Although no official Rue Valley release date has been announced up to this point, it recently received a valuable endorsement from lead Disco Elysium designer Robert Kurvitz.
That very fact has audiences anticipating its release, which is now confirmed for Nintendo Switch, as well as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
The drama that unfolded behind the scenes regarding the Disco Elysium studio ZA/UM controversy which led to a major legal battle, has dashed any hope of a direct sequel in the near future.
However, being the influential game that it was, it’s inspired a whole host of spiritual successors which have been dubbed Disco-likes.
What is Rue Valley?
Every game that has looked to follow in the footsteps of Disco Elysium has generally tried to incorporate its own unique element, while crafting a narrative which is more interested in the internal emotions of characters and players, rather than the epic fantasy adventure associated with games like Baldur’s Gate.
Rue Valley is no exception to this. In the game, you play as a man struggling with his mental health while also finding himself stuck in a time loop.
This creates room for the game to discuss issues around mental health — with leading men’s mental health charity Movember collaborating with publisher Owlcat — while providing an interesting narrative hook and mystery to unravel.
Who endorsed Rue Valley?
Robert Kurvitz wasn’t the only major ex-Disco Elysium developer to play Rue Valley. He was also joined by fellow writer Helen Hindpere and art director Aleksander Rostov.
Each of them had positive things to say about the game, with Hindpere commenting on both its similarities and divergences from Disco Elysium, while Rostov discussed the art style in-depth with the team, offering improvements.
Emotion Spark Studio, the developers of Rue Valley, said that Kurvitz was “genuinely excited” while overcoming one of the gameplay challenges.
Rue Valley Release Date
No Rue Valley release date has been announced, but there is a demo available on Steam which can give players a taste of what to expect from the game.
While some details might differ from the final game, playing the demo can give an indication of what to expect from the unique comic book art style and the style of writing.
Rue Valley is also now due for a Nintendo Switch release, as well as on PSG, Xbox and PC.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other Disco-likes to keep your eye on, from ZA/UM’s next game Project C4 to the spins countless other developers will put on the genre.
