How Valiant Hearts: The Great War uses art to tell an emotional story

Valiant Hearts: The Great War is an upcoming puzzle-adventure game from Ubisoft. Set during World War I, it attempts to share the experience of World War I with a younger generation who may not be as familiar with the deadly conflict, also known as the "Great War."

"[World War I] is so rich with dramatic material that we were able to flesh out stories of regular people facing an extraordinary, inhuman situation," says scriptwriter Herve Masseron. Valiant Hearts tells the story of "five crossed destinies and a broken love in a world torn apart. All of them will try to survive the horror of the trenches following their faithful canine companion."

As various developers of the game explain, the characters you'll play as aren't soldiers. They are merely just ordinary people trying to survive this horrific war. And in today's developer diary, the first of a series for Valiant Hearts: The Great War, we learn a bit more about the concept and how Ubisoft used a unique art style to tackle the emotional story.

While we'll be going hands-on with Valiant Hearts: The Great War at E3 next month, you can read our preview from PAX East back in April here. Valiant Hearts: The Great War is due out for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in 2014.