Indie Corner: Whispering Willow

Microsoft has been pumping the Xbox One marketplace full of indie titles, and every time a new one lands, we try to cover it here at Games Reviews. This past week, the developers of Whispering Willow sent us a code for their title, and we jumped in right away. What you will find in Whispering Willow is a sometimes confusing, but generally straightforward, puzzle solving game. With a walkthrough, this could be completed in just a few hours. It took us around 5. For 9.99, there is definitely value in this little game.

 In Whispering Willow, you play as a young girl who runs away from home to try to figure out where her father has gone. Her father was / is – no spoilers afterall! – the caretaker of an old, haunted home which players will soon realize is full of secrets and mystery. The protagonist is aided by a magic amulet which allows her to speak with the dead ghosts floating around the mansion, and can help in solving puzzles. When players active the amulet using X on the Xbox One controller, the spirit of the young girl leaves her body and is free to roam around. When nearing a narrow crack in the wall, the spirit shrinks down in size so that players can menuever through the crack and to the other side of the wall. Areas where the spirit can move are highlighted by a slight, bluish sparkle. The problems you need to solve as the spirit are not complex, but the variety of different ways to interact with things keeps each puzzle fresh.

The downside to Whispering Willow is the lack of direction. It is easily possible to make your way in the wrong direction for a while, only to realize you lack something you need to move forward, requiring you to do some backtracking. The lack of an overworld map to show you were everything is also problematic, as there are many doors to open and ladders to climb. At times, I was incredibly frustrated as I wondered around wondering what to do.

Overall, playing Whispering Willow was a worthwhile experience. The developers created a great horror like game without the typical shock moments. Outstanding audio and some of the best artwork I’ve seen in a game since Ori and the Blind Forest, keep the game refreshing throughout. If you are waiting for your next big AAA release, or have a rainy afternoon to kill, I cannot recommend the Whispering Willow any more. It gets a solid 7.0/10 from us!