<
After the reunion of Carl's family of three, the screen faded into a brief black screen.
ăMary, who had heard nothing about Emile for so long, finally received a letter from her father weeks later.ă
A sorrowful BGM slowly began to play, and the camera shifted to Emile's prison cell.
The cell door opened, and an officer walked in, telling Emile that the time had come.
Emile, dressed in tattered clothes, wore a pair of shackles on his feet.
Without any prompts, he could only continue moving forward.
At this moment, Liuliu in front of the computer felt a terrible suspicion forming in her heart.
Along the path forward, none of the soldiers showed contempt toward Emile.
As Emile passed by, they saluted, removed their hats, or turned their heads away, unwilling to look at him.
Even the soldiers escorting Emile would not grow impatient when the player made Emile pauseâthey would simply stop and wait silently in place.
There was no violence, no shovingâjust quiet, respectful waiting.
Accompanied by a melancholic piano melody, Emile's narration began softly, matching his footsteps.
ăMy dearest Mary, for me, the war has ended. I have no regrets in my heart. I have witnessed too many horrors.ă
ăI only hope fate treats you more kindly.ă
ăThough our days alive were so brief, my entire life has been filled with happinessâI can only be grateful.ă
ăI have been blessed with so much, especially for Heaven sending you into my life.ă
ăThis letter will be my last.ă
ăI have been found guilty by a military tribunal for killing an officer.ă
ăAlthough I never intended to kill him.ă
ăWar drives men to madness.ă
ăThough I have disappointed Carl, I know my sacrifice was not in vain.ă
As Emile advanced, soldier after soldier removed their hats in salute.
Freddie was among them. Watching Emile, who was about to walk to the execution ground, he took off his hat, his face filled with sorrow.
Memories of the past resurfaced one by one.
The dog, Anna, Carl, and his daughter and grandson.
ăI fought for my country and for my freedom. I upheld my dignity.ă
ăSince fate has led us to part here, in life and death,ă
ăI can only pray we will reunite in Heaven.ă
ăPlease continue to pray for me.ă
ăForever loving youâFatheră
Standing before the execution post, Emile's face showed only calmnessâno fear.
The screen gradually faded into darkness.
âBang!â A gunshot rang out, followed by the sound of a body collapsing to the ground.
The next moment, a somber melody began playing, and the scene shifted to a graveyard.
Under the setting sun, endless wooden crosses stretched into the distance. The French flag fluttered in the wind far away.
ăThough their bodies have long turned to dirt, they live on forever in people's hearts.ă
ăWe must cherish these memories. We must not forget.ă
Before Emile's grave, the dog, Carl, Mary, and their son stood quietly together.
With this, the game officially came to an end.
Liuliu, sitting in front of her computer, was now completely in tears.
Her eyes red, she stared at the ending scene on the screen and gently wiped her face with a tissue from the side.
"Emile... Emile never knew until his last breath that Carl had actually survived. He still believed he had failed Carl," Liuliu said, her voice slightly choked.
She wasn't unfamiliar with tragic games.
In fact, just last year, To the Moon had presented countless players with a heartbreaking yet beautiful love story.
But the core of To the Moon was fundamentally different from Valiant Hearts: The Great War.
To describe it in one word: heavy/somber.
There were no overtly emotional scenes designed to manipulate players' feelings. Instead, it was like boiling a frog in warm waterâgradually, through subtle buildup, it shattered the player's most vulnerable emotions.
What it showcased was too cruel, even oppressive to the heart.
In Emile's final words, there was no complaint about his fate.
Only love for his family, and no regrets about his life.
Unlike grand-scale war games, Valiant Hearts: The Great War didn't rely on flashy content.
It didn't use hyper-realistic graphics to depict the brutality of war.
Instead, it brought players close to families torn apart by war, and to those who had suffered under its weight.
And this approach delivered an impact far stronger than any visual spectacle.
Emile was merely a microcosm of countless such individuals.
In fact, one could even say Emile and Carl were among the lucky ones in the game.
And precisely because of that, the cruelty of war felt even more intense, and the weight even more unbearable.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ
It wasn't just Liuliuâevery player who had Cleared the Game was left in tears.
Because within the game, there were simply too many moments that struck straight at their emotional core.
One moment, Emile had just become friends with a German officer; the next, that officer was blown to pieces.
The search-and-rescue dog had just reunited with his former ownerâthen the owner was killed in an explosion.
Carl's family of three had just been reunitedâonly for Emile to be led to the execution ground.
There were countless such momentsâscenes that warmed your heart one second, then stabbed a knife into it the next.
It wasn't just the story, but the game's overall presentation.
Valiant Hearts: The Great War wasn't a large-scale game by any meansâthe entire playtime was only about three hours.
In terms of sales, it didn't start strong. After all, it was a small-scale title, and one entered in the Game Design Competition, so many players were still waiting and watching.
But its rating shot straight through the roofâreaching an astonishing 9.8 out of 10.
Thanks to this sky-high score, Valiant Hearts: The Great War quickly spread like wildfire among players.
Player reviews and related topics multiplied rapidly.
"Chen Xu always knows how to trick us! This game showed us once again what a Warrior of Love truly is. He promised a heartwarming experience, but after playing it, I was completely bewildered!"
"I really wanted to punch Chen Xu, but I have to admitâby the end, I was in tears. The ending was truly moving!"
"At first, I was skepticalâhow could such a small game convey anti-war messages? But I have to say, Chen Xu pulled it off!"
"There has never been a good war, nor a bad peace!"
"The game truly has valiant hearts, but unlike the alternative English subtitle 'The Great War,' this warâborn from politics and greedâcan never be called 'great' in any sense!"
Of course, there were also some players who disliked this mode. After all, tastes differ greatlyâwhat pleases one person may not please another.
Chen Xu couldn't possibly create a game that covers every aspect and satisfies every player's preferences.
But compared to the divided opinions among players, gaming media across the industry gave the game uniformly glowing reviews.
(One more chapter coming laterâshow some love and give recommendation votes and Monthly Pass to this author who's never seen the world, sob sob...)
(End of Chapter)