The Vale: Shadow of the Crown from Falling Squirrel, Creative Bytes Studios, and Nejcraft brings us an audio-based action RPG in which you’ll take on the role of a blind princess. Learn more in our The Vale: Shadow of the Crown review!
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown from Falling Squirrel, Creative Bytes Studios, and Nejcraft brings us an audio-based action RPG in which you’ll take on the role of a blind princess. Your name is Alexandra. After your elder brother takes his place on the throne and becomes King, you’re made warden of a small castle on the outskirts of the kingdom. Unfortunately, after crossing a river – and as your uncle is describing your new home – your convoy is attacked by an invading army as you are making your way to the castle that was to be your new home. You must now find a way to survive and make the most of your skills. The path back to your brother’s castle will take you through a winding valley known as The Vale. The game can be played in one of three difficulty settings: Casual, Normal, and Hard so that gamers of all skill levels can have a chance to complete this journey.
You can use either the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con or play by using the console’s touchscreen when in Portable or Tabletop Mode or if playing on a Nintendo Switch Lite. When not engaged in melee combat, you can use the left analog stick to move in any direction and use the right analog stick to turn on the spot. When in a fight, you can use the right analog stick to perform a standing melee attack with your weapon. To perform a heavy melee attack, press down and hold on the right analog stick to charge up, and then move the analog stick in the direction of your target. To use your bow, press and hold down the ZR button and then release it for a ranged attack. To block, you will need to press and hold down the left analog stick in the direction of an enemy’s attack.
While attacking and blocking, you’ll start to build up favor. Once you have enough favor, you’ll have access to casting spells. You can cast a flaming weapon spell by pressing the ZR button in order to set your weapon on fire for a period of time. You can also press the ZL button to cast a fire shield spell that will allow you to launch a burst of fire from your shield, which can prove to be very useful during combat. As long as you use spells when available and pay attention to audio cues, combat shouldn’t pose much of a trouble.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown brings us an audio-based action RPG in which you’ll take on the role of a blind princess. Your name is Alexandra. After your elder brother takes his place on the throne and becomes King, you’re made warden of a small castle on the outskirts of the kingdom. Unfortunately, after crossing a river – and as your uncle is describing your new home – your convoy is attacked by an invading army as you are making your way to the castle that was to be your new home. You must now find a way to survive and make the most of your skills.
The path back to your brother’s castle will take you through a winding valley known as The Vale. The game can be played in one of three difficulty settings: Casual, Normal, and Hard so that gamers of all skill levels can have a chance to complete this journey. Given the game’s nature and heavy use of audio to clue you into what your actions should be, playing with headphones is going to be a must. You’re looking at around 5-6 hours or so as you try to do whatever it takes to make it to safety. The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is out on Nintendo Switch with a $19.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This The Vale: Shadow of the Crown review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Nejcraft.
