Chapter 99: Sorry, I'm a Disgrace to France!
Seeing that the live stream room was about to get noisy, Lily quickly changed the subject: "How about the game? We'll know in a minute, right?"
"I don't know if you've noticed something special: the English translation of the game," Lily said, looking at the numerous players in the live stream room.
Before, Nebula Games didn't have English names for its games. But this time, Valiant Hearts: The Great War has a very obvious English name.
Although she is a streamer, Lily is a unique figure in the world of streamers. She has a very high academic degree and was a state champion that year. Looking at the game, Lily explained her discovery to the comments in the live stream room.
"The English name of the game is 'Valiant Hearts: The Great War' and, according to the description, this world war is World War I. There are three ways to translate World War I into English: 'First World War', 'World War I' and 'The Great War', but the game chose the third. The irony is palpable just in the title, as the third could also be translated as 'The Great War'."
Clearly, even with the title and these details, it is evident that this game is different from average games.
After hearing Lily's explanation, many live stream viewers who didn't understand English were also surprised to hear that term.
The game isn't very big, and downloading and installing were quick after purchase. With a touch of curiosity and anticipation, Lily adjusted her live stream's streaming issues and clicked on the game.
Upon seeing the Nebula Games logo at the beginning, Lily felt a great curiosity. 'How would this seemingly small 2D indie game represent anti-war sentiment and the cruelty of war?' However, she had some faith in Nebula Games, having produced excellent indie games like Undertale and To the Moon.
"What great background music! So the protagonist is a soldier and a rescue dog?"
The game interface appeared, accompanied by a melancholic mix of orchestral music and piano. A veteran in military uniform, with a black rescue dog on a leash, stood amidst the devastated ruins.
After a few seconds' pause to listen to the background music, Lily followed the instructions and entered the game.
After clicking "Accept," the game briefly went black before a map of Europe appeared, with the territories and flags of various countries outlined.
"On August 1, 1914, after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, the German Empire declared war on the Russian Empire. Thanks to their alliance, France also began to prepare for the conflict. A few hours after the general mobilization began, the evacuation of Germans residing in France was ordered. Karl was among them."
A series of comic-style cinematic scenes briefly introduced the historical context. She wasn't entirely familiar with World War I, but she was with it. What caught her attention most was one of the game's presentation techniques.
So far, this intro looks a bit like Undertale, which uses comic-style intros to present the story's setting.
While Lily pondered this, the game screen changed to a farm, with the date and location displayed in the upper right corner: August 1, 1914, Saint-Mihiel, France.
A young blonde man was shoveling grass with a fork. Behind him, on a hay cart, his wife held their child. The sky was clear blue, the sun was shining, and everything seemed so harmonious and beautiful.
But then, two soldiers on bicycles arrived at the farm and grabbed Karl's arms. Suddenly, the game's slightly sad background music began to play and the entire background darkened. The once sunny sky immediately clouded over. A woman's heartbreaking voice resonated over the melancholic background music.
Karl's wife, holding the child, extended her right hand, trying to hold him back. But in the end, the soldiers took Karl and left France. Behind him, Karl's father-in-law and wife watched him leave, heads bowed, with tears in his wife's eyes.
There wasn't a single line of dialogue, but the combination of sound effects, visuals, and background music already made Lily feel the melancholic atmosphere.
The screen briefly went black and a line of white subtitles appeared in the center: "[A few days later, after Karl's departure, a letter interrupted the farm's tranquility.]"
At the top of the letter read: "Armée de terre et armée de mer" (Army and Navy). It was a conscription letter from France.
The melancholic background music mingled with the roar of soldiers on the battlefield, creating a somber atmosphere.
[A few days after Karl's departure, the war intensified and even Emile was kidnapped.]
[Summoned to war, Emile left the farm with a heavy heart and headed to Saint-Mihiel. Like everyone else, he was unaware of the future.]
Upon arriving in Saint-Mihiel, Emile participated in the induction and training of new recruits. The game consisted of a simple tutorial. It was a 2D side-scrolling game with few controls: move forward and backward, attack, and throw. That was all it required.
Following the prompts, Lily picked up the grenade from the box next to her and threw it at the target scarecrow in front of her. After several throws, the first grenade blew the scarecrow to pieces.
The instructor guided Emile forward. Following the system's prompts, Lily chatted with the grenade while controlling the game, completely unaware that another grenade she had previously thrown was now blinking red on the ground in front of her.
A loud bang brought her back to the game. The screen went black and then returned to the previous training level.
"Did I blow myself up? Did I die during military training? Sorry, I'm a disgrace to France!"
Thinking about what had just happened, Lily was speechless. Similarly, the live stream was filled with comments.
"LOL, I'm dying of laughter! Lily's grenade is amazing!"
"I killed myself!"
"Is he a French soldier?"
"It's begun! The feat begins again!"
Seeing the barrage of comments filling the live stream, Lily felt a little helpless. It wasn't just a farce; she had simply been distracted by the comments while watching the game. However, she offered an explanation.
"Ahem... everyone, calm down. France in World War I and World War II are completely different. This game is set in World War I, and during that time, French soldiers were undeniable, possibly the core of the Allied Powers. As for World War II... well, let's move on."
After completing military training during the tutorial, Emile, as a standard-bearer, raised the general's flag to the sound of the Marseillaise. The atmosphere was full of humor.
Next, Emile was heading to the train station to find his regiment, and at the same time, he was far from home.
[At the Paris station, Emile, looking for his regiment on platform 21, was about to meet his lifelong friend.]
On the platform, a group of French soldiers surrounded a black soldier and provoked him. Emile's task was to help him. This section was also part of the tutorial, and it mainly explained how the game's puzzles worked.
'Hey, this is pretty interesting. Undertale is about dodging bullets, while To the Moon is purely story-driven. The later levels of Valiant Hearts should have more puzzle elements.'
First, use the lever on the right to scare away the soldier on the right. Then, after talking to the officer and finding out he doesn't want red wine, find a bottle of beer to bribe him. Afterwards, lead the band to attract the soldiers guarding the train. Pull the lever on the left to scare away the soldiers on the left and successfully rescue the black soldier.
This section is not difficult, and there are even clear instructions, but Lily finds it quite sophisticated. It is clear that Valiant Hearts: The Great War is also a story-driven game.
However, although last year's To the Moon was quite exciting, its gameplay lacked replayability, with largely unnecessary puzzles.
Currently, Valiant Hearts: The Great War incorporates the throwing, forward, backward, left, right, and attack techniques learned during military training, as well as the train station puzzles. Despite being a 2D side-scrolling game, Lily is excited about what's to come.
As for the gameplay, this game is obviously a bit richer.
- - - - - -
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this chapter, I have great news. On my Patreon, I have over 150 advanced chapters ready for you to read.
@patreon/iLikeeMikee
Plus, subscribers get 5 daily chapters of all my novels. It's a great way to catch up and support my projects!