I haven’t played many visual novel RPGs, but so far I’ve enjoyed all that I have played, and Beacon Pines from developer Hiding Spot and Publisher Fellow Traveller did not ruin my streak. In Beacon Pines, you play as a young boy named Luka in a small town, named, you guessed it, Beacon Pines. This small town is full of unique characters, many of which are keeping a secret or two. The story takes place inside of a storybook, one where the choices you make help impact how the story ends.
Beacon Pines uses pages of a book to transition between different segments of adventure gameplay where you get to explore and talk to all the characters. This cozy, and sometimes creepy, story is significantly impacted by your actions. As you explore and move through the story, you collect charms. Each charm contains a word, the more you collect, the more options you’ll have when choosing which word best completes a sentence throughout the game. These choices are kept track of on ‘The Chronicle’, which is a tree you can access at any point in case you want to go back and change a previous choice. This tool is very useful and makes the story flow well because even if you hit a false ending, you can easily go back and try a different path without having to replay the entire game. The Narrator is also aware of some of the key facts you learned when in other branches of the story, making for a cohesive tale despite the back and forth.
While The Chronicle is helpful, it is also the only possible negative I had for the game while I was playing, but by the end, even those feelings had switched to positives. The story progression often feels as if it forces you to go through almost all the options in order to reach the ‘true ending’. Due to this, about halfway into the game, I began to feel like my choices didn’t matter much. However, I ended up preferring that story progression because it not only allowed me to discover all the pieces of the puzzle that make up the story of Beacon Pines, but it also made the final moments have a much more satisfying impact. The story was so fun and creative that it made you want to learn everything, so I still made sure to go through every possible option throughout the game, even the ones not required for the main plot. The story can get a bit intense at times throughout your adventure as mysteries begin to unfold, but the gameplay itself stays fairly straightforward and guided, but there is still room to roam around the town. That leads me to the biggest recommendation that I can give to prospective players; explore everything!
Exploration is key in Beacon Pines. In order to find every word for the various story branches and side missions, you have to explore by talking to various NPCs and interacting with different objects along the way. Luka’s friends and neighbors in Beacon Pines each have distinctive personalities, so talking with them every time you have the option to just makes it more enjoyable. There are quite a few small details laced through the narrative and many fun/funny dialogues to be found in every branch of this story.
The characters of Beacon Pines not only have fun personalities but also quite cute designs. Though a few of their bodies are a bit too anthropomorphic and that leads to one or two of them being a bit creepy to look at during dialogue close-ups (I’m looking at you Kado). This style matches the cute and creepy tones which are found in all aspects of the game. The scenery of Beacon Pines has a cozy painted look and the edges make it feel like it’s an illustration taken straight from a children’s book, which allows for transitions from story to adventuring to flow together seamlessly. Alongside the pretty visuals, the game’s score also helps drive home impact, exemplifying the emotions of each scene and interaction just right. The character’s voices are merely a variety of squeaks and grumbles that match the tones you’d expect from each character. The Narrator, however, is fully voice-acted and they do a wonderful job at keeping the story moving while conveying the right emotions for each scene. Her tone paired with well-written dialogues create a comfortable and familiar feel that is easy to connect with.
Since this is a novel, albeit a visual one, let’s talk a bit more about the writing. As I’ve said before, all the characters are unique and that is showcased in every interaction and line of dialogue. The narrator’s voice remains consistent and the story is captivating. Beason Pines was a tale I found hard to put down once I started. And just in case I haven’t made it obvious yet in this article, I want to explicitly state that I truly enjoyed the story of Beacon Pines. Luka’s journey was a joy to experience and learn about as I progressed, and that is primarily due to the amount of thought and care that went into crafting it. Even if there were no visuals, this story would be one that I’d enjoy reading in a paperback. Though the visuals and score definitely help to enhance the experience.
Overall, Beacon Pines is a fun and heartwarming visual novel with likable characters and a plethora of endings that you’ll want to discover. I know I didn’t go into the actual story too much, but that’s because it is best experienced for yourself. Beacon Pines is out today on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. It is also available on day one for Xbox GamePass members. A fun fact about this game is that it was funded through Kickstarter, where it reached nearly 3x its initial goal. A code for the game was provided by the publisher for review. And if this article hasn’t convinced you to get the game, there is a free demo you can check out before purchasing.
