Winter Voices

65%
Game Brain Score Based on 116 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • atmosphere
Winter Voices Game Cover
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"Winter Voices" is an indie RPG adventure game that follows a young woman, Tesla, on her journey of self-discovery and healing after the loss of her husband. The game features a unique narrative-driven gameplay, with 50 introspective letters to read, and turn-based tactical combat. Set in a beautifully hand-drawn winter landscape, Tesla will face her fears, inner demons, and make difficult decisions that will shape her future.

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Reviews

65%
Audience ScoreBased on 116 reviews
story26 positive mentions
stability7 negative mentions
  • The game features a beautifully crafted atmosphere and art style, enhancing the emotional depth of the story.
  • The narrative is unique and thought-provoking, exploring themes of grief and personal struggle in a poetic manner.
  • The combat system is innovative, focusing on defensive strategies and emotional challenges rather than traditional fighting.
  • The gameplay is plagued by slow pacing, frustrating movement mechanics, and numerous bugs that hinder the experience.
  • The writing can be overly pretentious and convoluted, making it difficult to engage with the story at times.
  • Many players find the combat system tedious and unfulfilling, as it often feels more like a puzzle than an engaging RPG experience.
  • story85 mentions

    The game's story is a central focus, characterized by its unique and introspective narrative that explores themes of loss, depression, and personal growth. While some players appreciate its poetic writing and emotional depth, others find it slow-paced, confusing, and at times pretentious. Overall, the story is seen as a compelling experience that may require patience and a willingness to overlook gameplay flaws for those who value narrative-driven games.

    • “If you decide to embark on this journey, you'll find a moving and deep story that's totally worth it.”
    • “The story is unique and interesting in gaming and is worth the effort in my opinion; I had to endure a lot technically when I originally played it, but it was worth it because the story was well done and presented with a unique pace and arc for the character.”
    • “The writing is beautiful; it matches the sad and sometimes gothic tone of the story perfectly and is presented in an almost poetic manner.”
    • “I got 2 hours in trying to engage with the story, but it is just so dry and tedious.”
    • “The story is pretentious, nonsensical, and not interesting in the least.”
    • “The story ends up not saying much about the main character.”
  • gameplay38 mentions

    The gameplay of this title has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its poorly executed mechanics, slow pacing, and unintuitive controls, which detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the unique RPG elements and the emotional depth of the story, others find the gameplay dull and frustrating, suggesting that the game prioritizes narrative and atmosphere over engaging mechanics. Overall, it seems to appeal primarily to those willing to overlook its flaws for the sake of its artistic and thematic ambitions.

    • “While the game plays fairly similar to other RPGs out there, the mechanics within give this game a unique feel alongside its gloomy, yet relatable story.”
    • “What definitely makes this game wonderful is the unique setting and mechanics.”
    • “I like the choices and the gameplay.”
    • “If only the mechanics of the game were not that complicated and poorly made.”
    • “The gameplay itself is slow-paced and uninspiring.”
    • “A brilliant idea that is poorly executed and tragically limited by its gameplay and many bugs.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its deep, dark, and immersive qualities, effectively conveying feelings of coldness, pressure, and loneliness. The art and music complement this mood, creating a somber and mystic tone that captivates players, even if some aspects of gameplay may be lacking. Overall, the atmosphere is a significant draw, making the experience engaging despite its slower pacing and challenging themes.

    • “The atmosphere is great and you really feel the cold and the pressure the girl is experiencing.”
    • “The atmosphere is really good and the soundtrack complements it well; there's a real bleak and lonely tone that permeates the game.”
    • “On one hand, it has a unique concept and setting, excellent atmosphere and music, and a decent (and also unique) skills and stats system.”
    • “The pacing is slow, the atmosphere is depressing.”
    • “You play for the feel of it, the atmosphere, the music, some quirk that intrigues you; but you can't exactly call it 'fun'.”
    • “Of the atmosphere.”
  • music16 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, providing stirring and powerful soundscapes that evoke strong emotions during both intense and quiet moments. While the soundtrack complements the game's themes of loss and self-discovery, some users noted minor issues, such as a few poorly received lyrics. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's unique and immersive experience.

    • “Firstly, the music is great, very stirring and powerful. I find it gives the game a real intensity and emotion at the right points, but also during the quieter moments.”
    • “The atmosphere is really good and the soundtrack complements it well; there's a real bleak and lonely tone that permeates the game.”
    • “No complaints on the music; it greatly amplified the mystic and somber atmosphere.”
    • “Only this dull music instead...”
    • “You play for the feel of it, the atmosphere, the music, some quirk that intrigues you; but you can't exactly call it -fun-.”
    • “This 'game' is more about art-work, music, and concepts than gameplay, but it is one of the most innovative concepts for a video game I have ever seen.”
  • graphics14 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautifully hand-drawn artwork and painterly style, while others criticize them as outdated and glitchy. Many reviewers emphasize that the game's focus lies more on its narrative and artistic concepts rather than on gameplay or graphical fidelity. Overall, the visuals are appreciated for their artistic merit, but they fall short in technical execution and modern standards.

    • “The artwork is amazing as well.”
    • “The graphics are beautifully hand drawn, the story is superb, the mechanics great.”
    • “The graphics are all rendered in a painterly style, and most of the dialogue is cryptic freeform poetry.”
    • “Outdated graphics.”
    • “The graphics are decent but could be a lot better.”
    • “I'd rate this (strange) game overall a 6.4 out of 10, but that is perhaps because there is such a nasty graphics glitch... not a game I would really recommend.”
  • emotional9 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Winter Voices" is deeply impactful, with players highlighting its touching narrative and introspective themes that prioritize emotional engagement over traditional gameplay mechanics. The game features battles that serve as emotional puzzles rather than conventional fights, allowing players to navigate the protagonist's psychological struggles and memories. While the pacing is slow, the emotional depth and abstract storytelling create a profound experience that resonates strongly with players, though it may also evoke intense feelings of distress.

    • “So Winter Voices is not fast-paced, action-packed, or modern looking, but for me, the touching story is good enough to make up for it.”
    • “You control a young woman who goes through her own thoughts and memories, and instead of fighting, you defend yourself with a variety of emotional and mental skills which can provide different benefits to the character herself or her surroundings.”
    • “Fights aren't really fights so much as emotional puzzles; you're not actually playing to win, just playing to survive.”
  • stability7 mentions

    The game's stability has significantly improved since its initial release, which was plagued by frequent crashes, black screens, and numerous bugs. While many players still experience occasional glitches and slow loading times, recent patches have made the game much more playable and stable overall.

    • “Seriously, black screens, freezes, and crashes are, like, the most common thing here.”
    • “- riddled with bugs and glitches.”
    • “It has trouble keeping up with each spell you cast, areas take a long time to load, etc. If the previous two points weren't enough, the frequent glitches in the game had me reloading constantly, making any sort of progress painstakingly difficult.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is often perceived as vague and pretentious, particularly in the early stages, with attempts at comedic dialogue feeling more psychotic than funny. While the plot improves around episode 3, the writing suffers from poor localization, making it awkward and stilted, which detracts from any potential humor. Overall, the humor is described as painful rather than amusing, overshadowed by overly poetic and convoluted prose.

    • “The plot does pick up significantly around episode 3, and there's even humor at times, or attempts at it, anyway.”
    • “I suspect that the game suffers from a rather poor English localization, which might make the writing seem more stilted and awkward than it is in French; poetry, like humor, is notoriously difficult to translate.”
    • “The 'humorous' dialogue options come across as psychotic.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game suffers from significant optimization issues, running slowly and not being compatible with the latest version of Adobe Air, which negatively impacts overall performance.

    • “The game runs slowly and is not compatible with the latest version of Adobe Air.”
    • “That aside, the game runs slowly too.”
    • “His performance, like everything else in the game, was far too slow.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and cumbersome, with many expressing frustration over the lack of engaging story and repetitive combat mechanics.

    • “I got 2 hours in trying to engage with the story, but it is just so dry and tedious.”
    • “The combat is cumbersome and tedious.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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