Valiant Hearts: The Great War is going to make you cry

War is an ugly thing. It tears families apart, draws the innocent unwillingly into conflict, destroys the landscape, and is rife with death. It takes an emotional toll on everyone and everything. This is exactly what Ubisoft Montpellier is striving to convey in its World War 1 puzzle-adventure game, Valiant Hearts: The Great War.

It is estimated that 10 million military personnel and 7 million civilians died in World War 1 with 21 million wounded and 7.7 million missing or imprisoned. Some estimate the death toll to be lower or even higher depending on the source, but regardless of whose estimate is correct, Ubisoft isn't taking the subject matter lightly.

Despite the game's comic book art-style, it doesn't mask the dour contents. The images, while lovely, are dreary and perfectly display the helplessness characters in the game are feeling. This was obvious from the first trailer released as well as the second.

Below, the development team discuss how the project came to light using archives, real people, books and vintage photos as inspiration.

Valiant Hearts: The Great War will release on PC, PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One for £11.99.