Audio-only adventure "The Vale: Shadow of the Crown" now available on Switch

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 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.

The Vale: Shadow of the Crown is available starting today on the Nintendo eShop for $19.99. Stereo headphones are required for play.