Hearts- a game with an incredibly touching, heartfelt and true story, but primitive one-button gameplay. Exactly the same sad combination ruined the pretentious adventure game from Tim Shafer. But the French project turned out to be much more presentable, because it was plausible. Incredible accessibility in execution emphasizes the children's focus, and the issues considered are the desire to instill in children the right feelings of pride in their past and the need to remember and honor their roots. There is no doubt that every member of the younger generation should familiarize themselves with this project. There are serious fears that modern children will not be interested in it: in the overwhelming majority, they would rather crush prostitutes than think about, albeit scary, but real events of the past. There is nothing left but to consider yourself a child and feel the story Valiant Hearts despite being 30 years old.

First World War- one of the most tragic and underrated pages in the history of mankind. One fatal shot in June 1914 led to the disappearance of four huge empires from the political maps of the world, and with them the old order. 4 years, 38 countries and more than 20 million dead, half of which were civilians. First use chemical weapons and tanks on the battlefield, the first formed squadrons of military aircraft and artillery, terrible sacrifices made on the altar of common victory. Years of upheaval that led some to future prosperity, and others to revolution and subsequent civil war. Until now, historians, politicians and ordinary people are arguing whether this world collapse could have been avoided, and was it worth it? For what and for whom did all these people fight? Ubisoft Montpellier studio tried to give its answers to these difficult questions in every sense in the form of a colorful platformer Valiant Hearts: The Great War And, as it turned out in the end, it hit the target.

And all because I was able to show that terrible war through the eyes of ordinary people, throwing aside big politics and unnecessary tinsel. The players are presented with four unlike friends of the hero, who went through all seven circles of hell of that terrible war in order to see their family and friends again. Our long, touching story begins with an ethnic German, Karl, living in France with his lovely wife, Marie, and their newly born first child. But war, like death after it, comes unnoticed, catching even the most strong-willed people by surprise. The French government deports Karl to his historical homeland, where he is immediately taken into the army of General von Dorff. Unable to bear the suffering of his beloved blond daughter over his departed father-in-law, the elderly Frenchman Emil decides to join the ranks armed forces his country in order to find Karl in the war and make sure that he gets home safe and sound.

In parallel to these events, the story of a black volunteer, Freddie, who arrived from the USA straight to the front line, develops. At first, the scriptwriters try to present him to the players as a kind of Rambo, a hero without fear or reproach, eager to fight the entire German army at once, but closer to the end of the first act, the players are revealed the real reason why Freddie went to the Western Front. He is driven by a thirst for revenge, and he will not rest until he can satisfy it, even if he has to give his own life for it. It’s a pity, but Freddie still has his younger brother at home, who is eager to join the American privates and go to Europe, not knowing what kind of meat grinder awaits him there. In the second act, the beautiful Anna comes to the front stage, who became a “Sister of Mercy” not of her own free will, but in order to save her own father, a hardworking Belgian scientist, captured by the evil German general von Dorff and his retinue. Now he has to work for the benefit of the German military machine, creating increasingly sophisticated weapons that will help the Germans deal a crushing blow to the Entente forces. Anna, although young, is very brave and is ready to do anything to free any parent and prevent enemies from taking advantage of his achievements. And the last participant and “hero” of the game will be a little doggy orderly - a reliable friend for all the heroes and a connecting link between them. He will always come to the rescue if you need to distract the guards or pull the lever.

It seems that they are all so different, but their stories are harmoniously intertwined into one big one, where there is a place for everything: love and hatred, good and evil, mutual assistance and separation, hostility and true friendship. Each of them is ready to come to the other’s aid if something goes wrong, because inside their hearts there is still love and hope for a better future. And there are no obvious villains in the game, except for General von Dorff. Ordinary Germans are no less pitiful than the same allies, because they are the same - ordinary people, following the orders of stupid generals and experiencing the same fear and pain. This is especially clearly seen in two short stories: one connected with a German doctor and part-time true owner of a cute dog, and the second with a mustachioed engineer stuck in the catacombs and ingloriously killed due to the fault of Emil’s fellow soldiers. Closer to the end, you will only have one anger, but not at your enemies, no, but at the generals and officers who abandon peaceful people into battle like cannon fodder, while they themselves sit quietly somewhere in trenches or bunkers. You begin to understand the motivations of one of the main characters, why he acted the way he did in the end and not otherwise. That one correct, but reckless act can change everything... But there is also a fundamental storyline and a huge minus that outweighs all its advantages - our American friend. He stands out too much from the general crowd, constantly demonstrating his remarkable strength and coolness in everything. Please understand your humble servant correctly, Freddie is a good hero, but the scriptwriters showed him to be too much of a tough guy compared to the same Emil or Karl. And how can you, I hope, guess such notorious cliches in a game with powerful staging and a story about “ ordinary people“, it simply shouldn’t be, because then all the other parts collapse, like in some house of cards.

But this shortcoming is forgivable, given the titanic work the authors did in combining real and fictional history. Yes, cartoon levels flash before us, but they all represent a variation on real events and places that once took part in that war. First you will see the terrible Battle of Ypres, during which the Germans used poisonous gas for the first time against their enemy (in reality, spraying about 168 tons of chlorine, which burned a person's lungs from the inside in a second). Then the Allied offensive at Arras in 1917, drowning in its own blood. If you don’t believe what’s happening on the screen, you can go to the special magazine in the menu at any time or read the diaries of the main characters. The developers managed not only to communicate with historians, but also to work together with the official government project Mission Centenaire 14-18, which is considered one of the largest archives in France, storing thousands of documents and photographs from that period. To the delight of Russian fans, the French did not forget about Russian Empire, often citing it as an example in various small in-game reports and historical references. A certain number of items related to real story ordinary people: coins, helmets, soldier badges, different kinds weapons, excerpts of letters to loved ones, and much more. All these trophies you found are accompanied by interesting notes about what this or that item was used for during the war. We can say with one hundred percent certainty that some of these exhibits will quite surprise you: from German helmets with “horns” to special shells in which soldiers stored tobacco. Of course, there are historical liberties and some fables, like a huge tank or an airship with a bunch of weapons on board. However, there are few of them, and they are all aimed only at supporting the comic book/cartoon style, where everything is a little exaggerated.

But the fun begins a little earlier, when you directly touch gameplay and you realize that the developers somehow magically manage to masterfully combine the impossible: war and the absolute peacefulness of your charges. Yes, yes, throughout the entire game you will not commit a single murder, whatever, you will even use grenades exclusively for peaceful purposes, just to get further through the level. Initially, it seems that each location is completely two-dimensional, but this is not entirely true: they are all divided into sublevels, that is, you will often have to return to places where you have already been, but with a different task. This is not annoying or frustrating, because the authors skillfully alternate different game situations, keeping you awake until the very end. Here you are repairing some tricky mechanism, looking for parts scattered throughout the level. Now, at breakneck speed, you're racing headlong in a Parisian taxi, avoiding soldiers and obstacles, and at the same time dodging grenades, bombs and other equipment moving to the rhythm of classical music by Brahms, mazurka or quadrille. In addition, three of the main characters have their own unique abilities that help them move a little closer to their cherished goal or exit. And Anna’s ability to treat people is closely connected with a mini-game in which you have to quickly, and most importantly, press certain buttons correctly so that the patient survives after your small operation on the same broken leg. The controls are simple and intuitive, since our heroes can do only a few basic actions: use or pick up objects, strike or throw grenades. And, in fact, there is no need for more, because simple mechanics- a guarantee that players will not quit the game after just five minutes of playthrough. Sometimes puzzles appear in the game, but to be honest, they are not difficult and can be solved in no time and without any unnecessary questions. As a last resort, if your brain is no longer able to digest what is required of you, the good developers have included in the game special system hints in the form of letters sent to you via carrier pigeons. But they do not appear immediately, but after a minute, giving a little more time for you to think for yourself and figure out how to get out of the current situation. In some tasks you will need the help of the previously mentioned four-legged friend, because without him you simply will not be able to turn the lever or get the items you need.

Although all the characters in the game are taciturn and speak only in funny exclamations, from a distance reminiscent of some phrases or words from different languages world, this absolutely does not interfere with the passage, but, on the contrary, gives integrity to their characters and completeness to the overall picture. Separately, I would like to note the excellent visual style and musical accompaniment of the game. Nowadays, it is rare to see such careful work by artists on every detail and little thing in the game: from a simple cufflink on a suit to beautiful houses in the center of Paris. Almost until the end of the game, a slight smile will not disappear from your face from the deliberately cartoonish style of the game and the plump, funny soldiers desperately going to attack the enemy. True, when you first see bloody heaps of little men like this, something will pinch your soul and you will feel somehow uneasy from the picture you see. Even without showing the players real violence, blood and severed body parts, the developers achieved their goal through an exaggerated form: they showed all the banality and stupidity of a war that took millions of lives for the sake of someone’s ambitions. And what beautiful and at the same time sad melodies a pianist plays somewhere in the background, inspired by the soundtrack to war dramas recent years ten and, oddly enough, “Amelie.” As for the translation, the author of these lines has no complaints at all. In place of the English actor delivering the voice-over lines, they invited an equally talented Russian, who fully copes with the task assigned to him - to speak into the microphone with emotions and at the same time not to overact. The subtitles were also excellent, without serious errors and well-designed.
The review was written based on the digital version of the game for PlayStation 4, provided to the site team by the Russian branch of Ubisoft.

How should we tell the story of war? This can be done with a tragic accent, because every victim is worthy of grief. Or you can see war as an exciting and dangerous adventure, because it is there that a person shows everything he is capable of. Or you can try to combine both parts.

That's exactly what I did, doing war game in the adventure quest genre. The theme of the First World War is not often used in games and this was a big risk, because such a project is guaranteed close attention and the slightest mistake will be unforgivable. However, Ubisoft studio is no stranger to such bold decisions.

French farmer Emile and his German son-in-law named Karl are forced into the war and find themselves different sides front. Emil's main goal is to find his son-in-law and make sure that he is alive. And Karl dreams of returning home to his children and wife.

American volunteer Freddie feels like a fish in water during the war. But he did not come there for the sake of fame and honor. He has his own scores to settle with the German General von Dorff. Freddy has younger brother, who also went to Europe.

Anna always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian and studied in Paris. And now she saves the wounded, pulling them straight from the battlefield. She did not intend to go to the front, but her father, a Belgian scientist, was captured by the Germans and is developing killing machines.

With these four heroes we have to go through the entire war. These four lives are intertwined, the heroes meet and part, find and lose each other, save and cope with difficulties together and separately, try to take care of friends and survive.

Another important participant in the events is the dog-orderly who attached himself to Emil. Smart and brave, he becomes a friend and companion for everyone. He can get into places that are inaccessible to others, distract the guard and even lower the lever.

An uncomfortable duality appears in the game within minutes of launch. Short-legged and funny little men move awkwardly around a two-dimensional location. The recruits are completely helpless, and the officers are freakishly loud. Falling shells create cartoonish explosions that look like they were ripped out of a comic book. All this happens to such touching music that it becomes not funny at all.

Cartoon locations depict real areas of military operations. We realize this at Ypres when we guide Emil through the clouds of deadly gas. But we can find out about this earlier if we look at the magazine to see what kind of thing we picked up from the ground. We habitually put away notes, souvenirs, and coins. The most important thing is that they are all real, they are all from the front.

The plot is based on real letters from the front, from a French soldier - Felix Chazal. The encyclopedia presented in the game will show that there is very little that has been invented in the game. And documents, photographs, military reports and evidence prove this. Telegrams and letters, weapons and soldier's dog tags, souvenirs from shell fragments. Some elements are completely unexpected: socks soaked in formaldehyde and wax, a comb used to comb out lice, homemade gas masks against enemy chemical weapons.

These details accumulate and accumulate until not a trace of mistrust remains. The cartoon soldiers die a real death. The lives of the townspeople are destroyed forever. The painted earth will not heal the wounds soon.

You need to have great sensitivity and skill to talk about terrible tragedy pictures.

The easiest thing is to make some stunning shooter about war. The most difficult thing is not to give the heroes weapons at all. All our heroes are completely unarmed and have not stained their hands with murder. Stunning a guard and knocking out an airship doesn't count.

Heroes solve problems in a more peaceful way, they repair broken mechanisms, remove obstacles and find ways.

Here the heroes are training to throw grenades, here they are racing dodging shells. Think about how to save a Parisian who is stuck in a bombed house. Solve the puzzle while hiding from the guard or dodging jets of flame. Help Anna save the wounded man. Rush in a Parisian taxi, overcoming obstacles and dodging falling bombs. The game will definitely not let you get bored.

From each important event The most significant and striking piece of that period was taken, the most memorable places were taken from military maps. We will see the history of the war through the eyes of our heroes. And the further we go, the more we understand that any outcome will be tragic. The doctor plays with the dog carefree, but soon he will die. Emil leads volunteers, but they will all die so you could continue on your way.

For Russia and former USSR It is more common to honor the Second World War. The history of the first war flowed into revolution and civil war, and turned out to be practically ousted by them. And today, French developers from Ubisoft will tell us something we forgot or didn’t know about.

HI-News

It's simple great game, which will surely appeal to many of you, dear readers. I must admit that in the last six months I have not been so fascinated by any game project, and I constantly play something to keep abreast of what is happening in the industry. The Ubisoft Montpellier studio succeeded almost ideal project, which even minor annoying bugs found in the game cannot spoil.

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PS4-Game.ru

You shouldn’t find fault with projects of this kind in terms of such parameters as cartoonish graphics, lack of gameplay hours, or something else. We need to understand how and for whom this game was made. And she achieves her goal one hundred percent.

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gambling addiction

The brightest piece was taken from each significant military event, the most memorable places were taken from maps of military operations. We see the history of the First World War through the eyes of our heroes. And the further we go, the clearer it becomes that any outcome will not be happy here, on earth, strewn with the corpses of enemies and friends. Here is a dear doctor happily playing with a dog: he will soon die. Here Emil leads the volunteers: they die one by one so that we can move on.

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StopGame

Valiant Hearts: The Great War is that very paradoxical case when the game cannot be called amazing because the gameplay here is the weakest point. But at the same time, it would be wrong to deny the creation of Ubisoft Montpellier the right to be called stunning in the global sense of the word. The developers managed to tell a story about people during the First World War without suffocating pathos and mothballed pomposity. Tell it in a way that catches your attention.

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Kanobu

Valiant Hearts is a classic 90's adventure game packed with action and puzzles. Adrenaline rides in cars and runs under a hail of bullets and shells along the front line are replaced by leisurely episodes in the spirit of traditional point’n’click adventure games. Ubisoft Montpellier skillfully manages the pace: take out your uniform, go into the building, change again and find the key item - such a scene can be followed by a breathtaking chase through the forest at night or a funny fight with a German officer.

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[email protected]

Valiant Hearts is unlikely to become a mega-hit; it's too unusual for that. But everyone who believes that games are suitable not only for letting off steam after a hard day is simply required to go through it. She is indescribably beautiful in almost every sense and gives a lot of food for thought.

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3DNews

Perhaps the only problem with the game is its excessive simplicity. It is clear that the developers did not want to interrupt the story being told with riddles, each of which would leave the player stuck for half an hour, but we are still talking about the game. And as a game, Valiant Hearts isn't perfect. But under no circumstances should you miss it - any self-respecting player should hear this touching story and see many interesting episodes.

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Gmbox

Exactly one hundred years after the start of the First World War, French developers managed to release a wonderful game in which there are no clearly good and bad. In her trenches everyone is equal. It is free from propaganda and arguments about who is definitely right and who is definitely wrong. There is probably no moral in Valiant Hearts, no conclusion except one: we are all human. We want to go home.