Seldom do you hear of a game studio that focuses on creating a unique video gaming experience for the blind and visually impaired and also connects it with the mainstream player base.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is an adventure role-playing game focused on providing an experience that bridges the gap between different types of players. The Vale is not just an audio game but it is an experience.
Whether you are clinically blind or a regular player, playing The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a worthwhile video game with its engaging storyline and exhilarating action. Look for more information and how you can play this game with the article below.
- Get Involved with the Story
- Make Good Use of Your Headphones
- Learn the Basics with the Tutorial
- Go Ahead and Explore
- Approach the Game with an Open Mind
Get Involved with the Story
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is an engaging audio adventure game where you follow a character whose brother has recently taken the throne.
Now, you become the warden of a castle at the border of the kingdom but as you travel to the castle, the journey is rife with peril and you begin to amass supplies as well as allies to survive.
You begin to find yourself in a very hostile land and your journey back home is filled with treachery and danger. The path home is through the dark valley known as The Vale and is shrouded in secret and mystery.
Little did you know, the Vale holds the dark secrets of your family as you begin to learn the truth about your heritage.
An Unconventional Audio Drama
The Vale is first and foremost an audio drama with a very unconventional way of telling a story. Through the lens of our main character, we are led to a story filled with twists and turns where players will have to make pivotal decisions involving the progression of the character.
The game is rife with exceptional voice acting and the emotional performances of the cast are what makes this game truly spectacular. The cast carried the entire game into an authentic experience that can only be found when you play The Vale.
This specialized audio adventure game features one of the most engaging and immersive experiences in gaming. Travel through the dangerous lands, choose equipment, learn magical skills, befriend allies, and accomplish quests by just listening to the story.
Make Good Use of Your Headphones
If there is one thing that you should be doing while playing The Vale: Shadow of the Crown, it's using your headphones to listen to the story intently.
The main plot of the story is told from different perspectives but ultimately, each dialogue in the game will provide hints on how you can progress.
There are also certain plot points that trigger different events in the game that you should be aware of so listening through your headphones is critical to your success. Pay close attention to where each sound is coming from.
Turn around and tilt your head towards the sound to focus on where the sound is coming from to fine-tune your listening skills.
Close Your Eyes
There will be times in the game that the visuals can be overwhelming and it becomes very difficult to concentrate on the dialogue. Everything that you see can be very distracting which often leaves you having less focus on what the characters are trying to say.
The best way to handle this situation is to close your eyes and focus on the audio instead. This clears out the visual clutter that is distracting you from listening intently to the dialogue.
If you do find yourself still getting distracted by the game, try to look away from the screen instead, or better yet, turn it off and see if you can give all of your attention to the sounds that you hear.
Learn the Basics with the Tutorial
As with many other video games, it is always best to try and learn the game from scratch through the in-game tutorial.
The Vale offers something new and unconventional way of playing especially for players who are not familiar with audio games.
The sounds in the game are highly intuitive and all players need to do is to listen intently.
However, those who are having difficulty adjusting to the unconventional method can still go through the interactive in-game tutorial to learn and understand the game better.
Get Used to Listening
The Vale is a game where proper listening and comprehension are highly rewarded. With that in mind, it is best that you try to modify the audio settings of the game that will suit your comfort level.
The game does have a default setting that caters to the vast majority of players however, it is still highly recommended that you try to change the audio settings before you start the game.
Start by going to the Options menu from the main menu and then head over to the Sound settings submenu and begin tweaking the options to your liking.
Go Ahead and Explore
The game's storyline is quite linear in the sense that there's a clear beginning and end to the plot. However, that does not necessarily mean that there aren't any other storylines or things to discover in this game.
You can still explore the wonderful but dangerous world of The Vale and discover many things. The Vale also has very high replay value especially when it comes to the rich storyline.
At one point, you'll notice some new facts about certain characters that you didn't notice on your first run. You can even play the game again on a much higher difficulty level and try different equipment altogether.
You can bring up the travel map and check the uncharted areas in the region. Explore the vast landscape and look for other places and find more quests to complete.
Check Your Character's Stats and Equipment
While exploration opens you to discovering new places, quests, and adventures, the best way to play the game is to ensure that your character is in good health and has all the necessary equipment to survive the harsh landscape.
Always check your character's stats and see if he is up to the challenge of exploring the world searching for adventure. If not, equip better weapons and ensure that your character's stats are enough for him to survive the endeavor.
Bring up the character menu and see if you have the right weapons equipped as well as the coins you've collected. Make sure to use your skills properly especially during encounters with the enemy and see to it that they are ready to use.
Approach the Game with an Open Mind
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is not your typical adventure role-playing game. It's not also your run-in-the-mill audio game where you get to go along the storyline wherever it may take you.
It is a highly interactive game where you get to choose your destiny but, you still need to be very careful with the decision you make. Approach the game with an open mind and you'll be rewarded for sticking with it until the end.
The game has the right balance of being an adventure RPG and an audio game with a very engaging story.
Understand that this is not a game for every hardcore gamer out there but it is still one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences for those who want to try something new.
Be Careful With Your Save
The game automatically saves your progress whenever something important happens. It also saves the game after every battle so there's no need to worry about saving manually. However, if you do want to save your progress, be careful with when you want to save.
You should know that the game only has one saving slot so if ever you want to start a new game, you will be overwriting your previous progression. The best way to handle your progress in the game is to save the game manually before a relevant event.
This way, you get to go back and play the game before you make any critical error.
To Sum Up
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown, available for download on Steam for PC and the Microsoft Store for Xbox, is a true testament to creativity and innovation. Those who have never played an audio game before or are new to the genre of gaming will find themselves entranced by this captivating game.
Not only does it allow blind gamers to enjoy a fully immersive adventure game, but it also allows players to encounter new and unconventional ways to play different kinds of games in a meaningful fashion. Capture every moment in this highly-anticipated adventure role-playing game that is suited for the visually impaired player.
