Harman Patil (Editor)

Whispering Willows

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Engine
  
Unity

Genre(s)
  
Adventure

Developer(s)
  
Night Light Interactive

Publisher(s)
  
Night Light Interactive Loot Interactive (PS4/PSV) Abstraction Games (XONE/WU)

Platform(s)
  
Ouya Microsoft Windows Linux OS X PlayStation 4 PlayStation Vita Xbox One Wii U iOS Android

Release
  
Ouya WW: May 27, 2014 Microsoft Windows, Linux, OS X WW: July 9, 2014 PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita NA: June 30, 2015 EU: June 30, 2015 iOS WW: August 26, 2015 Xbox One WW: August 28, 2015 Wii U WW: October 8, 2015

Whispering Willows is an indie adventure horror video game developed by the independent developer Night Light Interactive. It was released on Ouya on May 27, 2014, and subsequently released for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and OS X on Steam on July 9, 2014. The game was translated into Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, Chinese, Ukrainian and Brazilian Portuguese.

Contents

Gameplay

The player takes control of Elena Elkhorn who wants to rescue her father. With her pendant, she can access her shamanic powers: the ability to leave her physical body and explore the world in spirit form. Using this ability, she can fly through gaps in walls and reach new places. The player can also possess certain objects, such as levers, to manipulate the environment. Throughout the game, the player finds notes from ghosts, which reveal new things. To advance in the game, the player has to find items and use them on certain objects.

Plot

Young Elena Elkhorn embarks on a harrowing journey to find her missing father and discover the secrets of the Willows Mansion. Aiding her journey is a unique amulet she received from her father, which allows her to astrally project her spirit into a ghostly realm and communicate with the dead.

Characters

  • Elena Elkhorn: The protagonist who wants to rescue her father.
  • John Elkhorn: Elena's missing father and descendant of the Kwantako tribe.
  • Wortham Willows: The antagonist. He was the mayor of the city and searched for a way to revive his dead wife.
  • Flying Hawk: A shaman who wanted to have a peaceful meeting with the white men.
  • Darby O'Halloran: An old friend of Wortham's. He is haunted by the memories of Sky Flower, a little girl he once killed.
  • Fleur le Rue: Wortham's secret new love affair.

    • Development

    The game was funded via Kickstarter. With 750 backers and $20,747 the game exceeded its initial goal of $15,000. Michael Johnson created a live-action trailer for the game's release. Skyler Davenport recorded voice acting for the role of Elena.

    Reception

  • Chalgyr's Game Room gave Whispering Willows a 9/10 saying "With the story telling through parchment letters and ghost ramblings, everything comes together in a beautiful yet haunting manner of excellence."
  • Mark Serrels from Kotaku Australia saying "A horror/adventure puzzle game with an absolutely gorgeous aesthetic."
  • Noobfeed.com gave the game 80/100 saying "The only thing more ghastly than its ghosts is finishing Whispering Willows and wanting more."
  • Review from Stephanie Carmichael on venturebeat.com saying "Few horror games feature ladies in the lead role… But fewer still feature the sort of duality that Night Light built into Elena."
  • Jenni Lada from technologytell.com gives it an A- saying "we should be celebrating the fact that this is an evocative, beautiful adventure game with a strong heroine, thoughtful plot, and ethereal presentation"
  • Jeremy Peeples from Hardcore Gamer rated the game 3.5 out of 5 stars, saying that "Whispering Willows’ slow pace isn’t for everyone, but it worked in the game’s favor more often than not. Its goal is to freak you out to some degree at all times, and it accomplishes that with a dark world, a creepy atmosphere, and effective sound design."
  • Review on the Indian gaming site illgaming.in says the game has an interesting premise, art design, and an atmospheric open-world design, but lacks puzzle variety and is hindered down with uneven production and lack of controller support, giving it a final score of 6.8 of 10.
  • Fist Full Of Potions gave a positive review, saying "Overall, Whispering Willows is an enjoyable journey, and a gorgeous one at that. It’s come a long way from its original game jam version, and has provided a richer story than I anticipated. Despite the puzzles being simple, it’s worth playing through."

    • Awards

    Whispering Willows has won the following awards:

  • Casual Connect Indie Prize - Winner 2014 for "Best Story," Finalist for "Best Desktop Game" and "Best Art"
  • Seattle Indie Gaming Competition - Winner 2014
  • OUYA CREATE Game Jam - Winner 2013 for "Most Immersive," Finalist for "Grand Prize" and "Best Visuals"
  • Captivate Conference Game Design Competition – Finalist 2013
  • Cerebral Indie Developer Grant – Winner 2013

    • Sequel

    In an interview, Logan said that a sequel might be possible, depending on how the game does on consoles. They already started preplanning for the continuation of the story.

    References

    Whispering Willows Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA