The Vale: Shadow Of The Crown (Computer)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Release Date (NA): August 19, 2021
- Release Date (EU): August 19, 2021
- Publisher: Falling Squirrel
- Developer: Falling Squirrel
- Genres: Action-Adventure
- Also For: Xbox One
Game Features:
Traditionally in the gaming industry, new games have strived to offer the best visuals to deliver a compelling, even photorealistic, experience. That’s one of the main reasons we have generations of consoles: to deliver better graphics for a more immersive experience.
So when a new game releases in 2021 that does a 180° on this reliance on graphics and forgoes visuals altogether, it signals that it aims to deliver a singular, if not refreshing, type of gaming experience. When I learnt of The Vale: Shadow Of The Crown a few weeks ago, I was intrigued by its premise as it reminded me of a mobile game I played some years ago called Blindscape and I wanted to learn more of what it had to offer.
The Vale: Shadow Of The Crown follows the story of princess Alexandra (Alex for short), born blind, shortly after she has been made warden of a small castle on the outskirts of the kingdom. But on the way to her new residence, her convoy is ambushed and decimated by a menacing army known as The Horde.
Alex, who managed to flee in time, is left stranded and alone in hostile lands. But sensing the greater threat that The Horde poses for the kingdom, she decides to make her way East to reunite with her brother, King Theo.
This perilous journey back home will involve crossing the valley known as The Vale where Alex will need to fend off foes impeding her way but she will also meet well-wishers who will accompany her as she learns more about the history of the land as well as that of her royal heritage.
As you guide Alex through her journey, you will find no visuals to speak of on-screen. The only thing you will see are some colored specks that dot the pitch-black background. These change colors when you change scenes but offer no cues relevant to the game. What’s more detailed is a travel map but even that you can’t interact with and don’t even need to look at. Pulling it up will lead to your companion, the trusty shepherd, to tell you where you are and how far is your next stop.
So the way you will picture the game’s universe is through descriptions and quips from your travel companions, as well as from more subtle audio cues since the NPCs won’t be overly poetic about their descriptions. Frankly, I was skeptical about how it would turn out and wondered whether a lack of visuals would lead to the experience feeling stale over time.
Luckily, this turned out to be quite the opposite. Alex’s journey across The Vale is rather eventful and originally put together, which keeps the intrigue going as you learn that its medieval setting also hides some fantasy elements in it which become a central part of the plot and gameplay. Moreover, the game is kept fresh and lively by the stellar voice acting from the cast who constantly deliver convincing emotions that portrays a situation accurately as well as help shape their unique and interesting personalities, individually. Sure, some audio elements are reused, especially during fights but they are easily overlooked.
Oh yes, you will get into fights and more because when it comes to the gameplay, The Vale: Shadow Of The Crown is very much an RPG game; only that it is devoid of graphics. You will get to equip Alex with weapons and armor, switch between offense, defense and even magic attacks, add members to your party as well as take on side quests. It might not be the gameplay features that you might have expected out of an audio-only title but Falling Squirrel executes it well.
Controlling Alex is performed similarly to other RPG games. You move with the left stick and rotate the “camera” with the right stick. When you get into a fight, you will not be able to move or change your orientation but can use your shield (left stick), weapon (right stick) and magic (RT/LT) against attacks coming from the front, left or right (conveniently, you don’t need to watch your back).
Combats aren’t a simple affair of tilting the control sticks and mashing buttons but require some strategic approach. You will have to pay attention to where an attack is coming from, whether an enemy changed position and what type of attack they are delivering; all these based on audio cues. Enemies can deliver varying types of attacks like a heavy hit, quick hit or even a long-range attack with an arrow. You’ll also encounter different types of foes from members of The Horde and pirates to boars and wolves.
Despite her visual impairment, Alex is by no means a damsel in distress. She can hold her own in a fight but as you progress, she'll become an even more able fighter thanks to her magic-wielding abilities. In combat, you’ll have to learn how to effectively use her shield and hit or even counter an attack when the moment is right. Your weapon types will also influence your offense approach as, for example, a heavy sword can deal significant damage but will use more stamina so Alex will have to rest more frequently between consecutive hits.
In addition to different approaches to combat, missions as well aren’t totally linear. While venturing across The Vale, you might come across some unsuspecting enemies but can have the option to sneak past them altogether and avoid some battles. For that, you will of course need to pay attention to the audio signals and listen keenly on where sounds, chats or even snores are emanating from and avoid them.
This varied approach of play-style helps make The Vale: Shadow Of The Crown feel akin to its visually-superior counterparts.
The way you explore also takes advantage of its audio-based gameplay and varies how you do so. At some points in the story where Alex is alone, you will have to guide her to familiar sounds like a river or someone’s voice. When stopping by a village, sounds like clanking of metal or music playing will guide you to the smith and the local inn, respectively.
It also shows that the developers worked in collaboration with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind in this title given how the game brilliantly implements the audio-based gameplay and is fully-accessible to visually-impaired players (all menu options are fully voice acted). You’ll find tutorials to help you get acquainted with the controls and in no time you’ll be able to play the game with your eyes closed. In fact, The Vale: Shadow Of The Crown is really the first game that I can say that I played with my eyes literally closed and had fun doing so.
However, despite the emphasis on accessibility, a rather glaring omission is that of subtitles. For those looking to play this game but aren’t visually impaired, they might look for subtitles, especially since The Vale’s cast features different accents. Those who are not familiar with such accents would have found subtitles particularly handy or if you weren’t paying attention for a second, you can more easily catch up with subtitles.
Additionally, despite successfully executing traditional RPG features in an audio-only title, a major element is lacking: your life gauge. You can indeed die in The Vale when engaged in combat and having a means to check your life gauge (maybe through an audio cue accessible by quickly hitting a face button) could help you strategies your combat style. This also holds true for your stamina as well as you can only know when you’ve depleted it by hearing Alex panting, indicating a need to rest momentarily.
As for most quests and side quests, you can notice that they follow a template where you start your journey, encounter enemies and then proceed till your destination. But, for the most part, this template is masked thanks to the varied aspect of quests.
Opting for a game without any visuals might sound divisive for some players, especially if you recently bought a beefy gaming PC for high-end gaming. But if you are open to trying games with a more experimental approach and want to experience something different that is far from a gimmick, The Vale: Shadow Of The Crown won’t disappoint one bit throughout the 5 hours+ of gameplay it offers. Just be sure to wear headphones from the start till the end.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown - Launch Trailer
Verdict
- Unique, audio-based gameplay
- Well-executed RPG mechanic
- Immersive audio experience delivered through excellent voice acting and audio cues
- No subtitles
- No means to keep track of HP and stamina
