Valleys Between review (mobile)

Game: Valleys Between
System: iOS
Developer: Little Lost Fox
Publisher: Little Lost Fox
Age Rating: 4+
Price: $2.99|€ 3,49
Release Date: 2018

Review code kindly provided by Little Lost Fox

Valleys Between is a puzzle game that is very much about the environment and interacting with nature. You manipulate the land throughout the seasons, create forests and water and help animals so they in turn can help you.

Explanations in the game

Valleys Between is an iOS game that got raving reviews in the press. In the App Store, the description got my attention: “grow a thriving, healthy world. Discover the endless challenges within the valley and find the elusive balance needed to sustain it”

I was intrigued. You might remember how I love Happy Birthdays and the description immediately brought that to my mind. When I started playing, I quickly saw that this game is nothing like the world builder I love. Valleys Between has its own charm though.

The game starts you off with a tutorial of how you can manipulate the land. and although they do a decent job of giving you the basics I found it to be a bit confusing. This is a game you learn by doing: there’s much more to it then is first presented. You really have to stick with it for a bit to get the hang of it.

Pulling and pushing blocks

Progressing in the game is done by pulling blocks up or pushing them down. Pulling the blocks up gives you water, surrounded by hexagonals with grass. And pulling up the grass gives a tree. When the tree is surrounded by others, they form a forest when pulled up. In turn, two forests gives a house, and so on.

It sounds fairly simple, but when you form a forest, the other cubes are empty again. If you are lucky to have an animal in your landscape you have to make sure there’s grass for him to walk on. Because animals are much needed: they can destroy factories and obelisks. And everything sort of scrolls backwards. It’s hard to explain without seeing it really.

So check out this trailer to see how it all works

Every level gives you a goal to reach, and of course, the ultimate goal is to get as far as you can without losing your scrolling world to fire, factories and such. It’s nature we have to save after all.

Managing it all can be hectic

At first you wonder what the big deal is: it seems fairly straight forward until you reach a higher level. It’s then that things can get a bit hectic. Learn by doing, figure out what happens and why. And mostly, how you can avoid making the bad choices that will lead to your levels doom.

The game takes patience to master, but once you do, it feels very satisfying to get ahead to the next challenge. Unlocking different animals is nice, especially as they all have their specific stats.

Conclusion

It’s a puzzle game to have a relaxing time with, at least until you get higher in your levels and the more hectic gameplay The music is very zen-like, relaxing and the visuals are pleasing. Valleys Between plays comfortably on mobile, manipulating the blocks works flawlessly.

I like the game. It’s a pay once play without commercials kind of price, so if you like puzzle games with a Zen like quality, you can’t go wrong.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *