Rue Valley from Owlcat Games and Emotion Spark Studio brings us a narrative-driven RPG that has you trapped in a time loop. Learn more in our Rue Valley review!
Rue Valley from Owlcat Games and Emotion Spark Studio brings us a narrative-driven RPG that has you trapped in a time loop. You’ll be taking on the role of Eugene Harrow, and will need to find a way to make every day count… even if it really feels like anything you do won’t really matter. At least the choices you make during each loop will start to shape who you really are. Will this reflect who you are in real life? Or will your Mr. Harrow turn into someone completely different from yourself? Your journey will begin in a therapy session. It’s going to be the first of many.
Yes, this one certainly draws inspiration from the beloved Disco Elysium, with a pinch of Groundhog Day for how it will have you replaying what is technically the same segment over and over, with some changes here and there that will help to shape your potential future. How you handle each repeat of the 47-minute window of the day you’re repeating can change your character’s personality, which will, in turn, allow you to handle things differently the next time around.
Right before you start to play, the game will kindly present you with the following:
Disclaimer: We do not support the use of unprescribed (purple or otherwise) medication for mental health and warn you to avoid such things in real life.
As you are preparing to jump into your – maybe? – never-ending repeating loop, you’ll have to define your character’s personality. You could go with a completely balanced individual who is resolute, ambiverted, and mindful… if the game didn’t want you to go down a different path. You could start to make some changes here and there to move toward a more impulsive or calculated person, an introverted pal or an extroverted guy, a more sensitive man, or an indifferent guy.
You’ll have a set number of personality points to distribute, so you won’t be able to max out all of these choices. Maybe you should go with an impulsive character who is a bit of an extrovert who has a sensitive side? You can also press the X button to switch traits on each side. Impatient or reckless, paranoid or indecisive, awkward or secretive, arrogant or noisy, dramatic or guilt-ridden, unkind or cynical. Once you’re ready, press and hold down the – button to wake up at 8:00 a.m.
Rue Valley focuses on the story side of things and the interactions you’ll have with the different characters that you’ll meet in the time loop. Because of this, the gameplay will focus on the adventure game formula we all know and love. At least for most of the time. You’ll be able to move around each area by using the left analog stick as you use the A button to interact with different hot spots, items, and characters. You can show all interactibles by pressing the ZR button, and you can switch between them by using the L and R buttons. Run by holding down the A button, or switch this in the options menu so that you only need to press the button to toggle between running and walking.
You can open up your Mind Map by pressing the – button, which is a very important part of the Rue Valley gameplay loop. The Mind Map is a representation of all of the memories that you have and how they’re connected. You can recall a memory and activate it, which will open dialogue choices related to that particular memory.
Your personality traits will have an effect on what dialogue options are available to you during interactions. Some options will only be available if you have a specific trait – such as, say, unkind – so you’ll need to experiment as you go so that you can find the right combination that will make things click for you. As not to spoil things, allow me to discuss the first interaction you’ll have with your therapist, right after picking your character’s overall personality.
You’re a bit impatient and feel like you should just move from the couch and try to live a little. When he asks you if you’re still paying attention, you could just nod in agreement. Or maybe you should just like and say he has your complete and full attention. If you’re unkind, you can ask if you’re done. There might be a fourth option in there, which would require a different build for your Mr. Harrow. Maybe during one of the many subsequent loops?
You should pay attention to the portrait in the bottom right corner of the screen. The red ribbon on top of your character’s portrait will show any status effects that are currently in effect. Say you currently have the Total Lack of Motivation status effect. This will mean you lack the capacity to initiate most interactions, be that with other characters, points of interest, or objects that could prove to be useful for your journey.
Time does not pass in this game unless you’re talking to someone. This does mean that, in order for you to wait until certain events take place, you’ll need to find a way to kill some time here and there. You can usually find a special interaction that will get the job done or an item that you can use. Say you read a bit of a book. That will definitely move time forward! Or maybe you would like to chill in a chair as you think about your current life choices.
Any items that you pick up will be added to your inventory. When you’re not in the middle of a dialogue, you can pick an item and interact with it. All items will be displayed on the left side of the screen. These include, for example, your handy phone, a leaflet you might pick while waiting for the receptionist to give you the key to your room, the aforementioned key – which is actually a keycard – and more.
Rue Valley brings us a narrative-driven RPG that has you trapped in a time loop. You’ll be taking on the role of Eugene Harrow, and will need to find a way to make every day count… even if it really feels like anything you do won’t really matter. At least the choices you make during each loop will start to shape who you really are. Will this reflect who you are in real life? Or will your Mr. Harrow turn into someone completely different from yourself? Your journey will begin in a therapy session. It’s going to be the first of many.
Yes, this one certainly draws inspiration from the beloved Disco Elysium, with a pinch of Groundhog Day for how it will have you replaying what is technically the same segment over and over, with some changes here and there that will help to shape your potential future. How you handle each repeat of the 47-minute window of the day you’re repeating can change your character’s personality, which will, in turn, allow you to handle things differently the next time around.
The game features voice acting, which will help to bring its characters to life. Each one will have a distinct personality, which will sometimes clash with the current build for your own character. How you present yourself will be crucial to how each time loop unravels. As you can tell from the trailer and screens in this Rue Valley review, the game’s presentation has been inspired by games such as Disco Elysium as well as films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Rue Valley is out on Nintendo Switch with a $29.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Rue Valley review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Owlcat Games.
