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59 people found this review helpful
3 people found this review funny

Recommended

0.0 hrs last two weeks / 23.7 hrs on record (5.3 hrs at review time)

Posted: 1 Dec, 2019 @ 8:23am
Updated: 24 Dec, 2021 @ 3:28am

A vacation one never asked for...

...with every scenery an absolute splendour

Thoughts and impressions:

To start off, despite being on radar, must confess to state that it's quite outrageous for me to have stalled on such a brilliant jewel of a runner. Never had it occurred to me that behind such a first person platforming, open world parkour-esque title would incorporate such a visual treat under its veil. The first encounter with this one was strictly out of curiosity, in a moment what grasped my attention were the serene landscapes and breathtaking vistas that met my eyes. A simple try-out turned out to be an entire session, sacrificed were the hours of post mid-night which compromised my sleep, yet so, time well spent.

An in-depth look into Valley:

As an explorer, you are equipped with an exoskeleton code named L.E.A.F suit in search of an elusive Item known as the "Lifeseed", said to contain incredible powers. You reach a remote area filled with archaeological excavation sites where you explore and unravel the mysteries and wonders of the land at your footing.

The exoskeleton enables one to jump and sprint at an inhuman level with other unique features in your repertoire as you progress. The "moral compass" mechanic is quite fascinating where you're able to take and give Life to other living creatures, either depleting from your energy or adding to it. Though it isn't quite as polished which to me was something that couldn't be overlooked but that's a matter to cover at a later point.

One genius mechanic that came to my notice which was uniquely exclusive to Valley was where you're made to run faster as you're sprinting down a slope or a steep landscape by building momentum, the extra boost provides a greater leverage at jumping, reaching heights otherwise unattainable.

The story is decent at best and has a deeper message but what's disappointing is the fact that it's covered through audiologs and leaves plenty to be desired, however how it compensates is through the remarkably executed environmental design, impressive voice acting, great audio in conjunction with entertaining mechanics and abilities. Valley succeeds in delivering a joyful experience induced of a thrilling escapade with mesmerizing aesthetics.

With the FOV set to max, and a finger instinctively set on the trigger of the F12 key ( Default screenshot hotkey ). As a hobbyist intermediate photographer, had most of my time inspecting the surroundings for the perfect composition to frame.

Here is an exhibition of a few marvels that you can behold:

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1992016878

-

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2081767096

-

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2064212601

Constructive criticism with a few nit-picks:

Surely, nothing is ever perfect however there's a need to highlight a few issues, quite negligible though: - Valley is well, short in length with little to no replay value, unless you're an achievement hunter and go through it over again, collecting what was missed through out your journey. Aside from that, if you go sightseeing and explore the vast expansive area, you'd surely find yourself accumulating more hours into it. - A lack of backtracking - if only the unlocked features and upgrades could've been used at earlier stages prior to attaining them, by cleverly implementing their usage there, also which would add to the consistency of their use through out the game. - The moral compass mechanic of it seems heavily flawed and imbalanced due to the energy orbs scattered through out the world, not to mention, they're regenerated after covering some ground which deems taking life as redundant. There was potential here but ended up a missed opportunity due to it being unrefined. - At rare occasions, being caught up in between platforms, restlessly pressing everything operable to escape the predicament, to top it off with no reset key at your disposal. - The dreadful save points. With no manual function to save in-game, you'd have to restart the entire level but that isn't an issue for a short game if you're going to play - The bloom effect in-game is high, the Sun especially is most notoriously affected. Adjusting the brightness may reduce the effect but it is visually tampering as you'd want to stay at a sweet spot. The rays of the sun are at times amiss as well.

Final remarks:

To pay up is as if singing up for a virtual vacation trip, granted lacking thereof was the perception of smell - The fragrance of the mystical land that must've emanated and the somatosensory sensations, the feeling of being basked in the warmth of the glorious sunlight and the touch of gushing wind as you sprint into the wilderness, though in spite of such, the experience was certainly not far off.

Indeed a definite banger, especially at a criminally low price during a sale.

[h1] A vacation one never asked for... [/h1]
[i]...with every scenery an absolute splendour[/i]

[h1] Thoughts and impressions: [/h1]

[quote] To start off, despite being on radar, must confess to state that it's quite outrageous for me to have stalled on such a brilliant jewel of a runner. Never had it occurred to me that behind such a first person platforming, open world parkour-esque title would incorporate such a visual treat under its veil. The first encounter with this one was strictly out of curiosity, in a moment what grasped my attention were the serene landscapes and breathtaking vistas that met my eyes. A simple try-out turned out to be an entire session, sacrificed were the hours of post mid-night which compromised my sleep, yet so, time well spent.  [/quote]

[h1] An in-depth look into Valley: [/h1]

[quote]As an explorer, you are equipped with an exoskeleton code named L.E.A.F suit in search of an elusive Item known as the "Lifeseed", said to contain incredible powers. You reach a remote area filled with archaeological excavation sites where you explore and unravel the mysteries and wonders of the land at your footing.

The exoskeleton enables one to jump and sprint at an inhuman level with other unique features in your repertoire as you progress. The "moral compass" mechanic is quite fascinating where you're able to take and give Life to other living creatures, either depleting from your energy or adding to it. Though it isn't quite as polished which to me was something that couldn't be overlooked but that's a matter to cover at a later point.

One genius mechanic that came to my notice which was uniquely exclusive to Valley was where you're made to run faster as you're sprinting down a slope or a steep landscape by building momentum, the extra boost provides a greater leverage at jumping, reaching heights otherwise unattainable.

The story is decent at best and has a deeper message but what's disappointing is the fact that it's covered through audiologs and leaves plenty to be desired, however how it compensates is through the remarkably executed environmental design, impressive voice acting, great audio in conjunction with entertaining mechanics and abilities. Valley succeeds in delivering a joyful experience induced of a thrilling escapade with mesmerizing aesthetics.

With the FOV set to max, and a finger instinctively set on the trigger of the F12 key ( Default screenshot hotkey ).  As a hobbyist intermediate photographer, had most of my time inspecting the surroundings for the perfect composition to frame.  [/quote]

[quote][i]Here is an exhibition of a few marvels that you can behold:[/i]

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1992016878

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2081767096

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2064212601

[/quote]

[h1] Constructive criticism with a few nit-picks: [/h1]

[code]Surely, nothing is ever perfect however there's a need to highlight a few issues, quite negligible though:

- Valley is well, short in length with little to no replay value, unless you're an achievement hunter and go through it over again, collecting what was missed through out your journey. Aside from that, if you go sightseeing and explore the vast expansive area, you'd surely find yourself accumulating more hours into it.

- A lack of backtracking - if only the unlocked features and upgrades could've been used at earlier stages prior to attaining them, by cleverly implementing their usage there, also which would add to the consistency of their use through out the game.

- The moral compass mechanic of it seems heavily flawed and imbalanced due to the energy orbs scattered through out the world, not to mention, they're regenerated after covering some ground which deems taking life as redundant. There was potential here but ended up a missed opportunity due to it being unrefined.

- At rare occasions, being caught up in between platforms, restlessly pressing everything operable to escape the predicament, to top it off with no reset key at your disposal.

- The dreadful save points. With no manual function to save in-game, you'd have to restart the entire level but that isn't an issue for a short game if you're going to play

- The bloom effect in-game is high, the Sun especially is most notoriously affected. Adjusting the brightness may reduce the effect but it is visually tampering as you'd want to stay at a sweet spot. The rays of the sun are at times amiss as well. [/code]

[h1]Final remarks: [/h1]

[quote]To pay up is as if singing up for a virtual vacation trip, granted lacking thereof was the perception of smell - The fragrance of the mystical land that must've emanated and the somatosensory sensations, the feeling of being basked in the warmth of the glorious sunlight and the touch of gushing wind as you sprint into the wilderness, though in spite of such, the experience was certainly not far off.

Indeed a definite banger, especially at a criminally low price during a sale.[/quote]

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