Developer and publisher Owlcat Games has announced a November release date for Rue Valley, its first third-party published title, with its launch timed to coincide with the Movember men’s health awareness month. The game, an isometric RPG from Emotion Spark Studio, directly tackles themes of mental health, trapping players in a time loop as they grapple with the protagonist’s inner struggles.
Marko Smiljanić, Creative Director at Emotion Spark Studio, told the press;
We’re extremely proud to be working with the Movember team. Our partnership helps us convey the importance of mental wellbeing responsibly, drawing on their expertise to ensure these stories feel authentic.”
The announcement, made during Gamescom, was accompanied by a new trailer showcasing the game’s distinct visual style and narrative focus. Set in and around the eerie Rue Valley Motel, the game challenges players to uncover the secret behind a temporal anomaly. The core mechanic involves re-living the same period, with each loop offering the chance to experiment with different personalities, choices, and conversational paths. The game cites visual inspiration from the striking aesthetics of the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and the critically acclaimed RPG Disco Elysium.
Gameplay in Rue Valley centres on player choice and memory. While the time loop resets actions, key memories can be stored, which in turn unlock new interactions and mindsets for the protagonist. This system encourages experimentation as players gather clues each day to piece together the solution to the valley’s central mystery.
The move into publishing marks a new chapter for Owlcat Games, which has built a formidable reputation for developing deep, content-rich RPGs like Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. By taking on Emotion Spark Studio’s project, the Cyprus-based company is expanding its footprint in the RPG space.
Rue Valley is scheduled for release on November 11, 2025. It will be available on PC through Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store, as well as on major consoles.
