Game: Beacon Pines
Genre: Adventure, Casual, RPG
Developer | Developers: Hiding Spot Games
Planned Release Date: TBD
Planned Systems: Steam, Nintendo Switch
Though we are a site that focusses on handheld gaming, once in a while a game is presented on Kickstarter and/or Steam that looks very promising and will most probably come to the Switch as well.
Beacon Pines is a cute and creepy adventure game within a magical storybook. You play as both the reader of the book and control the main character, Luka. The game has a Kickstarter Campaign where 1,345 backers have pledged over $49,000 with the campaign set to run until the 5th March, as the goal was $ 30,000 the campaign is already fully funded. As yet there isn’t a confirmed release date for the game, however, there is a free demo on Steam available to try out. But a Switch release is planned as well!
A Story Book World
Beacon Pines is certainly a beautiful looking game set in a storybook world. It’s a narrative-driven adventure where you take the role of a young deer called Luka. Luka’s father is dead and his mother is missing, poor kid! Because of his circumstances Luka lives with his grandmother and spends his days hanging out with his best friend Rolo.
Mysterious Warehouse
The town they live in seems pleasant and peaceful, but looks can be deceiving and Rolo’s heard some rumours about an abandoned warehouse which may turn everything in the town up-side-down!
The plot progression is interesting in Beacon Pines, the storybook talks to you. The tale of Beacon Pines isn’t complete with words missing from the storybook. You can change the course of the story at certain points in the game as you’re pulled into the storybook to play out the events that unfold based on your decisions.
Collect Charms
You change the course of the story with the use of Charms, Charms are found though-out Beacon Pines by interacting with the environment. Each Charm has one word on it and at points in the story, you insert a particular Charm in place of the missing word.
In collecting the Charms and using them in the alert events in the storyline you completely rewrite the fate of Beacon Pines. A simple word can change the course of the story. The chronicle is a record of decisions you make, it’s a large tree that you can see the turning point of the story on.
Once a decision has played out, you can open the magical book at any time. And go back and change your decision using a different charm selection and watch what happens with the story.
Explore the Town
Every animal character in Beacon Pines has its own unique personality, backstory, and motivations. You will meet entirely different characters, find new charms. Discover more details about what is happening in Beacon Pines, depending on the decisions you make.
Along with exploring the town, you will be able to go fishing in the nearby pond. Helping out at the Last Chance Diner to cook up some meals. By combining the Charms you have found you can cook meals and make the hungry partons happy.
In the demo, you can explore a portion of the town and a few other areas. You can go back and use the few different Charms in the demo to change the outcome of your first decision. The demo is just enough playtime to give you a taster of what the game will be like.
All the beautiful illustrations are drawn by Ilse Harting and they really are a treat for the eyes. Beacon pines has an original soundtrack by award-winning musician Matt Meyer, it fits perfectly with the game.
Beacon Pines promises a few surprises Earthquakes, strange lights in the night, folks going missing, creatures lurking in the shadows, glowing puddles, and strange men in hazmat suits who seem very interested in it all.
Are you as intrigued as I am to know where the story will go when the full game is released?
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