Valley Peaks

Pretty good - two-handed climbing and plenty things to do. Routes and challenges can be completed with pure skill or by gradually gathering items/upgrades from easier ones - a soft difficulty option of sorts.

This is like if [b]White Knuckle[/b] and [b]A Short Hike[/b] had a baby they dropped on its head a couple of times.

Had a really good time with this one. It's simplistic climbing mechanic starts out really chill, but then gets all sorts of really creative obstacles towards the end. Everything fit the world really well and I kept wanting to complete all the routes available just so I could keep climbing. The various npcs and their side quests were fun to interact with as well. If you liked: Celeste, Surmount, or want a cozy version of Cairn, definitely pick this one up. Deserves way more love. Also, thanks for including the demo. I played it and immediately bought the game instead of letting it sit on my wishlist.

The devs did us a disservice—and maybe shot themselves in the foot—by marketing this as a "cozy game", because it's anything but. Climbing in [i]Valley Peaks[/i] is [i]stressful[/i]. A single mistake can cause you to fall off a mountain and have to start the whole anxiety-ridden process all over again. And it's often not going to be your fault: the physics are wonky and weird, controls are temperamental, the field of view is distorted, there are no shadows to help estimate distances, and the hit boxes seem to have nothing to do with what you're actually seeing. Sometimes you even need to time your jumps precisely, so forget about taking your time and working at your own pace. The mountain that broke me wasn't even supposed to be the hardest, but there was one place where it seemed that I was supposed to jump and catch a rock. After ten repeated attempts of doing exactly that but falling off anyway I rage quit. Outside of the core gameplay it's also not great. There are very simple "quests", which are just from-point-A-to-point-B errands. And there are "upgrades" to earn, but they are just collectible gimmicks that don't actually help you with the game. For example, you can get a remote-control drone. Cool? I guess, but you don't need it for anything. The game world itself is kinda cute and funny, but it's also very superficial. If I weren't lied to about the nature of the game then I would consider it mediocre. Some nice ideas, but it needed [i]a lot[/i] more work on the climbing mechanism to make it less frustrating. As it stands, I [i]was[/i] lied to. I bought this game because I wanted a calm, relaxing experience, and I think amphibians are awesome. I was definitely not in the mood for [i]Getting Over It with Bennett Froggy[/i]. I'd like my money and time back. Thanks. An apology from the devs would be nice, too.

Valley Peaks is a first-person adventure that blends tactile climbing mechanics with a warm, playful sense of discovery, resulting in an experience that feels both cozy and quietly demanding. Developed by Tub Club and published by Those Awesome Guys, the game casts you as an enthusiastic frog exploring a compact open world of rolling hills, rocky cliffs, and inviting peaks. Your broad mission—installing radio transmitters atop mountains to connect the valley’s inhabitants—acts as a gentle framework rather than a rigid objective list, allowing the journey itself to take center stage. The game’s tone is welcoming and humorous, yet it never shies away from testing your coordination and patience as you learn to master its core systems. Climbing is the heart of Valley Peaks, and it’s implemented with an unusual amount of physicality for a first-person game. Instead of simple button presses or automated mantling, ascents are driven by alternating hand inputs that mimic the act of pulling yourself upward. Early climbs introduce the fundamentals with forgiving angles and generous handholds, but later routes demand careful planning, rhythm, and composure. Slippery surfaces, falling debris, spikes, and moving elements gradually complicate the act of ascent, turning each climb into a small puzzle of timing and momentum. The satisfaction of finally cresting a difficult route is substantial, not because of flashy rewards, but because the climb itself feels earned through deliberate effort. Beyond the vertical challenges, the valley below provides a calm counterbalance. Once transmitters begin to dot the landscape, the world opens into a network of paths, villages, and scenic detours populated by friendly frog characters. These NPCs offer light side activities, bits of humor, and small goals that enrich the setting without overwhelming it. Optional diversions like races, treasure hunts, and exploration stamps encourage curiosity and reward players for straying from the most direct path. This structure creates a pleasing rhythm: moments of focused tension while climbing followed by relaxed wandering and social interaction on the valley floor. Progression is subtle but meaningful. Completing climbs and side activities earns stamps that can be exchanged for upgrades, such as improved stamina, movement tools, or traversal aids that expand how you approach the terrain. These enhancements don’t trivialize the challenge but instead broaden your options, making revisits to earlier areas feel fresh and empowering. Multiple routes up many peaks, often graded by difficulty, invite experimentation and mastery, catering both to players who want a gentle climb and those who seek a tougher test. The game’s presentation reinforces its inviting atmosphere. Visually, Valley Peaks favors bold colors, soft shapes, and a stylized aesthetic that emphasizes charm over realism. The environments feel hand-crafted and readable, while character animations lean into expressive simplicity. The soundtrack complements this approach with light, uplifting themes that underscore exploration and accomplishment without becoming intrusive. For some players, the saturated palette and textured shading can feel intense during long sessions, but it undeniably gives the game a distinctive personality that sets it apart from more subdued adventure titles. There are moments where the experience can feel uneven. Certain obstacles demand precise timing that may frustrate players expecting a purely relaxing journey, and navigation tools can occasionally feel less clear than ideal. A few mechanics introduced later can interrupt the otherwise smooth flow of climbing and exploration. However, these friction points are generally brief and often serve to heighten the sense of achievement once overcome, rather than undermining the game’s overall appeal. Taken as a whole, Valley Peaks succeeds by marrying a genuinely engaging climbing system with a world that encourages curiosity, patience, and playfulness. It manages to be cozy without being passive and challenging without becoming harsh, offering a thoughtful balance that rewards both careful mastery and casual exploration. For players drawn to indie adventures with a strong mechanical identity, a gentle sense of humor, and a world that feels inviting to explore at one’s own pace, Valley Peaks delivers a memorable and satisfying climb from start to summit. Rating: 8/10

I have really enjoyed this game. but i have encountered so many bugs. the last bug has just ruined a big part for me. ive already completed all of [spoiler] the winter and summer courses on each mountain, and had unlocked every upgrade for every gear except 2 upgrades, the last for the last 2 gear. i had unlocked all the upgrades for the jetpack (all 3) and had been using it to help with the timed trials on the mountains now. but when i started playing today, for some reason the jetpack would not go up, it would just hover. and then i looked and the last upgrade was also gone, but all of the mountain courses were done and all the completed tickets i could get were bought, so there is literally nothing for me to do. ive tried restarting the game and it just is permanently gone which makes the save just... obsolete and i cant try to get all the timed trials. :/ [/spoiler] edit: lmao, all the things that i constructed with gears and ♥♥♥♥ too are also all now unbuilt... incredible 2nd and hopefully last edit: seems that the reason this was the case was that the steam cloud pulled over the save but doesnt pull important ♥♥♥♥ like the buildings you construct which is a large oversight. idk if the last [spoiler] jetpack upgrade is something i actually had or am misremembering, but it still sucks so much that it doesnt save important things like the boost buildings to the cloud. it's kinda pointless to have ur save in the cloud if half the content is missing from it [/spoiler]

Truly a hidden gem. It really shocks me that the game has less than 150 reviews on Steam. I wish it was more known, let's hope it lands in some bundle one day and get the appreciation it deserves!

Solid fun, I like a lot of the ideas here as a 3D climbing platformer. It does feel pretty smooth and satisfying, though I wish the meta game was more fleshed out and the mountains had more of a weight and length to them with stories and side missions. I have high hopes for a great sequel.

This is not necessarily a negative review so much as it is a middling review. For starters, there are lots of great rock climbing based games, and this is just an okay one. The first half the game starts you with a nice learning curve up until you scale the last mountain, then the training wheels are off. From that point on the game gets frustrating instead of rewarding. In addition there are achievements for doing all the side-quests in this game, however, there is basically one half-finished guide on steam explaining how to do this achievement and the game lacks any sort of system to help guide you along as to what you are missing or any extra quests you might be missing. And so, you must endlessly wander around the hub area talking to every NPC, I get it's an indie game, but if you're going to make an achievement to do everything, at least make that part of the game fun. First 3 hours of the game were really fun, and the rest of it was not, a shame really.

I had a good time. The climbing system is pretty unique. You have can grab things with the left and right mouse button (corresponding to your left and right hands). It's mostly about finding the next hold, judging distance and aiming your jump, but the game also introduces a variety of holds with different gimmicks. Once you get better at it, you can go up mountains really fluidly.