Rue Valley

Rue Valley plunges into the depths of the consciousness of a person stuck in a time anomaly. The hero lives his life again, again and again, and each cycle provides a chance to become different: yesterday’s prudent loner may turn out to be responsive and open. The game is based on dialogues and decisions. The world around is repeated, but the details change, and familiar events, depending on the behavior of the hero, unfold differently. Gradually, it becomes clear what is behind the loop, and the outcome depends on what aspects of the player’s personality he decides to develop. The tone of the story is serious, sometimes disturbing. There are statistics on completed cycles and records that help you keep in mind the events of past attempts. There are no mistakes as such: any choice leads somewhere, the only question is where exactly. It’s also worth noting that the game has a notes system where important cycle events are recorded: without it, it would be difficult to keep track of what has already happened and what has changed. This is convenient, because in such stories the main thing is the details, not the scale of events. Repeating the same day over and over again is interesting here precisely because of them. It is worth understanding that the game is designed for thoughtful playthrough: there are no battles or races, and all the tension rests on conversations and how the hero changes. This may seem slow to some, but it is this slowness that allows you to notice the difference between the cycles. This kind of reading is perfect for an evening for a couple of hours. The project is not about speed and not about battles, but about a person who is trying to understand himself. For those who enjoy branching psychological stories, the Rue Valley provides some rare material.