Whispering Willows
- May 17, 2014
- Akupara Games
- 8h median play time
Immersive audio and impressive art-style isn't quite enough to prevent the gameplay of this intriguing ghost story from being quite banal.
Get on SteamWhispering Willows is a supernatural adventure game that follows a young girl, Elena, who has the ability to project her spirit outside of her body. Using her astral form, Elena explores the mysterious Willows Mansion in search of her missing father. Along the way, she uncovers secrets and helps lost spirits find peace. The game combines puzzle-solving with a gripping storyline and beautifully hand-drawn artwork.
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Reviews
- Beautiful hand-drawn art style that enhances the game's atmosphere.
- Engaging story with emotional depth, exploring themes of loss and redemption.
- Unique gameplay mechanic of astral projection allows for creative puzzle-solving.
- Game is quite short, taking only 2-4 hours to complete, leading to limited replay value.
- Puzzles are generally easy and lack challenge, making the gameplay feel simplistic.
- Movement speed is slow, especially indoors, which can lead to frustrating backtracking.
- story769 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Whispering Willows" revolves around a young girl named Elena searching for her missing father in a haunted mansion, intertwining themes of loss, regret, and colonial history. While the narrative is engaging and atmospheric, many players found it predictable and criticized its execution, particularly the rushed ending and underdeveloped characters. Overall, the game is appreciated for its art style and storytelling potential, but it often falls short in depth and complexity, leaving some players wanting more from the experience.
“The game has beautiful hand-drawn art, a suspenseful soundtrack, and a story about loss, regret, and letting go.”
“I really enjoyed uncovering bits of the story as I explored, and did feel that the end justified the means.”
“The story is intriguing and the art and character animations are beautifully done.”
“The story is uninspired, generic, and predictable... just like the characters.”
“The story only came from reading notes and small amounts of dialogue.”
“The story is mediocre and the game is tiny.”
- graphics289 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Whispering Willows" receive mixed reviews, with many praising the charming art style and atmospheric visuals that enhance the eerie experience. However, some critiques highlight inconsistencies between in-game graphics and cutscenes, with the latter often appearing less polished. Overall, while the artwork is generally well-received, there are calls for improved character animations and more cohesive visual quality throughout the game.
“The graphics are lovely, the mood is atmospheric, and the soul projection mechanic is creative and interesting.”
“The art style is gorgeous and combined with the music and story successfully created a world in which I was eager to explore.”
“Whispering Willows is a 2D point-and-click adventure with fantastic graphics and a solid plot.”
“My biggest complaint about the game is the art style is a bit inconsistent between characters and cut scenes (very picky thing for me as an artist).”
“The artwork in the cutscenes is obviously that of an inexperienced artist, and the ending felt slightly anticlimactic.”
“The in-game graphics seem well-done and I love the presentation of the mansion, but the cutscene artwork is not up to the same level, and it's disappointing given that the rest of the game is solid.”
- gameplay283 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Whispering Willows" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its slow pace and simplistic mechanics, primarily revolving around walking, reading notes, and using a ghostly projection ability to solve basic puzzles. While some appreciate the unique spirit mechanic and atmospheric storytelling, others criticize the lack of engaging gameplay elements and repetitive tasks, suggesting that the experience may be better suited for those seeking a relaxing narrative rather than challenging gameplay. Overall, the game is seen as a decent, albeit short, adventure that may not justify its price for all players.
“The gameplay is very good; it is your standard point-and-click game, but a nice twist is the ability to astral project yourself. You can become a ghost and move all over the place and possess certain objects. I found that a pretty good concept as it was fun to explore more inaccessible parts of the mansion or possess an object with ghost powers.”
“Whispering Willows is a pretty interesting ghost adventure that uses the idea of astral projection as a game mechanic, and it does so quite decently. It has a solid story and the gameplay is good.”
“I had a good time and felt that the story, game, and puzzles all hit those 'just right' levels, a perfect length, etc. I really wish the mechanic had been expanded on, but I enjoyed the collection of notes to uncover lore as well as the exploration while in ghost mode.”
“Conclusion: the game is very slow with extremely few mechanics and based on reading notes; better buy a book.”
“Unfortunately, the main gameplay mechanic (astral projection) is not interesting enough to avoid being boring between story beats, and since there aren't any dialogue trees, the conversations are also not interesting.”
“The gameplay and puzzles are repetitive and boring.”
- music146 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its atmospheric and haunting qualities that enhance the overall experience, while others find it below average and repetitive. Many appreciate the soundtrack's ability to set a fitting mood for the game's eerie themes, but some critics suggest that it lacks memorability and depth compared to other titles in the same price range. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, it may not stand out as exceptional.
“The game has beautiful hand-drawn art, a suspenseful soundtrack, and a story about loss, regret, and letting go.”
“The music, especially, is lovely and fits perfectly with the genre of horror.”
“This game has absolutely beautiful artwork, a compelling story, and a haunting soundtrack.”
“The music is a bit weak.”
“Never got invested in the story and the music was boring so I turned on the Little Nightmares soundtrack as I played.”
“- To me, the music was too repetitive and had a lag of melody with short loops, which I found rather annoying for my taste (being a working musician myself).”
- atmosphere146 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie and haunting qualities, enhanced by a captivating soundtrack and visually appealing art style. Players appreciate the immersive environment created through sound design and narrative elements, such as diary entries and notes that deepen the story. While the atmosphere is consistently described as spooky and engaging, some reviewers note that it lacks true horror elements, focusing instead on a more melancholic and exploratory experience.
“The atmosphere, the music, the sound effects, the art style and play style...very stimulating in a dreary, mysterious way.”
“A beautifully creepy atmospheric game that makes you pay attention to the little details and explore a fantastically drawn and haunting world with a sad history and a lot of heart.”
“I think the easiest way to describe the atmosphere is with the word 'eerie', with well-timed music and the creaking and cracking of old buildings, the whispers that you think you hear at night all provide an excellent setting.”
“It was alright, it's a fetch quest style game with a few easy puzzles where I feel like it just needed a little more polish in places to set the atmosphere up a bit better or prop up the ghosts a little more.”
“While the art direction and atmosphere are decent, the story and characterizations are pretty simplistic and shallow.”
“The only drawbacks are the rather short length of the game and the lack of any real horror -- the focus being more on the haunting atmosphere and the melancholy backstories of the spirits you encounter along the way.”
- replayability40 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 45 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has very low replayability, with many players noting that once the story is completed, there is little incentive to play again. The linear narrative and short playtime, typically around 1.5 to 3 hours, contribute to this lack of replay value, making it more suitable for a single playthrough. Players suggest waiting for a sale, as the experience is primarily recommended for those who enjoy a good story rather than for repeated gameplay.
“Not much replay value, but worth a single go around.”
“However, there isn't much replay value to this game, which can be done in a few hours, but I still recommend it.”
“It doesn't have a lot of replay value, as it's going to follow the same plot every time and there's no real challenge to the puzzles, but I'll probably play it again at some point to finish up the achievements.”
“Replay value is fairly low, particularly if you got most of the achievements and lore entries in your first playthrough.”
“Sadly, there is no replay value for me. I could go through it again to get the few achievements I missed, but it would be nothing very surprising.”
“I cleared it in under three hours and there is little to no replay value for most people.”
- emotional28 mentions
- 93 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game evokes strong emotional responses, with players expressing deep investment in its heart-wrenching narratives of lost love, regret, and courage amidst horror. While some elements of the story may feel standard, the touching moments and character backstories enhance the overall experience, making it both engaging and occasionally heartbreaking. Despite some criticisms regarding pacing and design, the emotional depth remains a standout feature.
“Expect creepy spirits, get heart-wrenching tales of woe.”
“The story is really good; I love its themes of lost love, regret, and finding courage against horror. It also has some generally sweet and touching moments in the story as well.”
“I was not expecting something this heartfelt.”
“Good concept but boring story”
“Good concept but boring story”
- humor10 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent and often forced, with some moments feeling out of place or uncomfortable. While there are occasional funny references, particularly in achievements, the overall tone leans more towards a weird rather than traditional comedic experience, overshadowed by a heavy narrative focus on dark themes. Players noted a lack of integration of humor into gameplay, with the story primarily conveyed through lengthy notes.
“I love the gameplay and the references in the achievements are hilarious.”
“It's got a teensy bit of a single-player Maniac Mansion feel to it, with less humor and more of those creepy-uppy 'I really don't wanna open this door because eek' moments.”
“Funny but not funny like haha, funny like weird.”
“Funny but not funny like haha, funny like weird.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and clunky, with many players expressing frustration over slow pacing and a lack of efficient movement options. While exploration can be enjoyable, it is often marred by repetitive tasks and design choices that seem to artificially extend gameplay. Overall, the grinding experience detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
“As for me, I'm not spending another minute on this whiny, slow, tedious walking simulator that dares to call itself a game.”
“Exploration is fun, but tedious due to the lack of indoor run functionality that was removed for no real reason that I can discern other than to pad out game length.”
“They got super tedious towards the end.”
- stability10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 80 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marked by a mix of minor glitches and visual bugs, particularly in interactions and navigation, such as difficulty with stairs. While some players report a generally solid experience, the presence of these issues suggests that the game may not be fully polished. Overall, it is described as a short and easily navigable game, but the stability concerns could detract from the experience.
“Good artwork, great story, easy to understand controls, no glitches.”
“Buggy visuals.”
“Conclusion: very short, buggy, non-challenging, and easily navigated game while passing through multiple times the same places with nice visuals that should not cost more than $3 full price.”
“There's a couple little glitches in the game when it comes to interacting with the actual mansion and triggering the chapter titles even when you are in a different chapter.”
- character development6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is highlighted by its appealing design and art, particularly the various haunts encountered throughout the journey. However, players express a desire for deeper exploration of these characters and more opportunities to engage with their stories, as some feel underdeveloped. Overall, while the character design is praised, there is a notable wish for more narrative depth and resolution for the characters.
“The character design of the various haunts we meet along the way was by far my favorite part of the game – in fact, I wish we had learned more about some of these characters, or at least have been able to send them off in peace (as we got to do with some characters).”
“Fun puzzles, the character designs/art are pretty, and I love the spirit!”
“Nice character design and display; I will probably be going back to replay this at some point.”
“The character design of the various haunts we meet along the way was by far my favorite part of the game – in fact, I wish we had learned more about some of these characters, or at least had been able to send them off in peace (as we got to do with some characters).”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for its lack of proper optimization for PCs, despite receiving a decent performance rating of 4 out of 5. This suggests that while it performs well in some areas, there are significant optimization issues that affect the overall experience.
“[b]Performance: 4/5[/b]”
“[b]Performance: 4/5[/b]”
“Well, for one, it was never optimized properly for PCs.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized, with users expressing that aggressive advertising tactics, such as promoting on platforms like Reddit, reflect poorly on the game's quality.
