An RPG maker point-and-click horror game that’s heavy on unsettling vibes, creepy imagery and Lovecraft references, although there’s no need to know Lovecraft well to enjoy it. It has a sanity meter and seemingly a lot of choices with Game Over potential, but it’s really a lot more forgiving than it first appears. There are a lot of Game Over opportunities at the very end, but before then your poor choices and bad dice rolls aren’t that dire (and can even be very interesting!). It’s one of the most chill horror games I’ve experienced because of this, so if you’re looking for that, you’re reading the review for the right game.

(If you still experience a lot of frustration with the dice rolls, it’s possible to get an item toward the end that you can use to manipulate them on a second or later playthrough. Just pay attention to your environment — or look at a guide — to find it!)

The art is fantastic, past the simplistic backgrounds, which do have their own charm. It’s split between several artists that all have their own strengths, which can make certain things seem a little jarring when looked at together (like the style of the character portraits vs the style of the memory image), but each one really accomplished something neat. The characters are cute and the monsters are quite freaky. If anything, I just wish that the couple of characters that are present that only appear as a silhouette had portraits of their own.

The music does what it needs to when it’s there, but isn’t really suited to listening to outside of the game.

As an originally Japanese game, the translation flows naturally and is only sometimes marred by typos, grammatical errors, and missing words. If it was only slightly more polished, I’d call it perfect.

The worst part of the game is how it handles possible branching moments. One character could be with you at point A, but they could also not be with you, so the game doesn’t have them do much (or anything at all). And to get different endings, you will have to go through the same branching points several times with very little variation. At least there’s a skip button, but as a warning, it doesn’t stop at unread text.

Ultimately, it accomplishes what it sets out to do, with only a few limitations likely due to time and budget. And it was quite nice to experience! I think I’ll remember this one and its core cast for a while. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a mostly relaxed horror game experience, including those looking to play on Steam Deck.

Why is no one playing this?

The visual art is the first thing that got my attention, with super stylish character artwork and very neat use of color (very trans pride flag environments). The somewhat minimalistic backgrounds draw the players' attention where it's wanted, with perspective and dramatic shading that don't lack in eeriness, and evoke feelings of discomfort. The atmosphere is thick! The music also sets the mood well, although it's mostly lacking in melody and so is not memorable.
The English translation is plenty good. There are typos and missing words here and there (which were generally just amusing), but nothing is unclear, and the writing has personality. While there isn't anything very profound or emotional to be experienced here, the story is suspenseful and curious, unraveling at a steady pace that never bored me. The horror level is just right for me — it's there and relevant, but not overwhelming, so it didn't detract from my enjoyment.
This is my first exposure to Lovecraftian fiction, so the degree to which Lunatic Whispers is derivative isn't something I can really judge.

The gameplay isn't really difficult, especially after one has played through it once and knows what the goals are.
It's somewhat on the short side, but well worth the price for me. There are seven endings, which are easy to get with a guide, but I recommend going through your first playthrough without a guide and rolling with your mostly inevitable failures (failing can be fun). There is something you can interact with toward the end of a playthrough that makes subsequent playthroughs a total cinch, and it is miss-able, so either be thorough in your examination of the environments, or perhaps check out a guide for the very ending.
I do wish that the endings (at least the "best" one) were longer, or that there were some bonus short stories, as I like the characters and wish I could see them more! The endings are fun but quite short.
There is also a button for speeding through text, which is a boon when going for all endings, but must be used with caution, as it skips through not only previously read text, but all text. There is a text log though, so one can check what one might have missed.

Lunatic Whispers getting so little attention honestly made me hesitate to play it, so I'm very glad I gave it a go!

Disclaimer: I played with good company, so my experience did benefit from that!
(Functions well on Steam Deck. Played docked with a controller.)