Valley (2016)

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 51
  3. Negative: 3 out of 51

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  1. PublicNuisance
    Dec 29, 2019
    7
    Valley holds a special place for me as it’s one of the few platformers that tells a great story. Many platformers that try to include a story usually have a poor one to the point it may have been better to not have one. I would go as far as saying that Valley has possibly the best one I have seen. Luckily the gameplay is fun to go through as well and, save for a few issues I had, was veryValley holds a special place for me as it’s one of the few platformers that tells a great story. Many platformers that try to include a story usually have a poor one to the point it may have been better to not have one. I would go as far as saying that Valley has possibly the best one I have seen. Luckily the gameplay is fun to go through as well and, save for a few issues I had, was very enjoyable.

    You begin the game as an archaeologist that is trying to find something called the “Lifeseed”. You go exploring the Canadian Rockies for it via canoe but end up with the canoe destroyed and stranded in a valley where you find a special suit that was developed in World War II that gives the user the ability to run very fast; jump long distances; and great heights. You also discover that with the suit you can take life away from things such as trees and animals or give it back. This can have an effect as any time you die you take life away from the valley and have to give some back to keep a balance. You can only do this by constantly collecting more energy. You play the rest of the game trying to figure out what went on at this base all those years ago and why nobody is there now. In order to explore the base you must use the suit to solve platforming issues and various puzzles. You pick up various audio logs and notes that piece together the backstory. It made me think of Bioshock a bit with the audio logs.

    I enjoyed the platforming in the game as unlike some others it feels a little more natural with the keyboard and mouse. That being said a gamepad would still be easier for the platforming but there are parts of the game that are very much a first person shooter where you have to battle enemies made of energy that I would despise doing with a gamepad. The puzzles were for the most part logical and didn’t feel like they tried to force you into a solution that was pulled out of thin air and didn’t use reason. That being said I did have a few issues. You die if you get submerged in water. The reason given is the weight of the suit drags you down to the bottom to drown. I’ll give the developers credit on coming up with a reasonable explanation as to why water is an instant death. I will say though that it has some real short sighted problems because you die even if you’re only ankle deep in water. That makes no sense. It also made me angry when later in the game in a cutscene you land in water and are somehow able to swim to the top and survive where all game I had been punished if so much as a foot entered the water. Also at certain points I can walk through a waterfall and survive. Basically the rules about when water will harm you are all over the place and annoying. This is a small thing though that didn’t stop my overall enjoyment of the game. I noticed that all flags appeared black. I’m not sure if this was a glitch or not. There was also one time I tried to jump on a tree branch but went through it. This only happened the once though.

    The graphics of Valley are pretty decent overall. The lighting; water; shadows; and sun rays are all above average. I can’t name anything that stands out as a negative. I also can’t say that anything is the best in gaming even for when the game came out. I would say for the resources of a small studio they did better than most. The soundtrack of Valley was awesome and deserves mention. It had a great blend of fast paced and slow peaceful orchestra type music.

    I played Valley on Linux. It had an option for Vsync; six different graphic options; four settings for AA; and an option for AO. There was no option for manual saves as the game relies on checkpoint saves. You can’t change controls but you only have four buttons to use so it wasn’t a big deal. The game uses the Unity engine. I played the game with everything on highest except AA, AO and motion blur which were all turned off. My resolution was 1080P. The reason I did this was the game would drop from 60 FPS down the the 40’s pretty often. With those options off it only happened once maybe every half hour. Typically it ran at 50-60 FPS. The game used between 12-23% of my CPU; 5-6.6GB of system RAM; 2.6GB of VRAM; and 40-55% of my GPU. Overall it wasn’t the most optimized game I have played but far from the worst. The graphics were great but they didn’t seem like they should drop my frame rate to the 40’s and when it happened was almost random. Alt-Tab didn’t work. One weird issue I encountered was the graphics options wouldn’t always save until later in the game when they would. For most of it I had to set them each time I launched the game. The game used 4.09GB of disk space. The game didn’t crash once on me.

    I finished the game in 4 hours 18 minutes. I paid $10.99 CAD and would say it easily worth $20.

    My System:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 580 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 19.2.7 | Samsung 850 Evo 250GB | Kernel 5.4.2-1    … Expand
  2. KillingArts
    Aug 27, 2016
    10
    Wow! Just wow! This game came unexpected. Never heard of it before. The screenshots looked a bit like a walking simulator with a few gameplay elements. The description was vague. I didn't expect too much. To be honest, I just bought it because I had wallet left from trading card sales, so I had to pay only 2€ on top of that. But now that I know the game - it's easily worth the money. ItWow! Just wow! This game came unexpected. Never heard of it before. The screenshots looked a bit like a walking simulator with a few gameplay elements. The description was vague. I didn't expect too much. To be honest, I just bought it because I had wallet left from trading card sales, so I had to pay only 2€ on top of that. But now that I know the game - it's easily worth the money. It really blew me away.

    When you start the game, you will in fact think this is a walking simulator. After just a few minutes - when you get your suit - you will probably think: oh, it's more of a running simulator. This will be fun! Well, the game actually has absolutely nothing to do with a walking simulator. It opens up more and more and more. At some point even combat is introduced. The game takes its time, so that when you have your first fight, you are really surprised that this is in the game. You get new upgrades for your suit on a regular basis. And what awesome upgrades those are. I'd say the double jump is the least exciting of them. Wait until you are in your first speed tunnel... ;)

    Aside from all that the game has this really great life/death mechanic. You can take life, and you can give life. This works with animals, trees and other plants. So if you really need it, you can take from nature. But don't take too much. The valley itself also has some sort of HP meter. It's an interesting and innovative concept. I like it a lot.

    The story is mostly told through audio logs and notes. This may sound boring to some of you, but it really isn't. You listen to the audio logs while playing, and the notes are pretty short - so neither of those will hinder your game flow. The story is pretty interesting. It didn't take long until I really wanted to know what the hell happened in the valley.

    The graphics are awesome. And the sound design is absolutely fantastic. The world is well designed and interesting. Well, almost everything about this game is just great. The only negative thing I can think of is the difficulty. It's a little too easy. But that's really a minor complaint.

    My playthrough was exactly 5:57h long.

    Overall this is just a great game. A real indie gem. And I hope it get's the attention it deserves.

    And if you're using a 21:9 monitor like me, please check this out: http://steamcommunity.com/app/378610/discussions/0/352792037314730094/    … Expand
  3. Evono
    Aug 26, 2016
    10
    This Game i don't know what to say. i probably played around 300+ games already. and each year i think this new game is Meh or medium good only rare ones surprise me and make me really think "wow" or make me play it straight in one session till end ( because its so great )

    - This game i cant describe it. its Fantastic, it looks GREAT , the sounds are GREAT , the Story is GREAT ( if    This Game i don't know what to say. i probably played around 300+ games already. and each year i think this new game is Meh or medium good only rare ones surprise me and make me really think "wow" or make me play it straight in one session till end ( because its so great )

    -

    This game i cant describe it. its Fantastic, it looks GREAT , the sounds are GREAT , the Story is GREAT ( if you read the papers too ) it made me think wow in a lot of parts , there were a lot of game parts that were plain fun.

    i will buy it as soon as i can (i played it at a friend) atm iam extremely poor but as soon as i can i will support this dev , this dev is Probably one of the few out there that really deserves each penny . you see and feel the love put into this game at every corner every mile of this game

    the game was a bit short. but really it entertainment on multiple levels better as most AAA titles in the last years !

    Had 0 Bugs with it .    … Expand
  4. PaulPolicarp
    Aug 27, 2016
    8
    Valley aggresively pushes above and beyond the industry-established scope of narrative-driven exploration games. It fills the gaps between the story bits with dynamic gameplay and fun traversal, offering you a wide array of tools to get across the environments. The valley itself is beautifully designed, offering the occasional breathtaking view and the soundtrack is fantastic. Because ofValley aggresively pushes above and beyond the industry-established scope of narrative-driven exploration games. It fills the gaps between the story bits with dynamic gameplay and fun traversal, offering you a wide array of tools to get across the environments. The valley itself is beautifully designed, offering the occasional breathtaking view and the soundtrack is fantastic. Because of its constant change of pace, I found myself enjoying the storytelling of Valley far more than the likes of something like Everyone's Gone To The Rapture and found the traversal to be far more compelling than what the Mirror's Edge series had to offer. Valley has story for those seeking story, collectibles for those into completion, traversal and combat for the adventurers and nice sights and sounds for explorers. In fact, the heaviest criticism I can weigh against it is that it could have been just a bit more challenging, but at the end of the day, Valley is a textbook case of a "walking simulator" done incredibly right.… Expand
  5. jasper6333
    Aug 30, 2016
    10
    Man what a great little gem this is. gameplay is so much fun and relaxing, story is awesome, graphics looks great and length is reasonable but there is some replayability (at least for the completionists and speed runners among us) finished first run in just over 3 hours still did not discover everything and second run i wanted to do a speedrun now 2/3 into the game and just one hour in.Man what a great little gem this is. gameplay is so much fun and relaxing, story is awesome, graphics looks great and length is reasonable but there is some replayability (at least for the completionists and speed runners among us) finished first run in just over 3 hours still did not discover everything and second run i wanted to do a speedrun now 2/3 into the game and just one hour in.

    this game is really amazing and for the completionists, speed runners and casual gamers a must buy and potential game of the year.    … Expand
  6. SuperkenGaming
    Aug 28, 2016
    7
    Valley
    A calming adventure…
    Valley is a mirrors edge meets sonic the hedgehog first person 3d platforming feeling walking simulator game… Hard concept to wrap your head around, but it feels great… The game takes place as the title suggests in a valley... Youre there to search for the lifeseed You get a leaf suit very early on and as you progress youll unlock new powers for this suit…    Valley
    A calming adventure…
    Valley is a mirrors edge meets sonic the hedgehog first person 3d platforming feeling walking simulator game…
    Hard concept to wrap your head around, but it feels great…
    The game takes place as the title suggests in a valley...
    Youre there to search for the lifeseed
    You get a leaf suit very early on and as you progress youll unlock new powers for this suit…
    The first half of valley is so beautifully calming that as I sate in my first impressions video relieved me of all my real world stress almost instantaneously…
    The music and atmosphere is perfect…
    I almost felt like I was in a first person crash bandicoot game with 0 threat.....
    running through the hills with these adorably glowy guys running around, collecting orbs and breathing life into dead trees and animals that I didn’t understand why I was doing this at first, but It felt great…
    And then you learn why..
    The animals were dead because of a government project going on…
    these leaf suits are powered by life… and to give life you have to take life…
    So every time you die in a platforming section you take life from the valley…
    Animals and plants die…
    You can bring them back to life though with the blue orbs you find around… which is also your leaf suits fuel for pulling off new moves during the 2nd half of the game…
    So it’s a careful balance between making sure your suit has energy and keeping the valley at full health while you try and get to the life seed…
    The 2nd half of the game though, I feel takes a turn for the worst as things get more gray and colorless…
    I’m not a fan of factory or station type settings, and this is where the majority of the 2nd half takes place…
    The 2nd half is when things shift from feeling like a 3d platformer into more mirrors edge…
    You’ll get new abilities like being able to swing by a chain, double jumping.. walking up magnetic walls and 2 of my favorites being able to run faster on tracks and being able to run on water…
    These moments were some of my favorite in the game…
    These new abilities keep the game feeling fresh and really make the 4 and half hour long journey fly by…
    During your journey you’ll also run into some enemies that drain life from you, but you can defeat them by giving them life…
    they’re a little annoying, nothing too bad to deal with, but I personally felt they were pointless…
    Valley Is definitely an awesome experience that by the games end will have you questioning everything you just did to get to that point…
    But its weak factory levels hinder it enough from ever reaching an overall solid level of greatness…
    I give Valley
    a 7/10    … Expand
  7. TRONlol
    Aug 27, 2016
    10
    Freaking loved it.
    One of these rare good indie games that come out once every blue moon, highly recommended for players who enjoy exploring and giving in to the story, makes you wonder why didnt they make a sonic game like this.
  8. Gridhunter
    Aug 29, 2016
    10
    This game was a blast to play and due to its high production value and quality, deserves any gamers attention. It is an indie title casting a shadow on so many AAA developed products. Two thumbs up and three dwarven axes from me!
  9. dandalis
    Nov 2, 2016
    6
    Its pretty much a walking simulator in disguise. Tho its much more fun running, leaping and jumping than just tediosuly walking like you normaaly do in those. The plot and the mysteries surrounding it were pretty cool, but the closer it got to the ending, the more it lost its steam. Also at 20 $ for just around 4 hours of game time its pretty hard to reccomend.

    As for performance it ran    Its pretty much a walking simulator in disguise. Tho its much more fun running, leaping and jumping than just tediosuly walking like you normaaly do in those. The plot and the mysteries surrounding it were pretty cool, but the closer it got to the ending, the more it lost its steam. Also at 20 $ for just around 4 hours of game time its pretty hard to reccomend.

    As for performance it ran pretty poorly on my system even on lowest settings, but then again i didnt expect anything else from a game made in the abysmal Unity engine...    … Expand
  10. Budget_Security
    Oct 14, 2018
    5
    A decent adventure platforming game, with some flaws.

    Pros: - Solid platforming mechanics. The speed feels exhilarating. - Excellent soundtrack. - Some areas look quite nice. - Decent unintrusive storytelling, conveyed through audio tapes and notes you can find. - Easy and Relaxing. - Good length for an indie game (8 hours for me). Cons: - Dated graphics. Some very dull    A decent adventure platforming game, with some flaws.

    Pros:
    - Solid platforming mechanics. The speed feels exhilarating.
    - Excellent soundtrack.
    - Some areas look quite nice.
    - Decent unintrusive storytelling, conveyed through audio tapes and notes you can find.
    - Easy and Relaxing.
    - Good length for an indie game (8 hours for me).

    Cons:
    - Dated graphics. Some very dull looking segments.
    - Mediocre optimisation, as is typical for Unity engine games. Levels also load a bit slow.
    - Poor save system. Loading a save puts you back at level start. It can take a while to get back to where you were.
    - Some settings like music volume reset every time I load the game. Default volume is far too loud.
    - Too easy for some veteran gamers who need a challenge (I don't mind though).
    - Mouse lag with some graphics settings, even at 60fps.
    - Mouse Y-axis has far lower sensitivity than X-axis and can't be adjusted (I got used to it though).
    - Intrusive HUD that can't be toggled off.

    Conclusion: recommended, but maybe wait for a sale.    … Expand
  11. ZaPaAl
    Feb 2, 2019
    6
    It's a very short game (3-5 hours for a normal run) but manages to feel too long.

    It takes a long time to get to the more fun gameplay elements, including a lot of speed, but the levels still feel much to spacey and the controls tend to be clonky. There is not really a whole lot interesting to explore, except some rather grindy medallions finding, which does not acchieve anything    It's a very short game (3-5 hours for a normal run) but manages to feel too long.

    It takes a long time to get to the more fun gameplay elements, including a lot of speed, but the levels still feel much to spacey and the controls tend to be clonky.

    There is not really a whole lot interesting to explore, except some rather grindy medallions finding, which does not acchieve anything really special in the end. Some visuals and sceneries can be nice.

    Game has 2 types of enemies. Strategy and fighting is not at all a strong part of this game. It's more about finding the path, which is mostly easy to find. Only difficulty are in the viper coil parts and that's because of controller aiming issues.

    Story is kind of ok, but quite a bit foggy and spread apart. Game feels like a super compressed Zelda without NPCs, monsters, RPG elements and with more realistics graphics and a more serious story background.    … Expand
  12. Mandulum
    Apr 22, 2018
    5
    Five Word Review: It's essentially walking simulator.
    Favorite Thing: The LEAF suit can be pretty fun, especially when you're soaring over the treetops.
    Least Favorite Thing: The save system is inexcusably bad; it's nearly non-existent. If you quit in the middle of a level you get to start over at the beginning, yay! Date Completed: 2018-04-17 Playtime: 4h Enjoyment: 5/10    Five Word Review: It's essentially walking simulator.
    Favorite Thing: The LEAF suit can be pretty fun, especially when you're soaring over the treetops.
    Least Favorite Thing: The save system is inexcusably bad; it's nearly non-existent. If you quit in the middle of a level you get to start over at the beginning, yay!

    Date Completed: 2018-04-17
    Playtime: 4h
    Enjoyment: 5/10
    Recommendation: Ennnhhhhh. It was okay. If there was a maybe button I'd hit it but there are better ways to spend your time.    … Expand
  13. Klewer
    Dec 31, 2018
    7
    A good action platformer with an interesting story and mechanics. It feels like it is building to something and the ending feels a little rushed. However it's still well worth a look with good look, great music and a nice story.
  14. Mykwon
    Aug 21, 2017
    9
    Beautiful, fun, nice story with an innovative plot, clever gaming mechanisms. That's a hit. Reminded me of "A story of my uncle" but with much less challenging (frustrating?) platforming so this game is just pure joy. The best part was running of the railway tracks at huge speed, with the music becoming epic as you accelerate. The feeling was awesome! This game should definitely get a VRBeautiful, fun, nice story with an innovative plot, clever gaming mechanisms. That's a hit. Reminded me of "A story of my uncle" but with much less challenging (frustrating?) platforming so this game is just pure joy. The best part was running of the railway tracks at huge speed, with the music becoming epic as you accelerate. The feeling was awesome! This game should definitely get a VR version. Got it for $5 and I regret nothing!… Expand
  15. PaulJazz24
    Nov 1, 2020
    8
    Very interesting story and wonderful artwork. A very engaging exploration game. The only drawback is that you have to restart from the beginning of the level (and levels are BIG!) EVERY TIME you restart the game. Very annoying. Otherwise is a nice game.
  16. jantsas
    Apr 7, 2017
    9
    'Valley' is all about exploration, high speed aside reflective moments, a strong storyline, wonderful views from often unusual viewpoints, cumulative skills granting players new and often surprising impulses, some charming creatures etc. Combat may be stereotypical and less challenging, but this is not a shooter game. In short, I strongly disagree with the negative criticism by'Valley' is all about exploration, high speed aside reflective moments, a strong storyline, wonderful views from often unusual viewpoints, cumulative skills granting players new and often surprising impulses, some charming creatures etc. Combat may be stereotypical and less challenging, but this is not a shooter game. In short, I strongly disagree with the negative criticism by professional reviewers. I guess they expected a different game or maybe they have played too many games to really enjoy this one. Too bad, because I certainly did.… Expand
  17. ElQueDiceLaVerd
    Dec 7, 2018
    9
    I do not know what I expected from Valley, I did not know anything about it, but in the images it looked decent, because the trailer did not say much either.
    Upon entering I found an environment that absorbs you from the first moment with a relaxing experience, but mainly a soundtrack that knows how to guide you to what he wants at all times.
    Valley is worth it, he has his mistakes, but    I do not know what I expected from Valley, I did not know anything about it, but in the images it looked decent, because the trailer did not say much either.
    Upon entering I found an environment that absorbs you from the first moment with a relaxing experience, but mainly a soundtrack that knows how to guide you to what he wants at all times.
    Valley is worth it, he has his mistakes, but for my part they are not so important because what he tried to tell, he did.    … Expand
  18. SandiegoArcade
    Feb 25, 2020
    9
    Valley is a hidden gem that doesn't do anything new but what is does do it gets it right. The game is tranquil and short and combat is down to a minimum and can be completely avoided for the most part but the fun is in some platforming, running and minor exploration. It's the kind of game that leaves you wanting more but I guess that is for the better since the story wraps itself up justValley is a hidden gem that doesn't do anything new but what is does do it gets it right. The game is tranquil and short and combat is down to a minimum and can be completely avoided for the most part but the fun is in some platforming, running and minor exploration. It's the kind of game that leaves you wanting more but I guess that is for the better since the story wraps itself up just when it needs to. Play this game it is near perfect for a indie game. Oh and the graphics and atmosphere are great visuals.… Expand
  19. bar0yka
    May 13, 2023
    6
    iyi düşünülmüş ama oyunu pek yansıtılamamış bir hikaye ve büyük optimizasyon sorunları var sildim 2 saat oyanyıp

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. CD-Action
    Nov 18, 2016
    50
    The studio behind Slender: The Arrival tried to combine Mirror’s Edge with a first person shooter and inject it with Ori and the Blind Forest’s atmosphere, but only managed to prove that it’s often better to focus on one thing and get it right. [11/2016, p.70]
  2. GameSpot
    Aug 30, 2016
    70
    Valley feels like a good first act. Despite obstacles that tend to abruptly kill your momentum, running and bounding through wilderness remained exciting. The world's history is so intriguing that I left wanting to know more. I didn't want the adventure to end, and like a jogger who's forced to slow down in the middle of a run, I was frustrated that Valley had to end so soon after it began.
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  3. Hardcore Gamer
    Aug 24, 2016
    70
    Granted, it’s easy to see this unique take on the first-person experience fall by the wayside, especially when you consider its initial technical follies and weak player onboarding, but flaws aside, Valley has the potential to serve as an introduction to the first-person adventure genre for players who are used to more combat-heavy experiences.
    Read full review