[Liu POV]
Noticing a bit of a quarrel in the live broadcast room, I quickly typed to change the topic "How about this game? We'll find out soon, won't we?"
"Have you noticed there's an in-game English translation?" I asked, addressing the viewers in the live stream.
In the past, Neon Games never had English titles. But this time, Braveheart: World War has an obvious English name.
As a streamer, I have my edge, mostly because of my academic background—I was once a provincial topper. While explaining this to the flurry of comments, I shared my discovery but that was pushed down by the flurry that followed this revelation.
"The Chinese title of the game is Braveheart: A War of Worlds. Based on its description, the term World War clearly refers to World War I. There are three common ways to translate this: World War I, First World War, and The Great War. Interestingly, the game opted for the last one, The Great War, which carries a certain irony, as the term often evokes a somewhat glorified view of the conflict."
Even from the title and its translation, it's obvious that this game is different in some sense.
After I explained this, many viewers who didn't comprehend English were surprised—there was such depth in a simple title!
The game wasn't large, so it finished downloading and installing quickly after purchase. I adjusted the streaming settings and dived into the game.
As the Neon Games logo appeared, I couldn't help but anticipate. What is next to come.
This 2D indie game isn't large, so how will it convey the anti-war sentiment and the brutality of war? [We will know it in due time.]
Still, with high-quality indie titles like Undertale and To the Moon, There is a certain amount of legacy in Neon games indie titles.
"The background music is amazing! Wait, the protagonist is a soldier with a search-and-rescue dog!"
A somber orchestral and piano music played as the game's UI appeared.
A soldier in uniform, accompanied by a black dog, stood there, amid the war-torn ruins.
I lingered over the interface, letting the dull melody wash over me, before eventually clicking on the UI.
The screen briefly blacked out, and then a map of Europe filled the screen, displaying the territories and flags of the countries involved during that period.
_______________________________Gameplay Content______________________
[On August 1, 1914, after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne]
[Austria-Hungary, with the backing of Germany, issued an ultimatum to Serbia (where the assassin was from). When Serbia's response was deemed unsatisfactory, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914]
[In response to Austria-Hungary's actions, Russia, allied with Serbia, began mobilizing its forces to support Serbia.]
[On August 1, 1914, Germany declared war on Russia after Russia refused to stop its mobilization.]
[France also began to prepare for conflict due to the formation of alliances.]
[A few hours after the general mobilization began, Germans living in France, including me, were asked to evacuate.]
I am Carl, one of them.
A series of cutscenes followed, introducing the background of the era.
I am not very familiar with World War I. But it isn't completely unknown. What interested me more is how the game expressed its story.
The opening felt reminiscent of Undertale where the background story is revealed through a comic-style presentation.
As I reflected on this, the game screen transitioned to a farm, and the date and location in the top right corner updated to August 1, 1914, Saint Mier, France.
I saw a blond man shoveling grass with a fork. While behind him, on the straw cart, his wife held their child. The sky was a tinted sky blue, the sun shined, and everything seemed peaceful and beautiful.
But then, two soldiers arrived at the farm and grabbed his arms.
In that instant, the cheerful atmosphere vanished. A dull tune began playing, and the bright sky turned gloomy, covered with stormy clouds.
As the sad music played, a heart-wrenching female voice echoed. The wife, embracing the child, reached out with her right hand, trying to keep him from being taken away.
Yet, in the end, he was led away by the soldiers, leaving the home soil behind. As he walked, his father-in-law and wife lowered their heads, tears streaming down her face as she watched him leave.
There was no dialogue. Yet it was conveyed with the sound effects, color changes, and background music. I felt a deep sadness.
After a brief black screen, a line of white text appeared in the center—
A few days later.
A few days after I was taken, the silence of the farm was broken by a letter.
The top of the letter read:
Armée de Terre et Armée de Mer (Army and Navy).
It was a draft letter from France.
The sorrowful music blended with the sounds of battle, adding a heavy atmosphere to the game.
[A few days after his departure, the war escalated, and even Emil was drafted.]
[Emil, called to fight, left the farm with a heavy heart and headed to Saint Mier, knowing nothing about the fate awaiting him.]
When Emil arrived at Saint Mier, he joined new recruits in training.
The game, now in 2D scrolling movement, featured simple mechanics—moving forward & backward, attack, and throw.
This is what needs to be done in the game.
I follow the prompts to pick up the grenade from the frame next to it and throw it toward the target scarecrow in front of me.
After throwing several in a row, the first grenade blows up the scarecrow, and the instructor moves toward Emil. At this point, as I follow the system prompt to move forward, I'm chatting with the stream while playing and not paying much attention. There's also a grenade I threw earlier, flashing red on the ground.
With a rumbling sound, I'm pulled back into the game.
The screen goes dark. Then I returned to the previous training level.
"Did I blow myself up? Did I die in military training? Wow, that's embarrassing... What a disgrace!"
Thinking back to what just happened, I can't help but feel a little speechless.
Meanwhile, the livestream is flooded with comments.
_______________
"Hahahahah, I'm dying of laughter! First seen someone dying in Tutorial!"
"I killed myself!"
"Is this how a soldier acts?"
"Here we go again! Let the self-healing begin! Let the Save file be reopened"
_______________
Looking at the barrage of comments filling the chat, I can't help but chortle helplessly. This wasn't intentional for effect, honestly.
Cough... "Let's take it slow and not get carried away. France in World War I was actually very different from World War II. The game is set during World War I, and back then, French soldiers couldn't be questioned. In fact, they were a core power of the Allied forces. As for World War II… well, let's not go there."
After finishing the military training tutorial, with La Marseillaise playing, Emil raises the flag as part of the ceremony.
The moment is filled with humor.
Next, Emil heads to the train station to find his battalion, leaving everything behind.
[Paris Station: Emil, on platform 21, searches for his unit, about to meet the friend who will fight by his side for life.]
On the platform, I see a group of French soldiers surrounding and harassing a Black soldier.
Emil's task—and mine—is to help him out of this situation.
This part of the game is still part of the tutorial, mostly showing players how to solve puzzles.
"Hey, this is getting more interesting. It reminds me of Undertale, where you can avoid attacks, or To the Moon, which is more about storytelling. Brave hearts seem to have more puzzle-solving elements in later levels."
First, I passed the lever on the right and smoked away the soldier on the right.
After communicating with the commander, I realized that he didn't want to drink red wine, so I found a bottle of beer to bribe him. Then, I directed the band to attract the soldiers stationed on the train, pulled the lever on the left to smoke away the soldiers on the left, and successfully relieved the black soldiers.
The content is not difficult and even has obvious hints. But it also feels more delicate to me.
Clearly, brave heart: World War should also be a story-oriented game.
Last year, To the Moon was very exciting. But in terms of gameplay, I must say it was a bit lacking, with the puzzle-solving mostly serving as a bonus.
Currently, in Brave heart: World War, I am combining the throwing, front and back, left and right attacks I learned in military training with the decryption of this train station.
Although the game is a 2D scroll, I have some expectations for the follow-up content.
In terms of gameplay content, it's clear that this game will be a bit richer.