Letters of War to be delivered this summer

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Indie WWII-themed side-scroller coming to Steam a "spiritual successor" to Ubisoft's Valiant Hearts 

War is brutal, not only for those doing the fighting, but for loved ones at home who can only worry and wonder, clinging desperately to every last word in the letters received from the front. It's these wartime missives that provide the narrative basis for Letters of War, an upcoming side-scroller from Wood Cabin Games.

Liam is a British carpenter who volunteers to fight in World War II, leaving behind his wife and young daughter Rosie (and her beloved "fluffy cat"). As sad as she is at her father's absense, and fearing for his safety, Rosie takes great comfort in the letters Liam sends, describing his experiences in the war. The focus of game alternates between father and daughter, the former sequences detailing "Liam’s role in key WWII battles" and the latter "Rosie’s quiet struggle at home." 

At first glance you might mistake Letters of War for Valiant Hearts, with its side-scrolling perspective, hand-drawn aesthetic, and wide variety of cinematic wartime operations peppered with heart-tugging depictions of human determination and loss. While there's no direct connection between them, the comparisons are welcomed, as the small Kazakhstan- and UK-based developers consider their game to be a "spiritual successor" to Ubisoft's acclaimed series, set in the Second World War instead of the First. Based on a "real family story," the game promises to blend quiet moments of domestic peace with more intense periods of fighting. Players can expect a range of different gameplay elements, from simple first-person cooking puzzles and rhythm minigames with Rosie, to driving a tank, storming a beach under heavy fire, and serving time in a labour camp as a POW with Liam. 

There is no firm target release date for Letters of War, but it's not far off as the game is on track to be launched on Steam for PC sometime in the third quarter of this year.