Beacon Pines

Cute game with an interesting story that will get you hooked. It's a slow game, no action, perfect to relax with. I love the graphics, and the soothing music and ambient sounds. I probably played this for at least 10 hours, so you get a lot of game for the price, as long as you don't speedrun it ;) Lots of dialogue and story, but just a speechbubble worth of text at a time, so it all is very easy to read and follow. Here and there the voice acted storyteller fills in the gaps, and she has the most pleasant voice :) The only thing that made me almost not buying the game after watching some clips on YT was the very loud and annoying sounds the characters make when they speak, but there is a separate sound-slider for that so I turned it down pretty low and it all got much better!

Sure, the characters are all anthropomorphic animal people, your main protagonists are middle school age children, and the voiced-over narrator sounds like a very reassuring motherly figure who’s trying her very hardest not to trigger someone’s mental disorders, but…! PARENTAL ADVISORY: ...the characters like to use everyone’s favorite four letter words, you get to see a dead body tossed into a dumpster (NOT a spoiler, it’s one of the scenes in the trailers), and the whole underlying conspiracy is about an evil corporation’s experiments gone wrong (also alluded to in the game’s description). ... Thankfully, the writing in this game is SUPERB; it’s been AGES since the last time a game actually managed to get me to care about the plot or characters, and the sentimentality in it seems sincere, too. This’s a narrative adventure game, that controls a lot like any other point-and-click game, but you can also use a controller if you prefer having a console-feel to the action. If talking to NPCs, reading text and dialogue, and following the plot are your favorite things to do in a game, this game is for YOU! The Choose-Your-Own-Adventure aspect to it is also done very well; you can return to any pivotal moment in the story at will, to make a different choice. Your different choices are earned by exploring your surroundings, and have to be found before you can use them; if you’re missing a choice, you’ll have to go back and explore better, but if you click any everything that you conceivably can in any given area, you shouldn’t end up missing out on anything; I didn’t. It’s not a long game, but when all’s said and done, you’ll feel like you’ve done a lot! Finished this over 10 hours over the course of 2 evenings (100%, as far as I can tell; unfortunately the achievements aren’t - as of currently - incorporated into the GoG release). If Night in the Woods (also recommended) was punk rock, Beacon Pines is like its distant classical/orchestral cousin.

I buy that game thinking that It's been an "OK" game for a relaxing gaming night, But I was quite wrong, it is an awesome game with a very interesting story and gameplay that keep me playing for a couple of days. Love the try and error of the charm system, slowly taking you to the end. It was quite inviting for me.

Don't let the screenshots fool you. Beacon Pines might have its classic whimsy Disney moments, no doubt, but its heart beats in the chilling thumps of horror. The "choose your own adventure" mechanic perfectly masks that the game is essentially linear and skill doesn't play a role at all. Most paths you take will end in death rather quickly, prompting you to select another option somewhere down the choice tree. But Beacon Pines will bring you up to speed in any chosen storyline immediately and expertly avoids repetition. There are few games attempting "pure storytelling" and arriving at a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Beacon Pines is one of those rare games.