Rue Valley preview - A sneak peek at a fascinating "Time Loop" narrative RPG

Rue Valley is Owlcat Games' next title, and instead of more Grimdark Tactical action, the developers opted for a narrative RPG that, I’ll be honest, really has captured my attention. This game is a Time Loop, so players will go through the same events, day after day, as they try to struggle through, and put their thoughts and emotions back together. It feels like it tells a pretty dark, sometimes depressing story, but I don’t know the details yet.

I recently got to watch a hands-off preview of Rue Valley, and it really feels like it touches upon topics that people can relate to — even if it’s in an over-the-top way. Who hasn’t felt like they were just grinding through the same day, over and over again? This is in a more literal sense, and I’m excited to see and play more of it at a later date.

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The hands-off look at the upcoming Rue Valley has us very excited

Rue Valley is an emotional story about a man trying to put his life together, as he’s trapped in a strange time loop. He goes through day after day, trying to figure out what went wrong, on this journey of self-discovery. However, this is not a game where you’re going to see any combat. The only combat appears to be with your inner demons and emotions.

It’s about mundane, day-to-day life, with RPG mechanics added to it. Harold, the protagonist will go through the same events, day after day, in what we saw of the game. The way stats look will change the various events you have access to, as the days go on.

Players will put their stat points into one of three lines, and depending on where they fall on that line, will change how that stat functions for them. Each stat has a track, and you can put points on either side of it. This will determine mental and emotional state. There are two extremes on either side, and you can put points on either side to determine what the state of your character is.

• (Impulsive) Impatient, Reckless, Resolute, Paranoid, Indecisive (Calculated)
• (Introverted) Awkward, Secretive, Ambiverted, Nosy, Arrogant (Extraverted)
• (Sensitive) Dramatic, Guilt-Ridden, Mindful, Unkind, Flat (Indifferent)

Your stats determine what you can and cannot do in a variety of situations (Image via Owlcat Games)

Honestly, I really like this: you can define your character’s personal suffering, while also changing how potential events and conversations can go for you. At first, there will be no real telling how these will impact you, and that’s an interesting way to do a stat/conversation system. I really like what Rue Valley’s got going on here.

In the Rue Valley preview, we saw a few days’ worth of events that always start the same. You start in therapy, before returning to the Rue Hotel to try and get into your room. You have to wait and wait for the receptionist to get off the phone before you can collapse in your room. There’s also a woman outside trying to get something out of a vending machine.

The situations this character gets into are certainly interesting (Image via Owlcat Games)

Each day worked just a little differently, depending on what kind of buffs/debuffs your actions gave you. You can store your memories in a graph, which will help unlock a variety of unique interactions, and mindsets to help flesh out your character.

It’s up to you to experiment and puzzle your way through the Rue Motel Time Loop. What I think is fascinating about this, is that each player will approach this differently, depending on the stats they pick and the actions they take.

Combine this with a comic book art style, it all comes together to form a memorable experience. I’m a sucker for a little bit of tragedy, and Rue Valley certainly gives this to me. It’s all up to you and how you put together your character, that shapes your experience. It’s such a brilliant idea.

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Rue Valley has an Open Alpha playtest available now on Steam, and the game will launch sometime in 2025, though a release date is at this time unknown. Owlcat Games really has a game here that’s night-and-day different from Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader, but is equally magnificent in its own way.