It is quite unexpected that we find ourselves facing the Bravehearts: Homecoming Review, sequel to that pearl released in 2014 and that remained in the hearts of anyone who played it at the time. The first chapter emerged from a particular grace period for Ubisoft, which in a short time launched the fascinating Child of Light and then Valiant Hearts: The Great War, demonstrating a notable openness towards projects of almost independent dimensions but characterized by splendid ideas and executions. To tell the truth, the original experience was so intense, so well organized and autonomous that the release of a sequel even seemed strange, indeed, almost ten years later, but the prospect of a new emotional immersion at the levels of the first was still tempting.
And, in fact, it was nice to meet Freddie, Karl and Anna again, to return to their fragments of life between trenches, bombings, hospitals and moments of precarious but precious serenity in the madness of the Great War. Everything has remained practically unchanged since the first chapter: the comic book graphic style, with the cartoonish but also expressive 2D drawing, the intertwined narrative between the different protagonists, the documentary inserts and also the structure of many of the puzzles present.
From a stylistic and structural point of view, it is a precise continuation of the story started almost ten years ago by Ubisoft and which, to tell the truth, had already received a worthy and moving conclusion at the time. However, the formula found is so effective, in its tone balanced between drama, humor, melancholy and hope, that we would gladly return even more often to the stories of Brave Hearts, also considering how such an incisive denunciation of the horrors of War is so effective. More relevant than ever, here also accompanied by an in-depth analysis of racial issues.
In this sense, it continues to be an important video game, which could be used for its educational value thanks also to the use of various historiographic documents. Its strongly narrative approach also makes it a perfect title for distribution through Netflix, given the conceptual proximity to the contents of the distribution platform, also pushing us to put aside the classic balances of value based on the price or the duration of the experience (in truth, rather brief).
live in war
La history It returns to some of the characters from The Great War such as Freddie, Karl and Anna and introduces new ones, including James, enlisted in the US Army infantry, and George, an English aviator specializing in aerial photography. Also in this case the events develop throughout the three fiery years of the First World War, between 1915 and 1918, but telling different views and from other points of view compared to the first chapter. In particular, the in-depth study of the Harlem Hellfighters, the first African-American infantry unit belonging to the "Old 15th" of the US Army, which fought in the Great War and contributed to breaking some racial barriers both in the United States and elsewhere, stands out. an element that is inserted as another theme addressed by the story. But beyond this, Valiant Hearts: Coming Home is another story that talks about the impact that war has on people, staging different lives that face atrocities and moments of relative normality, heroism, survival and friendship, essentially trying to hold on to his humanity in the midst of chaos.
Story is the main element of Valiant Hearts: Coming Home and permeates every aspect of the experience, despite there being virtually no spoken dialogue during the game's phases. The narrative unfolds through different channels: the narrator presents each part of the game by illustrating the background events that lead to the various situations in the game, but during these the story unfolds primarily in visual form, like a kind of animated picture book. focused on the Great War.
As support, we then find the usual documents with real photographs and texts that tell, with historiographical precision, various aspects of the time through the description of objects, characters, places and characteristic events. There graphics stylized and hand-drawn in 2D, it is particularly expressive and capable of telling the horrors of war, always mediating between dark moments and more serene or melancholic ones, while the sound accompaniment with piano music and jazz inserts contributes perfectly to completing the atmosphere. (There are real rhythm game style minigames tied to Harlem Hellfighters concerts.)
Puzzles and mini-games
Il game It is presented as a direct continuation of Valiant Hearts: The Great War, with some minimal innovations, especially regarding the minigames, appropriately tied to the use of the touch screen given the reference platforms. Therefore, in the scope of the game there is almost nothing new and, in fact, it seems that the team has proceeded to a certain additional simplification of the puzzles, perhaps in search of greater narrative compactness and in line with a duration that perhaps seems a little 'reduced'. compared to the original. In the standard phases, we find ourselves controlling one of the characters on a two-dimensional plane, solving simple environmental puzzles that usually require finding and combining some objects around the stage. Different situations can be connected to this, such as activating switches, controlling various machinery, and having to throw stones or other weights to interact remotely with elements that would otherwise be unreachable.
Walt the dog also returns, also an indispensable tool for solving some puzzle, to underline how all ideas related to gameplay are substantially repeated from the first to this new chapter.
However, some innovations can be found in the Minigames They break up the standard action with a few different situations and have obviously been designed to work better with the touch screen, although they may also be simpler than what we've seen before. It involves piloting the plane while avoiding enemies and anti-aircraft fire, extracting splinters and healing the wounded or even playing notes to the rhythm of music in some cases, to give a few examples. These are small connections that are quite simple but help to characterize the experience a little, especially indicated for use through smartphones and tablets.
Conclusions
Tested version iPad digital delivery app store, Google Play Holygamerz.com 7.5 Readers (22) 8.0 your voteAlthough it adds practically nothing to what the first chapter had already said so incisively almost ten years ago, Valiant Hearts: Coming Home lets itself be played with ease, dragging us into its choral narrative and achieving, once again, a difficult balance. between grace and drama. The most interesting thing about this little game is its ability to tell an enormous tragedy without falling into military epic or affected melodrama, starring people trying to hold on to their humanity, dealing with extraordinary but terribly real events. The nature of the narration, together with the documentary inserts, have educational value and make even this simple "more of the same" enjoyable, which we willingly relive as if we were listening once again to a war story from our grandfather. Distribution through Netflix therefore seems especially appropriate for the type of game.
PRO
- The stories told and the type of narration are always interesting.
- Very nice artistic direction, like in the first chapter.
- It is a video game that tells the story of the war in an incisive and educational way.
AGAINST
- The gameplay is essentially a repeat of the first chapter.
- Puzzles perhaps a little simplified and reduced.
