It’s not uncommon for game developers to put a lot of themselves into their game, and this is especially true for independent passion projects. But Valley of the Shadow‘s creators, developer Synersteel, consisting of brothers Anthony and Nick Vaccaro, takes it a step further by creating an autobiographical video game. It’s a concept that may seem confusing at first glance, even among eccentric indie titles, but the Vaccaro brothers have a dramatic story to tell, with one essential goal: players must heal from their trauma in the role of Anthony. Players must navigate a fantasy world by solving puzzles and searching for childhood artifacts to reach a conclusion.
As Anthony himself admits, the game is kind of a gamble. It can be misunderstood in all sorts of ways: written off as a vanity project, dismissed as “just another walking simulator,” or simply seen as something too personal to appeal widely. And he had no illusions about its apparent niche appeal. Even if the end product was gripping and rewarding, it wouldn’t necessarily be salable. However, the early reception from fans has been very encouraging, and now Valley of the Shadow is on track to debut in 2023. And if it succeeds, it could spark interest in a relatively untapped video game narrative genre.
Exposure and Closure
Anthony expressed a desire to see more autobiographical video games, from many perspectives and from all walks of life. Thanks to a positive early showing at AustinCon in 2019, he now knows the genre is “tradable,” despite his own cynicism toward economics. Even if the game has the near-universal appeal of super mario, it is still a viable business. But there’s another very good reason why autobiographical games are rare to this day:
The flip side of that coin is that this is the hardest thing me and my brother have ever had to do. We constantly relive the grief of telling the story of that trauma, so I can see why it’s not happening more often. I always think of Ernest Hemingway’s quote ‘there is nothing to write’. All I have to do is sit behind a typewriter and bleed.’
As a developer, players can look into their childhood and literally explore their home. Digging up personal family memories is an unparalleled act of exposure. In that sense, Anthony’s Hemingway quote couldn’t be more appropriate. The script for the game is his life story, such that it revolves around a life-changing traumatic event. Finding a way to make that experience engaging is a challenging balancing act. Synersteel has to strike the perfect balance between raw realism and tasty escapism, while also enduring the personal toll of dealing with those subjects.
East West home is best
Like many games, Valley of Shadows changed drastically during its development. Starting out as a colorful fantasy play in an open world, Anthony realized that the things he brought into the game were shaped by his trauma and his attempts to reconcile his grief.
Over time, we started to downsize this massive open-world game into a more realistic, deeper, and more internal look at what games can even do. But how do I do that? How do I creatively build a world that looks inward? So I decided to start with a hub.”
The hub he settled on was a 3D model of his family’s childhood home. It serves not only as a berth, but also as a lens for the player’s approach to the game. As Anthony, players must explore the valley of the same name and retrieve artifacts from his real-life past (clips from real VHS tapes, photos, and more) that help structure the story. While many games use collectibles to convey knowledge, Valley of the Shadow is arguably the first digital title to feature real-life autobiographical content through artifacts.
Childhood magic
It’s also important to note that just because the game is rooted in reality doesn’t mean there isn’t room for magic. The game lets players solve puzzles in an icy, dangerous valley using magic. Players have a number of magical spells at their disposal that will be known to every fan of dungeons & Dragons conjure.
Valley of the Shadow‘s fantasy setting may seem like a tough choice in an autobiographical, serious game. But tropes of magic and heroism are an important part of growing up, especially in the 80s (D&D, Ghost Busters), the 90’s (Power Rangers, Sailor Moon, Pokemon), and 2000s (Harry Potter, LOTR movies). The imaginative environment in Valley of the Shadow is responsible for those cultural touchstones and guiding forces; it’s the escapism the Vaccaro brothers grew up with. The setting explicitly includes the aspects of childhood that the artifacts cannot.
Valley of the Shadow is currently expected to launch in 2023 for PC.
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