Demo, Indiegogo campaign detected for Alex Hill

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Nancy Drew-styled slideshow mystery series to debut with Whispers at White Oak Inn

The loss of Nancy Drew from the annual adventure game calendar several years ago has never fully been replaced, though not for lack of trying. The latest indie developer to step into the void with a promising new heroine is Hannahontrek, who's turned to Indiegogo to help crowdfund her upcoming debut mystery, Alex Hill: Whispers at White Oak Inn.

Alexandra (Alex to her friends) Hill is a bright but somewhat cheeky P.I. just returning from suspension from the Concilio Detective Agency for "bending the rules" on her last case. She'll have her hands full with her new assignment, as The White Oak Inn in the quiet town of Little Springs, New York is reportedly being haunted by the spirit of a young woman named Audrey, the daughter of the inn's former owner who died two years earlier in a tragic drowning accident. Curiously, Ronnie, the concierge and friend of the deceased, began receiving threatening letters at the same time the ghost appeared, and it's he who requested help to get to the truth behind these disturbing events. Arriving at the inn in darkness, Alex quickly witnesses the spectre first-hand, but is this mystery really due to supernatural causes? To answer that question, you'll need to use your best investigative skills and "snoop with the best of them."

Inspired, of course, by HeR Interactive's long-running teen sleuth series, Whispers at White Oak Inn promises to be a similarly "cozy" first-person, slideshow-style detective mystery with the addition of "some spooky elements." There will be a variety of "challenging" puzzles to solve throughout the haunted inn and its surrounding environs, and a diverse cast of characters to interact with, either face to face or via Alex's handy cell phone. There's Henry, the "offbeat owner of the local curiosity shop" who may be just "a grumpy old soul with a hidden heart of gold" or in fact "possess a touch of darkness," and the blogger Shirley, who delights in sharing the "absolute best spooky destinations" with her devoted following, and conveniently happened to be at White Oak when the paranormal phenomena began, to name just two of the people you'll want to closely interrogate. A task list with current and completed objectives will keep you on track, offering a basic description of what needs to be done next.

In order to complete Alex Hill: Whispers at White Oak Inn within two years, complete with full voice acting (the solo developer herself providing the voice of the protagonist), Hannahontrek has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $20,000 US by early December. It's a flexible campaign, not all-or-nothing, meaning that any contributions will go to help production of the game regardless of the final total. For those who'd like to test-drive the game first, you can do just that as a downloadable demo is available, offering a brief stop at the detective agency and a first tour of the ground floor of the titular inn.