 Not quite forgotten. War is breaking out in Europe. The major powers are aligning themselves for a massive fight, a war to end all wars. But for the people at the epicenter of the combat, the war takes a very different turn. This is a story about four people and their fight for love, freedom, and survival.
1. Gameplay
Valiant Hearts is a mixed blessing. Everything about Valiant Hearts that makes it an actual game was disappointing. The levels were a series of very basic puzzle platformers that involved hitting the right switch at the right time. It was not complicated, but that didn’t keep it from being frustrating. The story and characters were okay, but I thought it would have been more interesting to spend less time with more characters so that I could learn more about what other roles people might have played in the war.  The early moments highlight the complicated parts in every war. But there were so many great things about this game too. The soundtrack is absolutely incredible, and the way that the classical music played a part in the driving sections was amazing. The art, while cartoonish, was very well designed and always interesting to look at. And, most importantly, setting the game in World War I gave me a newfound interest in that time period, one which resulted in me spending further time outside of the game researching the conflict. Essentially, if you’re looking for something entertaining, this isn’t the place. Even if you’re looking for something informative you might want to think again. The setting, locations, and history-related collectibles are all definitely accurate, but the characters are all fictional. They’re used almost entirely as a way to present real events and struggles, but it would have been better to highlight individuals who went through these events and exclude things like the giant tanks.  Really? C'mon now. I thought this game was worth my time, but I’m not sure I would recommend it to anyone who isn’t interested in military history.
It took me around 6 hours to beat the entire campaign. There were a decent number of collectibles that I didn’t find, but that isn’t enough to make me want to go back and replay the game. It’s good for a single playthrough and that’s about it. There are no multiplayer or challenge-related modes.
When puzzle games are good, they’re usually really good. When puzzle games are boring, they can get really boring. Valiant Hearts is the boring type of puzzle game. Go to this location, pick up this object, do this thing at this time. It isn’t an exercise in creativity, it’s an exercise in understanding and following directions. But there’s a fine line between when the game is boring and when it’s tedious and frustrating. That line becomes painfully obvious when the mostly clear steps become more muddied. If you can’t figure out what you’re supposed to do, you’re stuck until you sort it out. Usually the game’s surprisingly forgiving hint system help, but the fact that I had to use it at all (I love puzzle games) hurts my ego and my overall impression of the game. That wouldn’t have been so bad if that was the only problem I had. Unfortunately, the game decides to throw in a couple of extra sections that require you to be at the right moment at the right time. Again, this would normally just be fairly boring, except that failure is extremely easy and the penalty for failure is having to do the entire stealth-ish section over again. 2. Parental Notices
Violence in this game is extremely mild when present, but the results of violence are portrayed with a bit more detail. Characters will be seen being shot or blown up by a variety of war-related weaponry. However, none of these hits (even direct hits by artillery) will result in any blood or gore at all. The characters simply fall over and die (or lie wounded on the ground).  The guy in grey is getting hit. Wounded characters, though, can be seen with bloody bandages and missing limbs. While bandages will always cover the wounds, it’s a way to present the hardships and the results of conflict without showing exactly how those results came about. Basically, you will never see anyone lose a limb, but you will see people with lost limbs.  Bloody hell. These types of violence occur a number of times in the game. Considering it is a game about World War I, this should be unsurprising. However, the player hardly ever directly commits acts of violence. When he does, it is almost always through knocking someone out by hitting them on the back of the head.  This needs a good action sound. Like "BIFF!" or "POW!"
Sexuality is not a factor in this game.
Occasionally characters can be seen drinking. The player can never partake in these activities.  I just noticed those trees look like broccoli. One of the main characters is a medic and will have to administer medicine and sedatives to wounded soldiers and civilians. The player spends less time looking at these, though, and much more time looking at the quicktime event (since if the player fails the event the wounded person dies).  Do you think that needle is sterile? Since this is a game about World War I, chlorine and mustard gas are obvious factors.  Grrr....
Gambling is not a factor in this game. 3. Other Factors
There are no modding tools available for this game.
Religion is basically nonexistent in this game. Occasionally the player will see wooden crosses and some characters will talk about God and prayer. This is only an obvious factor at the end of the game (but does come up on rare occasions in other places).  So many dead for so little gain.
Normally a game that involves war doesn’t include anti-law. However, the end of the game involves one of the main characters leading a mutiny. While it’s fairly obvious that the mutiny was justified, it is definitely an act that goes against military laws and regulations. In the end, the main character was convicted of this crime.
There are no multiplayer modes for this game.
There are a few sections that involve high speed car chases. These are fairly comical, though, and thus not much of a factor.  Need for Speed: 1914!
Magic is not a factor in this game.
Execution At the end of the game, one of the main characters is convicted of a capital offense and executed. The game ends with his execution.  But why fix bayonets?
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