game internation relationship

By Matt Kim (https://www.inverse.com/user/102-matt-kim) on

September 8, 2016

(https://www.inverse.com/archive/september/2016/entertainment)

Filed Under Battle�eld 1

(https://www.inverse.com/topic/battle�eld-

1) & History

(https://www.inverse.com/topic/history)

W orld War I isn’t an easy topic to write about, much less make a game out

of. The reasons for the war are now archaic, and the technological

innovations that sprung from the con�ict cannot be discussed without

understanding the lives these new inventions, like the machine gun, took.

The lack of easy narratives and devastating toll on human life make the war

harder to conceptualize. That’s why Ubisoft’s Valiant Hearts: The Great War

stands out as a bold attempt at creating a game that also educated players

'Valiant Hearts' Took the Necessary Time to Explain

WWI

And it mostly succeeds at presenting war as it was.

about World War I (https://www.inverse.com/article/15321-why-wwi-is-the-

best-setting-for-today-s-military-shooters-including-battle�eld-1).

For those unfamiliar, Valiant Hearts is a narrative-driven adventure game that

centers around four different characters brought together by the war. There’s

the German soldier Karl, his French father-in-law Emile, Belgian nurse Anna,

and American soldier Freddie. In the aftermath of the 1914 assassination of

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Germany and Russia declare war with each other,

forcing their respective allies to enter the war as well. France deports

German nationals from its territories which separates Karl from his son and

French wife, Marie. Karl is drafted into the German army while his father-in-

law Emile is drafted into the French army. As the two try to reunite their

broken family, they come across Anna and Freddie who have their own

reasons for participating in the war.

The main cast of 'Valiant Hearts'

Ubisoft Montpelier partnered with the documentary series Apocalypse: World

War I to provide a historical framework for all the real-life battles and

locations the characters participate in over the course of the four-chapter

game. The decision to include historical facts along the way is a welcome

surprise.

While some reviewers at the time decried the history lesson as detrimental

to the game’s feeling of immersion, I found Ubisoft Montpelier’s willingness

to delve into the minutiae of the con�ict surprising. Not only did these

historical lessons illuminate general and obscure historical events pertaining

to the �rst World War, but the game refused to shy away from explaining the

war’s darker aspects as well.

Players had access to historical information about speci�c regions the

characters were stationed in, what living conditions were like on the

battle�eld, and much more. While the mechanics that allowed players to

access this information could have been more re�ned, the actual information

offered to the players is informative without feeling too abridged. The game

even highlights surprising information such as a section about American

soldiers who volunteered for the French national army before the United

States of�cially entered the war.

Freddie, an America Soldier �ghting for the French army

Video games, perhaps more so than any other genre

(https://www.inverse.com/article/16487-is-battle�eld-1-really-a-good-idea-

considering-the-industry-s-war-game-history), often sacri�ce human stories

in favor of crafting certain experiences. Games based on real-world con�icts

are often guilty of fueling narratives that war is exciting and fun. How a

video game shooter plays (https://www.inverse.com/article/19889-

battle�eld-1-horse-slaughter), with multiple lives and regenerative health,

also glosses over the real, life-and-death stakes of a soldier. Valiant Hearts

doesn’t set out to make a grisly portrait of the battle�eld, but instead tries to

capture its emotional truth.

Each of the characters — who are based on real letters sent during WWI —

express their distaste for the violence and the aimless war in which they are

involved. The game’s climax, where Emile is executed by his own country,

doesn’t turn away from how senseless the war seemed to those who fought

in it. The ending was surprisingly sobering for a game that sometimes

masked war’s horror with its design. Despite Valiant Heart’s family-friendly

visuals, however, it never intentionally tried to take away from the characters

and their emotional turmoil. The way Karl and Emile speak out against the

war, and Anna’s �rst-hand narration about the carnage, offer a rare glimpse

of how video games tackling historical con�icts can incorporate an

empathetic interpretation of history.

The Trenches

Media via Ubisoft Montpelier