Sometimes what you see, isn’t always what you get. Beacon Pines caught me by surprise in this very way. However, sometimes getting something different than what you thought you were getting isn’t a bad thing. Beacon Pines defied my expectations, and in doing so provided a gameplay experience that was a pleasant surprise.

Beacon Pines is a narrative adventure game with puzzle elements, in which you play Luka VanHorn, a young boy trying to unravel a mystery at the heart of the titular town. However, this is not a story meant for children. Much like media such as Stranger Things, Beacon Pines holds mature themes and dark elements within its gameplay.

The gameplay seems simple, as you follow Luka’s story through branching paths, using charms to provide keywords at varying points in the story. Collecting charms by interacting with people and objects in the various branches is important, as these charms can open previously inaccessible outcomes to branches. Trust me when I say you’ll want to explore as many avenues as possible since most branches do not end well for Luka or his friends.

There are very mature themes in this story, such as character death, abandonment, kidnapping, and more. However, at the heart of the story is a tale of friendship and community that turns out to be surprisingly heartwarming. If you can get past the creepy (sometimes sinister) elements of the story as it unfolds, you’ll likely find yourself incredibly satisfied, as I did.

In fact, between the voice acting and the surprisingly enthralling gameplay loop of using charms to find new branches, endings, and paths, I found Beacon Pines to be utterly compelling. I have seen other games attempt this same idea, but Beacon Pines somehow manages to keep it engaging, without feeling like you’re just re-treading old ground.

With that being said, Beacon Pines is somewhat text-heavy. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily, especially with the voice acting in narrated portions of the game. However, there aren’t any options to adjust text size, color, or font, which can be inaccessible for some players. In fact, other than a few audio options, there isn’t much at all in terms of options.

Granted, for a Switch game, most players won’t have a problem with it. However, for the ones that have various visual impairments or things like dyslexia, I could see there being issues. It’s a little sad really since Beacon Pines has a fantastic story. In fact, the puzzle-esque elements and choose-your-own-adventure style of the branching paths work very well as a storytelling device.

I’d recommend Beacon Pines to any fan of things like The Goonies, Stranger Things, or even other indie gems like Night in the Woods. There’s something fascinating about something sinister going on behind a typical, idyllic suburban town. Beacon Pines isn’t a long game either, you’ll likely get 10 hours or so from it if you want to get everything. However, I’d say that is a perfect amount of time for this sort of adventure.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Beacon Pines was provided by Fellow Traveler For this review.

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Beacon Pines

$19.99

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Great Story
• Fun Puzzle Mechanics
• Beautiful Art Style
• Good Narration and Voice Acting

Cons

• No Accessibility Options for Visually Impaired