A number of modern adventure games operate under one mantra: choices matter. Even if that boils down to two choices, the idea that the player is responsible for dictating how a story should go feels rather empowering for the genre. Beacon Pines is the latest adventure game to run with this concept, but it does so in a way that feels rather novel, while the execution backs it up with a solid adventure.

You play the role of Luka VanHorn, a 12-year-old boy whose life isn't quite so picturesque. His dad died when he was six, and his mom disappeared a few months ago. His kind grandmother moved in to take care of him, and he still has his mischievous friend Rolo by his side, but he also lives in the town of Beacon Pines. It's like many small towns in that it saw prosperity due to the local fertilizer factory but quickly fell into despair when a bad harvest shut down the factory. At the start of summer vacation, Rolo tells Luka that the abandoned fertilizer factory had some strange activity the night before, and what begins as a curious little adventure quickly turns into something bigger and more mysterious than anyone could have imagined.

A good adventure game needs a good story, and the one in Beacon Pines is fascinating. The story hearkens back to the kind of thrillers seen in PG-13 movies, where small towns are hiding secrets that aren't supernatural. There's the suspicious new company with the CEO who can't be trusted, the rich family that's still holding on by a thread, adults who are hiding their own secrets, and a bunch of kids trying to figure it out while dealing with bullies. It's more like the old TV series "Eerie, Indiana" than "Stranger Things," and while it is similar in that it takes place in a time period that isn't exactly modern, it doesn't necessarily use that as a hook to get you interested.

The core gameplay loop can be best described as a mashup of different subgenres of adventure games. Players take direct control of the character, go through various environments, and approach anything that can be interacted with. There's no real inventory system to speak of, as some of the objects are used almost immediately rather than being saved for puzzles with semi-convoluted solutions. The one object type you do run into often enough are charms, which are simply words accompanied by an illustration and something we'll touch on later. When you aren't traveling to and from various locations, you'll be engaged in conversations in a style akin to a visual novel where larger, more detailed illustrations of each character are shown as people are speaking and emoting.

The visual novel approach might be off-putting for some players, as it feels like the game reverts to this more often than expected. Just about every character you run into has something lengthy to say, and almost all of the major story beats happen during these scenes. You won't dread them since the dialogue is very well written, but those expecting some traditional puzzles and exploration will find that the number of scenes they have to go through is more numerous than expected.

The visual novel sections are necessary, since they lead to the game's big hook: choice. The charms you collect can be used in key parts of the story to alter your decision. The opening one you get is benign enough, but everything else after that alters the story significantly, from getting someone hurt to meeting your untimely demise. Yet the game doesn't necessarily end when something bad happens, as you can always go back to key points in the story tree to open up new branches by finding different charms. Going through all of the possible outcomes is the only way to encounter some key charms you'll need to go forward.

The use of charms will remind you of the Choose Your Own Adventure-type books you might have encountered as a child, and the branching storyline tree makes the game feel different from other adventure games. Your goal is to get the best ending, but now you have more drive to see every aspect of the story and every possible ending. This is especially true, as you not only get to see some wildly different endings that end up making sense instead of being there for shock value. The character traits you see in one path don't get suddenly abandoned in another path, and it makes the journey to any one of the various endings more fascinating.

The complaints with Beacon Pines are few, aside from the aforementioned proclivity toward the visual novel style of adventure game. Getting to the good ending is a journey that takes an average of six hours, and trying to discover each and every branch in the story tree doesn't add as much playtime as expected. Speaking of which, the branching paths idea to the tale is very good, but the number of spots where you can change the story seems to be fewer than expected. Compared to most other games, these aren't huge complaints, but it shows that there is a desire to spend more time in this world.

The presentation is excellent. The game takes on a storybook look, and the environments have enough small moving elements to feel alive. The characters only take on that style during the speaking portions when you see their illustrations, but the playable versions fit in their environments while standing out enough so you know that you should talk to them. While the game looks absolutely gorgeous, the audio deserves an equal amount of praise as well. The characters speak with mumbled chirps that evoke many games of yesteryear that try to add some inflection to the text without having them speak. The only voice you can understand is that of the narrator, Kirsten Mize, and her performance is exceptional. It's the kind of performance you'd expect to hear from "Reading Rainbow," where a simple story can feel powerful thanks to the characters and narrator inflections. The score is minimal, but it also does a good job of invoking the life of a small town and the strangeness within.

Steam Deck users will find Beacon Pines to be perfectly suited for the system. The default settings give the system around four hours of playtime before it needs a recharge, which is around average for many indie games nowadays. Those worried about the small screen will find that the text is clearly readable, and even though this type of game doesn't call for a high frame rate, it is comforting to know that you won't experience any drops in the game. That said, you will have to mess with the device settings if you're trying to squeeze the most battery life from a title. The tweakable options for graphics are limited to resolution only.

Beacon Pines is the type of adventure game that's perfectly suited for genre newcomers and those seeking to get away from the point-and-click style while retaining the genre's deeper storytelling. The story remains fascinating, since it clashes with the idyllic town setting and cast of cute characters. The ability to uncover every branch of the story tree via your discovered actions drives the desire to see every possible outcome even, if it is forced on you via the game design. The overall gameplay length ensures that it doesn't overstay its welcome, but some players may not like the semi-visual novel flow of most of the game. If you're willing to overlook that design decision, you'll be more than happy with this unassuming adventure.

Score: 8.5/10