Whispers of the Luminaries preview — A mystery VN worth keeping an eye on

If there is any type of narrative premise I can never get tired of, it is murder mysteries. Nothing matches the satisfaction of piecing together clues and evidence to uncover shocking revelations. Which is why I was immediately intrigued upon hearing about Whispers of the Luminaries, an up-and-coming murder mystery visual novel from developer VN Heaven set to have its Kickstarter launch in early October. Thankfully, there is a two-hour demo available on Steam to get a taste of what’s promised to be a 20 to 30 hour adventure. Upon completion, I am happy to say that this is a visual novel I will keenly be keeping an eye on.

The central mystery revolves around the disappearance, and subsequent murder of an idol trainee. Right from the get-go, Whispers of the Luminaries commits itself to delving into the dark side of the idol industry, and fittingly interweaves that heavy tone with its murder case. The story takes advantage of the narrative opportunities these two premises offer, depicting the social and financial pressures of pursuing the dream of being an idol, and the emotional anguish that comes from seeing the corpse of a loved one. The darkness of these aspects provides a stellar juxtaposition to the dreamy lifestyle the idol trainees are striving for. The demo ends once these two sides of the plot begin to bleed into each other, making for a strong opening that has me eager to see more.

What impressed me most about the writing is how attached I grew to the cast in the short section the demo offered. This is in large part due to the reliance on switching which point of view the narrative is following. These provide a brief, yet effective way to see the varied, emotional reactions of the cast based on the information each character has respectively. It crafts a grounded world with believable characters, seeing how their lives have been impacted by a friend’s death. As a result, there is a tense yet somber tone that shrouds this snapshot of the game. These sections are also briskly paced as well, offering what it needs to without overstaying their welcome.

As for how Whispers of the Luminaries plays, it is your typical detective VN fair. Which makes sense, as Famicom Detective Club, Ace Attorney, and Danganronpa are pitched as sources of inspiration. There’s the usual loop of talking to persons of interests relating to the case, investigating crime scenes, piecing together clues and evidence, to the social and calendar systems present within Danganronpa.

Depending on how characters spend their limited free time during the case, they can increase various social stats, which can also be impacted through events of the main story as well. The demo only had a few instances of this, with the option to study clues on the case or to spend time drinking at the bar. Additionally, there is to be an affection system that allows you to bond with the cast. Unfortunately, it is difficult to gauge how impactful and fun these systems will be in such a short demo, although I am curious to see how they will play a role with the context of the full game.

Presentation wise, I am extremely satisfied with what I’ve seen in the demo. The sprites themselves are gorgeous, with the way each character is drawn conveying their core personality traits well. As for the background, they are simple but clean, effectively conveying the tone each location is aiming for. This extends to the music as well, with tunes reminiscent of the jazzy investigation themes from Danganronpa, and the soft pianos prevalent in Famicom Detective Club. The latter is what the UI of this game is based on, which makes for intuitive readability and menu navigation.

I know I have been mentioning these other series a lot, but I want to stress one key thing based on my short time with the demo. Outside of genre conventions, Whispers of the Luminaries rarely feels like the series that inspired it, and that is something I adore. Its inspirations don’t compromise its distinctive identity, carving unique emotional conflicts thanks to intersecting its idol and murder mystery storylines. If this level of quality keeps up for the rest of the adventure, then we might have another visual novel gem on our hands.

While Whispers of the Luminaries does not have a confirmed release date, its Kickstarter will launch on October 8th. Early bird discounts and rewards are planned for the first 24 hours the Kickstarter is live. Following the Kickstarter page will net a limited-edition art print, and a discounted copy of the game. The demo for Whispers of the Luminaires is currently available on Steam.

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