Valiant Hearts: The Great War

 Xbox One
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 220 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 177 out of 220
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 220
  3. Negative: 23 out of 220

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  1. wesker2012
    Jun 26, 2014
    7
    Its refreshing to see a game that focuses on a a personal and emotional war story versus a focus strictly on the fighting. Valiant Hearts is one of the best games I've played in awhile. It was a breath of fresh air to play a game that involves simple, yet challenging puzzles. The game's mechanics and controls are all solid. What stands out the most in Valiant Hearts is its beautifulIts refreshing to see a game that focuses on a a personal and emotional war story versus a focus strictly on the fighting. Valiant Hearts is one of the best games I've played in awhile. It was a breath of fresh air to play a game that involves simple, yet challenging puzzles. The game's mechanics and controls are all solid. What stands out the most in Valiant Hearts is its beautiful comic book artsyle. The game utilizes this look amazingly and it really immerses you in the game. The minimal hud enhances this greatly. The game has a lot of content for its 15 dollar price tag and even has collectibles to find and lots of history logs to read about the war. The cartoony art style sets a good contrast against the dreary backdrop of WWI and helps add comical relief. The puzzles throughout the game constantly had me smiling while solving them. I'd highly recommend this game if you are looking for something different than the usual shooting/fighting games nowadays.… Expand
  2. MisterMittens
    Jul 1, 2014
    5
    Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a very interesting concept for a game. A puzzle Adventure set in the midst of World War One. While there are parts of this game that do a good job and reminding us of the price the conflict had on everyone, it's too often sandwiched between an overly cartoonish representation of war, obtuse puzzle design, and action segments that would make even Call ofValiant Hearts: The Great War is a very interesting concept for a game. A puzzle Adventure set in the midst of World War One. While there are parts of this game that do a good job and reminding us of the price the conflict had on everyone, it's too often sandwiched between an overly cartoonish representation of war, obtuse puzzle design, and action segments that would make even Call of Duty players scratch their heads at the lack of realism. I can only recommend this if you're a history buff or a fan of old adventure games.… Expand
  3. Troublewalking
    Jul 14, 2014
    7
    Valiant Hearts is a simple puzzle, side scroller. Yet somehow between it's cartoon art style, the simple puzzles (complete with clues), and the 5 related stories of the playable characters, people seem to be enthralled with it. In my case players from 7-60's all played and finished it.

    It is a short game, so it is half the price of most block buster games. But even that isn't all bad,    Valiant Hearts is a simple puzzle, side scroller. Yet somehow between it's cartoon art style, the simple puzzles (complete with clues), and the 5 related stories of the playable characters, people seem to be enthralled with it. In my case players from 7-60's all played and finished it.

    It is a short game, so it is half the price of most block buster games. But even that isn't all bad, as the game seems to indicate there will be updates.    … Expand
  4. breakbacon
    Oct 4, 2015
    6
    This is largely a play through of history class around WWI. Overall it seems fairly comical but there are darker undertones as you progress through the connected narrative shared between multiple playable characters. There are slightly goofy elements like dodging mortar shells which seem contrived and take away from the deeper puzzle solving elements native to the genre. The comic styleThis is largely a play through of history class around WWI. Overall it seems fairly comical but there are darker undertones as you progress through the connected narrative shared between multiple playable characters. There are slightly goofy elements like dodging mortar shells which seem contrived and take away from the deeper puzzle solving elements native to the genre. The comic style visuals are effective and stylish, there are a few marquee items sprinkled throughout that add a slight wow factor. That being said color palette is shades of brown, which although fitting for the setting, does not impress overall other than with a sense of 'blah'. Generally there are not many of these. Expect most character to make one or two token gestures before exiting or dieing. Each stage has collectibles but they don't seem particularly relevant and are not tied to completion of each level. Treatment of the war is respectfully handled as both sides are represented as first and foremost human beings caught in the swells of a larger struggle. Sadly the more innovative mechanics are covered over with the all too frequent 'hide for cover until reload then run' schtick. The game never really achieves the frantic pace that I feel like it deserves.… Expand
  5. osprey
    Jul 23, 2014
    5
    I was really looking forward to this game and although I liked the story and the history lesson I really have to say I almost hated the game play. I found the game side of it to be tedious and annoying and couldn't wait to finish it. I am very sad to say this as I really do love what they tried to do with this game. The first world war as a setting and the puzzles all should haveI was really looking forward to this game and although I liked the story and the history lesson I really have to say I almost hated the game play. I found the game side of it to be tedious and annoying and couldn't wait to finish it. I am very sad to say this as I really do love what they tried to do with this game. The first world war as a setting and the puzzles all should have worked for me as this is what I normally love in gaming. Why this didn't work for me I can't really put my finger on but It was a chore to play for me. I can only guess that it might have been the repetitiveness of the game that was the culprit. I hope this kind of game continues to be made but I think the developers need to work a bit on making them more fun to play. This sounds shallow to say this about a game that tries to let you feel what the first world war was like, which I think is does very well, but games still need to be fun to play.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best Xbox One Game of 2014
32
#32 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2014
43
#43 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Pure Xbox
    Oct 21, 2014
    90
    The five hours or so of gameplay that you’ll get from a single playthrough are rewarding and memorable, with that fantastic storyline backing up some great puzzling action.
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  2. Hyper Magazine
    Aug 12, 2014
    90
    Artfully drawn, confronting and informative this is a different look at war, its consequences and it isn't afraid to put you though the wringer. Play it. [Issue#251, p.77]
  3. The Digital Fix
    Jul 25, 2014
    80
    Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a graphically superb puzzler, tackling historical events that are not perhaps known to everyone and doing it in a lighthearted, yet respectful manner.
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