Time loops are a perfect fit for video games. This interactive medium is inherently repetitious, and certain games, such as roguelikes, are intentionally designed to be played over and over.
It’s natural to take that further and bring that repetition in play as a clear time loop. Deathloop and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask are some of the most famous examples of games with time loops, but indies like Twelve Minutes and The Forgotten City are equally as experimental with that idea.
Rue Valley is the latest game built around a time loop and it does so by way of Disco Elysium. Rue Valley Alpha Gameplay Trailer Disco Elysium showed how an RPG that prioritizes dialogue, internal dialogue, and the emotional well-being of the player character can be just as engaging as one with combat.
Emotion Spark Studio and Owlcat Games‘ Rue Valley takes that same idea and applies it to a depressed man stuck in a time loop at a motel in the middle of a desert.
Recommended Videos Embracing the time loop Rue Valley takes place over 47 minutes. The game begins with the main character in a therapy session at a motel at around 8 p.m.