Valiant Hearts: Coming Home
An emotional and informative look at the first World War.
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Valiant Hearts: Coming Home
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Valiant Hearts: Coming Home is a narrative adventure app available on Android and iOS mobile devices. The game is set in Europe during World War I and tells the interconnected story of various characters and how the war affected their lives. Gameplay involved a series of point-and-click puzzles and mini-games that move the story along. By collecting objects and progressing through story progression, players can unlock extras that feature photos and historic information about events and participants in World War I. The game has a cartoonish, hand drawn art style, but does not shy away from the brutality of war, including occasional scenes of death and dismemberment. There are also scenes where characters smoke cigarettes or cigars, or drink alcohol. Parents should also note that, while technically free to download, an active Netflix account is required to play.
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What’s It About?
VALIANT HEARTS: COMING HOME is the sequel to 2014's Valiant Hearts: The Great War, continuing the emotional tales of courage and heroism among the backdrop of World War I. Coming Home picks up as the United States officially enters the war efforts. Drafted into service as a part of the 369th Infantry Regiment, the "Harlem Hellfighters," James hopes to reconnect with his older brother Freddie, who is already fighting on the Western Front in Europe. The journey to bring these brothers back together will also intersect with others in the frontlines, forever affecting the lives and fates of those who cross their paths. Players will live the story of these fictional heroes while experiencing the real locations, events, and battles of the first World War. You'll pick up collectibles and play through the game to unlock historic facts and authentic photos of the war, such as the birth of the Harlem Hellfighters and the struggles they faces with racism both at home and abroad, and on through the Armistice that finally brought the fighting to an end.
Is It Any Good?
Valiant Hearts: The Great War gave audiences a personal look at the onset of the first World War through the eyes of a handful of characters living through it. Valiant Hearts: Coming Home continues the emotional tour of duty with new and returning characters. Like the first game, Coming Home doesn't focus so much on the gameplay, but rather the plot. It's more of an interactive storybook than anything. While there are puzzles and mini-games that break up the narrative, they never really amount to much of a challenge. And unlike the reality of war, if you mess up here, the screen just fades to black and has you try again. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, as it give the player an active role in the story's progression and adds an extra personal stake to the overall experience.
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home tells a heartfelt story with a beautiful art direction that manages show the grim and gritty side of battle without losing the humanity of the characters. But the game also serves as a great teaching tool. By progressing through the game and picking up the occasional collectible, players unlock entries that feature historic facts and archived photos from World War I. The game makes a point of shining the spotlight on how black men dealing with racial prejudice and segregation at home fought bravely overseas. It details the formation of the 369th Infantry Regiment, the "Harlem Hellfighters," one of the first black regiments to serve on the Western Front. These entries include photos from the time and encourage players to go beyond the game to learn more about the war and the people that fought in it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about history and entertainment. What are some of the ways that games, movies, etc., use historic events as storytelling devices? How might history-based entertainment like this encourage audiences to learn more about the facts behind the fiction?
How do games like Valiant Hearts: Coming Home show the reality of the violence of war? How does the violence portrayed onscreen help to build the emotional impact of the story?
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Social Studies: events, historical figures, history, timelines
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: January 27, 2023
- Category: Adventure Games
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, History
- Publisher: Netflix, Inc.
- Version: 1.0.0
- Minimum software requirements: Requires iOS 15.0 or higher; Android 8.0 and up
- Last updated: February 3, 2023
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