A good game doesn't need to last hundreds of hours, and games like Firewatch have proven that. Campo Santo's single-player adventure game is one of the best compact games of all time, with around five hours of brilliance on offer. However, the studio's next game, In the Valley of the Godsmight never be revealed due to its acquisition by Valve. Well, here are six mind-blowing seconds of what you could have won.
First revealed seven years ago during the 2017 Game Awards, In the Valley of the Godslike Firewatch before it, was presented as a narrative film adventure game – although this time, your companion guide will explore alongside you, rather than communicating via walkie-talkie. Set in Egypt in the 1920s, this single player game puts you in the shoes of a former explorer setting out on one last expedition, eager to rediscover the thrill of adventure.
Announced while Campo Santo was still independent, it initially wanted to put the game back in the hands of players in 2019. However, after being bought by Valve in 2018, In the Valley of the Gods was put on hold indefinitely. It hasn't been officially removed and even still has a Steam page with a release window reserved for 2029. But given that so many of Campo Santo's developers have continued to work on various Valve projects like Half-Life Alyx, it's unlikely that the group will get together to resume the project.
Its visuals already looked impressive (even by today's standards) when the 2017 reveal trailer was released, and this clip released by Valve visual effects developer Matthew Wilde only demonstrates that it would have been a truly beautiful game with clever graphics technology powering it. .
Spotted by “Gabe Follower,” Wilde posted a short clip of a gameplay test for In the Valley of Gods on his Bluesky page. Although it's only six seconds of the main character wading through a cave behind his companion Zora, it demonstrates just how much effort was put into creating a visual spectacle. The stunning physics of water features ripples reacting to each other, shadows, and distortion of Zora's submerged figure. Wilde is something of a specialist in liquid graphics, as he has also released clips of his work on Half-Life Alyx and Counter-Strike 2. Yes, this clip is from a test and is therefore not entirely representative final effects of water. of the game could have been, but they are quite impressive.
Matthew Wilde, the Valve developer behind Counter-Strike 2's water shader, has shared rare gameplay footage. It shows the water technology that was tested for In The Valley of Gods before Valve acquired the Campo Santo company. The team put the match away shortly after… pic.twitter.com/wIs6Im8KYx
– Gabe Follower (@gabefollower) November 11, 2024
While we may never get the chance to experience In the Valley of the Gods, here are some incredible story games that you absolutely can. Oh and please do me a favor and go play Firewatch, it's awesome and one of the best best Game Pass games also, so millions of you have no excuse not to try it.
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