As a seasoned player with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I must say that Rue Valley has piqued my interest like few other games have in recent memory. Having immersed myself in the rich tapestry of Disco Elysium, it’s refreshing to see a game that dares to wear its influences on its sleeve, even if it falls short of capturing the effortless existentialism of its predecessor.
It’s surprising that more game developers haven’t attempted to create something similar to the critically acclaimed Disco Elysium by ZA/UM. However, emulating its success might be like trying to catch lightning in a bottle, and the writing is so exceptional that it could easily lead to pretentious or over-the-top results. Yet, no creation remains unique forever. Thus, perhaps, the appearance of Rue Valley, a game that openly acknowledges being inspired by Disco Elysium, even though it finds it challenging to convey the easygoing existentialism present in ZA/UM’s game.
The unique aspect of Rue Valley lies in its fundamental concept. Unlike detectives, you’re Eugene Harrow, a melancholic recluse, who has journeyed to the Rue Valley motel for some form of compulsory treatment. Although the details of his past actions that led him here are vague, it’s hinted they were quite severe. The brief preview I experienced was sparse on information or suspense, leaving me clueless about the plot or whether it will prove engaging in the end. It’s an unconventional approach for a preview, but we’ll learn more as Rue Valley enters early access.
What is intriguing is the core conceit: Eugene is stuck in a time loop, repeating the same 47 minutes of an evening over and over. In the preview we got to experience only two loops, the first and second. It begins with you creating Eugene’s personality from a bunch of sliders that I simply don’t understand. And not mechanically, but with what’s on them. You have three sliders, each with four traits on them such as Impatient and Reckless on one side, and Indecisive and Paranoid on the other. Not only are these traits not opposites, but you can’t really help but make Eugene a bit of a dick. You have 9 points to spend, and if you put 3 into the left side of the first bar you can swap Impatient and Reckless so that becomes his primary trait. So you can end up with someone who is both Impatient and Indecisive, Secretive and Arrogant, Dramatic and Unkind. There just aren’t many positive attributes to choose from.
Regardless of your selection, it significantly influences the actions that Eugene is capable or unable to perform. If you opt for a Secretive personality trait, certain dialogue options become unavailable. In this segment, you get to decide how to act with the Psychiatrist at the beginning. However, no matter my choices, Eugene ultimately acquires the “Lack of Motivation” status effect, which restricts your actions and essentially forces you to follow along with whatever Eugene feels inclined to do.
After leaving the doctor’s office, I stepped into the reception area and found myself waiting for the receptionist to hang up her phone call. To pass the time, I got Eugene to play on his phone and gaze out of the window. Since I had been Indecisive during my first playthrough, I couldn’t urge her to wrap up her conversation any quicker. Instead, I was forced to sit there patiently. The scene portrays a person frozen by their own indecision, but it lacks the excitement that a game typically offers. In my second attempt at playing, I was both Reckless and Unkind, which allowed me to interrupt her call and grab the keys from her. However, this action did not seem to bring about any noticeable changes.
Outside stands a girl angrily kicking the vending machine, seemingly believing it’s malfunctioning, though it functions for Eugene at a later point. Despite my attempts to alter the scenario across various playthroughs, Eugene never interacted with her due to her fury. After moving to his room, you can have Eugene unpack his luggage, drink the foul-tasting water from the taps, or choose to sleep. A peculiar phone call follows, hinting at a future enigma, and then you’re abruptly jolted awake by a loud car. Venturing out into the rain, you witness an irate driver colliding his vehicle and fleeing the scene. Soon after, the sky darkens ominously, and Eugene wakes up in the psychiatrist’s office, prepared to embark on another loop of events.
In the course of your gameplay, you’ve been presented with indications that the game might be secretly rolling a dice. However, in three games and approximately a dozen instances of these indicators, I haven’t managed to win once – not even one time. This leaves me wondering if this is part of the story’s scripting or just bad luck. Regardless, it’s quite aggravating because there seems to be no way for me to control or affect these outcomes.
In the second iteration, Eugene appears to have a change in demeanor. He’s less confrontational, more tranquil, and his characteristic traits seem subdued. This is unusual because one would expect such changes to intensify his negative emotions, but they don’t. During each loop, he can review the events and spend a Willpower point to stimulate himself or resolve a mystery. It’s an odd mechanism that I need more experience with to fully grasp it, as a sneak peek isn’t sufficient. Additionally, it’s quite slow, with extended intervals between text segments that will need to be significantly reduced at launch for a smoother experience.
Despite some heavier themes, there’s plenty to appreciate in this game. The artwork is stunning, and Eugene is endearing with his peculiarities. The diverse cast of characters promises to contribute significantly, and a cryptic phone call suggests supernatural undertones. It’s doubtful the story will be light-hearted, but the enigma surrounding the mysterious driver and Eugene’s history keeps you intrigued. At this stage, Rue Valley tackles emotions and id quite directly, but given the small glimpse of the game in the preview, it’s pleasantly unpredictable.
Rue Valley is coming soon to PC via Steam.
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2024-11-18 15:46