The protagonist of Rue Valley is paranoid and arrogant, measuring each of his actions with scrutiny. Or, he’s awkward and guilt-ridden, finding himself apologizing far too often. Really, his personality is in constant flux, drawn from both the player’s actions as they inhabit the man and the repercussions of his time loops in the enigmatic Rue Valley, a desolate, desert-like place with a fiery sky that sees him wake at 8:00 PM, over and over again. Trapped in the same 47 minutes, Eugene Harrow suffers an astute lack of motivation, faced with a court-mandated therapy session he finds meaningless, the neon-slicked streets of the old motel he’s been placed in, and the echoed memories of his past, which he can’t quite confront yet.
There’s already much to be admired about Rue Valley‘s artistic direction, its isometric environments beautifully rendered with the appearance of being hand-painted. The game looks to channel comic book aesthetics with an attention to detail befitting of the game’s solemn landscape, from the trash at the wayside of Rue Valley’s motel to the glow of an overhanging light above a bar pool table. Its dialogue tree opens up like panels of a comic book, complete with expressionist character portraits that draw clear parallels to Disco Elysium‘s own, obscuring the silhouette of a sketchy sales caller or drawing slick, neon lines against a reckless driver’s face as he crashes past the motel’s vacancy sign. Rue Valley‘s characters clearly have troubles of their own, though whether they reach Harry Du Bois levels of disaster remains to be seen.
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Different Loops, Different Personalities
At least in Eugene’s case, the amount of pathetic points that players wish to inject into him is somewhat up to their discretion. Personality points allow Rue Valley‘s protagonist to waver between impulsive and calculated, introverted and extraverted, sensitive and indifferent, and somewhere in between, though traits are less a case of ‘good versus bad’ and more a scale of how adverse his personality can get. Too much impulsiveness can make him reckless or impatient; too much introversion: awkward or secretive. Traits can be switched around with some degree of freedom, though all personality points must be allocated, making him bound for some levels of ruin through the actions and dialogue that open up accordingly.
A New Disaster Protagonist in the Making
Rue Valley‘s use of prose, much like in Disco Elysium, gives further weight to its environments, helping to contextualize the spaces within Eugene’s pessimism. Of the gameplay available in the title’s alpha stage, it’s already clear that there is a case of repression in its protagonist’s mind. Thoughts gather toward the end of each time loop, comprised of obscured memories from before Rue Valley which Eugene can’t bring himself to face, along with the experiences he’s accumulated in the events of the loop, changing with the course of new dialogue and actions to take. The realization of the time loop’s existence is enough to shake him from his lack of motivation, and upon starting a new loop, Eugene’s personality will alter according to his most recent choices.
Compiling (and Running From) Memories
Rue Valley‘s conceit is an interesting shake-up of Disco Elysium‘s own amnesiac plot. Rather than losing his memories, Eugene’s ability to remember the events of each loop will undoubtedly serve to help him escape his circumstances and could lay the groundwork for some interesting choices to branch from. Still, like Harry’s broken heart, Eugene’s past beyond Rue Valley remains a question to be gathered through context clues, and judging from the court-mandated therapy sessions, it seems like confronting his troubles will play a crucial part in his escape from his time-addled dilemma. Promising a journey of ‘self-discovery and resilience,’ it looks like Rue Valley will explore themes of mental health in much the way that Disco did, which should leave an emotional tale in store for players.
Rue Valley is currently in development by Emotion Spark Studio, being published under Owlcat Games. As of November 14th, the title has begun its open-alpha stage, available to everyone on its Steam page. In the wake of Disco Elysium‘s legacy, it’ll be refreshing to see a title that takes inspiration while putting its own spin on things. The game’s time loop premise, though a common one, could be the perfect anchor to its personality system while working within the confines of environmental and asset reuse that comes with smaller-scale indies. So far, it’s clear the title is making strides to innovate while paying homage, and any Disco fans should be sure to keep an eye out for future updates.
- Released
- 2025
- Developer(s)
- Emotion Spark Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Owlcat Games
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- Number of Players
- 1