Rue Valley

The appeal of having a time loop mechanic as the central gimmick of an isometric RPG is self-evident. What is usually done through save-scumming, replaying or simply trying again after a defeat, in a game like Rue Valley could become an active component of the game's narrative. The branching path structure of a cRPG also goes hand in hand with a knowledge-based structure: the match is so self-evident, so "made in heaven" that I don't understand at which point of the pipeline the dev team stumbled. As bluntly as possible, there is not a single knowledge-based quest in Rue Valley: the entire thing is so railroaded that at times it hardly qualifies as a "branching-paths" experience. Its most crucial moments are depicted in montages, the most significant choices are taken by the protagonist while we click at regular intervals on the same exact pixel, the basic gameplay mechanics are dependant on a form of abstract progression that comes up independently from your actions. Event the stats, tepidly copied with the skill checks in their concept from Disco Elysium, are irrelevant: passing a check or not only partially changes how you solve an issue, but not ever in a meaningful enough way …

A fantastic game. Please do not be putt off by the "Mixed" review score. I was but eventually bought it and I don't regret it a single bit.

I believe the same thing will happen with this game as happened with Cyberpunk 2077; at first there is a lot of negative feedback, but overtime the game finds its audience and place. As far as I know, the expectations were really high with Rue Valley due to the legacy that Disco Elysium left behind. Like others have said, this is not Disco Elysium 2, it is visually similar and gameplay-wise has similar elements, but at least in my mind they fulfill different roles and serve different purposes. That being said the themes are similar, both incorporating themes of mental health, loneliness, loss and hopelessness. I personally enjoyed Disco Elysium more, but again, that sets the standard incredibly high. Rue Valley has an interesting story, enjoyable music, likeable artstyle and overall good gameplay loop. I think it suffers from pacing, sometimes feeling like there is so much to do while other times I found myself going in circles. I think it would greatly benefit from having the thoughts narrated by a voice actor. The story was good, but left me feeling a bit empty, I think there could have been something just a little bit more and it would have been just right for my liking. I also …

I'm very very torn on this one because I want to love it and as most people say I wish there was a middle of the road recommendation I could give. I'm not sure if the Disco Elysium comparisons are something that the dev advertised or whether this is a label that has been unfortunately thrust onto them by the lack of Disco in everyone's lives but, please do not go into this expecting Disco Elysium. Firstly some positives before I move onto the negatives. The art style is stellar. The music is fitting for the vibe of the actual place of Rue Valley. The voice acting is top notch, some genuinely really good performances in there. The actual self contained story of the game is very good and very enjoyable, it just falls a bit flat in terms of being a game. I think the actual timeloop mechanic is well executed to an extent, as it mirrors the mindset of your character and other characters in the game and maybe even the town itself. The first maybe 30 loops do really capture that sense of a fish out of water, a man in an unfamiliar town in the middle of nowhere trying to piece together all the intricacies and relationship dynamics at play, and investigate the loop. Now onto the negativ…

it's decent for what it is. It's more of a visual novel that explores mental health tropes rather than any meaningful timeloop mechanics. The story leaves lots of plot holes which is aggravating.

Fun game, it can get a bit monotonous at times. Great story and definitely worth picking up.