''Whispering Willows'' is an

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developed by

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developer Night Light Interactive for

Ouya The Ouya ( ), stylized as OUYA, is an Android (operating system), Android-based microconsole developed by Ouya Inc. Julie Uhrman founded the project in 2012, bringing in designer Yves Béhar to collaborate on its design and Muffi Ghadiali as VP ...

in May 2014.

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 and release

''Whispering Willows'' was funded via

Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...

. 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. The game was initially released in 2014 for

on May 27. It was released for

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via

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on July 9, following a delay from an initial release date of June 17. Developed and published by

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, ports for

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and

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...

were released on June 30, 2015. Versions for

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and

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were developed by Night Light Interactive and released on August 28, 2015. The game was also ported by Abstraction Games to

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and

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on August 28 and October 8, respectively. A version for

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published by

Akupara Games Akupara Games is an American video game publisher and developer. Based in Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of C ...

was released on September 27, 2018.

Reception

''Whispering Willows'' received "mixed or average" reviews according to video game

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. Critics praised the game's visuals with Shuva Raha from ''

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'' saying that the game is "good-looking" and ''

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'' 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".

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.

Notes

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title, 3093214 2014 video games Adventure games Akupara Games games Android (operating system) games Indie games IOS games Linux games MacOS games Nintendo Switch games Ouya games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation Network games PlayStation Vita games Single-player video games Video games about ghosts Video games developed in the United States Video games featuring female protagonists Wii U eShop games Windows games Xbox One games Abstraction Games games