WHALIEN – The Unexpected Guest – LadyGamers

Play: WHALIEN – Unexpected guest
Style: Adventure, Casual, Indie.
system: steam (windows
Developer | Publisher: forbidden fold
Controller Support: Full controller support.
worth: USD $ TBD | UK £ TBD | EU € TBD
Release Date: January 24, 2023

With many thanks to the review code used, Press Engine.

The end of January is almost upon us, ushering in an excellent year for long-awaited titles. Nevertheless, to start off on the right foot, Forbidden Folds has come up with a unique, short and quirky experience that should keep players entertained for a while.

Finn a loyal worker and flying machine

WHALIEN – Unexpected guest Set its plot in a world where humans don’t have any more room in their current world, so Whaley Wonky (actually, there’s a whale concept here) builds a flying machine. Inside, many people lived, ate, and spent their days until the Squiddies, pink slimy aliens, appeared inside the machine, causing problems and mischief.

Finn, the flying machine’s AI, constantly senses the Squiddies inside it; Sadly, everyone abandoned ship thinking it was a lost cause. Nevertheless, Ernest Hemingvale, a loyal and philanthropic worker, stayed behind to help Finn. This hero tries his best to help Finn, who has been his friend and home.

clever spring people

Even though the humans abandoned Finn, a few personalities are left behind to aid Ernest’s quest to get rid of the Squiddles. They are called spring people. They try to keep everything running as it should, but once the chaos aboard the flying machine, they help Ernest by guiding and sometimes giving him skills.

Some Spring people ask for Ernest’s help, while others just mention a random fact. Nevertheless, they are friendly, funny and extremely helpful when the time comes.

A Fin-tastic World!

WHALIEN – Unexpected guest A pretty straightforward adventure, but don’t think that there aren’t any secrets or exploration inside Finn. Filled with colorful ship rooms and clever mechanisms to move from place to place, this flying machine has it all. In addition to the absurd amount of Squiddies to chill around, there are other things to find, for example, the stickers that Ernest collects in his notebook, and they are usually hard to find or obtain.

Playing out the whole adventure inside a ship sounds small in terms of location, but the Finn is not a ship and is actually much bigger and more complex than it seems. Based on a whale, it has a good amount of lifts and rooms.

smooth gameplay

One of the main highlights of this game is its gameplay. It’s easy to learn with an intuitive tutorial that doesn’t feel forced or tiring. The only things Ernest can do are walk, jump, and push and pull things with his special gloves. This allows him to move around inside the fin through air vents or reach specific spots and get rid of squiddies.

The puzzles in the game are challenging enough to enjoy the journey, and it flows with smooth motion and pleasing animations. When Mr. and Mrs. Push a Pull enter the scenario as Ernest’s gadgets, the player can interact with almost every object in the environment.

colorful and quirky

The concept and mechanics are spot on as well as the visuals. It’s worth recognizing the dedication of the developer behind it. That, along with the sometimes awkward dialogue and voiceovers, made the experience not only enjoyable but fun. The relationship between Finn and Ernest is cute and goofy, and each encounter with the other characters is amusing.

conclusion

WHALIEN – Unexpected guest is a game that does only a few things but does them quite well. It plays well, looks good, and provides an enjoyable adventure. That being said, this is a very short game that can be finished in one sitting, if not two. It lasts for 2-3 hours, which can be a positive thing sometimes. It’s perfect for a simple, enjoyable, quick experience or a free weekend away.

Final Verdict: Two thumbs up.