Developed by Emotional Spark Studio and published by Owlcat Games, Rue Valley is a narrative RPG about a troubled man trapped in a time loop. How much can you achieve in a mere 47 minutes when it feels like the world is actively fighting against you and each day is an insurmountable uphill battle? Turns out, a whole lot – you only need a spark to nudge you in the right direction.
The protagonist of the game, Eugene Harrow, is a man on the path of (often unwilling) self-discovery. Having been a part of a terrible accident, Eugene finds himself in Rue Valley, attending a therapy and being forced to interact with a diverse cast of personalities.
The events of the game kick off at exactly 8PM, catching the tail-end of the session, and beginning Harrow’s unexpected journey of resilience and introspection that leaves him and those around him changed.
However, before you get to make any decisions, be it in the dialogues, inside Harrow’s mind, or by interacting with your surroundings, first you need to craft your own personality.
Rue Valley does not have the usual RPG stats, be it Wisdom, or Strength, or Dexterity. You can’t edit Harrow’s appearance either. But you can decide what kind of person he will be in this particular series of loops, and it will affect the game’s flow and available choices greatly. Which, in turn, will warp it into something else through the experiences he lives through.
There are three total areas of Harrow’s personality that you get to choose:
- How Impulsive or Calculated he is, with spending 2 points towards one granting Reckless and Paranoid respectively, and 4 points offering Impatient or Indecisive trait;
- Introverted or Extraverted (with extra traits being Secretive/Nosy, Awkward/Arrogant);
- Sensitive or Indifferent (Dramatic/Unkind, Guilt-Ridden/Flat);
You have a total of 9 personality points to tweak the protagonist around to the way you like. Whether you are trying to match your own personality, or building a total opposite to roleplay as, there will be plenty of unexpected but welcome quirks caused by his traits.
Check out the screenshot below for a more visual look at the personality editor.
These personality traits greatly affect how you go through motions in each time loop – what motions are available to begin with, even. It also affects certain animations, adding to the game’s overall charm. Normally, Harrow can simply flop face-down into his disgustingly soft bed, but Paranoid Harrow? No can do, he can only crawl, afraid that the bed will collapse under his weight.
However, it is not just Harrow’s personality that affects his choices, his states (that can be acquired or removed) do as well, opening new ways to interact with characters and surroundings or blocking the existing ones.
For example, your very first time loop will have Harrow sport the “Total Lack of Motivation” status. In addition to some choices being blocked by your personality, such as the Secretive trait preventing you from talking with other characters, such status sees the protagonist refuse to go through certain motions. Like unpacking his suitcase.
There are also more physical status effects, such as Sore Legs or Thirsty, which can be removed by lounging on the bed or drinking some water.
As Harrow wraps up his therapy session, deals with an irate woman outside having a beef with the vending machine, wrestles his keys off a chatty receptionist – he gets a chance to finally relax in the quiet of his motel room.
When it comes to Harrow, however, “relax” is a relative term, and our protagonist soon finds himself outside again, unable to turn off his brain and all its incessant thinking. That is where he finds himself in the middle of another loop: a car hitting the transformer and speeding off, a flash of lightning that catches our hero unawares, and the evening sky turning fiery at exactly 08:47 PM.
At that point, you find yourself at the beginning, with the annoying sound of the alarm clock announcing the end of your therapy session at 08:00 PM sharp. Therapist. The woman assaulting the vending machine. Receptionist. Your room – lightning – sky on fire at exactly 08:47 PM.
The sound of the alarm clock, and the therapist’s voice interrupting your thoughts… This is on average how the gameplay process is going. However, despite the protagonist largely going through the same motions, it is far from boring or repetitive.
Rue Valley strikes a perfect balance when it comes to the change between the “current” timeline and the future one you find yourself in. Sure, at their very base, the events are similar: you are still talking to the therapist, the receptionist is still chatting on the phone, but small changes to Harrow’s personality and traits over the last loop will see quite different outcomes which also open completely new possibilities.
However, the most fascinating part of the gameplay comes when your character is resting in his room and when a time loop occurs. You get to sort through Harrow’s vague memories, recollections, emotions and associations to slowly uncover what happened in his past – and how it affects the present.
That also allows you to unlock intentions and mindsets as you progress uniquely through the story, making sure that no two playthroughs are completely the same.
Experiment with different answers and timelines, you have 47 minutes, and you can make them count by pursuing new actions or choosing different approaches to the old ones. After all, you can allow yourself that little bit of freedom since the loop will restart from the beginning anyway, won’t it?
The alpha version of the game only allows to go through about 3-4 loops at this point. However, even seeing how minuscule changes in Harrow’s personality and state affect the way the story unfolds, I can’t wait for a more full version of the game.
Reminds of:
- Disco Elysium (aesthetics);
- GameDec (the interaction between the protagonist’s personality and how it is shaped by choices – and vice versa);
