‘Beacon Pines’ Excels at Showing the Power of Words
Beacon Pines tells a cute (and often a bit creepy) story, and you’ll guide the direction that tale takes by picking from a handful of possible words.
There’s something strange going on at an old warehouse in town. Only Luka and his other animal pals seem to notice it, though. If you let the curious child look into what happened, though, he’ll likely meet a grim fate. I discovered that the hard way when I spent a little time helping Luka look into the mystery. Thankfully, his fate didn’t end there, as the events of the game take place in a storybook. If you go back a few pages and change some words, you can take the game in an entirely different direction. One where you can figure out what sinister things are happening in town.
To do this, you’ll choose from an array of different words every once in a while. When an important story beat happens, you get a selection of words to pick from, and each of these will take the story in different ways. Some of these seem minor in the moment, but can lead to unexpected, bleak fates or a surprising discovery. They can also lead to some silly event, as these are kids, after all. The fun comes in seeing how the words will shape those events. I compared it to playing mad-libs when I’d looked at it before. Like the game, there’s a silliness and fun that comes from seeing what will happen. There’s a dark side to the game that might make you regret some choices, though.
Beacon Pines is fun to play just to see how the words you choose shape the story. It’s also incredible to see how some of these seemingly-small word choices can lead to disturbing ends or staggering revelations. It’s a sharp testament to the power of words, and also to how the smallest of events and decisions can change your whole life.
Beacon Pines will be made available today on Steam.
