Demo for Rue Valley is Now Available on Steam

Indie developer Emotion Spark Studio announced that a demo of Rue Valley is now available on Steam. There’s no word yet on when the game is officially coming out.

The game offers a deeply personal narrative game that focuses on a man who is on a journey of self-discovery and resilience. He’s on a quest to try and break free from a mysterious time loop. For him, each day is an uphill battle versus the shadows of his own mind. Along the way, he encounters a truly captivating ensemble of characters, each one wrestling with their own emotional complexities and revealing hidden depths as he gets to know them.

Game Development

On the Human Can Opener Podcast, the studio shared that development of the game started way back in 2020. The team, composed of four developers, took inspiration from different titles like Outer Wilds and Disco Elysium. One of the features of the game are the time-loop mechanics, where time moves forward only through player interaction. Then there are the NPCs that have their own unique worldviews and help breathe life into the game. Meanwhile, the personality system lets players shape the traits of their characters to make sure that each playthrough is unique.

Intricate Narratives

Rue Valley offers Visual Novel aspects where players get to explore intricate narratives while also making meaningful choices and forge those deep connections with the people. Players can craft their very own personality in the game. For example, they can be a cold-hearted loner who overthinks everything or maybe become a melodramatic loudmouth who always trusts their gut instinct.

Storing Memories

The game has players store memories in a graph which let them unlock intentions and mindsets as they progress uniquely through the story. They can commit to those quirky mindsets to get those unexpected and hilarious dialogues. They can even experience personality-altering Status Effects like becoming more outgoing when drunk or being extra sensitive when anxious.

System Requirements

For those who want to try the demo, the minimum requirements for the PC are: