Rue Valley

Rue Valley is an investigative adventure about a man trying to escape a time loop. To do so, he must open himself up to the world, talk to the people living in that remote desert town, and learn about the history of the families and events that have shaped it. It’s clear that the main point of reference is Disco Elysium, and while Rue Valley doesn’t reach the same level of interpretive refinement or mechanical complexity, it still offers an interesting, fresh, and entertaining approach. Like all loop-based narratives, it can sometimes become frustrating - especially when transitions and events start to repeat without any apparent progress -but the “mind map” system is very detailed and holds all the answers within it.

Rue Valley is a clever, daring time loop game filled with mental puzzles and meaningful choices. The repetition demands some patience, but its strong story and fresh mechanics make it absolutely worth your time.

Leaves a bit to be desired when it comes to mechanics, but scores in terms of atmosphere, art style and characters. And a good time loop never fails.

It’s not as open-ended as other narrative RPGs and lacks a believable ending, but Rue Valley has an appealing graphic novel aesthetic and engagingly human time-looping story that avoids becoming too repetitive or frustrating each time it resets.

I wish it hadn't squeezed such interesting ideas and a compelling concept (though clearly inspired by Disco Elysium) into a package that fails to excite much and occasionally feels like a time-waster due to some of its mechanics. While Rue Valley could have been so much more, it seems content with being just average.

Rue Valley delivers a striking blend of time-loop mystery, small-town drama, and a heartfelt look at mental health. Its strong writing and atmosphere shine, but shallow choice systems and repetitive loop mechanics hold it back. It’s a compelling premise that ultimately feels uneven.

Rue Valley ends up being a very interesting adventure due to its premise, and it does a good job of subverting and combining its various sources of reference. While the general outlines of the multiple plots are engaging and the possibilities offered by the protagonist's attribute structure contribute to the narrative's diversity, the title sometimes takes on a tiring and unstimulating tone. Even so, although derivative, it's a quite solid product and seems tailor-made for those who constantly think about their own mistakes and imagine having a new opportunity to correct them. It's like a small experiment on the perception of time and regret, whose inconsistent rhythm is responsible for both prolonging and shortening the overall perception of the journey.

Rue Valley shows how depression, grief and mental health problems affect us and those around us. It also the various ways people deal with these issues, how one can learn to live with them and how to find hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. The story looks at these issues without the use of rose-tinted glasses and creates a fascinating experience through its unusual character creation and very well-written and very-acted dialogue, if you're open to this kind of subject matter. However, a certain amount of patience for a few lengths in both gameplay and storytelling, as well some tolerance for small technical issues and limitations are a requirement for your journey to Rue Valley.

Rue Valley has something to say; in fact, it has some things to say. Unfortunately, philosophical intrigue is mired in inconsequential tongue wagging and book reading, as well as gameplay mechanics that feel left at the side of the road close at the start. While I love the vision and ideas, Rue Valley misfires on the launchpad and never makes it into the stratosphere.

An interesting premise with some really good ideas in an exceptionally deep and well-designed world, which ultimately feels lacking both as an adventure/RPG and as a “Disco Clone”.

Ultimately, Rue Valley is a frustrating experience, with too many loose ends and unresolved arcs at the end of the game. It’s unable to make the most of its excellent setup, faltering in the mid and late game stages as you’re forced between slow montages and extremely specific puzzle sequences. It’s a game with great writing and some truly fantastic ways of exploring depression and mental health, but it mechanically falls flat.

An unconventional psychological adventure with grand ambitions and significant flaws, which piques curiosity at the beginning but leaves you feeling bored by the end.

A twisting, turning tale told over a repeating 47-minute timeloop, Rue Valley unfortunately crumbles under the weight of its narrative ambition.

There are some good ideas in Rue Valley's depressioncore time loop, but the execution makes it feel more like a chore than a charm.