This Wednesday, Blue Isle Studios opened pre-ordering for their anticipated action-adventure game Valley. The Toronto-based company is best known for their 2013 title Slender: The Arrival, a survival-horror game based on the cult classic, and co-developed with Parsec Productions. Valley will be available starting August 24th for Xbox One, PS4, and Steam. Players can pre-order their console copy today for $19.99 USD.
In addition to the pre-order announcement, Blue Isle also released an extended trailer for Valley. The video provides some useful insight on Valley’s storyline and gameplay. Those who have played Slender: The Arrival will recognize the dedication to environmental art; textures, sound effects, and realistic blending of level and background seem to be Blue Isle’s forte.
According to the trailer, your character rediscovers an Edenesque pocket in the Rocky Mountains known simply as the Valley. According to legend, there is an ancient artifact in the Valley called the Lifeseed, which is (ironically) capable of causing death on a massive scale. A secret government agency called Pendulum has been searching for the Lifeseed since the Second World War, and while their artificial presence seems to take a toll on the Valley itself, it seems Pendulum’s efforts have so far gone in vain. Perhaps you, in the body-enhancing L.E.A.F. suits Pendulum developed, can find the Lifeseed and use its powers for good.
The trailer’s snippets of gameplay suggest this L.E.A.F. suit allows the player to run and jump at superhuman levels, and the featured grappling hook makes the game seem remarkably similar to A Story about My Uncle. What appears to distinguish Valley is a strange God-like ability to give and take away life from plants and animals. One zap from the player’s gauntlet, and the doe you’re playing with falls limp; another zap and it’s up and running again!
Since a few segments of the game feature blue glowing “life orbs” that go in and out of these creatures, it’s possible that this (Lifeseed?) power acts as the game’s upgrade currency, and perhaps it goes even further. In a game where life and death are literally just a button press away, it makes sense to build a morality feature into the storyline; do you mend the damage Pendulum has done to the Valley or do you finish the job? We’ll have to wait till the 24th to find out.
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