The Game Awards Nominee ‘The Vale: Shadow of the Crown’ Brings Graphics-free Action to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5

Falling Squirrel :

ST. CATHARINES, Canada, March 14, 2024 — Following an initial release on Xbox and PC in 2021 that Kotaku claimed “excels at every turn,” Falling Squirrel’s audio-only medieval combat adventure The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is now available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4 courtesy of publisher First Peoples Digital.

 

The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is a graphics-free adventure that sees players take up the role of the king’s younger sister who finds herself alone in hostile lands following an attack by an invading army. Blind since birth, this heroine must survive the long, dark, dangerous valley that leads home – relying not on their sight, but on aural and haptic information to survive.

Challenging battles, exciting quests, voice acting from dozens of acclaimed performers including Karen Knox (Starlink, Far Cry 5), Samer Salem (The Expanse, The Handmaid’s Tale), and Steve Cumyn (Far Cry 3, Versailles) set the stage for an audio first adventure that bleeds action at every turn. Players will engage in melee and ranged combat, sneaking and hiding using stealth and exploration.
 

Designed to provide as compelling an action experience for gamers who are blind as for those who are sighted, The Vale was nominated in The Game Awards 2021’s ‘Innovation in Accessibility’ category where it squared off against heavy hitters from Ubisoft, Square Enix, Insomniac Games, and Xbox Game Studios. The game has secured countless honors in recent years, including ‘Most Innovative’ game at the 2022 Games for Change Awards, ‘Best Narrative’ Game at the Canadian Screen Awards, and ‘Best Audio Design’ at the Canadian Game Awards. 
 

The Vale also received an honorable mention for audio at the 2022 Independent Games Festival, and was the ‘Special Prize’ winner at the 2018 Ubisoft Indie Series, which helped fund its development.

“My 11 year old son is blind and has never had the chance to properly get into a video game like his sighted brother. Up until now, I have been playing games for him and just following what he wanted to do,” said Anthony Phillips, a gamer and father. “My son is playing The Vale: Shadow of the Crown completely independently and absolutely loving it. For the first time he can play an involved, well-developed and engaging video game on his own, just like his brother and friends.”
 

“As a publisher focused on making games inclusive of all players, we couldn’t be more excited to be bringing a game as acclaimed for its accessibility as The Vale to more platforms,” said Paul Boyko, founder and Chief Creative Officer of First Peoples Digital. “Creating games that can be enjoyed by everybody shouldn’t be an afterthought. Dave Evans and his team at Falling Squirrel approach the problem from the bottom up, starting with an idea that could work for players of any visual acuity.”
 

The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is available starting today on the PlayStation Store and Nintendo eShop for $19.99, and continues to be available on the Xbox Marketplace, Steam, Epic Games Store, and itch.io. Stereo headphones are required for play. To learn more about The Vale, please visit the game’s official website.

About First Peoples Digital
 

First Peoples Digital is a video game publisher based in Southern Ontario, Canada dedicated to amplifying the voices of unheard creators and delivering experiences to underserved players and traditional audiences alike. Founded by indigenous gamemakers, First Peoples Digital focuses on inclusivity and accessibility and places a particular focus on bringing indigenous stories to the wider gaming market as told by indigenous creators. Learn more at firstpeoplesdigital.com.

About Falling Squirrel
 

Falling Squirrel is a game studio and creative services provider based in Ontario’s Niagara Region, the best kept geographic secret in video game development and a hotspot for indie studios and talent. Falling Squirrel creates compelling story-driven game experiences with the specific goal of pioneering advances in narrative design and audio based game mechanics for the visually impaired. Additionally the studio has contributed creative direction and narrative design for numerous partners, including fellow Niagara studios Phantom Compass and Creative Bytes.  Learn more at fallingsquirrel.com.