In the Valley of Gods is a game from Campo Santo, the creators of Firewatch. The interesting thing about this game is that it constantly focuses on bringing in a lot of knowledge about a region you never were that interested in. Yes, we are exploring the 1920s Egypt. This is a time of discovery and many challenges, and it continues to impress with the great gameplay ideas brought to the table.
The main story is quite interesting. We play the role of a disgraced filmmaker and explorer and we have a single shot to enjoy this amazing life and explore this beautiful region. You are told only that somewhere in all the desert and these tombs and ruins there is an amazing archaeological discovery just waiting to be found. You don’t know where, you don’t know how, you just know it’s there and have to get it. But you can’t do that alone, you need assistance from Zora, which is your former partner that didn’t want to work with you again.
That’s the kicker of the entire experience. At its core the idea of trying to work and even be friends again with someone that hates you is really interesting. It definitely brings in some nifty options and features, and you will appreciate just how everything comes together and how cool the overall idea is behind the process. It really pushes the boundaries when it comes to exploring new options and you will find it quite interesting to use a 35mm film camera from that era to document everything.
Obviously the idea of being able to explore that time of Egyptian marvels and trying to find the architectural holy grail is a very good premise. And you do get to have all of that as you explore all the interesting places you can see. That’s exciting but it also encourages you to go off the beaten path as you check out new stuff, experience fun and authentic places and so on. It’s the type of experience that you definitely do not want to miss as it’s just rewarding and quite different too. You really want to check it out, give it a try and enjoy it as much as possible.
At the same time, this is an adventure game. There are lots of puzzles, the gameplay is very focused on interaction and it fits the MO of the entire experience perfectly. The interaction you have with Zora is by far one of the best things in this game and it continues to expand as you get closer and closer to that treasure.
In the Valley of Gods is a very fun game and it also puts you in a very distinctive location that wasn’t explored as much as others in the videogame history. That alone makes In the Valley of Gods more interesting than many other games and it just continues to bring in some astounding results and cool moments you can harness and explore here. Overall, it’s a fantastic game especially if you love the Ancient Egypt.
Images: In the Valley of Gods Press Kit