Ludography
74/100
Players25 ratings
69/100
Critics3 reviews
More scores
Metacritic10 critic reviews
64/100
Metacritic usersuser score
59/100
GameFAQsSimple-Easy
3.6/5
Player reviews
81% positive1,260 reviews
Runs on
Windows, Mac, Linux
Price
US$1.99

Where to get it

Whispering Willows cover

2014 · Night Light Interactive · Adventure · Indie

Whispering Willows

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 astral project her spirit into a ghostly-realm and communicate with the dead. Play as Elena to find her missing father, use your astral projection to solves the mansion's tricks and puzzles, help the lingering souls and discover so much more in Whispering Willows.

Released
27 May 2014
Platforms
AndroidLinuxNintendo SwitchOuyaPlayStation 4PlayStation VitaWii UWindowsXbox OneiOSmacOS
Genres
AdventureIndiePlatformerPuzzleRole-playing
Developers
Night Light Interactive
Publishers
Night Light Interactive
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Third personSide view
Themes
HorrorMystery
Country
United States
Age ratings
ACB MCLASS_IND 10USK 12ESRB TPEGI 12
Languages
Chinese (Simplified), English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (Spain), Ukrainian
Time to beat
2.5hmain story2hwith extras3hcompletionist

About

Whispering Willows is an indie adventure horror video game developed by independent developer Night Light Interactive for Ouya in May 2014.

›Story

Young Elena Elkhorn sets out on a harrowing search for her missing father, John, whose disappearance draws her to the sprawling and long-abandoned Willows Mansion. To aid her, John has left behind a unique amulet that lets Elena astrally project her spirit into a ghostly realm, where she can slip through the world of the dead and speak with the restless souls who linger there. As she explores the mansion and its haunted grounds, Elena uncovers the tragic history binding the estate together, including its former master Wortham Willows, a mayor consumed by his desperate quest to revive his dead wife. Caught between the living and the dead, Elena must piece together the mansion's dark secrets if she hopes to find her father.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

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.

Story

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.

Elena Elkhorn: The protagonist who wants to rescue her father.

Development

Whispering Willows 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.

The game was translated into Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, Chinese, Ukrainian and Brazilian Portuguese. The soundtrack by Steve Goldshein was released on January 9, 2018 by video game music label Materia Collective.

Reception

Whispering Willows received "mixed or average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. Critics praised the game's visuals with Shuva Raha from Adventure Gamers saying that the game is "good-looking" and Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewer Mollie Patterson calling the game's graphics "great". However reviewers noted the boring gameplay with Shuva Raha saying that "the simplistic – often to the point of boring – gameplay, along with poor design that attempts to prolong playing time by inserting hours of completely avoidable backtracking, reduces the experience to a grind".

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Ouya17 May 2014Worldwide
Windows8 July 2014North America · Worldwide 9 July 2014
Linux9 July 2014Worldwide
macOS9 July 2014Worldwide
PlayStation Vita30 June 2015Worldwide
PlayStation 430 June 2015Worldwide
Android26 August 2015Worldwide
iOS26 August 2015Worldwide
Xbox One28 August 2015Worldwide
Wii U8 October 2015Europe · Worldwide 31 December 2015 · North America 20 January 2020
Nintendo Switch27 September 2018North America · Worldwide 27 September 2018

Editions and related releases

Included in
The Akupara Classics BundleAkupara Collection

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Collections9 collections

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.