Valley

 Xbox One
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 3 out of 22

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  1. 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
  2. MonkeyMan1976
    Aug 26, 2016
    9
    Absolutely love this game! Came out of nowhere. There are some gorgeous landscapes here and when you find the so-called LEAF suit, it creates one of the most fun worlds I have ever experienced. The epic jumps and high speed running is mind blowing. I actually had a smile on my face when I discovered this. Then add in one of the best musical sound tracks i have ever herd for an indie game,Absolutely love this game! Came out of nowhere. There are some gorgeous landscapes here and when you find the so-called LEAF suit, it creates one of the most fun worlds I have ever experienced. The epic jumps and high speed running is mind blowing. I actually had a smile on my face when I discovered this. Then add in one of the best musical sound tracks i have ever herd for an indie game, and I was sold. I think this is a real sleeper hit. Forget the IGN review - utter nonsense. Just saw Jim Sterling's 8.5/10 and a lot of others. Steam fans are loving it with some great comments on finding Valley. Good work!!… Expand
  3. Peptide
    Jul 15, 2018
    2
    Don't be deceived by the good reviews. It's true that I usually only come to metacritic to complain about a game that I had a bad experience with, but this one is worth mentioning.
    At some point in the 2nd level, you gain the ability to throw a grapple against specific grapple points. At first the mechanics seem fun. Run, grapple, release to let your momentum carry you even further not    Don't be deceived by the good reviews. It's true that I usually only come to metacritic to complain about a game that I had a bad experience with, but this one is worth mentioning.
    At some point in the 2nd level, you gain the ability to throw a grapple against specific grapple points. At first the mechanics seem fun. Run, grapple, release to let your momentum carry you even further not to mention the boost jump ability.
    UNFORTUNATELY shortly there after you come to a point with 2 item chests to open and a grapple point ahead. No matter how many times I tried there is no way to build enough momentum to swing through the HUGE HUGE gap that is there. I attempted it over 40 times. Worst of all, if you die a certain amount of times, you do something called "losing the valley" where the valley dies. By letting that happen you lose a 90 point achievement. The only way to get it back is to start the game all over again.
    Up to this point, the game was an easy 8/10, but this one section early on makes it COMPLETELY unplayable. I bought it cuz it was on sale in the MS store. Don't be fooled or duped.
    AVOID this game at all costs. Any potential anxiety issues you would have will thank you for it.
    Pathetic job by Blue Isle Studios. Perhaps you should hire people to actually play test before releasing piles of unplayable garbage. I'll avoid your stuff in the future for sure.
    And yes...I've never been so upset and disappointed in a game.    … Expand
  4. closedsocket
    Dec 29, 2016
    8
    Beautifully done game. The story is deep, but not forced on you. You will have to take time to stop and read the trinkets to benefit from the whole story. The controls are tight, you won't die because of the controls ever. It's a puzzle platformer that doesn't overwhelm you.

    It was a good game, but a great experience.
  5. Evono
    Aug 27, 2016
    10
    This game i dont 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    This game i dont 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 alot of parts , there were alot 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
  6. TheAssimilator
    Jul 8, 2021
    9
    The games is a fun action platformer and i didn't have any problems collecting everything. Peptide complained the valley died but after you die you can heal the valley with your powers so it doesn't fully die out. Also like most adventure games you will obtain power up later on that should cause you to go back and collect things you missed or couldn't access earlier when you first findThe games is a fun action platformer and i didn't have any problems collecting everything. Peptide complained the valley died but after you die you can heal the valley with your powers so it doesn't fully die out. Also like most adventure games you will obtain power up later on that should cause you to go back and collect things you missed or couldn't access earlier when you first find them. This deserves a sequel and there is plenty of story left to explore or return to.… Expand
  7. Weight4Jake
    Jul 20, 2021
    10
    Very good game! If you love games like Ori & The Blind Forrest & other zen type platforming games that are fun and not frustrating then this is for you. If you like Dark Souls like games and enjoy difficult challenges then this game is not for you.
  8. spockivi
    Feb 28, 2023
    9
    If you own an Xbox One, you need to experience Valley. Despite the blurry visuals, it’s an unforgettable game which you’ll love.

Awards & Rankings

90
#90 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2016
85
#85 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. XboxAddict
    Sep 19, 2016
    75
    For a game that centers on life and death, it’s odd that there’s virtually no life within its world that you actually care about. Because of this it’s hard to become truly invested in it, and the constant ‘stop and go’ doesn’t help when you’re trying to keep momentum and fluidity constant. While there are some reasons for some to play through more than once, and find all of the secrets, I found that I was content after seeing the credits roll. Regardless of all its shortcomings though, I’m glad I experienced Valley and got to explore its intriguing world.
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  2. CGMagazine
    Sep 12, 2016
    90
    Sonic the Hedgehog and Bioshock had a lovechild and named it Valley, a sleeper hit that deserves your attention.
    Read full review
  3. 4P.de
    Sep 5, 2016
    65
    It starts very promising. But eventually Blue Isle lost a grip on the direction this had to go. And at the latest when you experience that the life-and-death mechanics are superficial all that is left is to experience the interesting story and the sometimes beautiful visuals.
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