Whisper of the House is a cozy game about organizing and decorating. You’ll take on various tasks from the townspeople — helping them move, organize, and clean their spaces. In the process, your gentle touch might make a difference in their lives, and perhaps uncover some hidden stories.
Developed by: 元气弹工作室(GD Studio)
Played on: Steam
Length: 4-8 hours
While the rest of the world was busy crashing the Steam servers to buy Hollow Knight: Silksong, I was desperately clearing my schedule for another highly anticipated game on my wishlist. Developed by GD Studio, Whisper of the House was one of my top picks from the February edition of Steam Next Fest for a couple of obvious reasons.
Firstly, there’s no denying that the game scratches the same itch as Unpacking, from its charming pixel art style to its organising-based gameplay. Except this time, your skills are required on a town-wide scale. In Whisper of the House, you play as a professional housekeeper who recently moved into Whisper Town, taking on various odd jobs from its quirky residents in order to… buy more furniture because we live in a cyclical economy.
The gigs begin normal enough, from helping residents move into their new homes to cleaning out decrepit dwellings, then the game begins to get a little strange. Suddenly, you’re receiving threatening letters in the mail, which may or may not have something to do with the corrupted whispers you’re hearing in statues and objects around town. Surely, this cutesy organising game isn’t about to have a horrific twist, right?
Rest assured — Whisper of the House doesn’t quite tread into horror game territory, although it does have a few brushes with the fourth wall and more than a few secrets beneath its surface. Every resident you meet has a hidden story, told through the clues left behind in their belongings. If you piece together the clues correctly, it might lead to some interesting interactions or even unravel the mystery of the town as a whole.
Whisper of the House does have an overarching narrative, but the characters and tiny narratives from these quests never quite link up to the bigger picture in a meaningful way. Even as the game piles on interesting clients and settings, from abandoned alchemy workshops to empty hospital rooms, most of these narratives come to an end once you exit the building and it leaves the player wanting more.
Part of my high expectations for the game comes from its deceivingly large map, which contains plenty of interesting-looking residential and commercial buildings, but only a handful of them are actually interactable. The main storyline runs shorter than expected at four hours of playtime. On top of that, not every gig allows you to freely decorate the space, which feels like a slight mismatch with what most players expect out of the game.
While the game might fall short for players who prefer guided levels, players who just enjoy decorating will be pleased to know that the game has a “Creative Mode” built into it. At any point during the game, you can exchange the vouchers you’ve earned to purchase Mystery Boxes from vendors scattered throughout town, ranging from furniture to plants and even various food items.
Just like real blind boxes, these Mystery Boxes will give you a random assortment of furniture with a slim chance of getting exclusive themed furniture. You will have to repeat this process across all the vendors, which can be a little wearing over time, but once you unlock the item in your catalogue, you’ll be able to buy extra copies from vendors who will sell you exactly what you need.
These furniture items can be used to decorate your house and any other properties you unlock as you progress through the game. For added challenge, you can also take on themed decorating jobs from the Notice Board which unlocks after completing a few main quests in the game. For those familiar with the Happy Home Paradise DLC in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, this feels like a simplified version of that. Not bad at all for a completely optional Creative Mode.
Admittedly, there are several points where the game feels a little bloated mechanically. The map is too large and difficult to navigate, there are too many steps to unlock furniture, and the UI for inventory filtering and management is less than ideal. While the game benefits from a large catalogue and plenty of customisation options, including the ability to change individual item colours, the problems with its UI ended up cutting short the time I would have spent on this game.
That being said, Whisper of the House only falters at its own ambition. Much like a child trying to wear shoes a few sizes too big, the game showcases enough potential in its concept and executes with just enough polish to make this experience an enjoyable one. Even if you have to shuffle along awkwardly at some points.
Verdict: Perfect For ‘Unpacking’ Fans
If you’ve been looking for a game to fill that Unpacking sized hole in your heart, Whisper of the House comes pretty close. You play as a professional housekeeper, taking up odd jobs from quirky residents as you solve the mystery that surrounds the town. While the game suffers slightly from bloated mechanics, its charming narrative and optional creative mode will easily have you sinking in hours.
