Games Like Valiant Hearts for iPhone and Android
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home is still on Netflix. If you've finished it, these mobile games have the same mix of heart, history and simple puzzles.
Valiant Hearts does something most war games don't. There's no shooting score and no killstreaks. It's about ordinary people stuck in World War I, and it uses little puzzles and chases to tell their stories. Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, the sequel, follows four characters whose stories cross over, and it's still in Netflix's games library.
If it got to you, here's what to play next. I've split them into Netflix games (included with your membership) and a few that are worth paying for.
On Netflix (free with your membership)
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home
If you only played the original Great War on another device, start here. Same hand-drawn style, same mix of history and heartbreak, and it plays nicely with touch controls.
Valiant Hearts: Coming Home on the App Store
Spiritfarer
Not a war game, but it's the best game I know about loss. You care for spirits on your boat until they're ready to go, then you say goodbye. Expect to tear up at least once.
Before Your Eyes
A whole life in under two hours, controlled by blinking. It has the same "this is about a real person's life" feeling as Valiant Hearts, and it lands just as hard.
Before Your Eyes on the App Store
Paper Trail
A gentler pick. Paige leaves home for university, and you fold the paper world to open new paths. Valiant Hearts fans who liked the puzzles more than the drama will enjoy this one.
Worth buying
This War of Mine
The heavy one. You look after civilians trying to survive a city under siege: scavenging at night, sharing food, making choices you'll feel bad about. It's the most honest war game on mobile. It's around $14 on the App Store, and there's a cheaper Stories spin-off too.
This War of Mine on the App Store
Bury Me, My Love
Told entirely through a messaging app. Your wife, Nour, is fleeing Syria for Europe, and you guide her by text. Messages arrive in real time, so it plays out over days. It's simple and it really hits. A few dollars.
Bury Me, My Love on the App Store
GRIS
A wordless, watercolour game about grief. No enemies, no game over, just beautiful platforming and music. If the art of Valiant Hearts was what you loved, this is gorgeous on a phone screen.
Florence
Half an hour, a few dollars, and it'll stay with you longer than most big games. A love story told through tiny interactive moments.
Where to start
- Want the same feeling, for free: Spiritfarer
- Want something short tonight: Before Your Eyes or Florence
- Want the real weight of war: This War of Mine
Want more like these? See the best story games on Netflix and games like Oxenfree II.
