kaeruk
2023
Really freaking neat, philosophical, and poetic: true art. I spent roughly half of the time feeling confused, which wasn't necessarily bad, but was a little tiring, and I felt that I'm not a diver skilled enough to swim to its depths. Frequently, though, I was just uncertain about which character's thoughts I was reading, and I'm unsure whether this ambiguity was intentional.
Nothing, Somewhere feels easily worth experiencing again, and I intend to do so in the future.
Nothing, Somewhere feels easily worth experiencing again, and I intend to do so in the future.
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.)
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.)
2021
A fun introduction to these characters with entertaining dialogue, cool pixel art, and snazzy-ass music. I certainly will check out the subsequent games in this series.
2020
Beautiful, sad; real. For no good reason, I think I was anticipating something more fluffy and light-hearted, but it was a good experience, and a more valuable one to me in this way. It feels at once heavy and inspirational.
I want to cling. I don't want to cling.
When I can help it, I want to ride the waves, and will do so with grace at times, and clumsiness at other times. I'll resist, and then I'll lovingly embrace my self who wants to resist, whose hands will open slowly, and clumsily embrace my gracefulness, and gracefully embrace my clumsiness.
I want to cling. I don't want to cling.
When I can help it, I want to ride the waves, and will do so with grace at times, and clumsiness at other times. I'll resist, and then I'll lovingly embrace my self who wants to resist, whose hands will open slowly, and clumsily embrace my gracefulness, and gracefully embrace my clumsiness.
2021
OK, I dunno -- maybe it's not that good but, I had a blast with this one. It was thoroughly amusing, weird, and fun to play with company (although it mightn't have been half as fun on my own). However, my relative lack of exposure to this genre of games may mean I'm more easily impressed than the average person who plays this game.
It kept me guessing right up until the end, so I think it succeeded in the way it was intended to! Also, playing as (optionally) a male character in a fictional society that treats his attraction to men as something completely expected is nice.
The gacha game mechanic got a little annoying at a couple of points, and there is an instance of flashing imagery which I wish wasn't present. Otherwise, I feel this silly game was worthwhile for the time and few dollars it cost. But you won't get much romance out of this one!
It kept me guessing right up until the end, so I think it succeeded in the way it was intended to! Also, playing as (optionally) a male character in a fictional society that treats his attraction to men as something completely expected is nice.
The gacha game mechanic got a little annoying at a couple of points, and there is an instance of flashing imagery which I wish wasn't present. Otherwise, I feel this silly game was worthwhile for the time and few dollars it cost. But you won't get much romance out of this one!