This is downright depressing! I am streaming, and my mood has become very heavy. The game began with cheerful humor and transitioned into a mix of cruelty and humor, but now, all that remains is the most brutal portrayal of war.
The full lineup of protagonists in the game includes three men, one woman, and a dog. Despite being a game about war, it uses a 2D cartoon aesthetic. The playfulness starkly contrasts with the brutality of the conflict. At the same time, the game contains many collectible objects that recount real historical events, making it feel like it's narrating an authentic historical story.
Unlike most anti-war games, this one isn't about showing war but rather exploring its emotional core. It doesn't take a macro approach to depicting battles or strategies. Instead, it focuses on individuals who have nothing to do with the politics or grand schemes of war but are still forced into it.
Carl, Emil, Freddy, and Anna were concerned about their families and personal lives. None of them ever wanted to be involved in this war, which is an outcome of arrogance, misunderstandings, diplomatic failures, nationalism, and deep-rooted mistrust between nations.
These issues, none of which they had a hand in, have shattered their simple happiness. Freddy's goal is to avenge his wife, Anna is searching for her father, Emil and Carl were forcibly conscripted. They don't care about who wins the war — their only priority is the safety of their loved ones.
The game lets one experience the pain the war inflicts on ordinary people through these characters. As insignificant players on the battlefield, they endure hails of bullets, filthy trenches, freezing winters, frenzied hunger, disease, and the constant threat of life. Their only wish is that this all ends soon so they can reunite with their families.
I admit it, I feel the emotions the game conveys. I had Carl escape from the prisoner-of-war camp, but my heart is with Freddy, the dog whose fate is uncertain, and Emil, who remains trapped outside the fortress.
But then, the next plot twist breathed some life into me. Freddy isn't dead, he's still alive, thanks to the dog, who saved him by dragging him out from the rubble — just like how the dog rescued Emil earlier.
At this point, Freddy's memories confirm my suspicions of his backstory. The reason Freddy despises the war so much is that it took his wife's life. On Freddy's side, Anna's father, the old professor, also survived. Together, they repaired a damaged tank and used it to escape the castle. Meanwhile, Emil also managed to make his way back. Though their mission had failed, the French army was overjoyed to have recovered the old professor and captured a tank.
In the end, several of them took a group photo, which Emil later sent to Anna along with a letter.
But this meeting was short-lived. Soon, Emil and Freddy were separated. Freddy went to Somme, and Emil was sent to Volwa Mountain to fight the Germans in the mine tunnel. Here, both sides struggled to dig tunnels, and the smell of gunpowder was very strong. It's possible that the enemy and our army are only separated by a layer of soil, so even the stethoscope, a tool used to treat and save people, have become a tool of war here.
"It feels heavy and depressing," I sighed while tending the game.
Canaries in cages are used to test the poison levels in the ground, while soldiers in the mines continue to perish. Despite the art style, it only evokes a feeling of melancholy.
A crying icon appeared on the right side of the screen, and I directed Emil in the game to dig towards that direction. Unlike before, when he had a spoon, he now wielded a military shovel. Additionally, I had swapped his shotgun for a cannon. He had successfully evolved.
"Ah, this is a German officer, not my own." After digging the passage, I saw a German official who had accidentally been trapped and now hang in the air, dancing and calling for help.
"Alas, they are all poor people of war. I'll save you later." Looking at the screen in the game, I sighed with emotion and used the wheel next to the dog to put the German officer down.
The German officer, who was put down, looked at Emil, who was running, put away the gun in his hand, and then extended his hand kindly.
"Have I made a German friend?" I looked surprised. The passage on the left in the game had been blocked, so Emil and the German officer could only find a new way out together. Along the way, the two cooperated and successfully escaped.
Just as Emil was about to leave, a group of German soldiers spotted them.
But at this time, the German soldier took the initiative to explain about Emil and helped him return. Seeing the two shaking hands and expressing friendship, I smiled in front of the computer.
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"It's great, the plot in this section is so healing! In such a cruel war, such a heartwarming scene is invaluable," I sighed with emotion.
"I wonder if you've read a novel called War Horse—there's a similar scene in it. It's good... I feel like I've been healed."
"It seems, Chen Xu's claim that he is a warrior of love is not without purpose! This is a heartwarming scene." I smiled in front of the computer.
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The heavy atmosphere in the game had made me feel a little uncomfortable. But now, this heartwarming scene was like the warm sun that suddenly appeared in winter, making me feel warm all over.
But... the warm sun didn't last long. In the game, Emil, having returned to the headquarters, received a new task to deliver a box of items. After transporting the things to the target point, the soldiers uncovered the white cloth, revealing it was full of explosives. And more importantly, the next scene in the game zoomed in on the environment above where the explosives were placed.
A familiar face appeared in my sight.
"No way! Isn't that my friend! No way!" Seeing this, I had a bad feeling in my heart. What happened next confirmed my hunch. The explosives exploded, causing heavy damage to the German army, and the German officer who had rescued Emil was killed on the spot.
[French officers are complacent at the heavy losses suffered by the enemy And Emil, thinking this as a cowardly act, refused the award in anger.]
Emil threw the medal he had just received into the fiery flames, and at this time, Anna also dealt him a heavier blow. Carl was executed for trying to escape the POW camp. Just like Emil in the game, I, along with the other players who were in the same place, was stunned.
At this moment, I reflect on my earlier praise for Chen Xu, and now I find myself questioning it:
Can I take it back? What I need now is warmth. It's truly heartbreaking! The warmth I felt earlier only served as a setup for a deeper sorrow. In the beginning, the two sides were still friends, but in the end, I didn't directly cause his death, yet he died because of my actions. While it's clear this is war—and one could argue that real war is even more brutal—emotionally, it's still incredibly disheartening.