Developer: Imaginarylab
Publisher: Imaginarylab, Vsoo Games
Platform: Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Tested on: PC
Whirlight – No Time To Trip – Review
After imaginarylab’s Willy Morgan and the Curse of Bone Town, a new point-and-click adventure game takes centre stage with Whirlight – No Time to Trip. Whether imaginarylab has learned from their previous efforts is to be considered as we follow an eclectic inventor through some wibbly wobbly, timey wimey shenanigans.
Story
After a very delirious dream, we follow Doctor Hector May, inventor of Venice Bay in 1962, as he explores his local town. Once there, he gathers various materials for his latest machine with the help of other townspeople. Throughout the exploration, players learn about Hector’s history, as well as the town’s. Eventually, we team up with artist Margaret: a strong-willed and vocal citizen of Venice Bay, who somehow manages to put up just fine with Hector’s unique mindset.
There is no denying that Whirlight is a story-driven game. Fortunately, it is also a strongly written game, despite the various jokes and sometimes ridiculous presentation of the total image. Though mainly a comedy, some characters and areas make you almost feel sympathetic towards NPCs, sometimes even Hector himself. Early on, he explains how he was betrayed by his then-assistant Theodore, leaving him to be the shunned and misunderstood inventor he is today.
Furthermore, our main characters are pleasant to tag along with, especially Hector, who always thinks outside of the box and has a peculiar sense of humor, bound to leave the player laughing throughout the game, even when topics get serious.
Graphics
Whirlight’s graphics are possibly its strongest selling point. Everything is hand-drawn, and the animations are very reminiscent of children’s games from the 2000s. The various backgrounds are very colorful, even when they aren’t shown in a bright environment, and there are often hidden Easter eggs and references for players to find. Sadly, as was the case with ‘The Curse of Bone Town’, once again our characters feel separated from the areas they are in. Whilst NPCs now do look like part of the place, the protagonist himself looks like he stands in front of a green screen. At certain points, when talking to other characters, it even seems like they are conversing with someone off-screen entirely. Though it doesn’t affect the gameplay, considering this isn’t Imaginarylabs first rodeo, we had anticipated a tad of an improvement on this part.
Sound
The background music in Whirlight is just about a bit of everything. Without spoiling the story, the songs played throughout the game have been carefully crafted to fit the areas our two protagonists find themselves in. Every place in Venice Bay has its own designed music, making the world feel even more alive than it does with the vibrant graphics. Various sound effects have been mixed in as well to add even more depth, making this a really pleasant experience for the ears.
Something less great perhaps are the voice performances of the characters. As every NPC is voiced, we are bound to come across a few who gave a less extraordinary performance than others did. Sadly, this can be said about Hector as well. The man’s voice often feels strained and forced, making the line delivery feel less natural and sometimes blatantly distracting from other things going on. This is especially the case when paired up with Margaret, whose line deliveries are phenomenal; Hector’s lack of intonation can’t be missed when this happens.
Gameplay
Played as a classic point-and-click adventure game, Whirlight promises puzzles, exploration and solid storytelling. It delivers all this very well, with plenty of areas that feel distinct and unique on their own, yet coherent altogether. There are puzzles aplenty, as we are thrown into one right from the very first moment, we boot up the game.
The controls of the game are, as expected, pointing and clicking. The only time the player doesn’t need to click is to access the inventory, which is accessed through the scrolling wheel. There is the option to play with the controller as well, or via keyboard shortcuts. Furthermore, when the player isn’t sure what can be interacted with, simply right-clicking will display all clickable points on the screen.
When solving puzzles, this can be done in two ways. Either the player has to drag the right item from the inventory to the space it needs to be used on, or select dialogue options. Items in the inventory can also be combined. When the player attempts something that doesn’t work, the protagonist will question the purpose of this choice, followed by nothing.
For players who are new to this genre or just not keen on puzzles, we do have some bad news. When you can’t figure out what to do, all there is to help you is an objective list in Hector’s journal. Though it tells you to obtain a certain item, there is no hint as to how or where to look for it, leaving the player stranded and forced to click pretty much everything. Though a hint can be mentioned when progressing through a puzzle, once the dialogue has passed, there is no way to repeat it. Perhaps the only form of hint you can get is when asking NPCs about the item, so they can tell you if they have something to do with it or not.
Conclusion
Though a well-written game, filled with the nostalgic graphics of early 2000s games, Whirlight – No Time To Trip still misses that little something to make it a fully enjoyable game. Given that this wasn’t the first game developed by Imaginarylab, co-published by Vsoo Games, we feel that perhaps they should look at some feedback to fix those little beauty mistakes. Whilst the gameplay doesn’t lack much, aside from optional handholding, other games in the same category will likely outshine this adventure, one way or another. At the end of the day, adding Whirlight to your collection is still a good option if you wish to fill your day with whimsiness and joy.
No Comments