The eShop description of Rue Valley is a bit deceptive; it payments the sport as a “narrative RPG,” which is simply half true. It is way more a point-and-click journey thriller than a role-playing recreation, and if that is a swap you are completely satisfied to listen to about, then you definitely would possibly get on with it higher than I did. You additionally must get pleasure from being caught in a 47-minute time loop and the built-in repetition that comes with it.
You play as Eugene Harrow, a person present process remedy for some form of psychological or emotional struggles. A good a part of Rue Valley entails the creation of an inner thoughts map that data occasions and duties known as Intentions for Harrow to finish. The sport begins at a roadside motel the place you end up within the room of Dr. Finck, and from this level on each loop begins again 8:00pm through the closing minutes of your remedy session with him and ends with an explosion of sunshine at 8:47pm. Earlier than the story truly will get underway, you may have a possibility to decide on some character parameters that decide the dialogue decisions you can also make afterward.
From each a story standpoint and a recreation design one, Rue Valley begins off sluggish and murky. It takes a while earlier than the mechanics and methods of creating real progress turn into clear. Inside its isometric perspective, you information Harrow round a handful of environments to unravel a lot of smaller mysteries along with bigger ones like the character of the time loop he is caught in. When you purchase a brand new piece of knowledge, you possibly can convey that to conversations with of us round you to yield new dialogue branches, and what follows then is a little bit of trial and error earlier than you determine which tidbits unlock which doorways in your thoughts map. Moreover, it’s essential think about the schedule of the opposite characters and occasions that happen in Rue Valley in order that you already know the place and when to progress the story.
There are some tense and memorable character interactions, similar to whenever you break into your therapist’s room to study extra about one other motel visitor. When you may have a number of goals on the go, Rue Valley has a real sense of momentum meaning nearly every little thing you do will result in a brand new perception or twist. Nevertheless, the best way wherein your create-a-character’s psychological profile gates off sure interactions and dialogue bushes is irritating and made me really feel typically like I had simply rolled a foul character; I am unable to see myself returning to a story expertise like this one after seeing the story via, so I am undecided why all of the gatekeeping and roadblocks exist. If you happen to’re a sucker for Groundhog Day, time loop tales, or point-and-click mysteries, your enjoyment of Rue Valley could attain a better peak. I used to be already tempted to take a look at of this motel earlier than my suitcase was unpacked.
