Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Last updated

Valiant Hearts: The Great War
Valiant Hearts The Great War.jpg
Developer(s) Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher(s) Ubisoft
Director(s) Yoan Fanise
Paul Tumelaire
Producer(s) Bruno Galet
Designer(s) Julien Chevallier
Simon Chocquet-Bottani
Programmer(s) Stéphane Fricard
Artist(s) Paul Tumelaire
Writer(s) Gabrielle Shrager
Matt Entin
Ed Kuehnel
Gerard Barnaud
Composer(s) Jason Moran
Engine UbiArt Framework
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
Xbox 360
Xbox One
iOS
Android
Nintendo Switch
Stadia
Release
25 June 2014
  • Windows, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
    25 June 2014
    iOS
    4 September 2014
    Android
    26 November 2014
    Nintendo Switch
    8 November 2018
    Stadia
    14 July 2022
Genre(s) Puzzle, adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Valiant Hearts: The Great War [lower-alpha 1] is a 2014 puzzle adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in June 2014. Set during World War I, the game follows four characters who help a young German soldier find his love in a story about survival, sacrifice, and friendship. Players solve puzzles by interacting with various objects and people. The characters are accompanied by a dog named Walt who helps players solve puzzles. Collectible items hidden in each chapter reveal facts about the war.

Contents

The development team's goal was to assist players to remember World War I during its centenary in 2014. The team stayed away from creating a war game or a first-person shooter and focused instead on depicting the trials and tribulations of soldiers on both sides during the war. To ensure the game was historically accurate, the team listened to first-hand accounts of the war, read letters written by enlisted soldiers and traveled to the remains of wartime trenches in France. As the team had no experience working on a puzzle game, they took inspiration from old LucasArts adventure games as well as titles like The Cave . Valiant Hearts utilises UbiArt Framework which was previously used in Rayman Legends .

Upon release, The Great War received generally positive reviews. Critics praised the game's themes, visuals, animation, and music, and applauded the developer for enabling players to learn more about history while playing the game. However, reception to the game's story and gameplay was mixed. Valiant Hearts was nominated for several year-end awards, including Best Narrative at The Game Awards 2014. Ubisoft later released the game on additional platforms including iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia. A sequel, Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, was released in 2023 for Netflix Games and 2024 for Windows and home consoles.

Gameplay

In the game, speech bubbles replace dialogue when characters are conversing with each other. Valiant Hearts gameplay screenshot.jpg
In the game, speech bubbles replace dialogue when characters are conversing with each other.

Valiant Hearts is a side-scrolling, puzzle-based, adventure video game which takes place during World War I. Players assume the role of four characters: Frenchman Emile, his German son-in-law Karl, American soldier Freddie, and Belgian nurse Anna. [1] [2]

The game comprises four chapters split into several sections. Each section requires the player to clear an objective to progress through the story. [3] Most of these involve solving puzzles by obtaining certain items needed for the situation. [1] Other sections include wartime segments requiring the player to survive heavy gunfire, stealth sections where the player must avoid being detected by enemies, [4] and rhythmic car chase sections set to classic songs. [5] Each character can interact with objects, perform a melee attack to knock out guards or smash through debris, and throw projectiles. [1] There are also some traits unique to each character. [6] Emile has a shovel which lets him dig through soft ground, Freddie can cut through barbed wire, and Anna can treat patients for injuries, which requires the player to time button presses. [2]

Players can issue various commands to a dog named Walt, who is able to squeeze into small areas, hold on to and fetch certain items, activate switches, and move around without being suspected by the enemy. [2] [7] The game features optional collectible items hidden in each segment, facts about the war that are unlocked as the game progresses, [2] and a hint system the player can use if they are stuck on a section after a certain amount of time. [1]

Plot

The story begins in the year 1914. Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In defence of Serbia, Russia declares war on Austria-Hungary, and Austria-Hungary's ally Germany declares war on Russia in response. Anticipating war, France (who is allied with Russia) begins deporting German citizens. Karl, one of the deported Germans, is separated from his wife Marie and their son Victor, and drafted into the German Army. Likewise, Marie's father and Karl's father-in-law Emile is drafted into the French Army. After completing his training, Emile is thrown into combat during the Battle of the Frontiers. His unit is wiped out, and he is wounded, captured, and forced to cook for the Germans. His captor is Baron Von Dorf, who uses many advanced weapons like chlorine gas and zeppelins to defeat his foes. Karl recognises Emile while serving under Von Dorf, but the Allies attack Von Dorf's camp and Karl is forced to flee. After he is rescued from the rubble by Walt, a German Army medical dog, Emile escapes in the confusion and meets Freddie, an American who volunteered to join the French army after his wife was killed in a German bombing raid led by Von Dorf.

Freddie and Emile meet Anna, a Belgian veterinary student who doubles as a battlefield nurse. She is tracking Von Dorf since he is forcing her father to develop advanced war machines. The three chase Von Dorf's zeppelin from Ypres to Reims. When it crashes, Von Dorf escapes with Anna's father in a biplane. Karl survives the crash and is captured and taken as a prisoner of war. Anna accompanies Karl to the prison to make sure he recovers from his wounds.

Emile and Freddie continue their pursuit to exact revenge on Von Dorf and rescue Anna's father. They assault Fort Douaumont at Verdun where Von Dorf is hiding and capture his newest war machine, a large armoured tank. Although they rescue Anna's father, Von Dorf escapes again. While Emile is separated, Freddie continues his pursuit and finally corners Von Dorf during the Battle of the Somme, defeating him in a fist fight atop his ruined tank. Despite his desire for revenge, Freddie realizes he will not gain anything by killing Von Dorf and spares his life. For his repeated failures, Von Dorf is demoted and sent away from the front lines, a fate worse than death for the status-obsessed man.

Meanwhile, in a French prisoner of war camp, Karl learns his son is ill. Determined to reunite with his family, Karl escapes the camp. Unbeknown to this, Emile believes he was killed while trying to escape. Karl encounters Anna, who helps drive him back to his farm at occupied Saint-Mihiel, but they are both captured by the Germans. Karl escapes when the Allies stage another assault that reaches his farm. He discovers it has been shelled with chlorine gas. Karl saves Marie's life by giving her his gas mask, but he succumbs to the gas. Anna arrives and saves Karl's life. When he recovers, Karl is finally reunited with his wife and son after three years of war and exile.

Back on the frontlines, Emile is forced into the bloody and suicidal Nivelle offensive. As his commanding officer constantly forces his troops into the line of fire and to their deaths, Emile finally reaches his breaking point and strikes the officer with his shovel, inadvertently killing him. He is court-martialed and sentenced to death by firing squad despite the protests of other soldiers. As he is dragged to his execution, Freddie and the survivors of the doomed offensive salute him for his heroism. In his final letter to Marie, Emile expresses his hatred of war, his grief at Karl's apparent death and his inability to save his son in law, and hopes that she and her family can find happiness. Emile is executed, and some time later, Karl and his family (with the newly adopted Walt in tow) visit his grave to mourn him. The story ends in 1917 when the United States officially enters the war and sends its army to Europe to fight on the Western Front. The final message states that "Even though their bodies have long since returned to dust, their sacrifice still lives on. We must strive to cherish their memory and never forget..."

Coming Home

In 1916, German diver Ernst makes a living salvaging sunken ships off the coast in order to avoid the war. However, he is caught in the midst of the Battle of Jutland and despite his best efforts to save drowning sailors, his own ship is sunk in the crossfire. Ernst himself is rescued by the passing submarine blockade runner Germania, and he is accepted as a new crew member. One month later, the Germania docks at Baltimore in the then neutral United States, where Ernst befriends James, a dock worker and Freddie's brother. They both bond over their mutual love for music and promise to play together again after the war. However, upon their return to Germany, the Germania is seized by the German Navy and converted into U-Boat 155 while Ernst is drafted to become part of its new crew.

After the entry of the U.S. into the war in 1917, James decides to enlist with the Harlem Hellfighters despite Freddie's warnings. After completing training, James boards a transport ship bound for Europe but it is spotted by U-Boat 155. Ernst is ordered to torpedo the transport but he spots James on board the ship and deliberately misses his torpedo attack. Meanwhile, Freddie teams up with British RAF pilot George and they both play a key role in winning the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Elsewhere, Anna and Walt are working at a hospital in Sainte-Menehould where she briefly reunites with Freddie right before the town is bombed by the Germans and she risks her life to save wounded civilians. Meanwhile, James' unit finally arrives in France, and are transferred under French command so they can fight on the frontlines. James is deployed to Sainte-Menehould, where he meets Anna and is reunited with Freddie. Despite the run of good fortune, James is quickly reminded of the reality of the war when one of his comrades is killed by a German sniper.

With her duties in Sainte-Menehould finished, Anna heads to her next assignment in Vimy to train British medics. At the British camp, George is alerted by Walt of the presence of a German spy, and they follow the spy through an underground tunnel to the German lines. George manages to recover the intelligence the spy had stolen, and then escapes by stealing a German plane. On the way back to British lines, George catches sight of and takes a picture of the movement of large amounts of German troops and passes the information on when he lands back at base.

In 1918, Russia withdraws from the war with the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, allowing Germany to concentrate its forces for the German spring offensive, attacking the Allied lines in a massive assault. James is caught up in the fighting, and he and his unit are able to repel the Germans with heavy losses. Their determined defence would earn the Hellfighters their nickname, and they are invited to Paris to perform a jazz concert, though that does not erase James' memories of the horrors he had witnessed on the frontlines. At sea, Ernst hears of mass mutinies among German naval crews and is inspired to sabotage his U-boat's torpedoes. He is caught in the act, but the U-boat is sunk by the British Navy. Ernst manages to escape but is captured by the British as a prisoner of war. Back on land, the failure of the spring offensive leaves German forces vulnerable, and the Allies embark on the Meuse–Argonne offensive. During the fighting, Freddie is gravely wounded protecting James from an artillery blast, and George airlifts him to a field hospital where Anna treats him. James continues to lead the attack.

After treating Freddie, Anna receives word that Germany has agreed to sign an armistice, and she rings a church bell to notify both sides to cease hostilities. With the war over, Freddie and Anna decide to travel to America, having fallen in love with each other. George's exploits finally earn him the respect of his fellow RAF pilots. James decides to stay in France to help clean up the battlefields and reunites with Ernst, who is now in a POW work detail. However, James receives a letter from Anna and is distraught to hear that Freddie was killed after getting into a confrontation with a pair of racist thugs. Saddened at the loss of his brother, James fulfills his promise to Ernst as they play a solemn song together to mourn Freddie.

Development

Artist Paul Tumelaire began working on Valiant Hearts: The Great War as a solo project in 2011. Additional team members from Ubisoft Montpellier, including directors Yoan Fanise and Simon Chocquet-Bottani, joined to work on the gameplay and the story a half-year later. As 2014 was the centenary of World War I, the team wanted to create a game grounded in history. The title was intended to help players remember the war and to suggest the game is also about love. [8] According to the team, the incidents from World War I "touched" them because their great-grandparents had been involved in the war. [9]

Initially, the developers put equal emphasis on both the storyline and its gameplay, but the gameplay became secondary to the story. The team believed that portraying World War I as a shooter would have made it too violent, [8] and the game would have needed a narrative with a villain and had to depict one of the belligerents as evil. Instead, the team tried to create a game about the trials and tribulations of both sides during the war, [10] showing how individuals lived their lives and struggled to survive. The game does not allow the characters to be actively killed by other in-game characters; the developers hoped to show the human side of the war [11] and feared that allowing players to kill would muddle the message they wanted to convey. [12] The game introduces four characters, and the story switches between them. This enabled the team to create an emotional story with better pacing and ensure that each story beat ends with a cliffhanger. [12] While the story began with some light-hearted moments, the tone of the story became progressively darker and solemn as the war wages on. [13]

The team did not want players to feel overpowered and designed the title as a slow-paced puzzle video game which does not involve much violence. Gameplay mechanics are simple so the game is accessible, but the team introduced different contexts for the use of the gameplay mechanics to ensure they would not become stale. [12] The walking pace of characters was slow to illustrate they are ordinary human beings. According to the team, the presence of these slow puzzle-solving segments helped make the rare action sequences more powerful. As none of the creative leads had experience working on a puzzle game, the team looked at design documents from old LucasArts adventure games for inspiration. They were also inspired by titles including The Cave , Machinarium , and Limbo . [9]

The team traveled to the trenches in France to ensure their depiction in the game was accurate. The badly shelled main road to Bapaume.jpg
The team traveled to the trenches in France to ensure their depiction in the game was accurate.

To ensure the game was historically accurate, the development team listened to first-hand accounts of the war from team members' families, read letters written by soldiers, and traveled to the trenches in France. The information and stories they collected were then incorporated into the title as collectibles to let players gain new knowledge about the war. [8] [14] Ubisoft also partnered with the producers of the documentary film Apocalypse: World War I to incorporate archived materials into the game. [15] However, the game's cast of protagonists is not based on any historical figure as the team did not want to "cross the line between reality and fiction". [9] To create an "immersive soundscape", the audio team inspected archived documents from the French Foreign Legion, and the development team recorded themselves making various screaming sounds. [8]

The game is powered by Ubisoft's UbiArt Framework game engine, which was used previously in smaller Ubisoft titles including Child of Light and Montpellier's own Rayman Legends . [16] [17] The team opted to use a cartoonish visual, as they believed that this art style helped them to retain "respect for the people who went through ... [the war] while also making it accessible". Speech bubbles serve as the main way of showing conversations between characters, since they help to convey a complicated story in a simple manner. [18] Another reason for their use was to avoid having to deal with different languages. The game's cutscenes are similar to a comic book, showing the player something happening far away from the characters using comic viewpoints. [9]

Ubisoft officially announced the game in September 2013. [19] The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One via digital download on 25 June 2014. [20] An iOS version of the game was released on 4 September of the same year. [21] Players who purchased the game before 6 November received a free copy of a digital interactive comic book named Valiant Hearts: Dogs of War, which stars Walt and his sister. [22] The game was released for the Nintendo Switch on 8 November 2018, with this version having touchscreen support. It was also released for Google Stadia on 14 July 2022. [23] [24]

Reception

Critical reception

Valiant Hearts: The Great War received generally positive reviews from critics upon release according to review aggregator Metacritic. [27] [25] [28] Joe Juba from Game Informer praised the game for successfully depicting a human story that showed a side of war that was rarely depicted. Polygon 's Danielle Riendeau described the title as "a playable history lesson" noting the game's fictional story, and real-life history resonates with "unexpected intensity". [40] Carolyn Petit of GameSpot admired the game's emphasis on helping people rather than killing them—an uncommon theme in video games. [34] Daniel Krupa from IGN called the game a "beautiful, harrowing experience", [36] while Philippa Warr of PC Gamer noted that the title might have worked better as an "animated comic book adventure" as she felt that the narrative and the interactive components clashed, leaving players feeling detached. [38]

The game's narrative was praised. Chris Carter of Destructoid called the story cohesive and praised its theme of friendship and family. He singled out the beginning of the game for being touching, calling it an "emotional tear-jerker". Eurogamer 's Christian Donlan felt that the story suffered from tonal inconsistencies, though he noted that the game worked best when it was "working on an intimate level", singling out a scenario where players have to escape from a prisoner-of-war camp as an example. [32] Petit praised the game's mix of delightful scenes and war segments, which made the game's tone more diverse, and made "the devastation of the game's grimmer scenes more impactful". [34] Juba disliked the game's thin storytelling because the lack of conversation between the characters was not sufficient to tell a nuanced story. [33] Krupa disagreed, saying that despite the strangely intelligible sounds, the game's messages were successfully conveyed to players. [36] Riendeau noted that she became emotionally invested in the characters and that seeing them in dangerous situations during the war created tension and a sense of urgency for players. [40]

The gameplay received generally positive reviews. Carter liked the puzzles, which were accessible and not overly challenging to solve. Critics commonly criticised the game's boss encounters, which have been described as out-of-place and frustrating. Donlan felt that the puzzles were uninspired and that the stealth sections were basic. [32] Juba described the gameplay as shallow and felt that the game was not interesting to play. He also noted that the gameplay did not change or evolve throughout the game's campaign. [33] Lucas Sullivan of GamesRadar and Petit, however, enjoyed the gameplay's variety; Petit noted that there were a lot of imaginative scenarios. [34] [35] Krupa also liked how each chapter of the game introduced an element of World War I as a new puzzle or a new gameplay mechanic for players to learn, though he noted the game's low replay value. [36] Riendeau called the puzzles intuitive, though she noted that some segments were exaggerated to suit the story. [40] Carter praised the collectibles, which feature real-life photos from World War I, for adding context to the game and Montpellier studio for educating players about the war. However, Sullivan and Krupa felt the collectibles obstructed the flow of the game. [35] [36]

The game's graphics received positive comments. Carter noted that the game looked beautiful with a cartoony art style which fit the narrative. Donlan called the game a "visual delight", praising the graphics, saying the hand-drawn art style elicits a sense of "human warmth" in the players. [32] Ludwig Kietzmann of Joystiq agreed, saying that the art style and the animation made the game "inescapably heartfelt" and believed that it helped players to empathise with the characters. Petit called the visuals gorgeous and liked the endearing character designs. She also praised the game's attention to detail, which made the game more immersive. [34] Juba praised the game's soundtracks, calling it "evocative" and "bittersweet" reflecting the game's tone. Krupa called the art direction the game's most striking aspect adding that playing through the game is similar to "watching a wonderful piece of animation". [36]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2014 Golden Joystick Awards 2014Best Original GameNominated [41] [42]
Best Gaming MomentNominated
Best Visual DesignNominated
The Game Awards 2014 Best NarrativeWon [43]
Games for ChangeWon
2015 42nd Annie Awards Best Video GameWon [44]
18th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Adventure Game of the Year Nominated [45]
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Story Nominated
SXSW Gaming Awards 2017Excellence in Musical ScoreNominated [46]
Excellence in NarrativeNominated
11th British Academy Games Awards Artistic AchievementNominated [47]
Original PropertyWon
14th National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers AwardsOriginal Dramatic Score (New IP)Nominated [48]
Game (Original Role Playing)Nominated
Costume DesignNominated
Art Direction (Period Influence)Nominated
Animation, ArtisticNominated

Sequel

A direct sequel, Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, was released on 31 January 2023 on Netflix through their game library available for iOS and Android. [49] The game was then released on 7 March 2024 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows through Ubisoft Connect, [50] and later Steam. [51]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ French: Soldats inconnus: Mémoires de la Grande Guerre

Related Research Articles

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a series of stealth action-adventure video games, the first of which was released in 2002, and their tie-in novels that were endorsed by Tom Clancy. The series follows Sam Fisher, a highly trained agent of a fictional black-ops sub-division within the NSA, dubbed "Third Echelon", as he overcomes his adversaries. Levels are created using Unreal Engine and emphasize light and darkness as gameplay elements. The series has been positively received, and was once considered to be one of Ubisoft's flagship franchises. The series had sold 19 million units by 2008. No further installments have been released since 2013. A remake of the first game was announced in December 2021.

<i>Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time</i> 2003 video game

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a 2003 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. The game was released on the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox and Windows in November 2003. The Sands of Time is a reboot of the Prince of Persia series created by Jordan Mechner. Mechner served as creative consultant, designer, and scenario writer for The Sands of Time.

<i>Myst IV: Revelation</i> Adventure video game in the Myst series by Ubisoft

Myst IV: Revelation is a 2004 adventure video game, the fourth installment in the Myst series, developed and published by Ubisoft. Like Myst III: Exile, Revelation combines pre-rendered graphics with digital video, but also features real-time 3D effects for added realism. The plot of Revelation follows up on plot details from the original Myst. The player is summoned by Atrus, a man who creates links to other worlds known as Ages by writing special linking books. Almost twenty years earlier, Atrus' two sons nearly destroyed all of his books and were imprisoned; Atrus now wishes to see if his sons' imprisonment has reformed them. The player travels to each brother's prison, in an attempt to recover Atrus' daughter Yeesha from the brothers' plot.

<i>Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30</i> 2005 video game

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by Ubisoft for Xbox, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2. It is the first game in the Brothers in Arms series. The game takes place during World War II and focuses on tactics. It was ported to the Wii in 2008, as part of the Brothers in Arms: Double Time compilation.

<i>Lumines: Puzzle Fusion</i> 2004 puzzle video game

Lumines: Puzzle Fusion is a 2004 puzzle game developed by Q Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). During the game, players must strategically arrange falling 2×2 blocks comprising two colors to form single-color 2×2 squares. A vertical "time line" sweeps across the field, erases completed squares, and awards points. Each stage features a unique skin that influences the background, block colors, accompanying music, and the time line's speed.

Far Cry is an anthology franchise of first-person shooter games, all of which have been published by Ubisoft. The first game, Far Cry, was developed by Crytek to premiere their CryEngine software, and released in March 2004. Subsequently, Ubisoft obtained the rights to the franchise and the bulk of the development is handled by Ubisoft Montreal with assistance from other Ubisoft satellite studios. The following games in the series have used a Ubisoft-modified version of the CryEngine, the Dunia Engine, allowing for open world gameplay. In the present, the franchise consists of six mainline games, a standalone expansion, and several spin-offs; additionally, the first game, initially developed for Microsoft Windows, saw a number of ports to video game consoles, which changed several elements and are therefore considered standalone releases.

<i>Prince of Persia</i> (2008 video game) 2008 video game

Prince of Persia is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the seventh main installment in the Prince of Persia franchise, and the second reboot, establishing a new continuity that is separate from other games in the series. It was released in the United States on December 2, 2008, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and on December 9 for Windows. It was released on March 24, 2009, for Mac OS X via the Cider engine. The game was also released on November 11, 2008, by Gameloft for mobile phones that runs on the Java platform taking place in a 2D environment, and has a feature of enabling the players to control a second character at certain points of levels.

<i>Far Cry 3</i> 2012 video game

Far Cry 3 is a 2012 first-person shooter game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the third main installment in the Far Cry series after Far Cry 2. The game takes place on the fictional Rook Islands, a tropical archipelago which can be freely explored by players. Gameplay focuses on combat and exploration. Players can use a variety of weapons to defeat human enemies and hostile wildlife, and the game features elements found in role-playing games such as skill trees and experience. After a vacation goes awry, protagonist Jason Brody must save his friends, who have been kidnapped by pirates, and escape from the island and its unhinged inhabitants.

<i>Assassins Creed</i> Video game series

Assassin's Creed is a historical action-adventure video game series and media franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patrice Désilets, Jade Raymond, and Corey May, the Assassin's Creed video game series depicts a fictional millennia-old struggle between the Order of Assassins, who fight for peace and free will, and the Knights Templar, who desire peace through order and control. The series features historical fiction, science fiction, and fictional characters intertwined with real-world historical events and historical figures. In most games, players control a historical Assassin while also playing as an Assassin Initiate or someone caught in the Assassin–Templar conflict in the present-day framing story. Considered a spiritual successor to the Prince of Persia series, Assassin's Creed took inspiration from the novel Alamut by the Slovenian writer Vladimir Bartol, based on the historical Hashashin sect of the medieval Iran (Persia).

<i>Assassins Creed III</i> 2012 action-adventure video game

Assassin's Creed III is a 2012 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the fifth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, and a direct sequel to 2011's Assassin's Creed Revelations. The game was released worldwide for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, beginning in North America on October 30, 2012, with a Wii U and Microsoft Windows release in November 2012. A remastered version of the game was released in 2019 for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, and in 2021 for Google Stadia.

<i>Watch Dogs</i> (video game) 2014 video game

Watch Dogs is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the first installment in the Watch Dogs series. The game is played from a third-person perspective, and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Set within a fictionalized version of the Chicago metropolitan area in 2013, the single-player story follows grey hat hacker and vigilante Aiden Pearce's quest for revenge after the killing of his niece. An online multiplayer mode allows up to eight players to engage in cooperative and competitive gameplay.

<i>Child of Light</i> 2014 video game

Child of Light is a platforming role-playing video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in April 2014, and was released on PlayStation Vita in July 2014. The game was later released on Nintendo Switch on 11 October 2018; the announcement of this release also teased a sequel that was later seemingly cancelled in the very early stages of development. It was also made available on Amazon Luna and Google Stadia in August and October 2021, respectively. The game is powered by the UbiArt Framework game engine.

<i>Assassins Creed Unity</i> 2014 video game

Assassin's Creed Unity is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released in November 2014 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, and in December 2020 for Stadia. It is the eighth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, and the successor to 2013's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. It also has ties to Assassin's Creed Rogue, which was released for the previous generation consoles on the same day as Unity.

<i>Tom Clancys Rainbow Six Siege</i> 2015 video game

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is a 2015 online tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. The game puts heavy emphasis on environmental destruction and cooperation between players. Each player assumes control of an attacker or a defender in different gameplay modes such as rescuing a hostage, defusing a bomb, and taking control of an objective within a room. The title has no campaign but features a series of short, offline missions called, "situations" that can be played solo. These missions have a loose narrative, focusing on recruits going through training to prepare them for future encounters with the "White Masks", a terrorist group that threatens the safety of the world.

<i>Assassins Creed Rogue</i> 2014 video game

Assassin's Creed Rogue is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Sofia and published by Ubisoft. It is the seventh major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, and is set between 2012's Assassin's Creed III and 2013's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. It also has ties to Assassin's Creed Unity, which was released on the same day as Rogue. It is the last Assassin's Creed game to be developed for the seventh generation of consoles, being released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2014 and for Windows in March 2015. A remastered version of the game was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2018. It was also released on the Nintendo Switch as part of The Rebel Collection alongside Black Flag in December 2019 and for Google Stadia in October 2021.

<i>Assassins Creed Syndicate</i> 2015 video game

Assassin's Creed Syndicate is a 2015 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. It was released on October 23, 2015, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on November 19, 2015, for Windows. It is the ninth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, and the successor to 2014's Assassin's Creed Unity.

<i>Assassins Creed Origins</i> Action-adventure game

Assassin's Creed Origins is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the tenth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, following 2015's Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Principally set in Egypt, near the end of the Ptolemaic period from 49 to 38 BC, the story follows a Medjay named Bayek of Siwa and his wife Aya as they seek revenge for the murder of their son. It also explores the origins of the Assassin Brotherhood—referred here to as the Hidden Ones—and of their millennia-long conflict with the Order of the Ancients—forerunners to the Templar Order. The framing story, set in the 21st century, follows a new character, Layla Hassan, who relives Bayek and Aya's memories using a modified Animus device.

Watch Dogs is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Ubisoft, and developed primarily by its Montreal and Toronto studios using the Disrupt game engine. The series' eponymous first title was released in 2014, and it has featured three games in total, the most recent being 2020's Watch Dogs: Legion. Several tie-in books and comic book miniseries set in the games' universe have also been published.

<i>Assassins Creed Valhalla</i> 2020 video game

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a 2020 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the twelfth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, and the successor to 2018's Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Principally set in the years 872–878 AD, the game recounts a Viking fantasy story during their expansions into the British Isles. Players control Eivor Varinsdottir, a Viking raider who, while attempting to establish a new Viking clan in England, becomes embroiled in the centuries-old conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood, who fight for peace and liberty, and the Templar Order, who desire peace through control. The game also includes a framing story, set in the 21st century, which follows Layla Hassan, an Assassin who relives Eivor's memories so as to find a way to save the Earth from destruction.

DigixArt Entertainment SAS is a video game development company based in Montpellier, France. Founded in 2015 by Yoan Fanise, the director of Valiant Hearts: The Great War, the company is most known for developing 11-11: Memories Retold and Road 96.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Carmichael, Stephaine (24 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War reframes history's brutal moments in cartoon violence (review)". VentureBeat . Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Nicols, Scott (27 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War review (PC): A war game with a heart". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  3. ↑ Robertson, John (17 May 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War preview". The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  4. ↑ Peckham, Matt (22 July 2014). "Valiant Hearts Turns the Horrors of WWI Into a Puzzle Game". Wired . Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  5. ↑ Silva, Marty (9 August 2019). "Valiant Hearts Might Make You Cry". IGN . Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  6. ↑ Kamen, Matt (20 July 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War review – an emotional gutpunch". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  7. ↑ Doran, Tom (26 June 2019). "Valiant Hearts: The Great Review: An Evocative Tale". Independent.co.uk . Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Diver, Mike (3 September 2014). "This Is How the Best War Game of the Year Was Made". Vice . Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Q&A: Telling human stories of the Great War with Valiant Hearts". Gamasutra . 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  10. ↑ Harman, Stance (14 May 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War and Ubi's big push on the digital front". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  11. ↑ Tamblyn, Thomas (4 August 2019). "'Valiant Hearts' Interview: Remembering WW1 With A Video Game". The Huffington Post . Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  12. 1 2 3 Choquet-Bottani, Simon (24 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War Out Today on PS4, PS3". PlayStation Blog . Archived from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  13. ↑ Petit, Carolyn (14 May 2014). "Valiant Hearts: A Game About War, Not a War Game". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  14. ↑ Aziz, Hamza (10 September 2013). "Valiant Hearts is a game about the horrors of World War I". Destructoid . Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  15. ↑ Stainrook, Wayne (19 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War - Developer Diary Details Documentary Partnership". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  16. ↑ Fillari, Alessandro (14 May 2019). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War is haunting". Destructoid . Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  17. ↑ Dyer, Mitch (9 August 2014). "E3 2014: Child of Light, Valiant Hearts and UbiArt 'Morale Boosting' for Ubisoft". IGN . Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  18. ↑ Lien, Tracey (10 September 2013). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War tells the story of human beings during wartime". Polygon . Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  19. ↑ Leary, Joseph (9 October 2013). "Ubisoft Announces Gorgeous World War I-era Love Story, 'Valiant Hearts' For Next Year". MTV . Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  20. ↑ Cavalli, Earnest (7 May 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War invades consoles, PC in June". Engadget . Archived from the original on 23 May 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  21. ↑ Caravell, Earnest (12 August 2014). "Valiant Hearts storms iOS in September". Engadget . Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  22. ↑ Schulenberg, Thomas (12 October 2014). "Valiant Hearts 'interactive comic' gratis with iOS version". Engadget . Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  23. ↑ Winslow, Jeremy (8 August 2019). "Nintendo Switch Gets Child Of Light And Valiant Hearts This Fall". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  24. ↑ "Valiant Hearts: The Great War Available Now on Stadia". stadiasource.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  25. 1 2 "Valiant Hearts: The Great War for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  26. ↑ "Valiant Hearts: The Great War for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 27 June 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  27. 1 2 "Valiant Hearts: The Great War for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  28. 1 2 "Valiant Hearts: The Great War for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  29. ↑ "Valiant Hearts: The Great War for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  30. ↑ "Valiant Hearts: The Great War for Switch Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  31. ↑ Carter, Chris (24 June 2014). "Review: Valiant Hearts: The Great War". Destructoid . Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Donlan, Christian (24 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War review". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  33. 1 2 3 Juba, Joe (24 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War Review: The Casualties Of War". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 8 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 Petit, Carolyn (24 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  35. 1 2 3 Sullivan, Lucas (24 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War Review". GamesRadar . Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Krupa, Daniel (24 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War Review". IGN . Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  37. ↑ Kietzmann, Ludwig (24 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts: The Great War Review: Friends in low places". Joystiq . Engadget. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  38. 1 2 Warr, Phillipa (24 June 2014). "Valiant Hearts review". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  39. ↑ Leray, Joseph (29 September 2014). "'Valiant Hearts: The Great War' Review – In the Trenches". TouchArcade . Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  40. 1 2 3 Riendeau, Danielle (9 July 2014). "Valiant Hearts review: Medal of Honor". Polygon . Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  41. ↑ Reynalds, Matthwe (24 September 2014). "Golden Joystick Awards 2014 public voting now open". Digital Spy . Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  42. ↑ Martin, Liam (24 October 2014). "Dark Souls 2 voted Game of the Year at Golden Joystick Awards 2014". Digital Spy . Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  43. ↑ Sarker, Samit (5 December 2014). "Here are the winners of The Game Awards 2014". Polygon . Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  44. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (31 January 2015). "42nd Annual Annie Awards – Complete Winners List". Deadline . Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  45. ↑ Suszek, Mike (14 January 2015). "2015 DICE Award nominations led by Shadow of Mordor". Engadget . Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  46. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (23 January 2015). "Game of the Year Nominees Revealed for SXSW Gaming Awards". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  47. ↑ "Games in 2015". BAFTA Awards. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  48. ↑ "NAVGTR Awards (2014)". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  49. ↑ "Valiant Hearts: Coming Home debuts January 31 on Netflix". Venture Beat. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  50. ↑ "Valiant Hearts: Coming Home | Switch, PC & More | Ubisoft (US)". www.ubisoft.com. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  51. ↑ Bošnjak, Dominik (20 April 2024). "2023 Ubisoft Game Finally Coming to Steam". Game Rant. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.