Ghostly Whiskers: A Spooky Cat Adventure Undone by Frustrating Design Choices
Playable in single-player or local co-op, Ghostly Whispers begins with your owner going missing, and your brave cat(s) embarking on an adventure to save them. A 3D adventure featuring both fixed and floating camera points, your task will begin at home and lead you through the city towards a distant mansion enshrouded in fog.I played this with my young son, who was far more enamoured with the game than I was, especially when he realised that there was a button to pee on command.
The lightly spooky tone of the game – set purely at night – is helped in no small measure by the soundtrack, which lilts along at just the right level of ooky-kookiness without becoming overbearing.
Visually, the game feels somewhat flat, but the graphics are clean, if underwhelming. A linear experience, there is a reason to explore each area fully as you find cat treats that can be exchanged for comedic cat headwear from a bizarre, giggling man you see dotted around the game, natch.
In the initial stages of the game, whilst it lays out the tone and simple puzzle/platform setup, it unfortunately becomes apparent that there are issues. Firstly, to play in co-op you are seemingly forced to use the Joy-Cons, as any attempt to connect two controllers is halted by the game, and I assumed it was actually broken until I tried the Joy-Cons, and yes...using those awful, tiny, impractical, clumsy controllers is the only way to seemingly play in co-op on Switch. Yay.
The game features some sections that require some platforming dexterity and stealth, both of which quickly stabbed fear into my heart whenever I encountered them. Platforming-wise, the controls just aren’t up to the task, with one section requiring a running jump in a perfectly straight line from a wooden plank to another being one of the most infuriating things I’ve encountered in living memory, doubled in pain by the fact I had to do it twice for both cats, as if one cat fails, you are both sent back to the previous checkpoint (represented by a cat basket).
The game features some sections that require some platforming dexterity and stealth, both of which quickly stabbed fear into my heart whenever I encountered them. Platforming-wise, the controls just aren’t up to the task, with one section requiring a running jump in a perfectly straight line from a wooden plank to another being one of the most infuriating things I’ve encountered in living memory, doubled in pain by the fact I had to do it twice for both cats, as if one cat fails, you are both sent back to the previous checkpoint (represented by a cat basket).
The low, side-on camera angle combined with unresponsive controls meant that I either jumped too early or too late, or fell off the narrow plank en route to the jump. It’s the polar opposite of the recently reviewed Brave Escape – which laid any failure firmly in the hands of the player.
Then there are the stealth sections, which really had me grinding my teeth in frustration, as the spiders that hunt you have a generous viewing cone that looks like it can pass through walls – but can’t – and often pop in suddenly from off-screen, resulting in an insta-kill and restart for the players.
These sections are the worst in the game, and very much need overhauling – or removal. Combine these issues with certain segments in which cameras lock in place (making blind jumps a necessity), and they make the general traversal through this short title a chore and not a challenge.
SUMMARY
Whilst Ghostly Whiskers promises – and initially delivers – a simple and fun spooky adventure suitable for all ages, the myriad issues just rip apart the fun in short order and make your cute cats’ journey one of stress and tedium.
Whilst Ghostly Whiskers promises – and initially delivers – a simple and fun spooky adventure suitable for all ages, the myriad issues just rip apart the fun in short order and make your cute cats’ journey one of stress and tedium.
5/10
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[Also available on PlayStation 4 & 5]