In Valiant Hearts, the five characters are drawn together by one common cause: reuniting a young German soldier with his lost love. As the five suffer through the unimaginable dangers of the trenches, they’re guided by a single canine companion — a German dog separated from its owner during an artillery attack. This dog will not only help the characters survive, but also serve as a guide to players during both action sequences and puzzles.

The art of Valiant Hearts tackles the tragedy of the war with an almost unassuming innocence. Characters are drawn as caricatures of each nation, and the battlefields are stylized exaggerations of their real-world counterparts. And yet, Valiant Hearts is utterly serious about its subject. The small team of developers at Montpellier (a group of ten) want a younger generation to experience a part of history that’s fast approaching its 100-year anniversary.

Ubisoft is proud to announce its association with CC&C (France) and IDEACOM INTERNATIONAL (Canada), two of the most prestigious production agencies specialized in historical productions, as part of the creation of Valiant Hearts: the Great War.

This partnership allowed the Valiant Hearts: the Great War development teams to utilize the extensive databases of Apocalypse, World War 1. It was a unique opportunity to enhance the game encyclopedia with a significant amount of reworked photographs, which provides players with the opportunity to access accurate and striking content, and learn more on this major chapter of history.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a thoughtful balance between exploration, actions and puzzles; all of these integrated into a stirring story taking place at symbolic World War I locations. Players will relive the Western Front, the Marne, the Verdun or the Somme battles. This detailed informational content is available in-game and has been conceived as part of the partnership with Apocalyspe, World War 1 and the iPad and Web app Apocalypse 10 Lives.

Apocalypse 10 Lives is a piece of immersive web fiction driving users to the heart of war through a four-hour tale, two hours of video archives, more than 250 sketches, hundreds of photographs and unseen documents. These ten heroes, who witnessed the conflict from every front, run into each other and meet famous and anonymous people, 10 different but significant views on these dreadful years.

In fact, the team has several personal connections to the war. Producer Yoan Fanise had a great-grandfather who served with the French during this remarkable time. Several of this man’s letters make an appearance in Valiant Hearts, lending an air of authenticity and respect to the project.

Player interaction in Valiant Hearts includes a variety of puzzles to solve. For example, players may have to overcome obstacles with items salvaged from the battlefield, and all the while their trusty dog will assist. For example, players may have to command the dog to crawl under barbed wire in order to fetch a piece for a puzzle. Players can also use the touch pad to interact with the world, like drawing an arc on the pad to throw grenades, or (in much calmer moments) petting the dog.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War aims to tell a touching story in the midst of perilous turmoil, and despite its approachable art style/charming characters, players can expect a heart-wrenching narrative.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War will be available as digital download for $14.99.