The Vale: Shadow of the Crown on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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CLOSE YOUR EYES. BECOME A WARRIOR: Feel your enemy’s rasping breath; a foot shifts on swampy ground; the crack of steel on wooden shield. The Vale is an audio based action adventure that sets out to breathe new life into medieval combat and fantasy narrative.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a rpg, action-adventure and action rpg game
developed by Falling Squirrel and Creative Bytes Studios
and published by Falling Squirrel Inc..
Released on August 19th 2021 is available in English only on Windows.
It has received 333 reviews of which 326 were positive and 7 were negative resulting in a rating of 9.0 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 16.79€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on Eneba.
The Steam community has classified The Vale: Shadow of the Crown into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel i3
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: Shader model 2.0+
- DirectX: Version 10
- Storage: 1 GB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
The Vale is fantastically designed with characters and story that made me tear up multiple times. Also, the narration is just amazing.
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I feel like I have to mention I am blind and have been since birth. If I have to explain how I get around in daily life, I tell them to play this game. The voice acting is on par with a top quality radio drama, the mechanic is so instinctive I was using real life mobility skills to travel and oh my days the story had me in floods of tears. Forget best audio only game, this is the best game I have ever played. The only complaint I have is that it is criminally short. Some games like this, Lost In Blindness, A Blind Legend, they feel like vegitables. They're games designed to show people what life is like for people like me. This game not only feels like a great game, but it blows those others out of the water for actual real life skills we use. The worlds are some of the best sound design I've heard anywhere, the fighting is awesome, the cain reference is really relatable, and you feel empowered to be Alex. I kind of just want a free roam option so I can just chill and explore the world with nothing to do, but then I'd never leave the house. 11/10, no notes.
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The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a rare and quietly powerful game that challenges one of the medium’s most basic assumptions: that sight is the primary way we engage with virtual worlds. Developed by Falling Squirrel in collaboration with Creative Bytes Studios and published by Falling Squirrel Inc., the game builds its entire identity around sound, spatial awareness, and embodiment. Rather than treating accessibility as a secondary feature, The Vale is designed from the ground up to be fully playable without vision, placing the player in the role of a blind protagonist and asking them to experience the world exactly as she does. The story follows a young noblewoman who has lived her life in isolation due to her blindness, sheltered within a keep while war rages beyond its walls. When catastrophe strikes and she is forced to flee into the dangerous valley known as the Vale, the journey becomes both a physical quest for survival and an emotional exploration of independence, fear, and self-worth. The narrative is delivered entirely through voice acting, ambient sound, and environmental cues, creating an unusually intimate connection between player and protagonist. Because there are no visual shortcuts, every conversation, threat, and moment of calm must be interpreted through tone, direction, and proximity, making the storytelling feel personal and grounded rather than cinematic. Gameplay in The Vale is built around sophisticated 3D spatial audio that replaces traditional visual feedback. Movement through environments relies on subtle sound cues such as footsteps echoing differently on stone or grass, wind direction hinting at open spaces, and distant noises guiding exploration. Combat is similarly audio-driven, with enemies announcing themselves through breathing, armor clatter, or weapon sounds that allow players to judge distance and direction. Attacking, blocking, and dodging become acts of listening and timing rather than visual reaction, transforming combat into a rhythmic exchange that feels tense, deliberate, and surprisingly physical. Despite its unconventional presentation, The Vale incorporates many familiar action RPG elements. Players can equip different weapons, such as swords or bows, each with distinct audio signatures and combat rhythms. Shields, positioning, and stamina management all play important roles, and encounters gradually increase in complexity as multiple enemies attack from different angles. Progression systems are straightforward but effective, reinforcing a sense of growth without overwhelming the player with abstract statistics. Because everything is communicated through sound and narration, even menu navigation and equipment management remain fully accessible and consistent with the game’s core philosophy. What makes The Vale particularly striking is how it reframes immersion. By removing detailed visuals, the game forces players to actively imagine the world, often resulting in a stronger sense of presence than many graphically rich titles achieve. Forests feel dense and threatening because of rustling branches and distant animal calls, while towns feel alive through layered conversations, footsteps, and background activity. Music is used sparingly but effectively, enhancing emotional beats without overpowering the soundscape. The result is a world that feels vivid not because it is seen, but because it is heard and felt. Accessibility is not simply a technical achievement here, but a narrative and mechanical statement. The Vale was developed with extensive input from blind and visually impaired players, and it succeeds in offering an experience where accessibility does not dilute challenge or artistic intent. Sighted players are not given advantages, and visually impaired players are not offered a compromised version of the game. Everyone engages with the same systems on equal footing, which is a rare and commendable accomplishment in game design. There are, however, limitations inherent to the approach. Players accustomed to fast-paced visual action may initially struggle with the slower, more deliberate rhythm, and the reliance on audio means that good headphones and a quiet environment are essential. Some encounters can feel demanding until players fully adapt to interpreting sound cues, and those expecting traditional spectacle may find the minimal visuals austere. Yet these constraints are part of the game’s identity, not flaws in execution. Ultimately, The Vale: Shadow of the Crown stands as a landmark example of how games can expand their expressive and experiential range. It is not simply notable because it is accessible, but because it is thoughtfully designed, emotionally resonant, and mechanically coherent on its own terms. By trusting sound as its primary language, The Vale offers a deeply immersive adventure that encourages patience, attention, and empathy. For players willing to meet it on its own terms, it delivers an experience that is both innovative and profoundly human, reminding us that seeing is only one way to understand a world. Rating: 9/10
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i put a blindfold on to play this game and kept it on while i went downstairs to make tea to maintain immersion, and i didnt spill a drop 10/10 extremely cool experience
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Introduction The Vale is not long and some may find the gameplay simple, but it’s enjoyable with fantastic sound and a solid story. Story You are a blind princess. At the game’s start, you’re on your way to take residence in a frontier castle. And then the Vale’s Golden Horde equivalent arrive and ruin your day. Now you’re retracing your journey to bring word to your brother. It’s a pretty straightforward start, but there are some twists later. Hopefully at least one of them will come as a surprise. Gameplay The Vale is an audio game, so there are no visuals. You alternate between free-roam and combat mode. Free-roam is much like any first person game. Moving around, interacting with things, and talking with people. You’ll need to use audio to guide yourself though. In combat, you’re locked in place. Attacks come from left, right, or ahead. You’re basically engaged in a series of quick time events, listening for attacks to know when and in what direction to raise your shield and then strike back. As with other action RPG games, you’ll be able to acquire new equipment as the game progresses. These items are armour (take less damage when you do get hit), shields (block stronger blows), bows (used in certain sequences), and weapons (you can use swords, hammers, or axes). You’ll also pick up some magical abilities later, which are used in combat. I found the gameplay satisfying. The gear upgrades felt like I was improving. Each weapon type also felt slightly different. There’s also bonus points for everyone’s favourite early quest: killing rats in the cellar. Audio The game’s big draw. All the audio is fantastic. The voice acting is great, combat sounds satisfying, and environment noises solid. Particular highlights are the alehouse scene with all the patrons singing together and the battle scene later in the game. In fact, that battle scene is the most immersed I’ve ever felt in a video-game combat experience. It’s all thanks to the audio. Conclusion The Vale isn’t long, perhaps 5-6 hours for a single playthrough. I enjoyed every minute of it though. It’s a great little game and I hope the developers go on to build on it in the future. Perhaps next time we can even get that other most coveted RPG trope: the sewer level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is currently priced at 16.79€ on Steam.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 16.79€ on Steam.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown received 326 positive votes out of a total of 333 achieving a rating of 8.96.
😎
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown was developed by Falling Squirrel and Creative Bytes Studios and published by Falling Squirrel Inc..
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is playable and fully supported on Windows.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is not playable on MacOS.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is not playable on Linux.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a single-player game.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown does not currently offer any DLC.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown does not support Steam Remote Play.
The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for The Vale: Shadow of the Crown.
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 16 January 2026 12:12 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 26 January 2026 22:50 |
| Steam price | 28 January 2026 20:29 |
| Steam reviews | 26 January 2026 19:47 |
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- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about The Vale: Shadow of the Crown
- SteamCharts - Analysis of The Vale: Shadow of the Crown concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Vale: Shadow of the Crown compatibility
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Developer
Falling Squirrel,
Creative Bytes Studios
Publisher
Falling Squirrel Inc.
Release
19 Aug 2021
Platforms
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