The Whispered World Special Edition

If you happen to be a fan of point and click adventures, there’s no doubt you’ve heard the name of Daedalic Entertainment by now. The German studio has made visible efforts in bringing back the point and click adventure genre in the spotlights in the last few years. The Whispered World is one of their first titles as a developer, and, as it was given a free update recently, we gave it a run to see how it fares.

The Whispered World is a point and click adventure game in the traditional sense. The older titles in the genre used to meld story-driving dialogue with puzzles of varied difficulty that made sure the game wasn’t devoid of challenge. This is exactly what Daedalic’s title does as well. From the very beginning you’ll be picking up items and talking to the characters around you for information. Some of that information will be vital to your progress; the rest will be there for the sake of world-building or simple amusement.

Those afraid of the endless pixel hunts that tend to occur in the genre can remain calm. Daedalic have made it so that, by a simple press of the Space key, every object that you can interact with, one way or another will be highlighted. The obstacles that cannot be passed through the use of dialogue require you to combine items and/or use them with different parts from the scenery. This should be no surprise to anyone, however, the Whispered World is one of those titles where the logic we expect to use if often overruled. It’s one of those games where you need to think outside the box, and sometimes even tap into the developer’s mind to figure out what you need to do.

While this may give the game a few extra humorous moments, like the act of catching flies using chopsticks, there are drawbacks to it. Some may find figuring out the weird combination of items required at times, cumbersome, and there are quite a few moments when you’ll get stuck, because of situations like these. Apart from the more or less run-of-the-mill puzzles, the main character has a side-kick, in the shape of a caterpillar that can gain different sets of abilities. Be it becoming smaller, to fit through crevices, or spit flames to make certain objects usable, Spot is an interesting addition, that adds a bit of diversity to the overall recipe.

As you get set into the game’s atmosphere, in the very first sequence, you’ll be acquainted with Sadwick. He is the one you will control throughout the entirety of the game, with the exception of maybe a scene, or two. He is also, the bearer of one of the most annoying voices you’ll ever encounter. Attempting to express sadness through a character’s voice is vital if the character has Sadwick’s background, however, our clown’s sadness quickly turns to annoying, unfortunate, whining. And it will be quite constant, as his perspective on things does not change too much throughout the story.

The rest of the cast comes with decent or even good quality voices. Most of the characters have a certain trait that’s rendered quite well by inflexions in their voices. You end up wanting to hear more from the secondary characters than from Sadwick on the sole account of his voice. And it’s a pity, seeing how the lines he has are sometimes good. A few attempts at actually pondering serious issues like, stagnation and fear of change alongside quite a few jokes, both witty and “less sophisticated”, make you feel even sorrier for the voice he’s been blessed with. At the end of the day, with the exception of the protagonist, the voice acting and the writing make for a colorful enough cast that has its quirks and qualities.

The story is framed in a classic fairy-tale scenario that comes with everything you’d expect from one. Magical helpers, a main character that starts from scratch and goes on a seemingly difficult journey, the fantasy setting, all of it’s there. Some may even say this could go to be an excuse for the odd logic the puzzles employ at times, although, we’ll have to agree that the issue remains open to interpretation. The story moves at a slow pace, never rushing to introduce too many things at once. It unwraps so that you have time to assimilate all its particularities. While the fantasy setting might not be the most unique, the initial prophecy does push you towards playing to the end. And the ending, there’s a good chance it will take you by surprise.

The art style it employs is bound to draw your attention. Every location you’ll visit will seem to be a painting, full of color and detail. It simply pleases the eyes. And while, some may say it overuses the brown/orange tint, it does it in such a manner that it becomes recognizable, easy to attribute to the title. The animation quality is a nod at older times. Movements are more stuttered, lacking the smoothness of newer titles while not bothering the player.

 On the other hand, the cutscenes, few as they are, never seem to reach the quality one would expect out of them, remaining lackluster to the point where one’s actually left wondering if they were really necessary. In truth, the transitions between acts could have been done in-engine without losing anything or creating confusion in the process. On top of that, perhaps the largest issue there is lies in the world-building itself. The story is about events that affect the entire world; however, you never feel you’re actually part of a greater mechanism. The world never feels like a world. It feels like a handful of beautifully drawn locations that aren’t much interconnected.

Not so long ago, The Whispered World got an upgrade in the form of a so-called Special Edition. Coming as a free update, it promised developer commentary, the soundtrack to the game alongside polished up graphics in areas where polish was necessary. Thus, not so many things seem to have changed from the original experience. It’s certain, however, that we have here a point and click that’s aware of the roots of the genre and emulates them in a successful manner. We have a point and click that has enough personality and story to be recommended. It’s not stellar and it definitely has its flaws. However, it’s a good effort that’ll offer you around 10 hours of gameplay for the price of twenty dollars.

MateÈ™ Bogdan Robert, NoobFeed
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