Summary
- Robert Kurvitz, Aleksander Rostov and Helen Hindpere recently endorsed Rue Valley, an upcoming narrative RPG.
- The trio advised Emotion Spark Studio on several aspects of Rue Valley.
- A demo for Rue Valley is currently available on Steam.
There are a lot of studios and games out there claiming to be spiritual successors to Disco Elysium and the original iteration of ZA/UM. This is partially because the team behind Disco Elysium scattered following a contentious period for ZA/UM, and partially because we all have a Disco-sized hole in our hearts that several studios are rushing to fill.
It’s notable that even though we’ve seen several ex-ZA/UM employees announce successor titles, we haven’t seen anything from Robert Kurvitz and Aleksander Rostov’s new venture Red Info. Kurvitz is responsible for creating the setting of Disco Elysium in his novel Sacred and Terrible Air and writing much of the game, while Rostov pioneered the game’s watercolour art style. These two aren’t involved with any of the studios directly claiming successorship over Disco Elysium, and they’ve now endorsed a game that isn’t related to ZA/UM at all.
Creative Collaboration
Kurvitz and Rostov, along with Disco Elysium writer Helen Hindpere, recently endorsed Emotion Spark Studio’s upcoming narrative RPG Rue Valley. If you know of Rue Valley, you’ll likely also have heard the comparisons between it and Disco Elysium. They’re both narrative RPGs, both utilise an isometric camera and both deal with complex emotional themes. Our own Meg Pelliccio previewed Rue Valley in November and said she was “utterly captivated” by her preview.
The trio of Disco Elysium developers visited Emotion Spark in Belgrade to test out Rue Valley and provide informal professional feedback on the title. Kurvitz was described as being “genuinely excited” at overcoming a gameplay challenge, Hindpere called it “refreshingly original” while Rostov visited the studio multiple times to help the team refine Rue Valley’s art style. It’s actually quite heartwarming to hear about this creative collaboration, something that’s rare in gaming because of intellectual property rights and the ever-present commercial rivalry between all studios.
Rue Valley’s premise involves a Groundhog Day scenario where the protagonist has to relive the same time loop over and over again in a small town called Rue Valley. You’ll be able to customise your character’s personality to influence gameplay, and make meaningful choices through dialogue. A demo for Rue Valley is currently available on Steam.
