Rue Valley

Probably the biggest problem with Rue Valley is how it was marketed as “a game in the spirit of Disco Elysium”. In reality, the two have little in common. Rue Valley doesn’t have the same depth, the same defiantly strange setting, or the same humour. It isn’t even an RPG. Does that make Rue Valley a bad game? Not at all. It’s a solid adventure with a peculiar plot, likeable characters, and well-executed psychotherapy sessions.
The game treats therapy and psychological hang-ups with striking seriousness. More than once, reading those dialogues, I felt a painful sense of recognition. Because of that, Rue Valley is a rare example of a game that can be more than a vehicle for escapism (nothing wrong with that) and actually become a push towards real change.
It’s not perfect: in the final third, many tasks become tedious, the local “check system” is laughable, and the game desperately needs an epilogue. I hope at least some of these issues get fixed in patches — it seems entirely achievable. But I don’t regret a single hour spent in Rue Valley.

Still with me, mister Harrow?
Firstly, it's not Disco Elysium; it has little in common with it. It's focused on dialogue, and that's it. Secondly, it's not a bad game, as some people say, nor is it a good game.
There are no RPG elements, no progression, no fancy hats, no Frittte (three "T"s!) plastic bag for collecting bottles, and you can't even stick a finger up your arse.
But...
It's a great story.
It's a great story about love and loss, depression and hope. And, ultimately, acceptance. It's pretty linear: the characteristics assigned to Eugen at the start of the game stay the same throughout, and they don't change much. However, they do change how you, as Eugen, approach the story.
Still with me, mister Hollow?
It can be tedious at times, but this tediousness serves the narrative, helping you to get into the skin of a depressed man stuck in a never-ending 47-minute loop.
Don't expect it to be Disco, don't expect it to have the same sense of humour — just don't compare it to Disco. It's a great story in its own right — a sad one. People may prefer comdey, but life only writes dramas.
Still with me, mister Harrow?

Oh, I'm really torn on this one. Let me be clear - the majority of the negative reviews are valid. The game has many flaws and certainly greatly underdelivered on many promises.
Specifically:
1) The game was clearly rushed and undercooked. Somewhere towards the middle they take away even the illusion of any agency from the player and all you could do from that point forward is to follow the script. It completely stops being a game and becomes a book with some visuals.
2) Almost non of the mechanics promised or hinted in the demo materialized in any meaningful way. The "mind map" for example is completely pointless, you can delete it from the game completely and pretty much nothing changes. In its core - it is an adventure game with adventure game mechanics.
3) The game takes itself way too seriously. Take "void of resignation" sequence for example. I get what developers were trying to say, I really do. But holy crap. This is a game - not an art piece. Players supposed to enjoy playing it.
So why do I leave a positive review? Well, in the end of the day - it is an interesting story supported by great colorful art. You just need to take the game as it is without specific expectations: treat it as a semi-interactive book, similar to telltale games.

Writing this right after finishing the game. It worths every second of your time. Really, give it a chance, don't read the comments and review, don't make any expectations, neither low nor high. Just play it through. Let the game play you more, than you play it.

Also want to comment on some highlights from over reviews:
- I agree, that it is more linear, than you expect. I agree, that 'choices matter' in this case might be misleading. But it doesn't make the game worse, it is just different from what you may expect. It is not Disco_Elysium_Two, but it doesn't have to be.
- Balance, inspiration, motivation: I saw that some players mentioned lack of points of motivation in the game, but I don't think that it is a bug or something. I played it through before the update and didn't meet any problems with it.
- If it becomes to be boring, frustrating, depressing: trust the process. It has to be like that at some point. Yes, including the unskippable cut scenes and weirdness with actions that you've already made. It is part of the story
- More an art than a game: I agree with this. It isn't some kind of playground with the time loop settings. But it doesn't have to be that also

I really want the game to prosper and negative reviews break my heart. Yes, Rue Valley requires a special mood to play it. Yes, it requires a couple dozens of hours of your time. But it's an experience that has to be lived through, end-to-end.

If you quit the game in the middle, because it disappointed your expectations, give it a chance to show you the whole story.

I think it's just a specific genre, and I see very few of games like that. But it's worth it, really. The ending totally destroyed me and then collected all of the parts of my heart into something new. I haven't felt this way about a game for a very long time. And I'm grateful for the possibility to feel that way!

Thanks to developers, artists and all of the people who made this game released. I think everybody has to play it in certain period of life.

p.s.: I'm sorry if I made some grammar or spelling mistakes, English is not my first language

Rue Valley is a narrative-driven, Disco Elysium-inspired mystery game with very light RPG elements. If you love a good, intriguing mystery where your choices have consequences, you will enjoy this game. However, if reading a lot while playing isn’t your thing, this game might not be for you.
The gameplay revolves around exploring, talking to characters, and completing Intentions (essentially quests) to learn more about people and events through the Mind Map (think Sherlock Holmes games), with an added twist of time management. You’ll often need to be in the right place at the right time, with specific conditions met, to make progress. But don’t worry - you always get another loop to try again. (Yes, it’s a time-loop game, but that’s part of the premise, not a spoiler.)
Pros:
- The main story hooks you from the very first loop and keeps you engaged until the very end. The pacing is spot-on, with new discoveries constantly driving you to play more and uncover the secrets of Rue Valley and its quirky inhabitants.
- The comic book-like visual style is truly gorgeous and a pleasure to look at. The colour palette is soothing and pleasant, which makes the game even more beautiful. And while the visuals are highly stylized, they’re also full of subtle details if you pay attention.
- A motley crew of intriguing characters that are really well written, it will push you to learn more about all of them while trying to untangle the enigma that keeps you trapped in this good-forsaken motel.
- I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the game’s dialogue is voiced - something I didn’t expect. Not only that, but the voice acting is excellent. The actors understood the assignment perfectly and really brought the uniqueness of each character to life.
- The atmospheric soundtrack complements the game’s overall tone and mood beautifully. It perfectly captures the shifting states of mind of your character, as well as the distinct vibe of each location you visit.
- I like the freedom of choosing how to approach each loop and how to spend my 47 minutes of in-game time. You gather information, unlock memories, and complete Intentions (essentially quests) at your own pace and in whatever order feels most natural to you (within the currently available options).
- You can - and often will - fail certain dialogue or action checks if you don’t choose the right options, so be careful. You can save-scum if you want, but that kind of defeats the purpose of role-playing, if you ask me.
Cons:
- I don’t like how over-the-top some dialogue options tied to character traits can sound; at times, they border on comical and lack nuance.
- Similarly, the game’s approach to personality building feels too black-and-white. For example, you’re forced to choose between being an Introvert or an Extrovert, with no room for the messy, in-between reality most people inhabit. The same goes for other aspects of the system, which also rely on strict either-or choices.
- In general, the character personality system feels a bit barebones and simple compared to Disco Elysium. It lacks depth, but I guess it serves its purpose.
- Some aspects of the game could use QoL improvements and polish.

Game was good. I completed it, only mentioning that so people know this review is coming from someone who actually saw it through to the end.

here are some thoughts to help you decide if you want to buy it -

- First up, for anyone who is on this store page looking for something, anything to fill the void left by disco elysium (like I was), I think we are all going to have to accept that whatever magic was conjured in the making of that game will probably never be conjured again. As hard as that is. However - this game will scratch the itch, it is very good in its own right.

-My fear for this game is, 9/10 players won't be able to get through it. Yes i get it its a loop, but there were times where there was, in my opinion, avoidable tedium for the player from a developer standpoint.

-The game would benefit enormously from being fully voiced. The narrator (or whoever is talking to you through the game, your inner monologue maybe?), desperately needs to be voiced. Though i fully acknowledge the resources required to achieve this may not have been possible for the developer at the time of releasing the game.

- Some lack of polish toward the end starts to come through, minor things, but noticeable. Dialogue choices repeating and not clearing after being executed, which was not the case for the preceding 95 percent of the game.


Anyways all and all, a recommendation. A great entry into the genre, despite some things that could have made it a bit better.

I'm aware of the negative and mixed reviews for this game, and personally I wish I'd waited a few weeks or months for a handful of tweaks to come out. I think for now I will review this positively, though that's not without quite a few caveats.

Rue Valley is a beautifully written, but flawed game. I was ready for it to end after my (12 hour?) runtime - but I do feel like much of it will stay with me long after I'm done. It's an interesting take on the genre - with obvious comparisons to Disco Elysium, I enjoyed the 'hook' of the time loop and the way the game was structured. I think my first few hours with the game suggested there'd be MORE to do with that structure.... but by halfway through, I had accepted that this is very close to being a visual novel with a few extra steps.

The game never demands very much for you. You're never allowed to make your own conclusions - you are roleplaying Eugene and exist only to guide him to the game's triggers to proceed. Once I accepted this, my enjoyment of the game increased... though I always wished for more agency.

It also never felt like your dialogue choices mattered all that much, which is one of the most damning things I can say about the game. You are constantly presented with dialogue options... but I regularly failed to see how any of those options impacted the story or characters. Again... you are following a pre-set path and exist only to click next.


The skill system might as well not have existed, with how pointless and obscure it is.

HOWEVER, saying all of that... You are Eugene Harrow. You roleplay a brilliantly written, tragic character and the game captures the feeling of being lost and pulling at a thread to unravel his mystery. Eugene's thought processes are (usually) justifiable and make sense to the character. I found much of the internal dialogue compelling and believable. Similarly, the side characters are brilliantly written and voice acted... Without spoiling anything, some of them become key players in Eugene's 'therapy' and their stories are both moving and compelling.

I believe there was a bug with some dialogue playing, which definitely hampered my experience. I'd like it all voice acted, and I certainly felt there was a lot of that missing. I'd also love to see more animation in the comic book-style backdrops. Towards the finale, the story called for holding a dying character's hand.... While Eugene's avatar awkwardly stood looking off in the other direction.

The writing is lovely. The music and art is lovely. The characters will stay with me for a long time. I believe this will be a much better game with a bit more work and I hope that work is done. For now, I... sort of recommend.... but I'd say it'd be better to wait for fixes.