If you like a Visual Novel that skips story and gets right to loads of sex, you may want to skip this title for now, but if you can handle a well told tale with interesting characters and a variety of emotions evoked, then look no further than this erotic-horror-mystery, Secrets of Whispering Pines.
The tale presented is one that seems familiar, a man is striving to save his loved ones from unknown evil lurking at a spooky camp in the woods, but that story is told often as it is a relatable experience. There is a bit of backstory present, and an interesting information gathering activity that felt a little bit like a sequence from a Phoenix Wright game to me, (grabbing the right evidence can open up dialogue options later on) and a few other features that have this feeling less like a garden-variety lewd VN and more like I am a participant in an interactive tale of potential horror, disaster, and sex.
The cast is believable, and the dialogue feels genuine in most places, with a variety of different responses to the MC that run from clearly-wants-to-jump-on-your-dick to would-like-you-to-fuck-off-and-die, letting you know that this will not likely play like a vapid harem game with a score of interchangeable women you sleep with whenever you wish.
The character designs are varied, but there may be less variety than some other games, although this is not much of an issue for me personally, as all of the girls present are attractive to me. The sound work is top-notch, and I can think of only a couple of VNs where the sound is as spot-on in terms of setting the mood and getting the scene's intent across.
It is early in the life of this VN as I write this review, as it just had it's first release, but I have high hopes for this title. As of this writing, the tone is creepy with a few moments of suspense, but I anticipate that the story could likely go to dark places eventually. I would not be surprised if this game eventually offers some scenarios like the Triple-A title "Until Dawn," that could literally dictate whether some characters live or die before the game ends.
The creator, BlackHeart Games, has shown some talent in handling violence and weaving a dark narrative in other works, and they show no sign of dropping the ball here. I personally hope that this title does not go quite as far as Blackheart Hotel, a game with about as many corpses as conquests, but I trust that the creators will make it an interesting ride however they decide to progress.
I would recommend that anyone looking for something a little sinister in addition to titillating give this title a try, and I think you will be pleased with what you find... Unless you scare easily, then the creepy scenes running through the woods to escape the screaming monster will just ruin whatever pants you are wearing.
I suppose if you suffer from premature ejaculation you could also ruin your pants, but in a way that is surely more enjoyable.
