Whisper of the House review: a cosy unpacking game with hints of darkness

Unpacking‘s legacy is well-realised in Whisper of the House, a new cosy decorating sim that feels partially inspired by the Aussie-made hit, while taking an entirely different path with its overarching narrative and scope.

In this adventure game, you are a young and helpful townsperson who volunteers to move folks into their new homes, or to organise their shops, or take on other tasks. Whatever you’re needed for, you’ll be there to help, using easy, breezy mechanics to place items and organise as you wish.

Unpacking is a clear influence here, with the organisation process involving a box of items, to be placed within unique spaces. But as you visit each location, you’ll also get closer to figuring out the game’s overarching story. While primarily, gameplay involves visiting houses to solve people’s problems, you can also freely explore an overworld city filled with all sorts of mysteries.

Whisper of the House is defined by its mysteries

For one thing, the town museum is adorned by a holographic number that ticks down once for every project you complete. For another, there are haunted parts of town, where certain objects or structures have been possessed by a mysterious force you’ll need to dispel. You’ll also find some possessed items in houses, and even more secrets hiding in the walls of some locations.

Whisper of the House is entirely cosy in design, but there are hints of darkness that creep in at the edges, and give the game a sense of novel flavour. In one home, you might move a poster to discover a crack in the wall, which reveals a secret living space that has been occupied by another tenant. Ghosts exist in Whisper of the House, and they linger at the corners of your vision.

It’s in this mix of creepy and cute that Whisper of the House is so compelling. You’ll want to discover the secrets of Whisper Town, and figure out exactly why you’re getting strange, slightly threatening mail in your inbox, and why some townsfolk appear to be hiding something. All the while, you’ll be encouraged along by the cosy, moreish organisation gameplay, which allows you to reshape your town with your own creative vision.

With hours of gameplay, you’d expect the slow-moving process of unpacking each box would grate, but Whisper of the House keeps things fresh with innovative uses of its unpacking mechanics. Sometimes, it’s a free-for-all of creativity and you’re allowed to design a cosy space as you like. Sometimes, you’ll need to fulfil specific requirements by placing items in set locations.

The most interesting homes are those filled with garbage or detriment, where your job becomes cleaning. In these stages, you’ll need to take time recycling and clearing smudges, or clearing pathways. In one particular stage, you’ll need to help an old man by clearing items from his floor, to create a safe walking path. It doesn’t particularly matter where you place items, but you’ll want your layout to look aesthetically pleasing, if only to make the old man happy.

Whisper of the House lets you go about this process at your own pace, spending as much or as little time as you like organising, unpacking, and solving puzzles. You can sit back, assess your surroundings, and take the time to realise your vision.

There are moments where Whisper of the House is somewhat unpolished. I’ve seen issues with text in boxes, and had minor challenges manoeuvring certain items to complete puzzles. But overall, the game is entirely lovely and well-realised, with its cosy pixel artwork going a long way towards amplifying its cool, relaxing vibes. Every element here is cohesive and compelling, and while tonal shifts are occasionally discombobulating, that serves a quirky, strange plot that keeps you engaged with each new task.

For organisers, and anyone looking to bask in the glow of Unpacking, Whisper of the House is a wonderful, cosy organisation sim that shines, especially when it’s cute, strange, and unsettling.

_{A PC code for Whisper of the House was provided and played for the purposes of this review.}

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