The first thing about Valleys Between that strikes an impression with players is how beautiful it is. It’s the sort of game that makes you want to pick it up just so that you can immerse yourself in its world,
That’s not to say it has nothing to offer in term of gameplay. Far from it, in fact. Valleys Between combines tactical puzzle with elements of an endless runner to create an experience unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Valleys Between trailer
Basically, the whole map is divided into hexagons, and your job is to pull those hexes up to bring water from the ground. The water can flow, flood, and form pools, and it causes the grass to sprout in surrounding hexes. Once there is enough grass, you can also start to pull trees out from the ground and link them together to form forests. Forests can then be linked together to create houses as well. So yeah, as you can imagine, this is a game about nurturing life and creating a thriving and prosperous world, and there are quite a lot of things going on despite the seemingly simple premise.
The game is not without its challenges either. First of all, there are fire hazards to keep track of. Every time a fire pops up, you need to bring in water to put it out quickly before it spreads. Furthermore, as you expand your world, it will become more and more of a conveyor belt: New hexes constantly emerge from the bottom of the map, pushing old ones out until they disappear in the distance.
Another interesting factor about Valleys Between is its rate of change. The game moves through seasons, and each new hex layer, each time trees turn to forest, is counted in years. Yes, years! It gives the entire experience a rather inhuman sense of scale. You will not be a part of this world, but instead will sit back and watch how it changes across the centuries.
If you are looking for a gorgeous and relaxing game to play on your iOS device, Valleys Between is a solid option. Check it out on the App Store now.