The Whispered World

The Good
For me personally, one of the most charming games of the last year was "Edna bricht aus", the debut of a newly founded company called Daedalic. Their newest game is entirely different, yet belongs to the same genre. What we have here, is basically a very old-school-like adventure game, which is at the same time a tremendously nice fairy tale.

"The Whispered World" is actually a very fragile place. Many characters you meet are talking about the end, which they suppose is near. Moreover, a prophetess tells Sadwick, the hero of the game, that he will be the cause of the apocalyptic event. The young boy, however, believes he could fight his own fate and goes on a journey to meet the king and prevent the destruction of his world.

Sadwick is, of course, the one you will take control of, when you play the game. Being the newest entry in a long list of antiheroes with leading roles in adventure games, he is part of an unsuccessful travelling circus, that consists of him, his brother Ben and his senile grandfather. Since he is far too clumsy and inept to be anything like a high-wire performer or animal tamer, Sadwick is more or less determined to play the role of the clown – a fate, which he accepts only because he has no choice. Although he is supposed to make people laugh, our young hero is at his heart a very unhappy boy, who suffers under his family and the path they chose for him. His only true friend is a caterpillar by the name of Spot, his sidekick, who follows him everywhere, always smiling, yet never speaking a word. The sad clown and the happy caterpillar: I am tempted to say, that these two characters represent the range of moods, this game has in store.

Of course, there are lots of jokes and funny situations to be found in "The Whispered World". Alone the conversations with Sadwick's confused grandfather are a classic example of comic relief – and not the only one. However, the humor never crosses that line, where it would become a parody. Unlike many other recent adventures, this one treats its story and characters seriously. It's lovely and cheerful, but at the same time a very serious and often even dark fantasy tale, that never breaks the illusion it creates and never sacrifices its bittersweet atmosphere in order to bring those cheap jokes and pop culture references, that other comic adventures throw at you regularly. Although there are many funny scenes in the game, there's always a soft breeze of melancholy and romantic pessimism blowing through it as well. There's a feeling of tragedy, an intuitive knowledge that there's a sad thing going on in this world and that the end of all things is near.

During its best moments, "The Whispered World" really manages to be sad and amusing in the same breath. One of such moments is the one, where Sadwick gets to meet Bando, an unemployed working man, who wistfully recalls those "good old days", when he was still working in a huge factory, that has lately been shut down. In the following dialogue the game really shines. A depressed muscleman who recalls the beauty of shoveling coal in the heat of the furnace is not only funny. The way this character perceives himself as useless, the way he idealizes his past, the way his awareness of the futility of his existence and of life in general has grown since he lost his job – all of that is in some ways quite similar to how people in real life often feel, when they are without employment for a longer period of time. I actually know people, whose fates bear some parallels to that of Bando. And, of course, I'm a fan of fantasy that's trying to mirror our reality. If it is done right, it can make the difference between meaningful and trivial, wise and naive, good and forgettable.

The story of "The Whispered World" actually spans a total of four acts, all of which play at different locations, each one slightly more difficult than the previous one. You control Sadwick with your mouse in a more or less typical adventure fashion. Pressing the space bar shows all the hotspots you can interact with. By clicking on the left mouse button, an annular menu appears, giving you the options look, talk and use/take; a click on the right mouse button shows your inventory. A nice idea is how Sadwick has to make use of his companion Spot to solve some of the game's puzzles. Apart from just being a constantly smiling source of happiness, the little caterpillar is also useful for being able to change the shape of his body. For example, he can swell up to a round ball, which you can use in various situations. He can also change from normal to burning mode: a condition, where he is even able to spit fire. If you want to make progress in the game, Spots various abilities are essential.

Of course, different player types tend to make completely different experiences with one and the same game. However, at least from my point of view the puzzles in "The Whispered World" are very well balanced. There are some exceptions, where the solutions are somewhat strange and a little bit of trial and error is required, but generally speaking the puzzles are logical and quite good. The game is also a lot easier to manage than "Edna bricht aus", since the amount of locations and hotspots has been considerably reduced. Mind you: it is far from being easy – you have to do some tough thinking from time to time. But still I was hardly ever stuck or frustrated, when I played. The game has a good flow.

One of the things, that were often criticized about Daedalic's previous title were the cheap 2D graphics. While I actually belonged to those who liked the weird drawings, one thing can not be debated: "The Whispered World" clearly beats Edna in this regard. The game is still entirely in 2D, but this time it looks so stylish that it's hard to believe, that the same company is standing behind it. The visual style has completely changed to elegantly drawn rooms and landscapes, which look so beautiful, that I almost wanted to print them out and embellish the walls of my home with them. I'm especially fond of the Autumn Forest, which you get to explore in the very first chapter. The scenery is so lovely, so full of wonder, words simply can't describe it.

I mentioned in the beginning of this review, that "The Whispered World" is a very fragile place. The dreamy visuals not only reflect that, they also encourage you to save this world, as you simply will not want such a beautiful place to be destroyed. The end is near, however, and one thing that always reminds you of that is the music. The soundtrack is actually quite minimalistic. Most of the time it is build upon merely three instruments: piano, bassoon and flute. Yet the range of emotions, that music can display, was never limited by the size of the ensemble. The composers did the right thing in writing these discreet musical pieces, mysterious and fragile, just like the world they accompany. The feeling of melancholy, which almost constantly emanates from the game, is also a result of the music, that's for sure.

The Bad
"The Whispered World" does have its share of weaknesses, the biggest of them probably being that the world is so deserted. Some locations would have clearly been in need of more people to communicate with. Take only the village, you are going to visit in the second chapter. How can it be, that there are only two people around? Where is the rest?

It is a general problem of the game, that the world feels too empty. You are taken on a journey to a wide range of different locations, yet these locations are often not as detailed or alive as they could be, if the developers concentrated on a lesser amount. What I missed was some kind of a centre, a place, you would return to from time to time. Such a thing also would have helped to establish some deeper relationships between the hero and some of the supporting characters. As it is, most of them appear only once in the game and are therefore often not far developed.

What's more, the story does have its flaws, too. It does take some quite unexpected turns in the end, but up to that point there are many idle periods without much happening.

The evil guys were also quite disappointing. Maybe these Asgil could have been interesting villains, if they were somewhat ambivalent. However, the way things are, they are nothing but nasty beings with an evil muahahaha-laughter and no morals. Could have been better.

I have already mentioned, that not all of the puzzles are perfect. What I remember right now, is a puzzle in the beginning of the third chapter, where you have to push and pull five levers, until a door opens. A very annoying affair.

In the end, I think I prefer the dirty and insolent humor of Edna to the much more innocent and pleasant style of "The Whispered World". This is a personal thing, however, and it's not even very fair to make this comparison. In their unique ways both games are excellent.

The Bottom Line
I'm quite sure, that Michael Ende's "The Neverending Story" – without any doubt one of the best fantasy novels ever written – had a significant influence on the story of "The Whispered World". The gameplay, on the other hand, is clearly inspired by the adventure classics of LucasArts. The amazing 2D art style, the interface, the absence of dead-ends or ways to die, even the copy protection brings back some memories. From these influences – and their own imagination, of course – the people at Daedalic designed a bittersweet adventure, refreshing and unique, particularly because of its tragicomical spirit. If this game would have been made in the nineties, it might be considered a classic today.