Campaign Ends: March 5
Platform: Windows, macOS, and Switch. Linux and additional consoles may be possible, but not yet confirmed.
Welcome to Beacon Pines, a quaint mountain town inhabited by a wide assortment of anthropomorphic cuties and filled with an even wider assortment of dark secrets and bizarre occurrences. Missing townsfolk, strange earthquakes, mysterious glowing lights, and a dubious corporation are just a few of the sights youâll be treated to during your stay. Town life just hasnât been the same since the incident at Valentineâs Fertilizer plant!
Our tale takes place within the pages of a mysterious storybook; play as both the narrator and Luka, an adorable little deer wearing a snappy red sweater. The book has been left incomplete, and your help is needed to track down its missing words in a Mad Libs-inspired narrative adventure. While exploring, youâll be collecting charms engraved with said words, one of which, as confirmed from video footage, is âturd.â Fill out the bookâs incomplete sentences to shape the plot, and then play out the resulting scenes! Your decisions will determine which characters and charms youâll encounter and what secrets youâll reveal about the town itself. Thankfully, the game will allow you to go back and change the story if your original choices disappoint.
Fully funded early on, Beacon Pines has already reached its first two stretch goals, which add cooking and fishing minigames. Fishing will take place in a beautiful new aquatic area, while the Last Chance Diner will become your culinary headquarters. Both minigames will feature optional side stories that reveal more about the gameâs world and characters without impacting the main storyline. The final stretch goalâwhich has also been reachedâwill add voice-over narration for the storybook, and fans can chime in with suggestions for one additional stretch goal.
Beacon Pines‘ graphics are quite magnificent: a combination of isometric exploration in a lush, painted world, and dialogue scenes featuring adorable animal characters in cozy vintage clothing. Meanwhile, the storyline is sure to appeal to fans of Stranger Things, Night in the Woods, and other small-town mysteries (with or without cute animals). Take note; much like its influences, this game will feature some disturbing content and PG-13 language throughout its 4â6 hour playtime. In any case, Beacon Pines‘ wholesome-yet-ominous aesthetic is definitely making it to my gaming wishlist. I hope to see you at the Last Chance Diner!
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