It wasn’t long ago that Owlcat Games (Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader,Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous) announced that they were getting into the publishing business, and now they’reready to show offtheir partnership with Emotion Spark Studio to publish their upcoming adventure game,Rue Valley.
They’ve provided the first real trailer forRue Valley, which helps show off the game’s detailed art style. The game is about a man trapped in a time loop. While stuck here, they need to interact with the various characters in the area to try and figure out what’s going on. The press release mentions that players will be able to alter their approach and personality each time the game loops, which makes this sound likeGroundhog’s Day. I’m not sure I’ve met a game similar toGroundhog’s Daythat I didn’t like.
Even with the trailer, it’s a bit difficult to really grok howRue Valleyplays. It’s clear that it’s choice-based and features dialogue trees, but then there’s also splashing in puddles and vomiting. Apparently, you do all this talking and puking in order to gather evidence that will enable you to escape.
The art style seems to be the central focus here. It has a graphic novel-like appearance and takes cues fromInto the Spider-VerseandDisco Elysium. It’s simultaneously cartoonish and detailed, which gives it a good effect.
I think it looks interesting. I enjoy time loop games, for the most part, even if they’re something of a rarity.The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Maskis a pretty high-profile example, but even the newEarth Defense Force 6got in on the time-twisting.
No release date has been provided forRue Valley, and only PC has been stated as a platform.
