Somehow, we’ve managed to make it to the end of 2022, so with that in mind, we’re celebrating some of the best games to have launched in the past 12 months. Today, we’re highlighting the brilliance that is Beacon Pines.
At a surface level, you might think that Beacon Pines is just Stranger Things for furries, considering that both properties are about a group of kids banding together to solve complex conspiracies in a small, unassuming village. The only differences at a glance are that Beacon Pines has a cast of cute, anthropomorphic characters, and none of the characters in Beacon Pines are as detestable as Mike Wheeler.
Truthfully, Beacon Pines has so much more to offer than that basic comparison suggests, not only with its great story, compelling characters and adorable art style. The real value in Beacon Pines is how the game tells its story, placing value and significance in the power of one word to change fate itself.
The story sees Luka VanHorn exploring his hometown village of Beacon Pines with his best friend, Rolo. The two make plans to explore an abandoned warehouse that might not be quite so abandoned, and the events that unfurl shine a new light on the history of the village, the truth behind the disappearance of Luka’s mother (and death of his father), and even the motives of Perennial Harvest, the new company that moved into town a few years back.
While some of the twists and revelations don’t exactly come out of nowhere, especially if you’ve consumed your fair share of thrillers and mysteries, it’s how Beacon Pines tells its story that makes it such a memorable experience. The whole narrative is told through the perspective of a magic choose-your-own-adventure story book trying to find its own ending. In order to do so, you’ll acquire charms that can be deployed during Turning Points.
These charms are essentially words of power, which can dramatically alter the course of the game. One different word within the context of the sentence can lead to a radically different outcome, most of which unfortunately don’t end well for your boy Luka. However, dead ends lead to new charms, and thus new outcomes for the Turning Points within the game. Essentially, you’re exploring a story that’s slowly being unfolded over multiple branches.
Admittedly, it can get a bit overwhelming trying to keep on top of what events are happening in which branch, and which characters know what, but being able to see the full history and conspiracy unravel over the course of multiple branches, is utterly brilliant. It makes replaying and revisiting other branches much more compelling, as you’ll understand why certain characters make choices that might seem odd at first.
The branch method of storytelling also has the added benefit of giving players a more unique playthrough than your standard visual novel. My girlfriend recommended Beacon Pines to me after she played it, but the order we learned bits of information in was completely different, allowing us to make different revelations or craft new theories throughout the game.
Considering it’s only a short game, with an average run time of about 6 hours, you really owe it to yourself to seek out Beacon Pines. While everything might not be okay in the village, the game itself is utterly delightful. Also, if more developers want to make cozy horror games, that’d be just fine by me.
READ MORE:Â Biggest New Horror Games of 2023
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